Areni-1 Cave

The Areni-1 Cave opens in a limestone cliff above the Arpa river, a few kilometres from the village of Areni, in southern Armenia. The entrance is a modest opening in a reddish-brown rock face; inside, the main chamber has stalactites and diffuse light. What makes this place unique in world archaeology is what was found in the floor layers: the remains of a 6,000-year-old winery with fermentation vats, grape seeds, skins and winemaking equipment. It is the oldest documented evidence of wine production in the world.

The same excavations also yielded a 5,500-year-old leather shoe — the oldest intact footwear known — and a straw skirt of similar age. These objects are now at the History Museum of Armenia in Yerevan; explanatory panels and replicas are on display in the cave. Excavations continue in annual campaigns led by Armenian, American and Irish teams.

The cave visit is guided by a local; entry costs between 1,000 and 2,000 drams. The cave is not large or elaborate as a cavity — the interest is strictly archaeological. It combines well with a wine tasting at the Areni winery, a few minutes away on the same road.

The Areni-1 Cave was used by Neolithic populations approximately 6,000 years ago as a winemaking site and possibly as a funerary space. Systematic excavations began in 2007 and successively revealed the Neolithic winery, the leather shoe (dated to around 3,500 BC), human skeletons and everyday artefacts. The Vayots Dzor region is now recognised as one of the areas where viticulture was practised earliest and most continuously in the world — the Areni grape variety is still cultivated locally.

• Neolithic winery chamber The central zone of the cave where the fermentation vats, grape seeds, jars and organic remains of the 6,000-year-old winery were found. Panels contextualise the archaeological strata.
• Leather shoe display panels Explanation and replica of the 5,500-year-old shoe found in the cave, the oldest intact footwear identified to date in the world.
• View over the Arpa valley The cave entrance frames the Arpa river and the orange limestone cliffs of the Vayots Dzor region — a semi-arid landscape of exceptional visual quality.

Photo gallery

The Areni-1 Cave is about 120 km south of Yerevan along the M2 road towards Yeghegnadzor and then towards the Iranian border. From Yerevan there are marshrutkas to Yeghegnadzor and Areni. The visit is usually organised by private car or taxi combining Smabaterd Fortress and Noravank Church, just 6 km away.

Spring (April–June) and autumn (September–October) are the best seasons: pleasant climate and vegetated landscape. In July and August the heat in the Vayots Dzor region can be intense (35–38 °C). The cave is accessible year-round, but confirm visiting hours before leaving Yerevan.