Ukhtasar – Tsghuk

Origin of The Name

There are a lot of different opinions concerning the name of this mountain, so I want to analyze it myself.

Some people connect the name of the mountain with an animal. They say that the right version is Ughtasar, with “gh”, “ught” – which means camel. Others say that the name has nothing to do with the animal but rather that it used to be a place of pilgrimage. “Ukht” means pilgrimage, which is why it is called Ukhtasar.

It is difficult to know which name is the right one. Near the lake (Ughtalich, Lake of Ukhtasar or Lake of Tsghuk), which is located at the height of 3300m, there are a lot of petroglyphs. To the west of the lake you can notice so called Ughtasar, the mount which looks like a camel’s humps. To the east of the lake Mountain Tsghuk is located, which is also known as Ukhtasar. Actually there is no wrong or right answer, but regardless it is very difficult to find a black cat in a dark room, especially when there is no cat.

If you don’t want to go for hike in Ukhtasar you can also take a jeep tour to the petroglyphs of Ukhtasar.

Ukhtasar as a Holy Place

Ukhtasar is an archaeological place in Syuniq Region. It was founded in 1968. In ancient times people used to come here for pilgrimages, to make some rituals or even sacrifices.

Petroglyphs of Ukhtasar

As there are many petroglyphs, it is considered to be the result of associative and creative thinking of the Armenians, the expression of their imagination about life, their psychology and faith.

Most of the petroglyphs are figures of goats, which is why another name for petroglyphs is “itsagrer”, which means “goat-writings”, or “aytsqarer”, which means “stones of the goats”. People have noticed the interesting behavior of the goats.  During a lightning storm, one of the goats climbs to the highest peak of the rock and stands still, so it serves as a natural lightning conductor. The figures of goats are especially used in hunting scenes. In petroglyphs goats are also represented as symbols of God.

Today, with our knowledge of Armenian and World mythologies, we try to explain the meaning of petroglyphs and uncover their way of thinking about the life and the whole world.

If you study the petroglyphs deeply, you will understand that they are something more than just scenes of hunting.

Mount Tsghuk

Coordinates: 39°40’39.77, 46°4’45.73

Tsghuk is an extinct volcano in Syunik highland. The slopes are divided, full of stone placers, lava flows, and glacial traces can also be seen.

From the top of the mountain Tsghuk to the north one can enjoy a magnificent view of the highest summit of Syunik highland,  mount Trasar (3594m). In the north-east the mountain Seghanasar and a beautiful lake can be seen. Seghanasar looks like a truncated cone.

In the south-east one can see the mountains Mets and Pokr Ishkanasar hidden in the clouds. And in the east there is the Zangezur mountain range.

 

Article: Tigran Shahbazyan

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Hiking and trekking in Armenia