Haghpat's three-tier bell tower and church on a grassy shelf, mountains of the Debed canyon beyond, in low gold lightHaghpat's three-tier bell tower and church on a grassy shelf, mountains of the Debed canyon beyond, in low gold light

Escursione di un giorno

Testo in inglese

Haghpat, Sanahin & the Debed Canyon

North to the Debed canyon for the day: two monasteries that taught and copied books for centuries, facing each other across the gorge.

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La storia del percorso

One canyon, two monasteries.

The road north crosses the high plateau and drops into the Debed canyon, where copper has been mined and smelted since the eighteenth century. Then two monasteries, founded within a few decades of each other in the tenth century: Sanahin, which grew into a school, and Haghpat, which grew into a small town of churches. They sit on opposite sides of the gorge, a short drive apart. Lunch falls between them.

La forma della giornata

Sanahin before lunch, Haghpat after, so the larger of the two closes the day. One break on the road each way.

  1. Yerevanthe start
  2. Sanahinthe school
  3. Haghpatthe larger story
  4. Yerevanhome
  • North over the plateau
  • In the Debed canyon

Sulla mappa

Dove va la giornata

La giornata in sé

YEREVANthe day starts and ends hereSanahinHaghpatthe last stopAkhtalaoptionalVanadzorAlaverdiGeorgia ↑

North over the plateau, then down into the Debed canyon. Not to scale: Sanahin and Haghpat sit within about fifteen kilometres of each other, close to the Georgian border.

Dove in Armenia

ARMENIAquesta giornata

The day goes almost to the north edge of Armenia and comes back the same evening.

    The Debed canyon from above, the town of Alaverdi strung along the river between steep green slopes

    Down into the canyonSU STRADA

    From the plateau the road drops into the gorge of the Debed. The river runs north towards Georgia, and the copper town of Alaverdi sits at the bottom, between the two monasteries.

    1. 01 / 02

      Go to school.

      A monastery that became a place of learning.

      01

      SanahinLATE MORNING · THE FIRST STOP

      Sanahin was founded in the tenth century. Its name is usually explained as “this one is older than that one”, a claim over Haghpat across the gorge. In the eleventh century it had an academy and a library, and the long vaulted corridor where students are said to have studied still stands.

      Below the village, in Alaverdi, a stone bridge from the end of the twelfth century still crosses the Debed. It is on the road below.

      After Sanahin, the day stops to eat: a table on the way, near Haghpat or in the canyon below, the host confirmed with your request.

      Uneven stone floors and low doorways; dim inside.

      DA NOTAREThe library, and the carved cross-stones set into the walls and floors.

      Inside Sanahin: a vaulted stone hall of carved arches on thick pillars, a wooden door at the far end
      The medieval Sanahin Bridge, one stone arch over the Debed in Alaverdi, the copper works and its chimney behind
    2. 02 / 02

      End with the larger story.

      A monastery that grew into a small town of churches.

      02

      HaghpatAFTERNOON · THE LAST STOP

      Haghpat was founded around 976 by Queen Khosrovanuysh, and its main church, Surb Nshan, was finished in 991. Over three centuries the monastery added a bell tower, a book depository and halls for its community, until it stood on its hillside above the Debed like a small town.

      Inside the complex is its best-known cross-stone, the Amenaprkich khachkar of 1273. Haghpat and Sanahin share one UNESCO World Heritage listing.

      Optional · if it fits the day: Akhtala, for its frescoes. Twenty minutes or so farther along the canyon, Akhtala is a fortified monastery whose church walls are covered with paintings from the early thirteenth century. Adding it makes the day about an hour and a half longer.

      Whether it fits your day is confirmed with your request.

      Slopes, steps and uneven stone between the buildings.

      DA NOTAREThe Amenaprkich khachkar, and the canyon from the terrace.

      A vaulted stone passage at Haghpat with carved cross-stones, opening onto a green slope and the mountains

    Prima di decidere

    Questa giornata fa per lei?

    Ideale per

    • Travellers who want the north of Armenia without a night away
    • Anyone drawn to monasteries as places of learning and books, not only as churches
    • A day after Garni, when you want the next layer of medieval Armenia

    Ci pensi bene se

    • Long car days drain you. About six of the ten to eleven hours are road.
    • Uneven stone and steps are hard for you. Each monastery has them.
    • You want variety of scenery more than history. This day is two monasteries in one canyon.

    WHY THIS IS ON SAFAR

    Most days north try to fit in a lake, a forest and the canyon together, and end up giving each an hour. Safar keeps this day in the Debed canyon only: Sanahin and Haghpat with time to see them, and lunch between the two.

    Dove si inserisce in un viaggio

    A day out of Yerevan, best once you have seen Garni and Geghard. It goes the farthest north of the Days, so leave a quieter day after it.

    L’Armenia, per intero

    I dettagli finali vengono confermati prima dell’esecuzione.

    Si prenda il suo tempo lungo il percorso

    Renda la strada parte della sua esperienza in Armenia, con tempo per i panorami, il cibo locale e le tappe che catturano il suo interesse. Prolunghi il suo viaggio a Lori con una notte vicino al canyon del Debed, organizzata con il nostro team.

    Una giornata

    Sanahin e Haghpat in un’intera giornata: da 10 a 11 ore circa da Erevan e ritorno, di cui circa sei su strada.

    2 giorni, 1 notte vicino al canyon del Debed

    Sanahin nel pomeriggio, una notte vicino al canyon e Haghpat la mattina seguente, con più tempo in ogni tappa.

    La versione con pernottamento viene organizzata su richiesta: ci comunichi se la desidera quando invia la sua richiesta. Il nostro team risponde con una proposta di programma: il soggiorno, gli orari, il prezzo e il partner che lo organizza. Questi dipendono dalle sue date e dalla disponibilità. Inviare una richiesta non è una prenotazione. Il nostro team le spiegherà come confermare il viaggio proposto.

    Una notte in più significa più tempo in ogni luogo, non più luoghi. Le tappe facoltative vengono offerte solo se soddisfano i suoi interessi.

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    I campi contrassegnati con * sono obbligatori.

    Queste sono le sue preferenze per la giornata. Il partner che la realizza conferma ciò che è possibile nella sua data, prima che venga concordato qualcosa.

    Quanto tempo

    La versione con pernottamento viene organizzata su richiesta. Per 1 notte, la data indicata sopra è il suo primo giorno; ci comunichi nella nota se ha una preferenza su dove alloggiare.

    La tavola lungo il percorso

    La persona che la ospita e ciò che viene servito vengono confermati nell’ambito della sua richiesta.

    Akhtala, per i suoi affreschi

    Solo se rientra nella giornata. Aggiunge circa un’ora e mezza; la risposta dice se rientra.

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    Così invia solo una richiesta – nessun pagamento, nessuna data confermata e nessuna disponibilità garantita. Il fornitore e i dettagli operativi finali vengono confermati prima dell’esecuzione.