KOTAYK PROVINCE, ARMENIA

A village held
in the highlands
of Mount Ara

Aragyugh sits on the eastern slope of Mount Ara at 1,600 meters, in air the locals will tell you is among the cleanest in the country. Once known as Karadzhoran, it is now better known as the home of Armenia's first all-natural cosmetics farm.

1,600m
Elevation above sea level
~1,041
Residents
1935
Renamed from Karadzhoran
Mount Ara, viewed from Aragyugh

From Karadzhoran to Aragyugh

A small history of a highland village, told in three moments.

Before 1935

The village was known as Karadzhoran, one of many small settlements scattered across the volcanic highlands of what is now Kotayk Province.

20th century

The settlement was renamed Aragyugh — literally "village of Ara" — after the mountain that shelters it, and grew into the farming community it remains today.

2012 onward

Nairian, Armenia's first all-natural cosmetics company, established its eco-farm and laboratory on the mountain's slope, giving the village a second identity as a center of sustainable agriculture.

The Land

Some of the cleanest highlands in the country

Aragyugh's elevation and volcanic soil are what make it unusual. At 1,600 meters, the air is thin and the light is strong; locals and researchers alike consider the surrounding highlands among the cleanest and most bountiful in Armenia. That combination — altitude, sunlight, and untouched soil — is what eventually drew a cosmetics laboratory to a farming village of just over a thousand people.

The village lies within the Asia/Yerevan time zone, roughly a 45-minute drive from Yerevan into the folds of the Kotayk highlands, near neighboring villages including Bujakan, Arzakan, and Charentsavan.

The land around Aragyugh
1,600 m
Elevation
UTC+4
Time zone (Yerevan)
Kotayk
Province
~45 min
Drive from Yerevan
The Nairian experimental garden
Nairian Eco-Farm & Laboratory

Where the village and the lab grew up together

On the eastern slope of Mount Ara, Nairian — Armenia's first all-natural cosmetics brand — runs a five-hectare, pesticide-free farm and laboratory that carries out the entire production process on site: cultivating medicinal herbs and flowers, distilling essential oils, formulating cosmetics, and packaging the finished products.

The farm employs many residents of Aragyugh directly and works with the wider village on sustainable farming practices, making the laboratory as much a part of the community as the fields around it. Between May and October, Nairian opens its gates to visitors for guided tours of the garden and distillation process.

Planning a visit

LocationAragyugh, Kotayk Province, Armenia
Coordinates40.4025° N, 44.5436° E
From Yerevan~45–60 minutes by car
Nairian Farm & LaboratoryStreet 3, Building 6, Aragyugh 2403
Farm tour seasonMay – October
Nearby villagesBujakan, Arzakan, Charentsavan

Tour bookings and current opening hours are best confirmed directly with Nairian before visiting, as they can vary by season.

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