Armenia

My Armenia travel summary:

Visited: June 2010

Duration of visit: 8 days

Capital city: Yerevan

Population: 2.88 million (2010)

Armenia travel blog reading time: 9 minutes

• Yerevan – one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities, founded 29 years before Rome.
• 13^th century Norvank Monastery – the most beautiful monastery on a scenic location.
• With almost no non-meat options in restaurants, I ended up eating plain, tasteless food.
• We Are Our Mountains – a slogan representing the Armenian heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh.
• One of the less interesting countries in the region.

I visited Armenia in 2010 as a part of South Caucasus trip, which also included Azerbaijan and Georgia. If I had a fantastic time in Azerbaijan and especially Georgia, the experience in Armenia felt quite different. I didn’t feel the same hospitality, and I didn’t enjoy exploring its cuisine, culture, or history as much.

Many men were quite reserved with me and seemed more focused on female visitors. I didn’t manage to establish communication with Armenian women at all. The language barrier may have contributed to this as well.

During the investigation before starting my Armenia travel adventure, I learned some impressive facts about the country.

• Armenia is the first country to officially adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD.
• Armenia has some of the world’s oldest churches and monasteries in stunning mountain settings. Its first state church, Holy Etchmiadzin, dates to the 4^th
• Ararat is Armenia’s famous cognac, made known worldwide after Stalin gifted it to Churchill at the Yalta Conference.
• Armenia has under 3 million residents, yet about 11 million people of Armenian descent live worldwide.
• The Armenian language is unique, with no genetic link to other languages, and its alphabet, created in 405, is considered one of the world’s most advanced.
• The main symbol of Armenia, Ararat mountain, is located outside of current Armenia.

Exploring Yerevan, Armenia’s capital and largest city, felt special knowing it’s one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited places. It’s a city where history and daily life blend in every street. I found many notable places to visit and some exciting things to do.

Here are some of the landmarks and attractions that I visited.

Cascade Complex was designed by the legendary Armenian architect Alexander Tamanyan, who was also the main architect of Yerevan city. An enormous staircase connects northern Yerevan to the center in a very unique way. Inside, encased within the stairs, there is a series of galleries that showcase different art and design exhibitions.

I climbed all 572 steps to the top, and I can confirm the praise is well deserved. From the highest point, a beautiful view of Yerevan opened up, with the Ararat mountains rising in the background.

Behind the Cascade, I walked up to the imposing Matenadaran, the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts. It is the world’s largest repository of Armenian manuscripts, holding approximately 23,000 manuscripts and countless documents. Part of the collection are the world’s biggest and the world’s smallest book.

My next stop was the Opera House, one of Yerevan’s most impressive buildings. Its two halls—the theatre and the philharmonic—have hosted over 200 operas and ballets by Armenian, Russian, and Western composers since it opened in 1933.

Republic Square, in the heart of Yerevan, has an oval roundabout and a trapezoid section with musical fountains. The square is surrounded by five buildings: Government House, the History Museum and the National Gallery, Armenia Marriott Hotel and two former ministry buildings. During the Soviet period it was called Lenin Square and a statue of Vladimir Lenin stood in the center.

One of the most outstanding buildings, elevated on a small hill, is Yerevan Brandy Company, where famous Armenian brandy Ararat is produced.

Ordinary brandies are aged from 3 to 6 years, while aged brandies stay in deposit from 10 up to 30 years. According to the company story, the main components of the famous liquor are: locally grown grapes, spring water, Caucasian oak wood and talent of craftsmen preserved for generations.

First produced in 1887, cognacs are these days exported to over 50 countries. In many occasions Ararat cognac was given as a gift, also in some historical political encounters. The museum exhibition, production tour and tasting ceremony are a must for all liquor lovers.

The Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex, built in 1967 on the hill of Tsitsernakaberd, is dedicated to the victims of the Armenian genocide. Every year on 24^th April, the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, thousands of Armenians gather at the memorial to commemorate the victims.

The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and their identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. It unofficially began on 24^th April 1915, when Turkish officials arrested 250 Armenian intellectuals.

Over the next several years a series of systematic deportations and mass executions along with intentional starvation would cause the deaths of more than one million Armenians.

It was implemented primarily through the mass murder during death marches to the Syrian Desert and the forced Islamization of Armenian women and children. This genocide put an end to more than two thousand years of Armenian civilization in this area.

Along with the mass killing and expulsion of Syriac and Greek Orthodox Christians, these actions helped create an ethnonationalist Turkish state. Armenians claim that the campaign was a deliberate effort to destroy their people and therefore an act of genocide.

The Turkish government still refuses to call it genocide. It argues that, although atrocities occurred, there was no official policy to exterminate the Armenian people as a group.

