Garni (place)
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Garni Գառնի |
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| State : |
 Armenia
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| Province : | Kotajk | ||
| Coordinates : | 40 ° 7 ' N , 44 ° 44' E | ||
| Residents : | 7,441 (2009) | ||
| Time zone : | UTC + 4 | ||
| Postal code : | 2215 | ||
| Community type: | city | ||
| Mayor : | Aharon Sahakjan | ||
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Garni ( Armenian Գառնի ) is a small Armenian town in the province of Kotayk .
Garni is located about 30 km east of Yerevan in the valley of the Azat river above the " basalt gorge of Awan". It has 7,441 inhabitants (as of 2009).
Garni was the summer residence of the Armenian kings for several centuries - ruins of the Garni fortress still exist today. Within the fortress grounds, Tiridates I had a Hellenistic Mithras temple with 24 Ionic columns built, known as the Temple of Garni , in the 1st century . It was destroyed in an earthquake in 1679 and has been reconstructed with original material since 1966. A Roman bath house with a well-preserved mosaic floor was discovered during recent excavations. The ancient church made of blue and black basalt is also worth seeing. The Chosrow reserve , in which rare animal species such as the Persian leopard and wild goat are protected, is also located directly at Garni .
Garni is a popular tourist destination for day trips from Yerevan. Nearby is the Geghard monastery from the 12th century, which is largely carved out of the massive rock.
Wine, fruit and walnuts are grown in the vicinity of Garni.
Web links
Individual evidence
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