Camping Beside Armenia’s Abandoned Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope
After days exploring Georgia, our journey ended in the Armenian mountains, camping beside the most extraordinary relic of Soviet astronomy: the Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope.
The Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope, also known as ROT-54 or the Herouni Mirror Radio Telescope, sits within the RRI Aragats Scientific Centre in Orgov, Armenia, on the slopes of Mount Aragats at an elevation of 1,711 metres.
Construction began in 1975 and was completed in 1985, with the telescope active from 1986 to 1990 before operations were halted. Restoration work began in 1995, but after a control arm failure immobilised the secondary mirror, the Armenian state could no longer afford repairs, and the site was abandoned in 2012.
Despite its short life, the observatory made remarkable contributions to astronomy; recording an explosion of a red giant star (the twin of the constellation Gemini), and producing several studies published in Soviet and international journals.
International Sleeper Train & Reaching the Telescope
Leaving Tbilisi on a Thursday evening, we took the sleeper train across the Georgian border into Armenia, arriving in Yerevan early on Friday morning.
Front of the train from Tbilisi to Yerevan Our cabin on the sleeper train Armenia 056 21602 One of the train carriages Back of the train in Yerevan station I <3 Armenia
The day was spent wandering around the city of Yerevan, meeting some puppies outside an abandoned restaurant, and struggling to email someone I think worked for the Armenian state - in an attempt to get permission to visit the abandoned telescope near the village of Orgov.
Yerevan and Mount Ararat Mother Armenia Abandoned Aragil Cafe Puppies on a hill in Yerevan. The Institute of Seismic Durable Construction and Building Safety in Yerevan, Armenia.
Once we finally received the official letter in my emails, we jumped into the next available taxi out of Yerevan and up into the Aragats Mountains.
Exploring the Abandoned Observatory
At the entrance, a guard greeted us, and we showed him our permission letter. Once inside, we realised we weren’t alone as a handful of photographers were already wandering the grounds with their tripods and cameras.
We even met some Russian YouTubers who’d relocated to Armenia and had quite a following. We ended up in their video, which can be seen here.
We spent a few hours exploring and photographing the telescope before sunset, under the condition we’d leave by 7pm.
Camping in the Mountains
As dusk set in, our new Russian friends kindly gave us a lift further down the mountain. Just far enough to avoid any curious bears or wolves in the night.
It was pitch black by the time we set up camp in a grassy but rocky spot. The temperatures had dropped sharply on this day, compared to over our time in Georgia, which had nice warm days of 25–30°C. Here, it was around 9°C overnight.
A dog barked at our tents around 11pm, but apart from that, it was surprisingly peaceful, and I actually managed to sleep.
We woke at sunrise, packed up, and began walking down the mountain to see if we could reach some kind of civilisation. Eventually, our taxi app connected us to a driver in a nearby village, just waking up himself, who picked us up and drove us straight to the airport, marking the end of our 11-day journey across Georgia and Armenia.
This journey might be over, but I have a feeling it won't be my last time in exploring the Caucasus.
Photo Gallery
For the full gallery showcasing my digital photography from this location, scroll through the images below.
The ROT-54 Radio Telescope near Orgov, also known as Herouni Mirror Radio Telescope The morning after camping on Mount Aragats in Armenia The ROT-54 Radio Telescope near Orgov, also known as Herouni Mirror Radio Telescope One of the Aragats Scientific Center buildings from above One of the Aragats Scientific Center buildings View of the radio telescope in Aragats Approaching the roof of the scientific centre Arev Solar Energy Concentrator through the window Some of the mirrors from the unfinished Arev Solar Energy Concentrator Arev Solar Energy Concentrator Some of the mirrors from the unfinished Arev Solar Energy Concentrator Arev Solar Energy Concentrator Some of the mirrors from the unfinished Arev Solar Energy Concentrator Some kind of sound proof room? Dark room lit up by flash Some kind of sound proof room? Sundial in the Aragats Scientific Center Sundial in the Aragats Scientific Center Sundial in the Aragats Scientific Center Fox near the telescope Dish Dish One of the buildings in the science centre ROT-54 Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope ROT-54 Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope Control Room Building Control Room Control Room Monochrome Control Room Controls Control Control Control room Sun setting in the control room Black and white close up of controls Sun setting in the control room Controls Controls The foyer to the control room Inside the Aragats Scientific Center The foyer to the control room Inside the same building as the control room Aragats Scientific Center - View from the roof A building at the Aragats Scientific Center Blocking the sun glare for his photograph Our two tents on Mount Aragats at sun rise
If you’ve enjoyed my photography from these locations, you can support my work by purchasing a print.
Framed prints, posters, canvas prints, postcards, and even coffee mugs are available. Every purchase helps me keep exploring and sharing more of these forgotten places.
More Coming Soon
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