| Wings of Tatev | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Type | Aerial tramway |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | Syunik Province, Armenia |
| Termini | Halidzor Tatev village / monastery |
| Stations | 2 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | October 16, 2010 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 5.7 km (3.5 mi) |
| Operating speed | 37 km (23 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 320 m (1,050 ft) |
Wings of Tatev (Armenian: Տաթևի թևեր Tat'evi t'ever) is a 5.7 km (3.5 mi) cableway between Halidzor and the Tatev monastery in Armenia. It is the longest reversible aerial tramway built in one section only.[1] Construction was finished on 16 October 2010.
Gathered in the country's southern mountains near the border with Iran, guests including president Serzh Sarkisian and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Karekin II, took part as the cable car link launched its first official voyage over the Vorotan River Gorge. The link allows year-round access to Armenia's ninth-century Tatev monastery complex, one of the country's most important religious centres and a major tourist attraction. The reversible cable car line cost $18 million with much of the funding coming from private donations, according to the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia, which oversaw the project. It runs from the village of Halidzor near a highway connecting the Armenian capital Yerevan to the village of Tatev, within walking distance of the monastery.
The cable car travels at a speed of 37 km (23 mi) kilometers per hour and a one-way journey takes 11 minutes. At its highest point over the gorge, the car travels 320 m (1,050 ft) above ground level.
It has two cabins, each capable of carrying up to 25 passengers. Local residents will be able to ride the cable car for free while others will have to pay 3,000 Armenian drams ($8). On the 23rd of October 2010 it was officially recorded in the Guinness World Records book.