Qarakap 3

Name: Qarakap 3
Monument type: Stele
Region: Aragatsotn Province
Periods: Prehistoric

Name: Qarakap 3

Other nomination: Yayla of Jhangir agha, Prospekt

Monument type: Vishapakar (vishap stone, dragon stone)

Province / Community: Mount Aragats, Aragatsotn province, Antaroot (nearby community)

Type: Bull-type

Material: Gray basalt

Preservation:

Monument. Good (completely preserved – has partial wear. Set in cement upside down – removed from cement, cleaned and re-orientated on 07/31/2020).
Image. Poor (completely in cement). After the correction, the details related to the header and top were opened).
Context. Poor (displaced, original location not known).

Size: 342×92 cm (originally fallen, partially covered with soil according to B. Piotrowski), 300x110x70 cm (standing), 359x116x44 cm (actual size after removal from cement). Weight 5.2 tons (according to crane gauge).

Original location: Qarakap

Current location: Aragats Cosmic Ray Research Station named after A. Alikhanyan

Coordinates: N 40.44356°, E 044.22461°, 2868 m (original location according to Shirin Amaryan); N 40.472332°, E 044.181848° (current location)

Altitude: About 2768 m (original location); 3181 m (current location)

Era and chronology: Middle and Late Bronze Ages, XXIV-XIII centuries BC

The Mystical Grey Basalt Dragon Stone

Once your gaze fixated upon Qarakap 3, it seizes your complete focus, immersing you in its enchanting presence that softly murmurs the tales and myths that encircle it.

Much like its fellow dragon stones exclusive to the Armenian Highlands, Qarakap 3 occupies a revered position in Armenian folklore, intertwined with natural wonders, water, and the colossal inhabitants of the mountains.

This specific dragon stone, standing tall and dignified, proudly represents the remarkable power flowing from the heart of Mount Aragats, preserving itself as a testament to an era when legends and history were inseparable.

Dominating the view from the awe-inspiring heights of Mount Aragats in Armenia, the enigmatic Qarakap 3, also known as the “Yayla of Jhangir Agha” or simply “Prospekt,” stands as a testament to the mysteries of the Armenian Highlands. This remarkable monument, crafted from gray basalt, holds within its ancient contours a history that stretches back to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, dating from the 24th to the 13th centuries BC.

This remarkable dragon stone measures 342×92 cm in its original fallen state, partially covered with soil. However, when standing, it reaches impressive dimensions of 300x110x70 cm, weighing a staggering 5.2 tons. Its original location was the picturesque Qarakap, situated at an elevation of about 2,768 meters. Today, it resides at the Aragats Cosmic Ray Research Station, at an even higher elevation of 3,181 meters.

Qarakap 3’s discovery dates back to August 12, 1924, by an expedition of the Committee for Monument Preservation. Unfortunately, only one archival photograph remains from that expedition. Over time, this dragon stone has shifted from its original location, and its precise context remains uncertain. It is believed to have been part of a cromlech or platform, with piles of stones nearby that may have belonged to earlier structures.

FACTS

❈ Qarakap 3, also known as the “Yayla of Jhangir Agha” or “Prospekt,” is an enigmatic monument perched on Mount Aragats in Armenia, dating back to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages (24th to 13th centuries BC).

❈ This dragon stone measures 342×92 cm when fallen and 300x110x70 cm when standing, weighing a remarkable 5.2 tons. Originally located at Qarakap, it now resides at the Aragats Cosmic Ray Research Station, at an elevation of 3,181 meters.

❈ Discovered on August 12, 1924, by an expedition of the Committee for Monument Preservation, Qarakap 3’s exact context remains uncertain, but it is believed to have been part of a cromlech or platform with nearby piles of stones.

❈ This remarkable monument stands as a testament to the mysteries of the Armenian Highlands, captivating with its ancient history and impressive dimensions.

❈ While only one archival photograph remains from the initial discovery, Qarakap 3 continues to intrigue researchers and visitors, offering a glimpse into Armenia’s rich historical heritage.

