Levon’s Divine Underground, Arinj, Armenia
Lyova (Levon) Arakelyan, a builder by trade was already 44 when his wife, Tosya, asked him to create a potato cellar beneath their home in Arinj, Armenia. Yet by the time he passed away at the age of 67 he had dug a stunning series of caves beneath their home using nothing but hand tools, instinct, and a tireless work ethic.
Levon began chipping away at the earth back in 1985 when his wife requested he build a root cellar beneath their home where she could store potatoes, however once he started, he simply couldn’t stop. Tosya has since said that her husband was motivated by dreams and visions in which a voice told him he must continue carving the cave.
He worked every day, often for up to 18 hours with little rest and only his small hand tools to carve the hard rock, shunning traditional support structures or power tools. He included stairs, halls, twists, and multiple rooms going as deep as 70 feet beneath the house. He also created small shrines and artistic carvings all throughout the cave system, giving it a properly sacred feel.
Epic Armenia Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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