Fairytale Gates and Traditions of Spells – Armenia

Amazing examples of architectural mimicry can be found in the foothills of the Ararat valley. The most curious question of ancient history is the tradition of fairy-tale doors that have been cut through in parent rocks.

The secret of such passages lies in the fact that an unknowing person is practically unable to locate them as they are merged with the rock. Large examples of such structures were discovered by archaeologists near Lake Van on the slopes of the Sesame mountain range in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Stone steps and mysterious gates attracted the attention of orientalists. According to them, it was the Sesame rock that served as the basis for the creation and distribution of the famous fairy tale about Ali Baba and the forty thieves.

On the territory of modern Armenia, similar mysterious doors are still preserved. When you approach them, you want to say: “Open Sesame!” One of these doors is 40 kilometers to the west of Yerevan, in the village of Ujan (Ուջան).

When the doors are firmly closed, they really seem invisible in the general background of the rock formation. This is the exact circumstance that predetermined the formation of the tradition to say spells addressed to the “magical” gates.