Wings of Tatev
Encyclopedia
Wings of Tatev is a 5.7 km (3.5 mi) cableway between Halidzor
and the Tatev monastery
in Armenia
. It is the longest reversible aerial tramway
built in one section only. Construction was finished on 16 October 2010.
Gathered in the country's southern mountains near the border with Iran, guests including president Serzh Sarkisian and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church
, Karekin II
, took part as the cable car link launched its first official voyage over the Vorotan River Gorge.
The link allows year-round access to Armenia's ninth-century Tatev monastery
complex, one of the country's most important religious centres and a major tourist attraction. The reversible cable car line cost $18 million with much of the funding coming from private donations, according to the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia, which oversaw the project. It runs from the village of Halidzor
near a highway connecting the Armenian capital Yerevan to the village of Tatev, within walking distance of the monastery.
The cable car travels at a speed of 37 km (23 mi) kilometers per hour and a one-way journey takes 11 minutes. At its highest point over the gorge, the car travels 320 m (1,049.9 ft) above ground level.
It has two cabins, each capable of carrying up to 25 passengers. Local residents will be able to ride the cable car for free while others will have to pay 3,000 Armenian drams ($8). On the 23rd of October 2010 it was officially recorded in the Guinness World Records
book.
Halidzor
Halidzor is a village and rural community in the Syunik Province of Armenia. The Halidzor Fortress is nearby. The National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia reported its population was 707 in 2010, up from 602 at the 2001 census.The village hosts a station of the Wings of Tatev -...
and the Tatev monastery
Tatev
The Monastery of Tatev is a 9th century Armenian monastery located in the Tatev village in Syunik Province in southern Armenia. The term "Tatev" usually refers to the monastery. It stands on a plateau on the edge of the deep gorge of the Orotan River...
in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. It is the longest reversible aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
built in one section only. Construction was finished on 16 October 2010.
Gathered in the country's southern mountains near the border with Iran, guests including president Serzh Sarkisian and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
, Karekin II
Karekin II
Catholicos Karekin II is the current head of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church.He was born as Ktrij Nersessian in Voskehat, Armenia, on August 21, 1951. He entered the Gevorkian Theological Seminary at Echmiadzin in 1965 and graduated with honors in 1971. He was ordained to the diaconate deacon...
, took part as the cable car link launched its first official voyage over the Vorotan River Gorge.
The link allows year-round access to Armenia's ninth-century Tatev monastery
Tatev
The Monastery of Tatev is a 9th century Armenian monastery located in the Tatev village in Syunik Province in southern Armenia. The term "Tatev" usually refers to the monastery. It stands on a plateau on the edge of the deep gorge of the Orotan River...
complex, one of the country's most important religious centres and a major tourist attraction. The reversible cable car line cost $18 million with much of the funding coming from private donations, according to the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia, which oversaw the project. It runs from the village of Halidzor
Halidzor
Halidzor is a village and rural community in the Syunik Province of Armenia. The Halidzor Fortress is nearby. The National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia reported its population was 707 in 2010, up from 602 at the 2001 census.The village hosts a station of the Wings of Tatev -...
near a highway connecting the Armenian capital Yerevan to the village of Tatev, within walking distance of the monastery.
The cable car travels at a speed of 37 km (23 mi) kilometers per hour and a one-way journey takes 11 minutes. At its highest point over the gorge, the car travels 320 m (1,049.9 ft) above ground level.
It has two cabins, each capable of carrying up to 25 passengers. Local residents will be able to ride the cable car for free while others will have to pay 3,000 Armenian drams ($8). On the 23rd of October 2010 it was officially recorded in the Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
book.