Armenian Alphabet Monument: 39 stone letters on Aragats

· Last updated 2026-05-16

A script that saved a nation

In 405 AD, a monk named Mesrop Mashtots completed a task that Armenian tradition treats as one of the decisive moments in national history: he created an alphabet for the Armenian language. Before that date, Armenian had no written form of its own — it was written, where written at all, in Greek, Syriac, or Persian scripts, none of which were adequate to the sounds of the language. After 405, Armenians could write their own language in their own letters.

The consequences were not merely literary. Within a generation, the Bible had been translated into Armenian — a translation considered so faithful that theologians called it the “Queen of Translations.” The corpus of Armenian literature, theology, history, and philosophy that followed over the next 1,600 years was written in Mashtots’s script, almost unchanged. The same 38 letters (39 counting a later addition) that Mashtots created in the early 5th century are still in use today on Armenian shop signs, in Armenian newspapers, and on this screen if you browse an Armenian website.

The Armenian Alphabet Monument, installed on the slopes of Mount Aragats near the village of Artashavan in 2005, commemorates the 1,600th anniversary of the alphabet’s creation. It is a remarkable thing: 39 basalt and tuff stone letters, each approximately two metres tall, scattered across a hillside at 1,750 metres elevation. The sculptor was Jim Torosyan. The site also includes statues of Mesrop Mashtots himself and of Saint Sahak Partev, the Catholicos who supported and organised the alphabet project.

Why the alphabet matters beyond language

To understand why Armenians treat the creation of the alphabet as a civilisational event — not merely a cultural achievement — requires understanding the subsequent history.

After the alphabet was created, Armenia was divided between Byzantium and Sassanid Persia, then absorbed and contested by the Arab Caliphate, the Byzantines again, the Bagratid Armenian kingdom (which flourished), the Seljuk Turks, the Mongols, the Persians, the Ottomans, and finally the Russians. For much of the period between the 11th century and 1918, there was no independent Armenian state. The Armenian people survived as a dispersed community — in the Caucasus, in Cilicia, in Constantinople, in the diaspora — while their political autonomy was intermittent at best.

What held them together, across these centuries and dispersions, was language. And language was anchored by the script. The Armenian Apostolic Church, writing and reading in Mashtots’s alphabet, transmitted doctrine, history, and identity from one generation to the next. The medieval historians (Movses Khorenatsi, Ghazar Parpetsi, Yeghishe) wrote in classical Armenian. The illuminated manuscripts of the Matenadaran — thousands of them — are in that same script. When Armenians today say that Mashtots saved the Armenian people, they mean it in a non-metaphorical sense: without the alphabet, the cultural continuity that enabled a national revival in the 19th and 20th centuries might not have been possible.

The significance of the Genocide Memorial at Tsitsernakaberd is that it commemorates the near-destruction of the Armenian people in 1915. The significance of the Alphabet Monument is that it commemorates the tool that allowed that people to persist through 1,500 years of political disappearance before 1915.

The history of the alphabet: how Mashtots did it

The process of creating the Armenian script is documented in the 5th-century history written by Koriun, a student of Mashtots who accompanied the project. The account is unusually detailed for its era and gives a picture of a systematic scholarly effort rather than a spontaneous invention.

The problem: Armenian had sounds that neither Greek, Syriac, nor Persian script could render accurately. Any translation of the Bible into Armenian using one of these borrowed scripts would inevitably distort the text — important for a religion where exact theological terminology matters.

The patron: Saint Sahak Partev, then Catholicos (head of the Armenian church), commissioned Mashtots and provided institutional support. The project was understood as a religious and national necessity.

The process: Mashtots travelled to study existing alphabets — he met Syrian scholars in Edessa and Greek scholars in Samosata. His task was not simply to borrow letters but to design characters that systematically mapped the sounds of Armenian. The 38 letters of the original alphabet are ordered in a fixed sequence (ayb, ben, gim…) clearly modelled on the Greek alpha-beta sequence, but the letter forms are original — they cannot be derived from Greek or Aramaic characters.

The completion: The first text translated using the new script was a passage from the Book of Proverbs: “To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight…” — chosen deliberately as a statement about the purpose of the alphabet itself.

The result: A script so well-suited to Armenian phonology that it survived essentially intact for 1,600 years. Modern Armenian uses the same 39 letters (38 original + one 12th-century addition) in the same order. The only significant change has been in pronunciation: classical Armenian and modern Armenian sound different, but the same letters serve both.

The monument: what to expect on the ground

The Armenian Alphabet Monument is situated on a meadow slope at approximately 1,750 metres above sea level, about 2 km from the village of Artashavan, in Aragatsotn province. The site is reachable by car via an unpaved track from the village — rough but passable in a standard car in dry conditions. A small parking area sits at the base of the monument field.

