Byurakan

The Church of Surb Hovhannes (Saint John the Evangelist) was consecrated on 31 May 2015. In September 2009 a dome-blessing ceremony was conducted by the supreme Catholicos of all Armenians, where crosses were placed on the top of the domes. If the workers are outside, do not be shy to ask to see the church. They are very proud of their work and will gladly give a tour and take you up to the top if they have a moment.

The radio telescope to observe distant space was active from 1986 to 1990, when it fell into disuse with the Soviet break-up. An attempt to restore it brought it back online in 1995, but it was abandoned for good in 2012. From the gate, there are guided tours of the grounds, the telescope dish, and the control room, in their all Soviet glory, on most days of the week. Some hiking tours also combine a visit to the nearby observatory, see below.

On the southern face of Mt. Aragats, Amberd Fortress is a quick trip from Yerevan and a popular escape from the Yerevan summer heat. The fortress looms over a small church, and both overlook the Ararat Valley and Mt. Ararat across the valley. Further up the mountain is a nice lake which is the starting point for the hike up to the southern peak of Mt. Aragats.

You can observe stars and planets from one of the Byurakan Observatory telescopes. Tours are organized everyday at 21:00, 22:00 and 23:00. You will join a group of about 20 to 30 people and observe one or two stars and one or two planets. As the group can be quite large, you will unfortunately not have a lot of time per person to observe the sky through the telescope. Moreover, as there is a lot of light pollution due to the cities on the bottom of the volcano, the sky is not as dark as it used to be probably at the construction of the observatory. However, it is still a good experience if you have never observed stars through a telescope. It is recommended to book in advance the tour by phone but if you are a solo traveler, you can just show yourself at 21:00 and ask to join the group.