Carahunge

Carahunge or Zorats Karer

Carahunge is a prehistoric archaeological site near the town of Sisian in the Syunik Province of Armenia. It is also often referred to in international tourist lore as the "Armenian Stonehenge". Armenian historian Stepanos Orbelian, in his book History of Syunic (I-XII centuries) mentions that in the Tsluk (Yevalakh) region of Armenia, near the town Syunic or Sisian, was a village called Carunge, which means "stone treasure" or "foundation stones" in Armenian. The name Carahunge is interpreted as deriving from two Armenian words: car (or kar) (Armenian: քար), meaning stone, and hunge or hoonch (Armenian: հունչ), meaning sound. Thus the name Carahunge means "speaking stones". This interpretation is related to the fact that the stones make whistling sounds on a windy day, presumably because of multiple reach-through holes bored into the stones at different angles in prehistoric times.

The Carahunge monument consists of the central circle, the north arm, the south arm, the N–E alley, the chord (crossing the circle) and separate standing stones. The site is rich with stone settings, burial cists and standing stones (menhirs). In total, 223 stones have been identified. The heights (above ground) of the stones range from 0.5 to 3 m and they weigh up to 10 tons. They are basalt (andesite) stones, eroded by time and covered with moss and lichen of many colours. The inner surface of the holes is much better preserved. There are also many broken and unnumbered stones.

Photo By: Hatis Tour