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Garni Temple Photo by Armenak Margarian

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Garni Temple

The Temple of Garni is the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia and the former Soviet Union. Built in the Ionic order, it is located in the village of Garni, in central Armenia. It is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia.

The structure was built by king Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr. It is currently one of the main tourist attractions in Armenia and the central shrine of Hetanism (Armenian neopaganism). Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting facts about the temple;

1.The temple is located at the edge of a triangular cliff

Garni temple Photo by Beko

The temple is located at the edge of a triangular cliff which overlooks the ravine of the Azat River and the Gegham mountains. It is a part of the fortress of Garni, one of the oldest fortresses in Armenia, that was strategically significant for the defense of the major cities in the Ararat plain. 

The site is in the village of Garni, in Armenia’s Kotayk Province and includes the temple, a Roman bath with a partly preserved mosaic floor with a Greek inscription, a royal summer palace, other “paraphernalia of the Greco-Roman world”, the seventh century church of St. Sion and other objects. 

2.The building of the temple follows the general style of classical Ancient Greek architecture

Garni Temple Photo by Armenak Margarian

The temple follows the general style of classical Ancient Greek architecture which originated in the seventh century BC. The temple is a peripteros built on an elevated podium. It is constructed of grey basalt quarried locally and without the use of mortar.

The blocks are instead bound together by iron and bronze clamps. The temple is composed of a portico (pronaos) and a cella (naos). The temple is supported by a total of twenty-four 6.54-metre (21.5 ft) high columns of the Ionic order: six in the front and back and eight on the sides (the corner columns are listed twice).

3.The temple is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Armenia

The temple is widely considered the most important monument of ancient and pre-Christian Armenia. It is the sole standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia and the former Soviet Union. Art historian Antony Eastmond describes it as the “easternmost building of the Graeco-Roman world.”

It became a tourist destination even before its reconstruction in the 1970s. Today, it is, along with the nearby medieval monastery of Geghard, one of the main tourist attraction sites in Armenia.Its one of the most visited tourist attractions in Armenia. 

4.The temple is part of the Garni Historical and Cultural Museum Reserve

The temple and the fortress are part of the Garni Historical and Cultural Museum Reserve which occupies 3.5 hectares (8.6 acres) and is supervised by the Service for the Protection of Historical Environment and Cultural Museum Reservations, an agency attached to the Ministry of Culture of Armenia.

The government-approved list of historical and cultural monuments includes 11 objects within the site.The temple is one of the most important places in that site and its among the the most visited sites in Armenia. 

5.The temple received an award from UNESCO in 2011

In a 2006 survey the state of conservation of Garni was rated by over three-quarters of the visitors as “good” or “very good”. In 2011 UNESCO awarded the Museum-Reservation of Garni the Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes .

It was awarded the ward for the measures they had taken to preserve its cultural vestiges, and the emphasis placed on efforts to interpret and open the site for national and international visitors.It received worldwide recognition for this award. 

6.The temple is used to hold annual ceremonies by a small number of followers of Neopaganism

Since 1990, the temple has been the central shrine of the small number of followers of Armenian neopaganism (close to Zoroastrianism) who hold annual ceremonies at the temple, especially on March 21—the pagan New Year.

On that day, which coincides with Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, Armenian neopagans celebrate the birthday of the god of fire, Vahagn. Celebrations by neopagans are also held during the summer festival of Vardavar, which has pre-Christian (pagan) origins. 

7.The temple and the area around it has also been used as a venue for various events

The temple and the area around it has also been used as a venue for various events including, the torch of the first Pan-Armenian Games which was lit near the temple on August 28, 1999. On September 8, 2022 a Star Party within the Starmus VI festival also took place at the temple featuring the rock band Nosound, Sebu Simonian from the band Capital Cities. 

The square in front of the temple has been occasionally used as a venue for concerts including : A concert of classical music was held near the temple on July 2, 2004 by the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, conducted by Aram Gharabekian and on May 6, 2019 Acid Pauli performed a live concert of electronic music in front of the temple. 

8.The temple has also been featured in several films and television

The temple has also been featured in several films and television including; the 1962 Soviet Armenian film Rings of Glory, the second segment of the 1966 Soviet Armenian anthology film People of the Same City, and the 1985 Polish film Podróże Pana Kleksa. 

It is also featured in ; 2007 Vigen Chaldranyan film The Priestess, In episode 6 (“Let the Good Times Roll”) of the American reality television show The Amazing Race 28. American comedian Conan O’Brien and his Armenian-American assistant Sona Movsesian filmed part of an episode dancing at the temple of Garni during their visit in October 2015.

9.There several hotels and restaurants near the temple

There several hotels and restaurants near the temple. Hotels near Garni Temple include; The Village House which is 0.01 miles away from the temple, 7 Qar (0.19 mi),Tonratun (0.17 mi), GarniToun (0.22 mi) and Guest House GarniResthost which is 0.24 miles away. 

Restaurants near Garni Temple include; Noah’s Garden Maran (0.20 mi), Mer Ojakh (0.19 mi), Garnitoun Hotel Restaurant (0.17 mi), Restaurant Sergey Gabrielyan (0.43 mi) and Cafe Gurman (0.51 mi). 

10.The Temple of Garni is the sole surviving pagan temple in Armenia

The Temple of Garni is the sole surviving pagan temple in Armenia and the only classical structure still standing in the country.As it can only hold about 20-25 people inside, many historians and archaeologists believe it originally held a statue, perhaps of the sun god Mihr or Helios.

The equilibrium of elegant proportionality lends the Temple of Garni a concurrent impression of power and harmony. The temple is superbly decorated in the imperial Roman style. The architectural elements offer, however, certain variations that one recognizes in certain sculpted motifs, those representing lions in particular.