title: Statue of King of the Forest
text: # Statue of King of the Forest
  
  Statue of King of the forest (Dilijan) (Armenian: Անտառի արքա (քանդակ, Դիլիջան)) is a monumental tree statue in Armenia. It is situated in the territory of Aghasi Khanjian's summer residence in Dilijan, Tavush Region.
  
  ## History
  
  In 1966, Ara Sargsian, came with his family, to visit Aghasi Khanjian's summer residence in Dilijan. While walking around the forest, Sargsian noticed a giant tree with spread branches, resembling a human spreading his arms. In 1923, Ara Sarkissian had created the "Dragonfly" ("Greek mythology") as a divine image of the forest. In 1967, Ara Sargsian transformed it into a new look and called the King of the Forest.
  
  In 2013, the statue was beheaded and the Dilijan Aarhus Center rebuilt the sculpture.
  
  ## Description
  
  The king's crowned head stands on the wings of a pine tree.
  
  ## Gallery
  
  * Ara Sargsyan at the "Forest of the Forest", 1968
  * The clay cemetery of the "King of the Forest" in the House-Museum of Ara Sargsyan and Hakob Kojoyan
  