FIELD OF KARER ZOHRAT MENHIRS

3 kilometres north of Sisian, on the high plateau riddled with volcanic stones at an altitude of 1,700 m, higher stones rising towards the sky bear the imprint of man. This is the field of menhirs of Zohrats Karer, which is the pride of the inhabitants of the city, because of the antiquity and originality of this site, which according to specialists, is much older than its Celtic equivalents, such as Carnac and Stonhenge, to which it is readily compared. Long before the first khatchkars appeared, in the neighbouring village of Angeghakot as in the rest of Armenia, men had already set their lapidary landmarks, marking their territory in this mineral environment, by erecting powerful menhirs that would not distinguish those in Brittany for example. According to some Armenian specialists, the site of Zohrats Kar is much older than the Celtic sites, which are much more famous, since it dates back some 7,500 years. Also known as Karahunj (literally "the voice of the stones"), it is said to have been developed for astrological forecasting and cosmogonic knowledge. This ancient observatory contains 224 monoliths, some three meters high, of which about 60 are pierced with holes allowing the observation of the celestial vault and supporting the hypothesis of specialists concerning the religious and astrological vocation of these menhirs which fit so well in their natural environment.