Ashtarak

Ashtarak straddles the Kasagh gorge and has more medieval fabric than a town of its size usually keeps: the seventh-century Karmravor church, tiny and almost unaltered with its original tiled roof, the ruins of Tsiranavor above the gorge, three small chapels called Kusanats Vanq on the ridge, and a seventeenth-century arched bridge over the river. It is a working town rather than a preserved one, and everything is within walking distance.

What you actually see

• Karmravor Church - a seventh-century chapel with its original roof, barely altered.
• The old bridge - a seventeenth-century arched crossing over the Kasagh.
• Tsiranavor - the ruined basilica on the gorge edge.
• The gorge - the Kasagh canyon cutting through the middle of the town.

When to go

April to November is comfortable. Morning is best for the gorge and the bridge. The churches keep irregular hours and some are locked.

Honest expectations

The sites are scattered and finding them without directions takes time. The town itself is unremarkable outside the historic pockets. Some churches need a keyholder.

Nearby

Oshakan is a few kilometres away, and Hovhannavank is up the gorge.