I traveled around Armenia by public transport, and visiting the Amaghu Valley was no exception. I took a bus from Yerevan with direction to Jermuk. After almost three hours of driving, the driver dropped me off at a junction on the main road.  I started hitchhiking from there. It didn’t take long to catch a ride to the monastery. Being a weekend, the traffic was quite solid.

There are more than 4,000 churches and monasteries around Armenia dating back to 4^th century.

Noravank Monastery is a religious site and an architectural masterpiece, known for its stunning and scenic location.

It was founded in 1105 by Bishop Hovhannes and includes the church of S. Karapet, the S. Grigor Chapel, and the Church of S. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God). The churches survived attacks from Mongols, Timurid dynasty and an earthquake in 1340. Some of Armenia’s most important medieval artists worked here and were also buried on the sacred spot.

The complex later fell into disrepair and was restored to its current form in 1998.

The Holy Mother of God Church (Astvatsatsin) is undoubtedly one of the most captivating places to visit in the country. It’s the grandest structure, with detailed carvings on its two-story façade. A decorated staircase leads to the second floor, offering the best photo opportunity.

Although the interior is simple, the staircase, vast setting, and dramatic mountains made it the highlight of Noravank.

After visiting the churches, I worried about finding a ride back to the main road. I waited in the parking lot, asked around, and quickly caught a lift from a young family. We chatted pleasantly, and very soon we had to say goodbye and continued on our separate ways.

I continued my Armenia travel adventure toward the town of Alaverdi to visit the Sanahin Monastery Complex. Alaverdi, known for its copper mine, sits high on a plateau above steep cliff. A former mine once caused massive environmental damage before shutting down after the USSR collapsed.

I took the cable car, the most dangerous yet most appealing way to reach Sarahart from Alaverdi.

I enjoyed a view of Debed Canyon from an unstable, rundown cable car. The ride took me to a town perched on a grassy plateau, hidden from below.

I walked to the village of Sanahin, which is not far to the cable car station.

Sanahin Monastery Complex, partly overgrown in the forest, features St. Amenaprkich Church, the main 10^th-century building. The monastery is a UNESCO site. It blends Byzantine and Armenian architectural styles, showcasing the golden age of Armenian religious architecture.

I found basic accommodation with a spectacular view over the canyon bellow. My host was already in a good mood, drinking vodka and discussing Armenia’s political situation with his friend. He invited me to join, and I did so without hesitation.

Chatting with the youngsters turned out to be by far more profound experience than exploring the monastery complex. Especially after each glass of the locally made spirit successfully reduced language barriers among us.

During my Armenia travel adventure in 2010, Nagorno-Karabakh (NKR) was a disputed territory, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. Most of it was governed by the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), also called the Republic of Artsakh.

I found it very straightforward to travel to the capital, Stepanakert, which felt more like a large town than a real city.

I settled down in a small guesthouse in the capital, where a group of local workers and a Japanese backpacker Saifa were already tasting local wine and liquors.

“Come Rok, join us,” a Turkish truck driver invited me.

“Sure, let’s increase the number of UN nations representatives in this conversation!” I agreed happily.

Hours of our multilingual conversation sparked deep reflections on Nagorno-Karabakh’s history, present, and future.

The general opinion and current status show that NKR is definitely tied with Armenia in communication, language, economy and culture. It actually has very little to do with Azerbaijan, which confirmed for me that placing it under its eastern neighbor during Soviet times was a wrong decision.

Next day I watched a local football game with my new Japanese friend Saifa. I don’t usually go to football games, but this was a special occasion where I could show my appreciation to the local community.

The Artsakh State Museum of Local History is located in a small building one block south of the Presidential palace. It exhibits historical facts, items and photos from 1990 to these days.

Three ladies welcomed me and explained some historical facts in a mix of broken English and selected Russian words to help me understand the essence. It was fun, instructive and open communication. We took a group photo at the end.

A well-known monument north of Stepanakert, We Are Our Mountains, symbolizes the Armenian heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh.

I took a local taxi to the famous landmark made from volcanic tufa. It depicts an old man and woman carved from rock, representing the mountain people of Karabakh.

Grandmother and Grandfather.

The monument’s image appeared in a video clip before Armenia’s performance at Eurovision 2009. This sparked the first of several political conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan during the competition.

PS: In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive and regained full control over Nagorno-Karabakh, ending decades of conflict and frozen status quo.

The first Christian country, with one of the most advanced alphabets, famous cognac and harsh history has not impressed me. Although Armenia offers many fascinating places to visit and thrilling things to do, I can’t identify the main reason. But I definitely didn’t feel the hospitality, nor did I sense much interest in the old yet plain historical buildings.

I enjoy visiting self-proclaimed territories because they keep a unique character, and everyone is really excited to welcome foreign visitors.

Nagorno Karabagh was the highlight of my Armenia travel adventure.

Perhaps one day I will return to Armenia, explore it again, and change my perception.