🔍 Research history

It was discovered on August 12, 1924 by the expedition of the Committee for the Monument Preservation; only one archival photograph has been preserved from it. From Ghoturi yaila (Hayseri Oba 1) the expedition goes to the height of Aragats and then to Amberd.

Near the yaila at the foot of Gharadagh, off the road, another monolith is found (without sculpture, the lower part is wide, the upper part is narrow, it ends in a pyramidal shape, height: 3.40 m, the lower part is 1 m, the upper part is under the pyramidal shape, 60 cm, thick: 50 cm) (Toramanian 1948, 229-230).

The pyramidal top and dimensions leave no doubt that it is the Prospect 3. Shirin Amaryan (Ahmad’s son from Zovuni village) showed the place of the dragon that was moved to Kari Lake. He saw it personally, because they always passed by the dragon stone on their way to their country house (Ahmadi Oba), where there was also a similar stone (see Ahmadi Oba 1): according to him, in 1974, when he went to the army, the stone was in its place, and in 1976, when he returned, it was no longer there. He is sure that Jhangir Agha’s yaila was there: the latter’s wedding took place here and General Andranik took part in it. The Amberd expedition (Barkhudaryan archive) visited it in 1936: B. Piotrowski who also visited this place with the Amberd expedition, has a cursory reference of the monument.

🧱 Archaeological context description

Immediate. It is unknown, probably a cromlech/platform (there are piles of stones in the place shown by Sh. Amaryan, which may be from previous structures).

Related. There are other dragons, cromlechs, and petroglyphs around.

Subsidiary usage It is placed in the concrete upside down at the entrance of the station on A. Alikhanyan’s initiative (according to G. Asatryan, after the relocation of Prospect 1, approximately at the beginning of the 1970s). While installing they partially flattened/straightened/machined the head part trying to open a hole to set an iron bar, but they didn’t. Two 5 pence coins dating to 1961, are set in a cement base.

🌍 Significance

Vishapakar (dragon stone) is characteristic only of the Armenian highlands and is an endemic phenomenon like khachkar. It appears at an altitude of up to 3200 m from the sea level, which is an exceptional phenomenon according to the world archeology.

🔨 Traditional legends

Dragonstones carry a high level of symbolic weight. Their name is related to the ancient and new voluminous and similar legends of the population of the Armenian Highlands, where dragons are elemental characters associated with natural phenomena (especially water) and their regulation. Dragons are often associated with mountain-dwelling giants. On one hand, the name could have arisen as a result of the size of the statues, and an allegorical interpretation of their iconography on the other hand.

📚 Sources

Literature

Toramanian T. 1948, Armenian Architecture 2, Yerevan, USSR, 307 pages.
Karapetyan S. (ed.) 2014, Armenia. Illustrated album, Yerevan, “Zangak”, 89 pages.
Piotrovsky B.B. 1939, Vishaps: stone statues in the mountains of Armenia, Leningrad, Armenian Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 40 p.

🕰️ Archive

Kalantar, Archive 9, fig. N 8537 (head lying on the ground);
Barkhudaryan, Archive 1, fig. 3 (head lying on the ground, on a different side than the Kalantar painting; the landscape is visible).
Kalantar, Archive 9 – Archive of the History Museum of Armenia, Collection of the Monuments Preservation Committee, A. Photos of Kalantar and the Committee, Yerevan.
Barkhudaryan, Archive 1 – Prospect 1, 2, 3 photos of dragon stones (2-3 with two copies) were most likely taken in 1936. Art. By sister. There is also a photo of Imirzek 2 (in two copies) in the archive, but it was printed in Marr, Smirnov 1931, tab. from 19. Archive of Sedrak Barkhudaryan, RA NAS Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Department of Lithography.

Interview: Gagik Asatryan (Director of Aragats Cosmic Ray Research Station, 12.06.2013); Shirin Amaryan (son of Ahmad, from Zovuni village, 30.07.2016).

List of monuments
HPS, Aragatsotn, Antarut 2.10.4 (“On the southern shore of Black Lake”).