Mount AzhdahakThe old name of Azhdahak is Gzldagh. It is the third highest peak in Armenia after Aragats and Kapuit Jugh (in Zangezur). The mountain is cone shaped and is 3,598 meters high. On the north side of the peak starts the Gavaraget river. The ascend towards Azhdahak is rather hard. From that height one can see small natural lakes on mountain peaks. It is an indescribable view. The mountain is an extinguished volcano. It takes a territory of 2 hectares and is rather deep. The ice on the western side melts very late, meaning there’s ice almost throughout the year. It melts late July or early August.
At the bottom of Azhdahak there are 10 dragon-stones. Dragon-stones are pagan stones which for ancient Armenians symbolized the God of Water in the shape of a fish. Towards the West next to Azhdahak is the Paytasar («Horseshoe Mountain»), which gets its name by its shape. At the bottom of Paytasar a pile of black stones, petroglyphs (rock carvings) is found. On the left to Azhdahak, on the top of one of the mountains, there is another natural lake which is called Kani Gyol and which melts more. During Soviet years there was also a weather station there. From the top of Azhdahak the world has a completely different picture. It is there that you feel the kind of wind which evokes unusual feelings in your soul and prepares you to fly with it. You look at it and imagine how the volcano erupted. Only from that height one can notice the flawless work of nature. |
