Garni Temple, Armenia

Garni pagan temple was probably built in II century BC and was dedicated to a heathen god, probably to Mitra, the god of the sun, and the 24 columns simvolize 24 hours of the day. In I century AD the temple was destroyed by the Roman troops and it was rebuilt by Trdat I in 70 (in Greek record it was called "unapproachable temple"). After adoption of Christianity the temple was used as a summer residence of Khosrovdukht (the sister of king Trdat III ), and a chronicle describes it as "a house of coolness of Trdat". In 1679 a sever earthquake completely destroyed Garni and the remaining particles made it possible to reconstruct the temple again in 1930 (by professor Buniatyan).

In May 24, 2011, "Garni Preserve-Museum" was awarded with UNESCO Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes (UNESCO-Greece) 2011.