Syunik Mountains

Syunik mountain range or Syunik plateau (also called Eastern Karabakh plateau, Karabakh plateau), a vast mountainous area in the Armenian Highlands between Zangezur and Artsakh mountain ranges. It is a hilly plateau, the average height of which is 2800-3200 m, the maximum is 3594 m (Trasar). It consists of volcanic and sedimentary rocks of chalk and Paleogene, which are covered with a strong layer of anthropogenic lavas. The Syunik plateau extends south-west from the north-west, the length is 120 km, the width is up to 50 km (in the north). The area is characterized by numerous volcanic cones, the central part of which is Tsghuk (3581 m) and Mets Ishkhanasar (3550 m). There are a lot of rocky outcrops, there are traces of ancient ice, small and closed depressions. Many of the latter have been turned into lakes: Mets Porak, Pokr Porak, Al, Sev, ...

Photo By: Artur Martirosyan

In the Syunik plateau, in the north-east, it joins the Artsakh mountain range with short, high and creeping mountain branches. In the south-west and south, the slopes descend steeply to the lava plains of Sisian, Yerablri, Goris, and Hagar. There are mines of basalt, andesitabazalt, vanakat, perlite, slag. The Vorotan, Arpa, Hagar and Tartar rivers start from the Syunik plateau․

Climbing Mount Mets Ishkhanasar