Tejharuyk Monastery
Following the Marmarik river (reputedly rich in fishing possibilities) from the second roundabout, jog left, and pass at 7.5 km from the 2nd circle the turnoff to Aghavnadzor (1261 p, till 1948 Babakishi, founded in 1829 by emigrants from Alashkert). At 9.4 km, Marmarik (763 p) with various hostels and summer camps. S. Hovhannes church in village. At 11.5 km, the turn-off for Meghradzor (2678 p) on the Meghradzor (“honey gorge”) river. Another 0.8 km (exactly 3 km from the Marmarik turnoff) further, a footbridge left crosses the Marmarik and a foot track ascends the wooded S. slope in a 15-minute stiff climb to the 12th c. “Chalcedonian” (Georgian Orthodox) monastery of Tejharuyk* (40 35.90n x 044 38.71e), built by the Georgian general/dynast Ivane Zakarian in 1196-99. His vassal, Prince Bubak, and the latter’s heirs are buried in the gavit. N above Meghradzor, a road leads past a disused gold mine awaiting foreign investment, and the 9 km-long rail tunnel under the mountain, connecting Hrazdan and Yerevan with the Dilijan-Kazakh line. The road over the mountain is a jeep track, closed in winter.