MEGHRI

      Meghri is a city in southern Armenia, located in the Syunik province, near the border with Iran. The city's economy is based on the food industry, and contains a bread-baking factory, canneries and a winery. Meghri has a significantly milder climate than the rest of the cities in Armenia, and produces fruits not found in other parts of the country. A 2002 estimated population was 7,900.

• The opening and closing sessions’ venues will be considered in Armenia.
• You will be informed about the routes in details.

During the conference there will be organized excursions to the historical places of Armenia. Below we suggest the approximate list of the places to be visited.

KHOR VIRAP CATHEDRAL

      The Khor Virap monastery is a 7th century Armenian monastery in the Ararat plain in Armenia, very close to the border with Turkey and the closest point in Armenia to Mount Ararat, the national symbol of Armenia. Khor Virap is significant in Armenian history because it is the where Saint Gregory the Illuminator (the patron-saint of Armenia) was imprisoned in a deep dungeon for 13 years by the then pagan Armenian King Trdat III. According to Armenian legend, the King contracted a vile disease turning him into a wild boar. After releasing Saint Gregory from the dungeon, the King was healed by Saint Gregory and converted him to Christianity in 301 AD, making Armenia the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion.

     The main church, St. Astvatsatsin, dates from the end of the 17th century. The smaller St. Gevorg Chapel was originally constructed in 642 by Catholicos Nerses III the Builder, but has been repeatedly rebuilt. St. Gevorg was built over the pit of imprisonment of Saint Gregory the Illuminator. This prison pit is where Saint Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years before curing King Trdat III of a disease. As reverence for Saint Gregory's act of healing and kindness, the King converted Armenia into the first officially Christian nation in the world in the year 301.

NORAVANK MONASTERY

      Noravank is a 13th century Armenian Apostolic Church monastery, located 122 km from Yerevan in a narrow gorge made by the Amaghu river, nearby the city of Yeghegnadzor, Armenia. The gorge is known for its tall, sheer, brick-red cliffs, directly across from the monastery. The monastery is best known for its two-storey St. Astvatsatsin church, which grants access to the second floor by way of narrow stones jutting out from the face of building. The monastery is sometimes called Amaghu-Noravank, Amaghu being the name of a small recently destroyed village above the canyon, in order to distinguish it from Bgheno-Noravank, near Goris. In the 13th–14th centuries the monastery became a residence of Syunik's bishops and, consequently. a major religious and, later, cultural center of Armenia closely connected with many of the local seats of learning, especially with Gladzor's famed university and library. Noravank was founded in 1205 by Bishop Hovhannes, the former Abbot of Vahanavank.

     The monastic complex includes the church of St. Karapet, St. Grigor chapel with a vaulted hall, and the church of St. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God). Ruins of various civil buildings and khachkars are found both inside and outside of the compound walls. Noravank was the residence of the Orbelian princes. The architect Siranes and the remarkable miniature painter and sculptor Momik worked here in the latter part of the thirteenth and early fourteenth century.

 TATEV MONASTERY

      The famous monument of the Armenian mediaeval architecture the Tatev's church complex is situated 35 km to the south of Sisian, nearby to the village Tatev. Since 8th century it had become the seat of the Syunik's diocese. In 906 the cathedral of the monastery titled Poghos Petros was built, in 1067 the St. Astvatsatsin mausoleum -church, in 1295 the St. Grigor church. In 1390-1435 the famous Tatev's mediaeval university and school of miniature and manuscript were functioning.

     The monastery had a great matenadaran, where more than 10 thousand manuscripts were kept. Here is the tombstone of the prominent Armenian philosopher and theologian Grigor Tatevatsi. Tatev is famous also by its khachkar-beard rod, which is considered as one of the interesting Armenian architectural solutions. In 20th of the 17th and 20th centuries it was an important freedom-fighting spot. Many occurrences are connected with the monastery. At the end of the 20th century some construction and rehabilitation works have been carried out in the territory of the monastery. Now the monastery is functioning and the spiritual center of the Syunik's diocese. 

DEVIL'S BRIDGE (SATANI KAMURJ) 

ZORATS QARER (QARAHUNJ)
(Armenian Stonehenge)

      Zorats Qarer is in the spotlight of the tourists conditioned by its high historic-cultural value and easy-to-reach geographical position. It is located near the Yerevan-Iran and Yerevan-Mountainous Kharabagh highway, in the Sisian's part, 300-400 meters far from the highway and distinguished by the nearby fascinating nature as well. Qarahunj is situated 3 km north to the Sisian. Having a unique structure in its kind, it has not fully studied yet. The monument is a complex of hundreds of vertically fixed stones covering more than three hectares area. It is 1770 meters above sea level.

     The all stones of the monument are of basalt and on some of them there are hauls. The main disputes in scientific circles about this structure are framed within two viewpoints. First version states that the vertically fixed stones are religious monuments devoted to the deceases, the central oval structure is a complex and the hauls opened on stones have a technical meaning. The second version states that the Zorats Qarer is an ancient observatory designed for the observation of terrestrial bodies and time setting and the hauls on stones are designed to more precisely observe these terrestrial bodies from different poses. Due to this version the Zorats Qarer has been juxtaposed with the English Stonehenge which is considered as Sun worshipping centers and observatories. Based on archeological data the archeologists suppose the Zorats Qarer had built in 3-2 millennium BC during the transitional stage from the early Bronze to the Medium Bronze period and survived till the middle of the 1st millennium. Some astrologists, based on new facts, suppose that it is 6000 or 8000 years old.