Vishapakar
A vishapakar also known as vishap stones, vishap stelae, "serpent-stones", "dragon stones", are characteristic monoliths found in large numbers in the Armenian Highlands, in natural and artificial ponds, and other sources of water. They are commonly carved from one piece of stone, into cigar-like shapes with fish heads or serpents. Supposedly they are images of vishaps, a water dragon of Armenian folklore.
There are about 150 known extant vishap stelae, of which 90 are found in Armenia.
Location
Found in Armenia's Gegham mountains, Lake Sevan's north-east coast, Mount Aragats's slopes, Garni, the valley of Çoruh River, as well as other places, where they used to worship vishap stones in ancient times. They are obvious with "Vishap" names. They were carved from massive stones, in a fish form, with a snake, bull, ram, stork, etc., as well as bird sculptures, usually placed in fountains, canals, reservoirs, and artificial lakes nearby. It can be assumed that these slabs were supporting agriculture and irrigation, by worshipping personal water deities.Discovery and research
The scholarly interest to vishaps emerged in the early twentieth century. In 1909, when Nicholas Marr and Yakov Smirnov visited Armenia's Temple of Garni for a paleontological excavation and described the items found in the Gegham mountains. Ashkharbek Kalantar was the first to approach the vishaps within an archaeological context, linking them to other megalithic phenomena and proposeding the influential hypothesis that vishaps denote the critical points in prehistoric irrigation systems.The scientists in the mountains discovered megalithic stone sculptures, which the Armenians called "Vishap" and were mostly in the form of a fish. The biggest vishap measured 4.75m high, and 55cm wide. In 1909, all the vishaps were damaged, and a part of them were buried in the soil.
Soon, other expeditions that were organized on the Gegham mountains found more vishaps. In 1910, Nicholas Marr and Yakov Smirnov had already found 27 similar megalithic sculptures. There were similar vishaps discovered in Armenia's Lake Sevan, southern Georgia, and modern day eastern Turkey.
Recent archaeological research (Gurzadyan and Bobokhyan, 2025)
In September 2025 Vahe Gurzadyan and Arsen Bobokhyan of Yerevan State University the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography published a comprehensive study on vishapakars in Nature Portfolio journal npj Heritage Science, with the first statistical analysis of the sizes and altitudes of 115 known vishaps across Armenia and nearby regions. The findings confirmed that these megaliths—carved from basalt or andesite and ranging from 1.1 to 5.5 meters in height—were deliberately constructed and positioned near springs, streams, and ancient irrigation systems, as predicted by Ashkharbek Kalantar in the 1920–1930s, as part of prehistoric water-centered rituals dating back to the Chalcolithic period.The study involves the three main types of vishaps—fish-shaped, cattle-hide-shaped, and hybrid —and revealed an unexpected bimodal altitude distribution at around 1,900 m and 2,700 m, suggesting links to seasonal migrations or ritual routes. Radiocarbon evidence from the site of Tirinkatar on Mount Aragats supports their early dating and indicates that the area functioned as a ritual landscape containing cromlechs and petroglyphs.
Researchers emphasized that vishaps were not isolated artifacts but parts of a sacred highland topography reflecting a community's spiritual relationship with water and nature. Later reuse during the Urartian and medieval periods—sometimes with added inscriptions—demonstrates their continued cultural importance. The authors outline that human history reveals that usually the cults are indeed associated to significant efforts of their societies.
This discovery contributes to the broader global understanding of high-altitude ritual monuments, comparable to megalithic sites in Europe and the Andes, and underscores the need to preserve these ancient symbols of Armenia's prehistoric spirituality.
Date
Determining how old vishaps are is particularly difficult. The monuments are placed away from neighborhoods, whose radiocarbon analysis of the organic residues would enable them to determine the approximate age.On the premiere vishap that was found, there were images of the cross and Armenian letters dated from the 13th century. The position of the cross and the writings show that in the 13th century, the vishap was still in the upright position. In 1963, a vishap which had an inscription of Argishti I of Urartu was excavated in the Garni area.
Comparison has been made with the megaliths found in the North Caucasus and Europe. There are also similarities with monuments found in northern Mongolia.
Typology
All the findings are carved on one stone, that is within 3–5m high. Most of the vishaps are in a fish form that resembles a catfish. Basically, the carved details represent the fish eyes, mouth, tail, and gills. Another portion of the vishaps are pictured as a hoofed animal such as a bull or ram and may represent a sacrifice, with various cases only pictured as stakes on the stretched animal skin. On other vishaps, there are waves symbolizing water, which often come out of the mouth of the bull, long-legged birds, and rare snakes.The three main types of vishaps are:
- Bull form
- Fish form
- Fish-bull form
The vishaps are monuments used to worship water, and are believed to have a close tie to water distribution. Almost all the vishaps are found in places related to mountain springs or canals. Similarly, there are irrigation systems found by Ashkharbek Kalantar at Mount Aragats, the Tokhmakagan backwaters of the Gegham mountains, Artanish Bay and near Gemerzek settlements. Although it is impossible to precisely date the irrigation systems, scientists have linked the vishaps to ancient fertility and water worship.
UNESCO
The Vishaps and the Cultural Landscape of Tirinkatar are nominated to UNESCO World Heritage site, and perhaps to be included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.Vishap serpent
The prominent characteristics of the "vishap" are that they come from the "water" and they are "poisonous"; thus, they are described as "water dragons with poisonous saliva". The name might derive from an ancient Iranian term vi-šāpa, 'having poisonous juices', used in reference to snakes.Certain studies believe Vishap is foremost worshipped as water, rain and a rich-giving soul, whose tail is capable of creating canals and paths when it hits the Earth. Vishap is also seen as a monster who is a water source and guards treasure. Almost all the mythology explains divinity or god's hand as the cause of Vishap's death, which absorbed the water, the treasures that were guarded, and released the sacrificial virgins. Thus, old Egyptian myth regards Vishap as a power of darkness, who is defeated by the sun god Ra. As for Armenian myth, Vahagn, the dragon slayer, fights and wins the battle against Vishap. The Vishap battle myths have spread across the Armenian population as an old folk tale. They have also had an influence in Christian literature. According to legend, Vishap's death and virgin sacrifice saves Saint George. Other legend says Vishap is presented as a Sun, who is a bad and destructive force, that the angels fight with.
According to Manuk Abeghian, Vishaps have been donated to Pantheon's beloved goddess, Astghik. As for Grigor Ghapantsyan, they symbolize the dying and resurrecting god, Ara the Beautiful.
Literature
- Пиотровский Б.Б. Вишапы. Каменные статуи в горах Армении, Издание Армянского филиала АН СССР, Ленинград, 1939
- Аракелян Б.Н., Арутюнян Н.В. Находка урартской надписи в Гарни // Историко-филологический журнал Армянской ССР, № 2, 1966
- Марр Н.Я., Смирнов Я.И. Вишапы // Труды Государственной Академии Истории Материальной Культуры, т. I, Ленинград, 1931
- Мещанинов И.И. Каменные статуи рыб – вишапы на Кавказе и в Северной Монголии // Записки Коллегии Востоковедов, I, Ленинград, 1926
- Мифологический словарь/ Гл. ред. Е. М. Мелетинский. — М.:Советская энциклопедия, 1990. — 672 с.
- Абегян М. Армянский эпический фольклор, Труды, т. I. Ер., 1966. с. 85–86, на арм. яз.
- , Խմբ. Ա. Պետրոսյան, Ա. Բոբոխյան, Գիտություն, Երևան, 2015, 420 էջ
Category:Megalithic monuments
Category:Armenian art
Category:Monoliths