Tatev

Weather and climate

Winter

3°

Spring

14°

Summer

24°

Autumn

12°

 A five-hour journey on a twisting road that weaves through mountains, by roaring rivers, sweet meadows, and unique monuments is how you reach Tatev. It is a majestic monastery complex, and you enter it with a baited breath. It is a place of faith and strength, where creations of human hand stand in harmony with the stunning beauty of the surrounding nature.

The history of Tatev

Tatev settlement is a unique preserved village, the beauty of which you can see with your own eyes. The houses are located on the hills and represent the typical rural architecture of this region. 

This village is known for the eponymous monastery, which had the status of a spiritual and cultural center in the Middle Ages. There was a famous university here, where not only theology was taught, but also physics, mathematics, astronomy, history, music and other sciences. Furthermore, there was an impressive manuscript library, that is why, besides five hundred monks, philosophers, musicians, artists, scribes of manuscripts lived in the Tatev Monastery.

In the past, the Tatev Monastery was not only a religious and cultural center, but also the political center of the Syunik Principality. Its advantageous strategic location was convenient for creating reliable fortifications there. Due to the strategic importance of the monastery, numerous secret vaults and passages were built in it, connecting the monastery with the outside world. 

Tatev is also known for the fact that in 1921 the Republic of Mountainous Armenia was proclaimed here.  This republic was headed by the national hero of Armenia, Garegin Nzhdeh.

Tatev today

Despite the fact that Tatev is a very small village with a population of 700 people, this place is one of the most popular points on the tourist map of Armenia. Even those who come to Armenia only for a couple of days tend to visit Tatev, and this despite the fact that the trip to Tatev takes the whole day.  

There are many guest houses with traditional hospitality in the village. But if you prefer to stay in a comfortable hotel with basic amenities, it is better to stay in the city of Goris, located near Tatev. Among the most popular and favorite places for tourists to stay, special attention is paid to Wings of Tatev Private Villa, which is located in the nearest village of Alidzor. Here you will find stunning views, comfortable rooms with wooden decorations, a cozy lounge and an outdoor pool surrounded by fascinating mountain peaks.

There are few restaurants in Tatev, but their main feature is simple homemade food, cooked with a lot of love.

What to see in Tatev?

Tatev Monastery

The main reason for coming to Tatev is the eponymous monastery complex, which was founded at the end of the IX century by the rulers of the Syunik region. Tatev Monastery has no equal among the monuments of Zangezur architecture. The majestic monastery surrounded by majestic nature is admired and delighted.

There are several temples on the territory of the complex: the main architectural structure of the monastery is the Church of St. Pogos–Petros (the St. Apostles Paul and Peter), one of the earliest buildings is the Church of St. Grigor Lusavorich (St. Gregory the Illuminator) and the smallest of the three churches (untypical for Armenian architecture) is the Church of St. Astvatsatsin (the Holy Mother of God).

The monastery complex also includes the swinging stone column Gavazan, which had a hinged base and swayed during earthquakes, as well as when horse-riders approached it.

The name of the monastery came from the name of Evstateos (Eustathios), one of the disciples of St. Thaddeus, who preached Christianity in Armenia. On the territory of the monastery there is the grave of Evstateos, which has become a holy place of pilgrimage for the locals. Over time, many people began to call this place by the shortened name of Evstateos (Tatev).

There are many legends associated with the name "Tatev". According to one of them, during the construction of the monastery, a worker placed a cross on the church without the permission of the master.  When the worker saw the angry master, he rushed into the gorge with the words "Ta Tev", which literally means "Give me wings". Fortunately, the Lord gave him wings and the worker was saved.

The "Wings of Tatev" cableway

In the autumn of 2010, the bells rang in Tatev, signifying the launch of the program for the revival of the medieval monastery complex and the opening of the cableway, called "Wings of Tatev". Thanks to the cable car, the monastery moved from the status of "terra incognita" to the status of a popular place to visit. "Wings of Tatev" is the longest reversible cableway on the planet (5.7 km). The cableway stretches over amazingly beautiful places: the deep gorge of the Vorotan River and hills covered with dense forests.  

Vorotan Gorge

Vorotan Gorge is a place where you can admire steep cliffs and slopes, dense forests and a rough river. From the bridge you can go down to the bottom of the gorge by special cables, as well as swim in the spring.

