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Did You Know That…?
Karahunj or Zorats Karer
Karahunj (also known as Zorats Karer), discovered in the city of Sisianin the Syunik province of the Republic of Armenia, is a unique specimen of megalith monuments composed of hundreds of stones. Beginning with the 1980 excavations, Karahunj has been the center of attention of numerous investigations. However, no consensus has been reached on the purpose of the rocks. According to a theory proposed by the eminent Armenian scientist Paris Heruni (1933 – 2008), the Karahunj observatory was founded 7500 years ago. A mausoleum and a settlement that dates back to the 3rd-2nd century B.C. were discovered during the excavations. The presumed time periods rangefrom 7500 years ago to the beginning of the Bronze Era (2nd century B.C.). Ancient astrological stone tools were discovered here as well, and most of the stones have openings at their tops which are believed to have been used to observe the stars. Research has shown that Karahunj is the world’s oldest observatory and its rocks have provided important information to astronomers. Finally, Karahunj was also a learning center. Thus, according to Paris Heruni, Karahunj served three purposes.First, it was the temple of the great god of the sun Ar and his secretary, the god of science, writing, and art, Tir. Second, it was a large and developed observatory. Third, it also served as a university. In the beginning of the Christian era, crosses were engraved on the majority of the rocks inZoratsKarer. Some of the rocks were transformed into engraved khachkars, and only the round opening at the tops of these rocks now hint at their original purpose.