Geghard, Armenia

Goght (Armenian: Գողթ; formerly Goghot) is a village in the Kotayk Province of Armenia, located on the right bank of the upper-Azat River. It is known from 13th-century manuscripts as Goghot. It is located near Garni and sits along the road leading to Geghard Monastery. The village has a small ruined basilica from the 17th or 18th century located straight down a dirt road from the main square. Some khachkars are built into the exterior walls of the church, as well as at its altar. Goght sits overlooking a large gorge and upon a promontory on the other side is the 11th- to 13th-century monastery of Havuts Tar. It may be reached by foot from the town, but more easily from Garni via the Garni Gorge. The community has a school, kindergarten, house of culture, and a library. The local economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, based primarily on grain farming, orchard cultivation, and cattle-breeding.

Geghard (Armenian: Գեղարդ, meaning "spear") is a medieval monastery in the Kotayk province of Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with enhanced protection status. While the main chapel was built in 1215, the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. The monastery had thus been originally named Ayrivank (Այրիվանք), meaning "the Monastery of the Cave". The name commonly used for the monastery today, Geghard, or more fully Geghardavank (Գեղարդավանք), meaning "the Monastery of the Spear", originates from the spear which had wounded Jesus at the Crucifixion, allegedly brought to Armenia by Apostle Jude, called here Thaddeus, and stored amongst many other relics. Now it is displayed in the Echmiadzin treasury. The spectacular towering cliffs surrounding the monastery are part of the Azat River gorge, and are included together with the monastery in the World Heritage Site listing. Some of the churches within the monastery complex are entirely dug out of the cliff rocks, others are little more than caves, while others are elaborate structures, with both architecturally complex walled sections and rooms deep inside the cliff. The combination, together with numerous engraved and free-standing khachkars is a unique sight, being one of the most frequented tourist destinations in Armenia. Most visitors to Geghard also choose to visit the nearby pagan Temple of Garni, located further down the Azat River. Visiting both sites in one trip is so common that they are often referred to in unison as Garni-Geghard.

Havuts Tar (Armenian: Հավուց Թառ Վանք; also Havuts Tar Vank; translates to the "All Savior Monastery") is an 11th to 13th century walled monastery, situated upon a promontory along the Azat River Valley across from the villages of Goght and Garni in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. It is easily reached via the Khosrov State Reserve (which it is situated within), located across the Garni Gorge. The Havuts Tar Trail leads directly from the east side (left) of the reserve entrance to the monastic complex. An alternate route/shortcut to the monastery can be found at the end of the main road along the Azat River and just past the fish hatchery ponds. It takes approximately thirty minutes to reach the ruins of the monastery via the Havuts Tar Trail. A couple of khachkars can be found midway along the trail as it forks left upon a very low mound. Also, a short distance from the monastery (clearly visible oh a hill in the background) in a small field to the left, is a large khachkar and a small ruined monument. Following the trail a little further leads to the fortified walls and ruins of the monastic complex. Just before entering the monastery, a small path leads up a hill to the east and through a semi-wooded area. At the end of the path are the ruins of a small chapel with two large khachkars to the left, and a third to the right.

Aghjots Vank (Armenian: Աղջոց վանք); also known as the Saint Stephen Monastery of Goght (Armenian: Գողթի Սուրբ Ստեփանոս վանք), is a 13th-century monastery situated along a tributary of the Azat River Valley within the Khosrov State Reserve located half a mile walk from the hamlet of Mets Gilanlar, and near the villages of Goght and Garni (approximately 3–4 miles) in the Ararat Province of Armenia. Not far from this location and also within the reserve is the fortress of Kakavaberd and the monastic complex of Havuts Tar.

Saranist (also, Saramist and Tutiya) is a former village in the Kotayk Province of Armenia.

Pokr Gilanlar (also, Pokr-Gilaylar, and Malaya Gilanlar) is a hamlet in the Ararat Province of Armenia.

