Dilijan hiking and monasteries

Today we drove to Dilijan National park, met our local guide and hiked an 8 km portion of the 3000 km Transcaucasian trail that goes from Armenia to Georgia to Iran. At the end we came to 12th century monastery with an incredible khachkar. The tradition of making Armenian cross stones is recognized as intangible heritage by UNESCO. They were and still are made to commemorate things - weddings, won battles, etc. each cross stone always consists of three parts: at the bottom is always a circle, symbolizing earthy life. At the top is heaven, and in between is a cross, showing that the only connection between earth and heaven is through Christianity. Armenia is the first country in the world that officially accepted Christianity, forbidding paganism, in 301 AD.Читать далее