The prehistoric archaeological site Karahunj (Carahunge) is located in the Syunik Region, about a 3.5-hour drive from Yerevan. It is also known as Zorats Karer, meaning “Powerful Stones,” and is often referred to as the “Armenian Stonehenge.”
The site is situated at an altitude of 1770 meters and spans an area of 7 hectares on the left side of the River Dar.
The name Karahunj is believed to derive from two Armenian words: car/kar meaning “stone,” and hunj (or hunge) meaning “sound.” Due to its location and the constant presence of wind, the stones make a whistling sound—thanks to multiple holes carved into them at different angles during prehistoric times.
In total, 223 large basalt stones stand in a roughly circular arrangement. The stones vary in height from 0.5 to 3 meters, and some weigh up to 10 tons. Around 60% of the stones have circular holes, which has led many archaeologists to suggest that the site may have been used for astronomical observation.
The inner surfaces of the holes are surprisingly well preserved, even though time has covered the outer surfaces with moss and lichen.
It was Onik Khnkikyan who, in 1984, first proposed the hypothesis of Karahunj’s astronomical significance. Further studies led to the widely debated theory that Carahunge may be the world’s oldest astronomical observatory. In 1999, British researchers, including Gerald Hawkins, supported this theory. In 2000, a team of 200 archaeologists from the University of Munich conducted investigations and identified the site as a necropolis dating from the Middle Bronze Age to the Iron Age.
They discovered numerous stone tombs within the area and concluded that the lines of stones might have been part of a city wall from the Hellenistic period, constructed with rubble and loam, with the upright stones serving as reinforcements. Another archaeological group led by Gonzales-Garcia in 2015 concluded that the site had a dual purpose: a burial ground for significant individuals and a place for astronomical rituals.
Recent surveys indicate that many of the stones are aligned with the Sun, Moon, and selected stars, suggesting the site had astronomical significance.
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