You would not realize it from this photo, but this structure is perched on the top of a narrow spur with vertical cliffs on three sides, giving it terrific views up and down the Vorotan gorge, to Tatev in one direction and to the distant mountains of Karabagh in the other. The mountains in the background form the far side of the gorge.
Khachik, who runs the excellent guesthouse we stayed in in Goris, called this an observatory; I’d call it a belvedere – although I think that normally applies to something like this attached to a building, whereas this stands alone. What would you call it?
Close to the road from Halidzor to Tatev, Syunik district, Armenia.
The “orb” is a spot of rain on the lens (they’re fancier when they’re falling free close in front of the lens). We were getting alternating sunshine and showers, classic conditions for rainbows – and the belvedere was a marvellous place to see them from. I took the rainbow shot in this set from it.
The bits of stuff fluttering from the trees aren’t just rubbish caught in the trees. They’re rags, all that’s left of bits of cloth tied there for good luck by visitors. You see this at beauty spots everywhere in Armenia – maybe elsewhere too, I don’t know. Some of them are remarkably high up. Did someone sit on someone else’s shoulder to tie it? Or has the tree grown since it was tied there?
©Clive K Semmens 2011