Our first attempt to climb mountain Harsnasar was in 2016. After reaching Gnishik and seeing the distance from the mountain and the thick layer of snow, we realized that it would be impossible to descend before the dusk.
Harsnasar is a borderline mountain. The height is 2773 meters and is one of the highest points of the Vayk mountains. It is situated on the border of Vayots Dzor and Nakhijevan.
This was our second attempt and despite the snow cover and the wind strength, we reached the peak.
Climbing mountain Harsnasar
Legends about Harsnasar
There is an interesting legend related to the origin of the name “Harsnasar”. Although being surrounded by Turkish villages, the residents of Gnishik and Aznaberd, which was located in Nakhijevan, married only each other. The connection between the villages was passing through the mountains, that is why the mountain through which passed the linking road was called Harsnasar which is translated as the bride’s mountain.
The view from Harsnasar
In Gnishik, an old man told us another story that decodes the origin of the name. Once, the residents of Aznaberd came to Gnishik to participate in a wedding and after the ceremony headed back to Aznaberd in the morning. On their way back a snowstorm began as a result of which the majority of them including the bride and the groom died. From that day on, the mountain was called Harsnasar.
I don’t know which one of these stories correspond to the reality, but the story of the brides crossing through the mountains sounds pretty interesting.
The weather was good at the beginning of the ascent; however, unfortunately, when we got close to the summit, the heavy clouds covered the sky due to which we couldn’t see or capture anything.
The only animal we saw on our way was this fox
Mountain Odzasar
The most beautiful scenery on the way was the view of the mountain Odzasar. It was very unexpected to see the mountain so clearly.
Mountain Odzasar
Odzasar or Vishapasar is located in the central part of Yernjak district. The height is 2412 meters. It is a sharply upgrowing massive mountain. The ancient villages and fortresses of this district were founded around this mountain.
Since Harsanasar is a borderline mountain, we do not recommend to repeat this ascent.
Article: Tigran Shahbazyan
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