Monthly Archives: August 2021

Yerevan: Armenia’s Garden City

Yerevan is Armenia’s capital and your likely first sight of the country. It’s also a good base for regional day trips – but unless you have a very modest itinerary, it’s better to spend a few days acclimatizing in town and then heading out.

The Garden City. In 1837, Yerevan became the capital of the Tsarist Russian empire’s territory that mainly covered eastern Armenia. Russia conquered the region from the Persian empire and developed Yerevan as the colony’s main political and economic center. There are many Tsarist style buildings in town, some of which are being restored.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the city was extensively redeveloped as a modern Soviet city The general plan was designed by the Armenian architect Alexander Tamanian in 1924. The central city plan included a street grid punctuated by grand squares, large parks and a circular green belt, much of which stands to this day. There are plenty of parks to pause in.

Statue from the Movie Tghamardik (Men) (1972), Saroyan Park

Despite later modernization, the city has an approachable feel. 6-level mixed storefront/apartment buildings built in the interwar and postwar Soviet classical style are common – and is it readily walkable.

Republic Square is a useful starting point, with the History Museum of Armenia located on the east side. The Vernissage arts and crafts market is just south of the square. This open-air market contains the usual range from interesting craft to trinkets, but is worth a look, especially on the weekend.

Yerevan’s city center is just east of a major ravine, the Hrazdan Gorge. A walk to the top of the Cascade, located in the northern green belt, gives useful orientation. The Cascade is a limestone stairway and artificial waterfall partially constructed in the late Soviet era and then improved after independence. Look for the Fernando Botero statues – cat and nude – in the sculpture park at the food of the stairs.

There are a range of buildings worth passing by that show the city’s changing history – from the Soviet era Opera House (Freedom Square), built in 1933, to the Blue Mosque (12 Mesrop Mashtots Ave.), built as a shia mosque under Persian rule in 1765. The Blue Mosque was secularized in the Soviet era and then restored as a mosque and cultural center in the 2000s with Iranian government support.

A walk along Abovyan Street shows a number of Tsarist-era buildings, as well as the Moscow Theater (Number 18), another classical Stalinist-era structure opened in 1933. You will get periodic glimpses of Mount Ararat, about 50 kilometers northeast of Mount Ararat, which lies in Turkish territory.

Museums and Stuff. Yerevan has a range of cultural sites to visit, established in Soviet and independent times. The National Gallery of Armenia (1 Aram St.) has an extensive collection, in part as many pieces were moved there from other parts of the Soviet Union for safety during WW2. The History Museum of Armenia (Republic Square) is worth a visit. Just west of downtown, the Armenian Genocide Museum (8 Tsitsernakaberd Highway) is an obligatory stop to explain Armenia’s painful history. For those interested in the urban design of Yerevan, the Tamanyan Architecture Museum-Institute (Government Building # 3, on Aram St. at Hanrapetutyan St. ) is worth a visit.

Day Trips. Here are a few day trip ideas.

Day Trip 1. The Geghard Monastery and Garni Temple, are popular days out, although I’d recommend using these as the first stop on a longer trip and then heading on. Otherwise, if you’re pressed for time, this is as good a group as any. Details of these places and subsequent stops are here https://www.aerotrekka.com/yeghegnadzor-armenian-highlands-hilltop-fortresses-and-wine/

Day Trip 2: While you can easily reach the Yereruyk Basilica from Gyumri, it’s also a reasonable day trip from Yerevan, especially if combined with a visit to the Vagharshapat cathedral precinct. Yereruyk, located in the village of Anipemza adjacent to the Turkish border along the River Akhurian, is one of the earliest (5-6th century) examples of early Armenian church architecture. Its also one way to see the Turkish border – the basilica is south of the 10-11th century Armenian kingdom’s capital of Ani, which was one of the world’s largest cities until being sacked by the Seljuk Turko-Persian army in 1064 and subsequently by the Mongols in 1236.

The church must have been truly impressive by the standards of the 6th century and reflected the power and wealth of the early Medieval Armenian kingdoms, that extended into present day Turkey.

Day Trip 3: A hike up Mount Aragats. Consisting of four peaks around the rim of a huge volcanic crater, the Northern Peak is Armenia’s highest point (4,090 meters), although heavily snowed in from around October through April. An ambitious day trip to the nearest Southern Peak is potentially doable with good weather and an early start. The main trailhead has a small hotel and a campground. Check for snow state before you go, and go equipped. You can drive up the lower slopes of Aragats from the south along the winding H20 road, to a starting point at the parking lot next to the Aragats Cosmic Ray Research Station (built in 1943) and a small lodge and restaurant, located next to Lake Kari. The hiking trails lead from there towards the various peaks.

Mount Aragats Lodge, Cosmic Ray Station and Kari Lake

There are plenty of trail guides to take you the various peaks, with the Southern Peak (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/armenia/kotayk–3/southern-peak-of-aragats?u=i) being the shortest trail and the highest Northern Peak being a longer hike that may need an overnight campout .

