Areni-1 Cave
Cave where the world's oldest leather shoe and winery were found
- Area Vayots Dzor
- Type Historic site
- Time needed 45m
Areni-1 is a cave complex in Vayots Dzor where excavations uncovered the world's oldest known leather shoe, at around 5,500 years old, and the oldest known winery, of about the same date. The village outside it is the centre of Armenian wine.
Open in the planner →Getting there
Two hours from Yerevan on the southern highway, at the mouth of the Arpa gorge just before the Noravank turning. The cave is signed on the right as you leave the village.
What you see
The cave is not large and the finds are not in it — the shoe is in the History Museum in Yerevan. What is here is the excavated floor with the clay vat and press where grapes were trodden around 4,000 BC, and the context of why this spot was used. The wineries in the village, several of which take visitors, are the other half of the stop.
What to pair it with
Noravank, 20 minutes up the gorge, always. Areni church is above the village, and Jermuk is an hour further east.
When to go
The grape harvest in late September and the Areni wine festival in the first half of October are the time to come. The cave itself is a year-round stop.
What is hard about it
The cave is small, dimly lit and quickly seen; without a guide to explain the dig it is a hole in a rock. The famous shoe is not here. Some of the roadside 'wineries' are pouring bought-in wine of indifferent quality — the established producers are worth seeking out by name.
Common questions
Where is the oldest shoe in the world?
It was found in the Areni-1 cave and is now displayed at the History Museum of Armenia in Yerevan.
How old is the Areni winery?
Around 6,100 years, which makes it the oldest known wine production site.
Can you visit the Areni-1 cave?
Yes. It takes about 45 minutes and is best combined with Noravank up the gorge.
Nearby
- Noravank13th-century monastery in a red cliff canyon
- Areni ChurchMomik's 14th-century church above the wine village
- SmbataberdRidge-top fortress high above the Yeghegis valley
- Tsakhats Kar MonasteryHillside monastery near Smbataberd
- JermukSpa town known for its mineral water, gorge and waterfall
- Spitakavor MonasteryRemote white-stone monastery in alpine meadows
More of the same kind
- Garni TempleFirst-century Hellenistic temple above the Azat gorge
- PtghnavankRoofless 7th-century basilica above the Kasakh
- Zvartnots Cathedral ruinsRuins of a 7th-century circular cathedral
- MetsamorBronze Age metallurgy site and museum