A Temple for Helios

Flanked on three sides by canyon walls, the Garni sun temple is an eerie reminder of how long this part of the world has been populated. Built by King Trdates in the first century AD, the structure was erected in honor of Helios, the Roman god of the sun and was the site of many an animal sacrifice. Though Armenia was the first nation to convert to Christianity (in 303 AD), its pagan roots cannot be ignored -- indeed, just a few meters from the temple are the ruins of an ancient bathhouse where orgiastic partys were thrown as tribute to Emperor Nero.

Oddly enough, just ten kilometers down the dusty road, some of earth's oldest Christian relics still exist in cave-carved chapels and monasteries.