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UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
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In Vardanavank, turn
right, continue straight and then take the left fork to Bjni.
Entering Bjni, the 9-10th
c. fortress of the Pahlavuni family will appear on a mesa
overlooking the river at the far end of the village, with the Astvatsatsin church, 1031, looming below on the left. A hundred |
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Solak
is the next
village, continuing straight from T, with Mayravank
Astvatsatsin church of the 7th c. perched on the hill, with
fort and cemetery. There are
several Late Bronze Age/Iron Age forts in the vicinity.
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UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
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metres below the large church, with a collection of
excellent khachkars, is the small rectangular S. Gevorg church of the 13th
c., with older stones built in. A
narrow dirt road rises straight to a water tank near the NW end of the
berd, thence a 50-meter scramble to the summit. Castle walls are poorly preserved.
There are remains of two cisterns, one with vaulting partly
intact, and low foundations of a 5th? C church near the far
end, past the one standing medieval structure.
A covered passage leads to the river. Nestled between the berd and the village is a small ruined shrine
employing masive stones. Two tenths of a mile beyond, across the river, is an impressive natural bridge.
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