An aerial view of Zorats Karer, a site of unknown origins in Southern Armenia and thought to be over 6,000 years old. The site has over 200 standing stones, with a circular hole carved in about 80 of them. [OC] [2000×1300]
An aerial view of Zorats Karer, a site of unknown origins in Southern Armenia and thought to be over 6,000 years old. The site has over 200 standing stones, with a circular hole carved in about 80 of them. [OC] [2000×1300]
Situated on a wind-swept plateau not far from the town of Sisian in southern Armenia lies an archaeological puzzle. Hundreds of standing stones arranged in a circular pattern with north and south arms have stood here for thousands of years. They are known as Zorats Karer, or more recently, Carahunge.
Zorats Karer’s name, meaning stone warriors, comes from a legend that military leaders are buried at the depths of the standing stones. Scholars are actively debating the meaning and use of the site, with no general consensus. Many believe it to be an astronomical observatory, which would make it one of the very first in the world. Others lean that it is more simply a prehistoric settlement, burial complex or ancient drogue stones.
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Situated on a wind-swept plateau not far from the town of Sisian in southern Armenia lies an archaeological puzzle. Hundreds of standing stones arranged in a circular pattern with north and south arms have stood here for thousands of years. They are known as Zorats Karer, or more recently, Carahunge.
Zorats Karer’s name, meaning stone warriors, comes from a legend that military leaders are buried at the depths of the standing stones. Scholars are actively debating the meaning and use of the site, with no general consensus. Many believe it to be an astronomical observatory, which would make it one of the very first in the world. Others lean that it is more simply a prehistoric settlement, burial complex or ancient drogue stones.
I visited the site last month and captured aerial footage as well as on the ground. If interested in more photos: [Zorats Karer](https://www.intofarlands.com/explore/zorats-karer-carahunge)
It looks like a set from Conan the Barbarian.