Geghmahovit (Armenian: Գեղմահովիտ) or Bayburd (Armenian: Բայբուրդ) is an abandoned town in the Ararat Province of Armenia. Traces of an early medieval armenian Bayburd settlement have been preserved in the Khosrov reserve, at the confluence of the Aghjo and Glan tributaries of the Azat River. Historical and bibliographic information about the village has not been preserved. The only mention is made by the 19th century historian, philologist-geographer Ghevont Alishan, who thinks that the name of the village must have come from Baberd. In the central part of the village, a single-nave basilica church of the 5th century, built of polished gray basalt, is preserved. The carved capitals of the half-ruined church are remarkable: the archetype with an equal crucifix in the central part. Adjacent to the south is the vestibule, which is now in ruins. According to the inscription preserved in the church structure, the village survived until the 17th century, when Armenians were deported in 1604 during the deportation carried out by Shah Abbas I of Persia Abbas the Great. The cemetery from the 7th-15th centuries is spread around the church, with dozens of khachkars. In the 1980s, a stone with an inverted Greek inscription was found here during the cleaning works. Translation of the inscription is "Health" and "Happiness". Ruins, from after that period, show that local Azerbaijanis population abandoned the village, presumably after the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia (Nagorno-Karabakh conflict).

Mets Gilanlar (also, Mets-Gilaylar, Bol’shoy Gilanlar, and Gilanlar) is a hamlet in the Ararat Province of Armenia.

Mashtots Hayrapet (Armenian: Մաշտոց Հայրապետ եկեղեցի; also Pok'r meaning "Little") is a church located within the village of Garni in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. It was built in the 12th century at the site of what was formerly a pagan shrine. A stone carved from red tufa is situated at the right of the entrance to the grounds upon a low rock wall. Upon it is the design of a bird perched on a floral stem with the rosette of eternity under its tail; the latter being a distinctive pagan symbol representing the sun or the moon, symbolizing the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It is said that because of this pagan symbology, this stone has a connection to the prior shrine. The church has a small cruciform type central-plan with a single drum and dome. It is constructed from dark grey stone, with red tufa inlaid around the windows, roof, and dome. Elaborate decorations of geometric and foliage patterns may be seen all around the windows, portal, dome, and other parts of the building's façade. The apron around the apse in the interior of the church also is intricately carved. A number of khachkars are scattered around the church grounds, including one in particular adjacent to the building that is reminiscent of a small shrine. In the village can be found the fortress complex of Garni with the 1st century AD Garni Temple, Surb Astvatsatsin Church, a ruined 4th century single-aisle church, a ruined Tukh Manuk Shrine, Saint Sargis Shrine, and a Queen Katranide Shrine. Across the Garni Gorge are the ruins of Havuts Tar Monastery and Aghjots Vank located in the Khosrov State Reserve.

The Garni Temple is a classical colonnaded structure in the village of Garni, in central Armenia, around 30 km (19 mi) east of Yerevan. Built in the Ionic order, it is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia. It has been described as the "easternmost building of the Greco-Roman world" and the only largely preserved Hellenistic building in the former Soviet Union. It is conventionally identified as a pagan temple built by King Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr (Mithra). A competing hypothesis sees it as a second century tomb. It collapsed in a 1679 earthquake, but much of its fragments remained on the site. Renewed interest in the 19th century led to excavations in the early and mid-20th century. It was reconstructed in 1969–75, using the anastylosis technique. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Armenia and the central shrine of Armenian neopaganism.

The Garni Gorge is situated 23.3 kilometres (14.5 mi) east of Yerevan, Armenia, just below the village of the same name. The Garni Gorge is protected by law and listed as a natural monument. On a promontory above the gorge, the first-century AD Temple of Garni may be seen. The Garni Temple was built by King Tiridates I as a temple to the sun god Mihr (Mithra). Along the sides of the gorge are cliff walls of well-preserved basalt columns, carved out by the Goght River. This portion of the Garni Gorge is typically referred to as the "Symphony of the Stones." It is most easily reached via a road that leads left down the gorge just before reaching the temple of Garni. Another road leads to the gorge through the village, down a cobblestone road, and into the valley. Once in the valley, turning right will lead to Garni Gorge, an 11th-century medieval bridge, and the "Symphony of the Stones". Taking a left will lead along the river past a fish hatchery, up to the Khosrov Forest State Reserve, and a little further Havuts Tar Monastery. The ancient Geghard Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is also within walking distance. Partially carved into the mountain, the monastery has existed since the fourth century AD. The main cathedral was built much later, in the thirteenth century.

Garni (Armenian: Գառնի), is a major village in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. It is known for the nearby classical temple. As of the 2011 census, the population of the village is 6,910.