Karahunj, the “speaking stones” of Armenia, and their connection to the pyramids of Khufu have stirred intrigue among researchers. The megalithic complex, located in the south of Armenia, isn’t just the most fascinating structure in the country, but it also ranks among the world’s most enigmatic stone ensembles.
So, what makes Karahunj unique compared to other megaliths?
Firstly, while most megaliths date back to the 4th-3rd millennia BCE, Karahunj is estimated to be at least 7,500 years old. Some researchers, including Graham Hancock, believe the complex could have a history stretching back 12,000 years.
Secondly, the holes existing in the stones of Karahunj give the Armenian megalith its unique identity. Nicholas Howard, a geographer and member of the 2010 expedition to Karahunj organized by Oxford University in conjunction with the Royal Geographical Society of the UK, noted that “the presence of holes in the stones sets it apart from other structures of its kind.”
Researchers who have studied Karahunj, including Paris Herouni, Graham Hancock, Nicholas Howard, Vachagan Vagradyan, Vazgen Gevorkyan, and others, all agree that the complex served as an ancient observatory.
The “Sounding Stones”
The very name of the megalith, located in the Syunik region of Armenia, reveals a lot.
Karahunj is made up of two roots: “kar,” which means stone in Armenian, and “hunj,” signifying sound or voice. Hence, the meaning is “sounding” or “speaking stones.” (Interestingly, the name of the megalithic complex in France, Carnac, also contains the root “kar.”)
Other names for the complex include Zorats Karer – stones of power, and Karegandz – stone treasures. Hence, on one hand, the stones are “treasures,” and on the other, they “speak.” What secrets did these stone blocks tell, and why was it so valuable?
The megaliths for the construction were brought from a nearby canyon of the Dar River, a tributary of the Vorotan. There are 222 stones in total, with 84 of them having precisely shaped 4-5 cm holes. It would have taken a tremendous amount of time and effort to drag these megaliths, some weighing over 50 tons, several kilometers.
This suggests that our ancestors deemed the installation of these stone blocks essential. Evidently, the complex provided knowledge that they actively used in their daily lives. This might have been related to human health concerns or crop harvesting. Thus, people used these megaliths to perform specific calculations…
The Stone Observatory.
From previous articles in the “Lost Knowledge” series, in which Sputnik Armenia talked about Navasard (the ancient Armenian New Year) and the Tatev Gavazan, it’s clear that in antiquity, the constellation Ayka-Orion held significant importance for the Armenian people.
Independent researcher Vazgen Gevorkyan shared the direct connection between the stars and Karahunj. “Today, there is no doubt that Karahunj truly serves as the oldest observatory.
During our visits over the past few years, we have conducted important astronomical observations and are fully convinced of this,” he said. As already mentioned in previous articles from the “Lost Knowledge” series, the belt of Ayka-Orion, which is called “Shampruk-kshirk” (the axis of balance) in Armenian, reaches the celestial equator on August 11.
That’s why Gevorkyan conducted his observations on this day. “Through the hole in the stone, you can observe that culminating point of the celestial equator, which the belt of Ayka-Orion reaches once every 25,920 years, marking the end of the old and the beginning of the New Star Year. This is the point on the celestial equator that the ancient scientists used to calculate time and compose the calendar,” the researcher noted.
Ancient astronomers, observing through the holes, could calculate the appearance of various celestial bodies, track their movement across the sky (register angular changes), as well as fix the points of sunrise and sunset, equinoxes, and solstices. Vazgen Gevorkyan’s team observed the starry sky through the stone telescopes in Karahunj on August 11, 2012 (recall, that was the year the Mayan calendar ended).
The data was so astonishing that in 2015, at Gevorkyan’s invitation, world-renowned ancient civilizations researcher Graham Hancock visited Armenia. Afterwards, he wrote: “The Orion constellation rises before dawn over the megaliths of Karahunj, and you can see how the three stars of Orion’s belt line up vertically over the tip of the menhir.”
After such a statement from such an authoritative researcher, the popular science magazine “National Geographic” included the Karahunj complex, also known as the “Armenian Stonehenge”, in the list of the world’s oldest observatories in 2016. The magazine emphasized that our ancestors observed Orion and Sirius here.
How the stars “connected” Karahunj and the Pyramids.
The Orion constellation and the Sirius star were so important to ancient astronomers that the Great Pyramid of Khufu has star pointers. This is reflected in Egyptian myths and legends. The shafts of the King and the Queen’s chambers are aimed precisely at the culminating points of these stars.
The King’s shaft is angled at 45 degrees and directed towards Orion’s belt, and the Queen’s chamber is directed towards the Sirius star at an angle of 39.5 degrees. According to Vazgen Gevorkyan, we have an amazing “coincidence”: the ancient observatory of Karahunj, which was built long before the Egyptian pyramids, is located at a latitude of 39.5 degrees north (this was noted by Paris Herouni).
And if we draw an azimuth of 45 degrees from the Giza plateau to the northeast, exactly as indicated by the location of the three main pyramids of Giza, the intersection of these two lines falls precisely in the area where the “Armenian Stonehenge” and the Tatev monastery complex of the 9th-10th centuries are located.
by Lilit Arutyunyan
Translated by Vigen Avetisyan
