You probably know that in the territory of Armenia there are many traces of ancient civilizations that once existed in these places. Some archaeological sites are several thousand years old. But the megalithic complex Karahunj attracts scientists and tourists most of all.
There are still disputes over its purpose. But researchers agree on one thing: it is very similar to the famous Stonehenge.
The huge megalithic complex Karahunj is located in the south of Armenia, near the city of Sisian on a mountain plateau, located at an altitude of 1,770 meters above sea level. This mysterious structure covers an area of about seven hectares and is a circle formed by hundreds of large vertical stones. Perhaps that is why the locals call it Standing Stones or Protruding Stones.
The name Karauj the megalithic monument received from the radio astronomer Paris Heruni. Translated from the Armenian kar - "stone", unj (punj) - "sound, speak", that is, "sounding, speaking stones." Before Heruni, the complex was called Zorats Karer - "mighty stones" or "stones of power".
ARCHITECTURE MEGALITA
Conventionally, Karahunj can be divided into several parts: a central ellipse, two branches, a north and south, northeastern alley, a ridge of stones crossing the central ellipse, and separate stones. The height of each stone of the structure varies from half a meter to 3 meters, and the weight reaches 10 tons.
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They consist of basalt, pretty worn out by time, and covered with moss. Almost every stone has a neat hole in its upper part, very similar to the creation of human hands.
The central ellipse (45 by 36 meters) consists of 40 stones. In its center there are ruins measuring 7 by 5 meters, presumably it was some kind of religious structure. Most likely, this part of the complex was used for rituals in honor of the god Ara, because the ancient temple of this god near Yerevan has exactly the same proportions.
There is also another version. Ruins are the remains of a sanctuary, in the center of which there was a huge dolmen or, in other words, a burial mound.
According to scientists, the stones were brought here from a nearby quarry. They were tied with ropes and lifted up with the help of pack animals. But the holes in them are already made in place.
Unfortunately, Karahunj only recently attracted the attention of researchers, and before that was left to the destructive power of time. The exact age of the complex has not yet been established. Scientists name several options: 4,500, 6,500 and 7,500 years. And some consider it to be much older and indicate the middle of the VI millennium BC as the time of its creation.
ANCIENT OBSERVATORY
It is impossible to say unequivocally what was the purpose of Karahunj. If we take 7,500 years as the correct age, then it turns out that in fact it was built in the Stone Age. Of course, there are many hypotheses, both real and absolutely fantastic. For example, this place was used for burial or as a sanctuary for worshiping the gods, or there was something like a university in which some sacred knowledge was passed on to the elect.
But the most common version is still the version of the most ancient and powerful observatory. This hypothesis is supported by conical holes drilled in the upper part of the stones. If you look closely, they are directed to certain points of the sky.
The stone is a very convenient material for this purpose, because it is heavy and hard, which means it can ensure the stability of the position of the hole towards the target. Researchers believe these holes were made with obsidian-tipped tools.
Thanks to the stone observatory, the ancient people not only followed the movement of celestial bodies, they made up an accurate calendar of the beginning of agricultural work, harvesting, and travel times.
But it remains an unsolved mystery who taught them all this. Indeed, in order to build such an observatory, it was necessary not only to be able to use the obtained observations, but also to have experience in mathematical and astronomical calculations.
SWAN MAP
It is interesting that the arrangement of the Karahunj stones almost completely repeats the pattern that Chinese pyramids form on the ground. And from above, you can see that the stones in the center of Karahunj schematically repeat the constellation Cygnus, that is, a certain star corresponds to each stone. The adherents of this hypothesis are sure that there was a certain highly developed civilization, which thus perpetuated in stone the atlas of the starry sky compiled by it.
The question arises: why exactly the constellation Cygnus, and not the Big Dipper familiar to us, for example, served as the main reference point? It is believed that the arrangement of the stars at that time was different, since the tilt of the earth's axis has changed since then.
More recently, another version has appeared about the purpose of Karahunj. This huge megalith is a cosmodrome! There are even arguments in favor of such an assumption: firstly, a convenient location relative to the equator, which facilitates the launch of spaceships, and secondly, additional labor costs are not needed to create a launch pad - a rock pillow is excellent for these purposes, all the more it is clear that it leveled slightly.
In addition, some megaliths contain images of some creatures and even a disk floating in the air. These drawings can be interpreted in two ways: this is a meeting of either earthlings with alien aliens, or representatives of ancient civilizations of the Earth, for example, Atlanteans and Hyperboreans, which is quite possible in the Caucasus region.
Many believe that Karahunj is still used as a spaceport, as locals often see luminous balls, similar to large fireballs, heading towards the megalith. One more point - some stones of Karahunj have an electromagnetic field. It is quite possible that they acquired and preserved this property since the time of the ancient cosmodrome.
And a completely surprising fact recently revealed to researchers: Carahunj does not stand still. It is calculated that every year the huge stones that make up the megalith move 2-3 millimeters towards the West, as if in the direction of the displacement of the earth's axis. To these riddles, it remains to add one more that has not yet been solved: the stone complex is located on the same meridian with the Chinese pyramids and Greenland. Coincidence or Exact Calculation?
ARMENIAN STONEHENGE
According to the mathematician, candidate of biological sciences, associate professor of the Russian-Armenian (Slavic) University Vachagan Vahradian, there is a certain connection between the famous British Stonehenge and Karahunj.
Moreover, he believes that the Britons who built Stonehenge came there from Armenia and brought with them the cultural heritage of their Armenian ancestors, and not vice versa, for the Armenian megalith is almost 3 thousand years older than the British.
When asked by a journalist what was the reason for comparing these particular megaliths, the scientist replied:
“Their structural and functional similarities, as well as the identity of the name, about which the academician Paris Heruni wrote. It is known that Stonehenge was used as a kind of observatory for astronomical observations.
Both Stonehenge and Karahunj have a corridor between the stones, which served to determine the day of the summer solstice, which in turn made it possible to determine the rest of the dates of the year. Both monuments were built of stones arranged in a certain order, but our stones have holes directed to certain points in the sky.
In the center of the structure there are ovoid stones without holes. This indicates that the creators of both monuments were bearers of the same culture. The consonance of the names Karahunj and Stonehenge is obvious: the first parts of both words - Քար and stone - mean "stone", but the second parts - հունջ and henge - are interpreted ambiguously."
Skeptics believe that this parallel with the promoted "brand" was invented by those who are interested in attracting the attention of tourists to the "Armenian Stonehenge". And they confirm their opinion by the fact that, apart from the age and similarity in the names of the megaliths, there is no other evidence of the Armenian roots of the Britons.
Galina MINNIKOVA