Zorats Karer

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Zorats Karer
Stone circle of Karahunj, Zorats Karer
Alternate name	Karahunj
Location	near Sisian
Region	Syunik Province, Armenia
Coordinates	39°33′2.52″N 46°1′42.96″E / 39.5507°N 46.0286°E / 39.5507; 46.0286Coordinates: 39°33′2.52″N 46°1′42.96″E / 39.5507°N 46.0286°E / 39.5507; 46.0286
Type	necropolis
History
Periods	Middle Bronze Age to Iron Age

History of Armenia
Etymology Timeline Traditional Urheimat
Prehistory Stone & Copper Age Shulaveri-Shomu culture c.6500–3400 BCE Areni-1 Cave Complex Kura–Araxes culture c.3400–2000 BCE Legend of Hayk (?) 2492 BCE Bronze & Iron Age Hayasa-Azzi c.1500–1290 BCE Arme-Shupria c.1300s–1190 BCE Ararat/Urartu Nairi Tribes 1114–860 BCE Kingdom of Van 860–590 BCE
Antiquity Achaemenid Period Satrapy of Armina 553–331 BCE Orontid Dynasty 553–189 BCE Ancient Armenia Kingdom of Armenia 331 BCE–428 CE Artaxiad Dynasty 189 BCE–1 CE Empire 84–34 BCE Arsacid Dynasty 54–428 CE Roman–Parthian War 58–63 CE Roman Occupation 114–118 CE Christianization 301 CE Armenia Minor 331–72 BCE Kingdom of Sophene c.200–94 BCE Kingdom of Commagene 163 BCE–72 CE Marzpanate Period Byzantine Armenia 387–536 Persian Armenia 428–646 Mamikonian Dynasty Battle of Avarayr 451
Middle Ages Arabic Period Emirate of Arminiya 653–884 Hamamshen 700s–1300s Amatuni Dynasty Medieval Armenia Kingdom of Armenia 884–1045 Bagratid Dynasty 861–1118 Kingdom of Vaspurakan 908–1021 Artsruni Dynasty Kingdom of Lori 979–1118 Battle of Manzikert 1071 Cilician & Turco-Mongol Period Seljuq rule 1071–1201 Kingdom of Artsakh 1000–1261 House of Hasan-Jalalyan Georgian Union 1201–1236 Ilkhanid rule 1236–1335 Turkmen rule 1335–1508 Kingdom of Cilicia 1198–1375 Rubenid Dynasty 1000–1261 Hethumid Dynasty 1226–1373 Armenian Lusignan Dynasty 1341–1375
Early Modern Age Perso-Ottoman Period Safavid & Qajar rule 1508–1828 Nakhichevan deportation 1606 Principality of Khachen 1261–1750 Five Melikdoms Ottoman rule 1548–1915 Six Vilayets 1878 Hamidian massacres 1895–1896 Armenian Genocide 1909–1918 Russian Period Russian rule 1828–1918 Armenian Oblast 1828–1840 Western Armenia 1915–1918 Armenian National Movement Armenakan 1885 S.D. Hunchakian Party 1887 ARF (Dashnaktsutyun) 1890 Caucasus Campaign 1914–1918 Battle of Sardarapat 1918 Battle of Karakilisa 1918 First Armenian Republic 1918–1920 Treaty of Batum 1918 Armenian–Azerbaijani War 1918–1920 Georgian–Armenian War 1918 Treaty of Sèvres 1920 Wilsonian Armenia 1920 Turkish–Armenian War 1920 Treaty of Alexandropol 1920
Modern Age Soviet Period Armenian S.S.R. 1920–1991 February Uprising 1921 Republic of Mountainous Armenia 1921 Treaty of Moscow 1921 Treaty of Kars 1921 Independence Armenian Diaspora Armenian Republic since 1991 Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since 1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War 1989–1994
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Zorats Karer ( Armenian: Զորաց Քարեր), also called Karahunj or Carahunge) is an ancient archaeological site near the city of Sisian in the Syunik province of Armenia.

Description

The site is located on a rocky promontory near Sisian. In 2004, the site was officially named the Karahunj (Carahunge) Observatory, by Parliamentary decree (Government decision No. 1095-n, July 29, 2004).}About 223 large stone tombs can be found in the area.

Zorats Karer was explored by a team of archaeologists from the Institut für Vorderasiatische Archäologie, University of Munich who published their findings in 2000. They concluded that "In contrast to the opinion that Zorakarer may be called an Armenian Stonehenge, an exact investigation of the place yields other results. Zorakarer, located on a rocky promontory, was mainly a necropolis from the Middle Bronze Age to the Iron Age." The Munich archaeologists add that it may have served "as a place of refuge in times of war", possibly in the Hellenistic - Roman period (c. 300 BC - 300 AD). A wall of rocks and compacted soil (loam) was built around the site with vertical rocks plugged into it for reinforcement: today only these upright rocks remain.^[1]

About 84 of the stones feature a circular hole, although only about 50 of the stones survive. They have been of interest to Russian and Armenian archaeoastronomists who have suggested that the standing stones could have been used for astronomical observation. This suggestion was made by observers who noted four stone holes which could be claimed to be sighted at the point on the horizon where the sun rises on midsummer's day. Four others standing stones display holes which observers claimed point where the sun sets on the same day. However, this must remain conjectural as the holes are relatively unweathered and may not even be prehistoric in origin.^[2]

In the nearby city of Sisian, there is a small museum dedicated to findings in the area, including palaeolithic petroglyphs found on mountain tops in the area, and grave artefacts form the Bronze Age burial site with over 200 shaft graves.

Depiction by History Channel

In December, 2010 Carahunge was featured in an episode of the History Channel show Ancient Aliens, in episode 14 titled "Unexplained Structures". The theme was suggested by Mihran Vardanyan, following the recent discovery of more than 300 exoplanets by NASA’s Kepler planet-finding satellite in a small patch of sky in the Cygnus constellation, and linking this with Herouni's earlier observations concerning Deneb.^{[citation needed]}

Tourism Development

Mihran Vardanyan has suggested that Karahunj, along with Tatev Monstery, cave complexes and a rich collection of petroglyphs, offers opportunities for development of tourism in the region. The development program was also supported by Armenian company Gerezman Solutions. The overall program should cover construction of new roads, parking spaces, toilets, smoking rooms, information banners, lights, audio system, holographic 3d reconstruction of the monument and electronic tourist guides.^{[citation needed]}

Gallery

See also

• Megalith
• Ughtasar Petroglyphs

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zorats Karer

• Zorats Karer (Karahunj)