Aghjkakar Cliff

Hasrik Mountains

Height: 945 m

Coordinates: 40.808250, 45.500867

Aghjkakar cliff (Girl’s stone) is located on the right bank of the river Aghnja, 4 km southwest to the village Aygedzor.

Legend has it that when Ashot II of Armenia was losing an unequal battle he sends a victorious, broad-shouldered girl to roll down an enormous stone from the fortress towards the enemy. The enemy retreats. They were terrified with the power of that girl and couldn’t imagine what could happen if men appear.

Locals believe in their legends and every year in July make a pilgrimage to the Girl’s stone, to receive strength and energy, luck and blessings. They don’t go there empty-handed, but take with them ritual bread baked the day before the pilgrimage, and sweet wine. After cleansing in the Aghnja River, they eat and receive earthly and heavenly blessings.

Girl’s stone

From that day on the territory was called Aghjkakar (Girl’s stone). The locals believe in their legends and every year in July they make a pilgrimage to Aghjkakar to be filled with power, ardour, luck and prosperity. People never do there empty-handed. They always take with them the sweetest wine and some “atagh”, which is a special sacral bread baked a day before․ After they cleanse everything in the river Aghnja and eat, thus believing that they will be blessed by the powers of heaven and earth.

According to another legend, people took a refuge in Aghjkakar during an invasion of the enemy. A long-haired girl was among them, who could get water from the river with the help of her braids. And when one day the enemy found the refugees, a girl just stepped off the cliff with her last cry “Ah, inchi?” (Ah, why?).

It is said that the slightly changed name Aghnja originates from this legend.

Photos by Sipan Grig and Tigran Varag

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