The 39 letters: Each stone letter stands approximately 1.8-2.1 metres tall and is carved from local basalt or tuff. They are not arranged in alphabetical order across the hillside — they are distributed somewhat organically, which creates a distinctive photographic effect: scanning the hillside, you can pick out letters individually as you move. Finding all 39 requires a full walk of the site, which takes about 30-40 minutes at a leisurely pace.

The letters are in the Armenian uppercase forms. If you know the alphabet, you will recognise the shapes immediately. If not, the visit is still visually striking — large stone glyphs against the backdrop of Aragats’s southern slopes and, on clear days, the Ararat plain far below to the south.

The statues of Mashtots and Sahak Partev: Near the centre of the monument field, larger-than-life sculptures of Mesrop Mashtots and Saint Sahak Partev stand together. Mashtots holds a tablet with letters; Sahak stands beside him. The sculptor, Jim Torosyan, has given both figures a sense of intellectual concentration — these are not ceremonial statues but portraits of men at work.

Photography: The site is one of the most photographed locations in Aragatsotn. The combination of stone letters, mountain grass, volcanic peaks, and (when weather cooperates) the distant silhouette of Mount Ararat creates extraordinary compositions. Golden hour — the hour after sunrise or before sunset — gives the warmest light on the tuff-coloured stone. Midday is workable but flat. The letters cast long shadows in the morning that can be used for dramatic effect.

Best time of day: Early morning (8-10 AM) for long shadows and cool temperatures. Late afternoon (5-7 PM in summer) for warm golden light. The site is fully exposed with no shade — midday in summer is hot and the light is harsh.

Wheelchair accessibility: The monument field is on an uneven hillside with no paved paths. It is not accessible for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The parking area allows views of the nearest letters without entering the field.

How to reach the Armenian Alphabet Monument

By car from Yerevan: Take the M5 motorway toward Ashtarak, then continue north through Ohanavan toward Artashavan village. From Artashavan, follow signs (or GPS) to the monument — the last 2 km is an unpaved track. Total from Yerevan: approximately 55 km, 1 hour driving.

By organised tour: Most operators who cover the Aragatsotn circuit include the Alphabet Monument as a standard stop. This is the easiest option for visitors without a car.

Public transport limitation: There is no direct bus or marshrutka service from Yerevan to Artashavan or the monument site. A marshrutka from Kilikia station runs to Ashtarak; from Ashtarak you would need a taxi for the remaining 25 km. The practical options are private car or an organised tour.

Combining with nearby sites

The Alphabet Monument sits at the centre of one of Armenia’s richest single-day itineraries — the Aragatsotn highlands circuit. Within 30 km:

• Amberd Fortress and Church (~20 km northeast, higher on Aragats): The most important medieval fortress in Aragatsotn, dating to the 10th-13th centuries, with a Pahlavuni church on a rocky spur at 2,300m. See Amberd Fortress on the slopes of Aragats.
• Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (~25 km northwest, on Aragats slopes): Soviet-era observatory responsible for the Markarian catalogue of active galaxies, with a good museum. See Byurakan Observatory stargazing guide.
• Saghmosavank monastery (~20 km southeast): 13th-century monastery above the Kasakh gorge with some of the best canyon views in Aragatsotn — see Saghmosavank and the Kasakh gorge.
• Hovhannavank monastery (~22 km southeast): an older medieval church in the same gorge, often combined with Saghmosavank.
• Mount Aragats (accessible further north): for those wanting to continue to Lake Kari (3,200m) or the southern summit (3,879m) — see Mount Aragats four peaks guide.
• Oshakan village (~30 km south): the tomb of Mesrop Mashtots is here — a deeply moving complement to the Alphabet Monument. The church of Surb Mashtots in Oshakan was built over his grave and remains an active pilgrimage site.

The combination of Alphabet Monument + Oshakan (the man’s tomb) makes a natural thematic pairing: the creation of the script at one site, the burial of its creator at the other.

The site in context: a 2005 monument on an ancient landscape

It is worth understanding that the Armenian Alphabet Monument is a modern construction — it was built in 2005 for the 1,600th anniversary of the alphabet. Unlike Amberd Fortress or Saghmosavank, it has no medieval ruins, no frescoes, no inscriptions from the period it commemorates. What it has is landscape and concept.

The choice of location was deliberate. Mount Aragats is the highest peak in Armenia (entirely within Armenian territory, unlike Ararat which is in Turkey). Placing the alphabet monument on Aragats’s slopes associates the script with the Armenian mountain itself — a piece of conscious national symbolism. The elevation (1,750m) ensures that the letters are set against a mountain sky rather than a suburban backdrop.

