ancient ruins
Zvartnots Cathedral
Haunting ring of 7th-century columns from a collapsed circular cathedral, framed by Mount Ararat on the Yerevan–Etchmiadzin road; a UNESCO World Heritage ruin.
23 km · about 25 min drive
AsiaArmeniaKotayk
Mrgashen
Kotayk, Armenia · Asia
About Mrgashen
Mrgashen works well as a base: 5 minutes from Nor Hachn, 50km from Lake Sevan.
Mrgashen is in Kotayk, Armenia, with about 2,300 people. The nearest town is Nor Hachn, about 4 km away.
Mrgashen (Armenian: Մրգաշեն; until 1964, "the village attached to Sovkhoz No. 36") is a village in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. It is located along the left bank of the Arzni-Shamiram aqueduct. Mrgashen was officially founded in March 1960 around the state-owned collective farm, or Sovkhoz No. 6. The local economyRead more
is highly dependent on agriculture, based primarily on orchard cultivation and pig or cattle breeding. The community currently has a school, kindergarten, house of culture (seating for 300), medical station (with six employees), and a library. Sixty percent of households receive natural gas, and drinking water for the village comes from the Arzakan-Yerevan network, while water for irrigation comes from the Arzni-Shamiram aqueduct.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Mrgashen?
Within an hour or so of Mrgashen: Zvartnots Cathedral (23 km), Garni Temple (25 km), Geghard Monastery (28 km), Amberd Fortress (29 km).
Are there any good drives near Mrgashen?
The nearest famous roads are Orbelian's Caravanserai (Vardenyats Pass).
Where is Mrgashen?
Mrgashen is in Kotayk, Armenia, about 4 km from Nor Hachn.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 2,325
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Armenia
- Region
- Kotayk
- Timezone
- Asia/Yerevan
- Coordinates
- 40.2861, 44.5445
Tags
Worth the detour from Mrgashen
7 notable places within an hour's drive.
ancient ruins
Garni Temple
The only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded temple in the former Soviet Union, a 1st-century pagan shrine overlooking the dramatic Azat River gorge.
25 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Geghard Monastery
A UNESCO partially rock-cut medieval monastery with extraordinary acoustics, said to house the spear that pierced Christ's side at the crucifixion.
28 km · about 35 min drive
castle
Amberd Fortress
A 7th-century fortress with an 11th-century church on a triangular spur at 2,300m on the slopes of Mount Aragats, wedged between two river gorges. Ruined by the Mongols in 1236 and never rebuilt.
29 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
Khor Virap
An iconic Armenian monastery at the foot of Mount Ararat where Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years, offering the most famous view of Ararat.
45 km · about 50 min drive
natural wonder
Lake Sevan
The Jewel of Armenia, one of the largest high-altitude freshwater lakes in the world at 1,900 meters with the medieval Sevanavank Monastery on its peninsula.
50 km · about 60 min drive
national park
Dilijan National Park
Armenia's Little Switzerland, a lush forested national park in the Lesser Caucasus with medieval monasteries hidden among beech and oak forests.
57 km · about 65 min drive
Driving roads near Mrgashen
- 70 kmOrbelian's Caravanserai (Vardenyats Pass)Best-preserved caravanserai in Armenia, built in 1332 at the 2,410 m Vardenyats (Selim) Pass on the Silk Road: the hairpin climb between Yeghegnadzor and Lake Sevan is a classic drive.
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