Gavazan memorial column

The Gavazan memorial column stands on the grounds of Tatev monastery in Syunik, an octagonal stone pillar raised in 906 and capped with a khachkar (carved cross-stone). It rises 9 meters and is built with a jointed base that lets the shaft rock back and forth while staying at a 90-degree angle to the ground, a balance mechanism rather than a flaw.

Of everything built on the site over the centuries, this is the one structure that has stayed standing, surviving both natural damage and human interference.

The column sits within the Tatev monastery grounds in Syunik region, roughly 173 km east-southeast of Yerevan in a straight line.