"Devil's Bridge" ("Satani Kamurj")

Below the Tatev Monastery, in the gorge of the Vorotan River, there is one of the natural wonders of Armenia – "Satani Kamurj" (translated from Armenian - "Devil's Bridge"). For thousands of years, water has been forcing its way into the rocks and thus a natural viaduct with mineral springs under it was formed. Under the bridge, you can plunge into warm healing springs surrounded by stalactites of bizarre shades.  

The best place to eat  in Tatev

The gastronomic traditions of this region will not leave anyone indifferent. Lovers of hearty food, vegetarians and sweet tooth will find a special dish for themselves here.

First of all, be sure to try the famous zheng khats (translated from Armenian – «bread with green-stuff»). This is a flatbread made of thin tender dough stuffed with 20 varieties of fragrant finely chopped greens. We recommend eating this dish hot, as the flavors of greens are revealed more clearly in this way

A popular dish of the Syunik region is a rich amochash made of fresh potatoes with the addition of pumpkin, prunes and dogwood. The dish is cooked slowly in a tandoor (oven in the ground). The meat gets so tender that it immediately "melts in your mouth".

Be sure to try hash turn, which literally translates as "cook and give". This fragrant dish consists of green beans, onions and pumpkin (you can add lamb), which is baked in an earthenware dish in tonir.

Here you also need to try kurkut – a pork dish with wheat groats, which is cooked slowly for about 12 hours and turns into a tender homogeneous mass.

Another famous dish in Tatev is kalyangesh. This is a quick, delicious, and most importantly, a hearty snack of lavash with matzoni and lentils.

Do not forget to supplement the meal with the famous fruit vodka, dogwood vodka is especially popular in Goris.

And, of course, the village is famous for local desserts, known far outside the city.

What to combine a trip to Tatev with

We recommend planning a trip to Tatev for 2 days, so you can enjoy the city completely and it should also be noted that Tatev is located in the south of Armenia, 252 km from Yerevan (4-5 hours by car). The trip can be combined with a visit to Meghri, Iran, Artsakh.

You can get to the village not only from Yerevan, but also from Dilijan. Then on the way to Tatey you will see the picturesque Selim caravanserai. This building was a haven for trade caravans on the famous Silk Road.

However, the route from Yerevan to Tatev is more popular. Your journey will start in Yerevan, then you will go to one of the main Armenian shrines at the foot of Mount Ararat - Khor Virap, then you will go to Areni wine village - one of the oldest wineries in the world. Here, on the territory of the village, there were residential caves in which archaeologists discovered a 6000-year-old "karas", barrels for fermentation, a wine press and other interesting artifacts.

We also strongly recommend an exciting jeep tour to the impregnable fortress of Smbataberd of the 5th century and we recommend you the must-visit picturesque Gnishik Nature Reserve. 

If you are planning a trip with children, it is better to plan an overnight stay in the city of Jermuk to avoid fatigue from a long road.

The cave town of Khndzoresk is located on the slope of two hills, close to Tatev. There were no plains in this area, so people lived in caves, which also protected people from the surrounding danger.  Recently, a unique structure was built in Khndzoresk – a swinging bridge that connects two parts of an abandoned cave village at an altitude of 63 meters.  Before the bridge was built, the caves were visible only from afar and it was impossible to get to them. Now tourists have a unique opportunity to see the caves from the inside.

The villages of Stary Khot and Alidzor are ancient settlements near Tatev.  Here rocks grow into houses, and houses into rocks, forming typical structures for mountain villages of Armenia, when the roof of one house is a courtyard for another, forming a cascade of houses descending into a deep gorge.

Another important stop on the way to Tatev is the megalithic complex Zorats Karer (translated from Armenian – "mighty stones''), also known as Karaunj (translated from Armenian – "singing stones''). You can often hear Karaunj being called the Armenian equivalent of Stonehenge. Karaunj consists of hundreds of large vertical stones with holes at the top. The origin and purpose of such megalithic complexes haunts scientists – this is a kind of historical mystery.

There are many guest houses with traditional hospitality in the village. But if you prefer to stay in a comfortable hotel with basic amenities, it is better to stay in the city of Goris, located near Tatev. The city is located in a small valley among the mountain slopes. It is one of the most ancient cities in the country, known since Urartian times, from the 8th century BC. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the people who inhabited this area lived in caves. Today it is a cozy city with famous old sights. And Goris is the southern gate of Armenia, through Goris you can get to Iran, Meghri and Artsakh.