Armenia’s ropeway put on Guinness book of world record
25.10.2010,
17:16
Guinness inspector Karim Valerio presented last Saturday the certificate for the world's longest ropeway built in Armenia.
YEREVAN, October 25, /ARKA/. Guinness inspector Karim Valerio presented last Saturday the certificate for the world's longest ropeway built in Armenia. The aerial transport system links an Armenian village with a UNESCO World Heritage-listed ninth-century monastery Tatev in the southern Armenian province of Syunik. The certificate was presented to Bekor Papazyan, executive director of the Armenian National Competitiveness Foundation, that handled the construction of the 5.7-km-long cable system.
The transport system, connecting Halidzor village with the Tatev monastery, has the world's longest single span between two supporting poles at 2.7 km. Each of the two cabins on the ropeway can accommodate up to 25 passengers at a time. The cabins travel at 37 km per hour and the travelling time from the village to the monastery takes 11 minutes.
The Tatev monastery served as a political and educational centre of the country during the 14th and 15th centuries. The monastery was badly damaged in the 1931 earthquake.
The Tatev ropeway project is part of a $50 million worth program designed to renovate also the Goris airport and construct tourist centers.
The project was implemented by the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia on donations from Armenian businessmen from several countries, the bulk coming from a Russia-based businessman Ruben Vardanyan. The Monastery of Tatev is 280 km far from Yerevan. -0-
