Lake Sevan, Hayravank and Noratus Stone Crosses

Today is a holiday in Armenia, and we were both off from work. We decided to take advantage of the hot and sunny weather by taking a car trip to Lake Sevan. The lake is huge, surrounded by mountains, and is a national park. We drove along the southern shore, visited the monestary at Hayravank, which is on a hill overlooking the shore; it was previously on an island before the water level of the lake was reduced as a result of a Stalin-era plan. The plan was abandoned and never fully realized, but the lake is now roughly 69% of its former size, or 20 meters below its original level.

We also stopped to explore a large cemetery with about 900 stone crosses, many from the medieval period onward. A group of local schoolchildren took us through and showed us some of the most interesting stones and told us the stories depicted on many of them.

Brian took this photo of our very persistent guides.