Noratus Cemetery

Exiting E at a cloverleaf intersection takes one toward Lake Sevan and the ancient village of Noratus or Noraduz (3534 v). Turning right at the first street past the bridge leads to the S edge of town and S. Grigor Lusavorich church of the 9-10th c. Going on straight into the center of village, the second left goes to the ruined S.Astvatsatsin church, which was built by Prince Sahak at the end of the 9th c. Outside the W door are intriguing carved grave monuments. A great medieval-modern cemetery with an impressive array of early khachkars is located on the E edge of town.

If you continue going up the bare, beyond the windswept hillside, there is a smaller cluster of khachkars around a medieval funeral chapel. The Heghi Dar cyclopean fortress with a large tomb and two big inhabited caves is located 2 km E of Noratus on the top of a hill. A large, well-preserved forest of antenna masts, ostensibly belonging to Armentel can be found on a promontory N of Noratus. A few km S of Noradus, near the former village of Artsvakar, there are the Early Iron Age cyclopean fortresses of Ghslakh, Zhami Dar and Mrtbi Dzor.