Charents Arch

The Charents Arch stands at a bend on the road to Garni where the plain opens out, a plain basalt arch built in 1957 and inscribed with lines by Yeghishe Charents about the sweetness of his country. It exists to frame a view: on a clear day Ararat stands directly through the opening, snow-capped, across the plain and the border. On a hazy day, which is most summer days, there is nothing to see through it at all.

What you actually see

• The arch - a 1957 basalt structure with Charents's lines carved on it.
• The Ararat view - the mountain framed in the opening on a clear day.
• The plain - the Ararat valley spread out below the road.
• The inscription - the poet's lines about his homeland, carved in Armenian.

When to go

October to May gives the clearest air and the best chance of seeing Ararat. Summer haze hides the mountain for weeks at a time. Early morning is the most reliable hour in any season.

Honest expectations

The whole point is the view, and the mountain is invisible more often than not; arriving in July afternoon haze means seeing a road-side arch. It is a five-minute stop. Sellers work the pull-in.

Nearby

Garni temple is further along the road, and Geghard is beyond it.