Zorats Karer – an archaeological site in Armenia’s Syunik Province is on The Traveler’s list of 20 ancient sites older than Stonehenge worth visiting.
“Rustic sites like this one are the expectation when talking about ancient monuments. Stones dulled by old age are pretty common, but the jagged edges of Zorats Karer make it look much more authentic. Armenia’s gorgeous summer scenery makes attractions like these easy additions to the itinerary,” The Traveler writes.
Known as the “Armenian Stonehenge,” Zorats Karer or Carahunge is a prehistoric archaeological site near the town of Sisian. This famous megalithic structure consists of hundreds of vertically arranged two-meter stones or menhirs that are stretched from the south to the north.
Archaeoastronomers suggest the standing stones could have been used for astronomical observation. Seventeen of the stones were associated with observations of sunrise or sunset at the solstices and equinoxes, and 14 with the lunar extremes.
Research by radiophysicist Paris Herouni and his research team in 1994–2001 led them to the now disputed conclusion that Carahunge is the world’s oldest astronomical observatory.
