Akhtamar Statue on the Shore of Lake Sevan

Set on the shore of Lake Sevan, one of the most beautiful lakes, the romantic Akhtamar Statue (Akhtamar Statue) is a tribute to a beautiful Armenian legend. The sculpture shows an elegant girl holding a burning flame in her hand. This sculpture tells of an eternal but sad love. Local residents sincerely believe in this ancient story and gladly tell it to visitors and tourists.

An Old Legend

The story goes back to the distant past. In ancient times, a king named Artashes lived in Armenia, and he had a beautiful daughter named Tamara. Her skin was snow-white, and her eyes shone like the stars of the night sky. She fell in love with a simple young man from a poor family, but her father did not approve of their union. To separate the lovers, the father decided to hide the princess in a tall palace on an island in Lake Van, known as the "sea of Nairi" because of its impressive size. So as not to lose his way, the young man swam to Tamara every evening, and she lit a fire on the island so that he could find her. One day the guards learned about them and told the king. Artashes grew angry and sent servants to take his daughter away and put out the fire. In complete darkness, the young man lost his way to his beloved, but he kept swimming until his strength left him completely. When the boat went down, he whispered only: "Akh, Tamar," and the sound of the whisper spread over the smooth surface of the night lake. The king locked the princess away, where she shed tears for her loss. The girl put on a black kerchief as a symbol of her sorrow and never took it off again. This story impressed the local residents so much that they decided to commemorate it in a beautiful monument on the shore of the lake.