Until now, it is not known exactly where this name came from. There is a version that the city was originally called Khor Dzor or Khordzoresk, which means “deep abyss” in translation. This name suits the village, because it is located exactly at such a gorge. Over time, the word began to be pronounced a little differently - Khndzoresk - "apple". Probably because of the abundance of apple trees in the city. He wrote about Khndzoresk in the 13th century. historian and clergyman Stepanos Orbelian. But, as you know, settlements exist long before the first mention of them. A necropolis of the 2nd-1st century BC was found here. BC. It is believed that several thousand years ago, hunters took refuge in the caves. Then, at a height of 20–30 m, they began to make new cavities. They served as an entrance to the house, and a window, and a chimney. In the Middle Ages, there were several rooms in the houses, one of which contained two tandoors (tonirs): one for cooking dinner and the second for bread. In the lower houses, a room for livestock was assigned. The village in the mountains, near the gorge, stretching for three kilometers, also served as a fortress. Here at the beginning of the XVIII century. commander Mkhitar Sarapet was based with his troops. He was an associate of David Bek, the great liberator of the Armenians from the Turkish and Persian conquerors. And, as historians say, Khndzoresk was never conquered during its existence. Catholicos Abraham Kretatsi wrote what the village looked like in the 18th century. We know from his story that the peasants originally lived in the gorge, but the Ottomans and Kurds forced the inhabitants to move to caves high in the mountains. They climbed there with the help of leather belts, and then these belts were taken away, so outsiders could not get into the village. The Catholicos also mentioned that excellent carpets and rugs were woven in Khndzoresk. It is also known that the caves were located one above the other, so that the roof served as a garden or courtyard for neighbors from above. The settlement resembled a multi-storey building and consisted of nine quarters. It was one of the most densely populated villages in the Syunik region. By 1913 there were 1800 houses, several schools, shops, an oil mill. In the caves, people, and there were more than eight thousand of them, remained until the 1950s, until they moved to the plain. The new village was left with its former name, and the village above the gorge became Old Khndzoresk. Travelers are advised to come at the end of August - a lot of walnut trees grow in Old Khndzoresk, and walnuts ripen at this time. The climate is moderate. The neighboring city of Goris is considered one of the rainiest in Armenia. From there, precipitation reaches Khndzoresk. In summer it is good to come here from hot Yerevan. In January, the average temperature is -7°C.