Ughtasar Petroglyphs

On a plateau at around 3,300 metres above Sisian, beside a small crater lake below Mount Ughtasar, thousands of boulders left by a glacier carry pecked carvings: goats, deer, hunters with bows, dancers, spirals and figures whose meaning is unresolved. They span thousands of years, the oldest possibly Palaeolithic and most from the Chalcolithic, the Bronze Age and the early Iron Age. The site is under snow for most of the year and the track is only passable for a few weeks in late summer, which is the main reason it stays as intact as it does.

The main sights

• The petroglyph boulders - thousands of glacial rocks pecked with animals, hunters and symbols.
• The crater lake - a small lake below the peak, at the centre of the field.
• The altitude - a plateau at around 3,300 metres with no vegetation to speak of.
• The scale - carvings spread across the whole boulder field rather than at one panel.

When to go

July to September only, and even then the track can be blocked. Snow lies over the site for most of the year. The weather changes fast at this altitude and cloud can close in within minutes.

Good to know

Access is by four-wheel drive with a driver who knows the route; it is not a self-drive trip and vehicles get stuck. The altitude affects some people. There is no shelter, no water and no phone signal on the plateau.

Nearby

Sisian is the base town, and Carahunge is on the plain below.

Key facts