Idea #490 – Visiting the antic temple of Mithra in Garni, in Armenia
The temple of Garni is a Hellenistic, renowned Greek temple, situated in Garni in Armenia, in approximately 30 kilometers in the southeast of Yerevan.
The temple was built in 77 AD. by king Tiridate Ier, as it is written in Greek of the stone of foundation. The temple was dedicated to the “god of the sun”, Mithra and nicknamed ” the Temple of the Sun “. Ruined by a terrible earthquake in 1679, it was restored in the 1970s from stony blocks found in the rests of a church built in re-use, and destroyed by an earthquake. The temple takes place on a small plateau, situated on a hill surrounded with mountains.
Of quadrangular plan, it possess a podium served by several terraces. Over the stylobate rise the walls of the naos and about 24 columns of the portico. Nearby was a palatial complex and of thermal baths, with a complete mosaic. There was also housing for the garrison of the fortress.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Garni, Armenia