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Crossing the main highway bridge near Astarak, the first exit right
leads to the village of Mughni,
now inside the Ashtarak city limits but till
the Russian conquest the southernmost village in the mahal of
Aparan. Mughni kept its
medieval name, along with the 14th c. Monastery of S.
Gevorg,
once a popular pilgrimage site
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Karbi, the
next village N along the Kasakh gorge, has been known since the 13th century. Though ravaged and plundered repeatedly, several
churches remain:
S. Astvatsatsin basilica of 1691-93, the 11-13th c.
S. Kiraki
or S. Gevorg, Tsiranavor
and Tukh
Manuk, and the "Zargarents
Zham" chapel.
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Christians
and
Muslims. The church, with its
distinctive striped drum below the conical
cupola, was rebuilt in 1661-69 by order of the vardapet Yovhannes. It had an
archbishop, a monk, five deacons, and one acolyte in
1830, supported by the revenues of Mughni village. In 1999 the church was undergoing major restoration.
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