On the southern slopes of Aragats Mountain you can find Amberd Fortress (10-11th centuries) that has withstood numerous conquerors and hordes of invaders throughout the centuries. The small Amberd church is located close to the fortress.
Byurakan is world famous for its Astrophysical Observatory founded in 1946. It has one of the most powerful telescopes in the world.
Mount Aragats (4090m) is the highest peak in Armenia. Aragats means “the Throne of King Ara”. In fact the mountain is a huge inactive volcano with four summits. The volcanic lake Kari is located close to the Southern summit on a height of 3250m above the sea level. The flora of Aragats is very diverse, during the spring and summer the mountain is covered with numerous wild flowers.