Travel Guide Khor Virap

About ten kilometers south of Artashat, the monastery of Khor Virap, indicated by a large sign on the road leading south, attracts many visitors and pilgrims, both for its symbolic value linked to Gregory the Illuminator, and for its exceptional location, on a mound closest to the Arabian River, allowing a breathtaking view of Mount Ararat. At the foot of the monastery, hidden behind its walls, a vast car park awaits visitors, but shade is difficult to find, except in the "deep pit" (Khor Virap) where the founder of the Armenian Church was imprisoned and which makes this site a place of devotion for the Armenians. The visit is usually limited to the ascent of the small hill, as the proximity of the Turkish border, marked by barbed wire along the Arakse River, does not allow for long hikes in this region, which is also partly marshy, where storks nest.