YEZIDI TEMPLE AND AKNALITCH LAKE

To the west of Etchmiadzin, on the road to Armavir, a sign on your left indicates in Armenian and Latin letters Zariat Ezdia; it invites you to take the path to the right (the one on the left leading to the Medzamor museum), to visit the Yezidi village of Aknalitch. The Yezidi minority, which already had a modest temple there, has been boasting since 2019 of having erected the largest temple dedicated to the deities of its strange pantheon, outside its original home in Lalish, Iraq, where it has suffered many persecutions, and again in 2014, under the blows of Daech. The immaculately white building, which is reminiscent of some Hindu temples, is topped by elegant domes representing the sun's rays, a major symbol of this religion inherited from the ancient Persians. The peacock, another deity worshipped by the Yezidi, is enthroned inside the building. The marble, imported from Iran, is carved by Armenian stonemasons, a symbol of the friendship between the two peoples, to which a memorial is dedicated in the centre of the village. Do not hesitate to visit, with due respect, the cemetery, whose tombs are decorated with colourful pictures of the deceased.

Aïger Litch, or Aknalitch, a small 60 ha lake on the outskirts of the village, a green oasis dominated by the mass of the Arakadz. Shallow, this lake could be suitable for swimming and become a relaxation area, if it were not for the proximity of the Medzamor nuclear power station, still in operation, whose high tanks can be seen