The sculptor Jim Torosyan is known for large-scale works in Armenia. The decision to use traditional tuff and basalt stone — the same materials used in medieval Armenian churches and in Yerevan’s pink architecture — connects the monument aesthetically to historical Armenian stonework, even though the object is entirely contemporary.

For visitors expecting a medieval site, this context matters: the Alphabet Monument is a 21st-century work of art commemorating a 5th-century achievement. Its value is symbolic and photographic. It works best as part of a larger Aragatsotn day rather than a standalone destination — pair it with genuinely ancient sites (Amberd, Saghmosavank, Hovhannavank) for a richer experience.

The Armenian script in daily life

For the visitor who wants to learn a few letters, the alphabet is highly regular and consistent. Unlike English, Armenian spelling almost perfectly reflects pronunciation — each letter has one sound, each sound has one letter. The script reads left to right, like Latin alphabets.

The letters you will see most often in Armenia:

• Ա (ayb) — sounds like “a” — the first letter
• Հ (ho) — the aspirated “h” — in the word Հայաuտան (Hayastan, Armenia)
• Ե (yev or e) — appears in Yerevan’s Armenian spelling: Երևান

A quick recognition of even a few letters — enough to identify a word or two on a shop sign — visibly delights Armenian hosts. The Matenadaran in Yerevan (see Matenadaran manuscripts guide) has exhibits on the history of the script and allows visitors to see medieval manuscripts; it pairs well with the Alphabet Monument as a thematic day.

Practical visit information

Entry: Free. No entry fee, no ticket office. Open year-round during daylight.

Facilities: None at the monument site. Artashavan village (2 km away) has basic facilities. Byurakan village (25 km away) has small cafes. Bring water — there is no water source at the monument.

Season: Best from late April to October. The road to Artashavan can be snowy or muddy in winter and early spring. Summer (June-August) is warm and clear. The golden autumn colours of the Aragats grasslands in October make this one of the most photogenic periods.

Duration: Allow 45 minutes to 1.5 hours at the monument itself — 30-40 minutes to walk the full field and find all 39 letters, plus time for photography.

Combine with: Amberd Fortress (20 km, 30 min drive), Saghmosavank (20 km, 30 min), Byurakan Observatory (25 km). The full Aragatsotn circuit covers all four sites in approximately 130 km from Yerevan.

Frequently asked questions

Is the monument free to visit?

Yes, completely free. There are no entrance fees, no ticket booths, and no required guides. It is an open-air site on public land. The only cost is the transport to get there (petrol if driving, or tour cost if joining a group trip).

How do I find all 39 letters? Are they numbered or labelled?

The letters are not labelled or numbered on the ground, and they are distributed somewhat asymmetrically across the hillside. A complete walk of the site — following the natural contours of the slope — will bring you past all 39. If you know the Armenian alphabet, you can check them off as you find them. If not, simply count what you see as you walk the full perimeter of the monument field. There is no specific route — most visitors wander freely.

What is the best time of day for photography?

Early morning (before 10 AM) gives long directional shadows from the letters and cool blue mountain light. Late afternoon (from 5 PM in summer) gives warm golden light from the west. Midday is workable in spring when the sun is not directly overhead, but summer midday is harsh and flat. Overcast days give even light that works well for portraits against the stone letters.

Can I combine the Alphabet Monument with a hike on Mount Aragats?

Yes, with planning. Lake Kari (3,200m) is the standard access point for Aragats hiking and is approximately 35 km northeast of the Alphabet Monument by road. A combined day is feasible: Alphabet Monument in the morning (1.5 hours), drive to Lake Kari (1 hour), hike from Lake Kari (2-4 hours depending on summit objective), return to Yerevan. This is a full and tiring day — see Mount Aragats four peaks guide for summit difficulty and gear requirements.

Is the site accessible in winter?

The monument itself is open year-round, but the unpaved track from Artashavan can be impassable in snow (typically December-February). Spring snowmelt (March-April) can make the track muddy. Check conditions if visiting outside the May-October window. The letters themselves are not protected or enclosed — they stand year-round in all weather, which means winter visits with fresh snow on the basalt stones are visually spectacular if you can get there.

Who built the monument and when?

The Armenian Alphabet Monument was built in 2005 to mark the 1,600th anniversary of Mesrop Mashtots creating the Armenian alphabet in 405 AD. The sculptor is Jim Torosyan, an Armenian artist known for large-scale public sculpture. The initiative was organised at a national level as part of the commemorative programme for the anniversary. The 39 stone letters were carved from tuff and basalt, traditional Armenian building and sculpting materials.