Khosrov Forest State Reserve

Khosrov Forest is often described as one of the oldest protected areas in the world on the strength of its origin: Armenian tradition holds that King Khosrov III had the forest planted in the fourth century as a hunting ground and windbreak, and it has been managed as protected land in some form since. What it protects now is dry juniper and oak woodland, steppe and deep gorges, with bezoar goat, bear and, on camera traps, leopard. Several medieval monasteries stand inside the boundary.

History

King Khosrov III Kotak, who ruled from 330 to 339, founded the reserve between 334 and 338, ordering trees planted on the high slopes to improve the climate around Artashat and the new city of Dvin and to protect its plants and animals, and it served as a royal hunting ground and for military exercises, later stocked with game brought from Iran. Faustus of Byzantium describes two fenced forests on the banks of the Azat, the Sacred Forest and Khosrovakert, and the area was made a state reserve in September 1958 (Wikipedia, Khosrov Forest State Reserve).

What's there

• The juniper woodland - open dry forest across the slopes, unusual in its extent.
• The gorges - deep cuts through the reserve, including the Azat and Vedi valleys.
• The monasteries - medieval churches inside the reserve boundary, reached on foot.
• The bezoar goats - wild goats on the crags, the reserve's flagship species.

When to go

April to June and September to October are the best; midsummer on the dry slopes is severely hot. Spring flowering is the peak. Permits are arranged in advance with the reserve office.

Things to know

A permit is genuinely required and rangers check. There are no marked trails and a guide is the practical arrangement. Water must be carried; the reserve is dry and there is very little shade.

Nearby

Garni and its temple are at the northern edge, and Vedi is on the plain to the south.

Key facts