The temple of Garni is one of the main tourist attractions in Armenia. It is located in the village of Garni, in Kotayk Province and includes the temple, a Roman bath with a partly preserved mosaic floor with a Greek inscription, a royal summer palace, and khachkars.
The temple was built by Tiridates I in the first century AD. And as Armenians were pagans before adopting Christianity, Garni was originally a pagan temple dedicated to the sun god Mihr. After the adoption of Christianity in 301, the temple served as a summer house of Khosrovidukht, the sister of Tiridates III. Nowadays it is the only pagan temple in Armenia and is considered to be the symbol of pre-Christian Armenia. According to some scholars, the temple of Garni was not destroyed, because it was a tomb, not a pagan temple.
The 1679 earthquake demolished the entire colonnade of the temple but it was reconstructed almost 300 years later. It was rebuilt using its original stones, and instead of the missing pieces, blank stones were used to be easily recognizable.
The temple was built in the style of Ancient Greek architecture, for the construction grey basalt was used. It is supported by 24 high columns, which according to some scholars symbolize the 24 hours of a day. The temple stands on a podium, and in front of it, there are nine unusually high stairs. According to Tananyan, the stairs are higher in order to make ordinary people make efforts to reach the altar. It has a triangular roof and it is very similar to the temple in Athens.
The temple is surrounded by a mountain gorge. And the view from the temple is really stunning.
Geghard Monastery is located near Garni, so if you visit Garni, make sure to visit Geghard too.
