The temple is at the edge of a triangular cliff which overlooks the ravine of the Azat River and the Gegham mountains.[4] It is a part of the fortress of Garni,[lower-alpha 2] one of the oldest fortresses in Armenia,[1] that was strategically significant for the defense of the major cities in the Ararat plain.[4] It is mentioned as Gorneas in the first-century Annals of Tacitus.[6] The site is in the village of Garni, in Armenia's Kotayk Province and includes the temple, a Roman bath with a partly preserved mosaic floor with a Greek inscription,[7] a royal summer palace, the seventh century church of St. Sion and other minor items (e.g., medieval khachkars).[2]