Armenian “bridge with cats”. It is over 800 years old and is very good! (21 photos)
There is one absolutely fabulous bridge in Armenia, it is located near the Armenian-Georgian border in the industrial city of Alaverdi. It is over 800 years old! 
First about delight 
This arched single-span basalt bridge spans the fast Debed River. It was built in 1192 by Queen Vaneni Kyurikyan (Nane) in memory of her untimely deceased husband, King Abas I Kyurikyan. Most likely, this is exactly what is written here. 
Next to the bridge is a stone figure of some sage. Looks like a legacy of the Soviet era. It is possible that this is Abas the First during a royal smoke break. ?? But what if? 
The total length of the bridge is 60 meters, and the span itself is 18.6 meters. The bridge is recognized as a masterpiece of medieval engineering. It was built with elevation changes, survived several earthquakes, floods, battles and survived! The left end of the bridge is on an elevated rock, and the right end is on the low bank of the river... 
...so the construction starts with steps and ends with a flat plateau. The width of the bridge is about 3.3 meters. People call it the “bridge with cats.” Now I'll tell you why. 
The central part of the bridge is decorated with figures of strange animals. Fantastic Four! At first glance, it is generally difficult to determine who they are - lions, cats, monkeys, aliens?.. but sources claim that these are panthers from the Kyurikyan coat of arms. 
I don’t know if this is how you imagined panthers? But that's them. Everyone is very different. This one actually has some kind of mane... Scroll through the carousel. 
This one has a proud Armenian profile and some kind of food reserves behind her cheeks. ?? 
But this one is perhaps the most classic, not counting the lion's tail with a tassel. I suspect that the “panthers” were sculpted by different artists. 
But whoever these sleeping guards of the Sanahin Bridge are, I wouldn’t want them to wake up! ?? 
And now about the sadness...
The Sanahinsky Bridge is located at the lower station of the old cable car, which is confirmed by the trailers hovering over the city. Just five years ago, the cable car was operational and transported workers of the local copper-chemical plant from one part of the city of Alaverdi to another. 
Scroll through the carousel.
From the bridge you can see the plant itself! It was closed due to harmful effects on the environment and human health. There is generally some kind of wild situation with the storage of arsenic, which lies openly next to the plant and poisons everything around. Mountains of arsenic are washed into the river! Source. 
By the way, the fact that the Debed River has a very strange color is visible to the naked eye. 
Against the backdrop of bald mountains rises a poisonous chimney. Locals say that it is deliberately so high so that harmful emissions do not settle on houses. This consoled them for many years.
Next to the medieval bridge there was a small cafe with freshly caught fish and a view of the river, decorated with mutants. Ecology in general is obvious. 
That's it - beautiful landscapes, medieval monuments and... the complete degradation of humanity, which irresponsibly uses everything that is left to it as an inheritance. It’s good that at least the monstrous industrial zone is not visible under the bridge, and the illusion of purity, beauty and antiquity is preserved. 
By the way, from the bridge the path rises further up the mountain, and along it you can walk to the 10th century Sanahin Monastery, if you are not afraid of vipers born in the poisoned lands of Alaverdi. Locals say there are a lot of them here. 