You can also see the nearby Amberd Fortress, built in the 12th century overlooking the Amberd River gorge.

Logistics. Yerevan is an excellent urban destination with a high concentration of quality restaurants, hotels and drinking establishments, which are often unique to the country and avoid a lot of the cookie-cutter places you see elsewhere. Additional to Armenian, there are plenty of Georgian, Russian and middle eastern restaurants – the latter increasing as many diaspora western Armenians have returned. Bradt’s Armenia guidebook (www.bradtguides.com) is the most comprehensive and its recommendations are reliable, although beware that some places have changed hands or closed; Yerevan is a fast changing city. A few restaurant recommendations:

Artashi Mot. (21 Tumanyan St.) Casual Armenian counter-served cafe specializing in charcoal bbq shawarma. Genatsvale Tavern. (12 Ishakyan St.) Comprehensive Georgian menu in a multi-room layout. Lavash. (21 Tumanyan St.) Higher end Armenian with streetside veranda. Tavern Yerevan. (5 Armiryan St.) Well-delivered Armenian standards. Tumanyan Khinkali Factory. (21/1 Tumanyan St.) Good Georgian cafe specializing in dumplings.

There are plenty of excellent wine bars featuring the fast evolving Armenian wine industry. Armenia’s wine industry is making a comeback and recovering from the Soviet-era decision to prioritize brandy production. Additional to the usual lagers (of which Gyumri is probably the best delivered) there is a growing craft beer industry in Armenia, led by Dargett.

In Vino. (6 Martiros Saryan St.) Wine bar plus store serving snacks with an excellent selection of bottles to take back. Voskevaz Wine Time. (6 Martiros Saryan St.) Another wine bar dispensing Voskevaz winery products. Dargett. (72 Aram St.) Brewpub and restaurant for Armenia’s largest craft brewery. Dors craft beer & kitchen. (4,6 Amiryan St.) Brewpub and restaurant with onsite microbrewery. Wine Republic. (2 Tamanyan St.) Thai restaurant with a major wine selection and outdoor seating.

Hotel quality is good and some recommendations include the Republica (7/1 Aramyan St.) and Tufenkian Historic (48 Hanrapetutyan St.).

Transport. Taxis are very reasonable in Armenia so tip generously. There are various ride-hailing apps that make life easy and mitigate the language barrier – I used YandexGo, which I downloaded in advance of visiting. Note that most of the ride-hailing apps used in Armenia just quote the fare and don’t accept western credit cards, so carry cash. Yerevan also has a late Soviet-era metro, opened in 1981, however it’s focus was to move people out of the fairly small city center area. The Republic Square stop is the most central.

Shopping. Armenia has a unique culture and it’s worth taking a look. A few places worth a check are the Vernissage Market, which leans to a lot of tourist tat but is a useful starting point. Armenia has an important traditional carpet culture and the carpet store in the Tufenkian Heritage Hotel (48 Hanrapetutyan St.), run by this non-profit foundation, is worth a look.

While probably not the lowest prices, the quality is high and you know that the revenues go to a worthwhile cause. The Armenian-Ceramics store in the basement of the Villa Delenda B&B (10 Yeznik Koghbatsi St.) run by another non-profit, have interesting ceramics. The Yerevan City supermarket (5 Mesrop Mashtots Ave.), opposite the Blue Mosque, is one of the largest central markets and worth a visit.

Armenian brandy is high quality and was sold around the Russian empire and beyond since the late 19th century. Between the various producers the largest firm, Yerevan Brandy Company (2 Admiral Isakov Ave.), is probably the best bet and offers a distillery tour followed by a tasting. They offer a standard and premium tour with a better tasting selection, and the premium is well worth it. You can purchase at the factory store, and another good place, for wine as well, is Noyan Tun (https://noyantunonline.am/en/ 12 Amiryan St.).

Armenia: Up North and a Turn West

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Northern Armenia shares mountains, valleys and history with Georgia, its northerly Caucasus neighbor. This part of the country is well worth seeing and is greener and lusher than the more arid southern regions. This journey continues along the Debed Gorge (starting in the earlier post here: https://www.aerotrekka.com/armenia-silk-road-passes-mongols-migs/) and then heads west to see Gyumri, Armenia’s second city.

Khachkar Time at the Debed Gorge Monasteries. The Debed Gorge hosts five of Armenia’s most notable churches and monasteries, that were as much medieval military and political as well as religious centers.

Haghpat Monsastery – Saint Nshan Cathedral

Haghpat Monastery’s main cathedral, Saint Nshan, was built in 976-991 and was the first major construction of a complex that included a library, bell tower, refectory and other buildings, that continued into the mid-13th century. Like many religious centers of the time, it was built on high ground – here overlooking the Debed Gorge – originally with a fortress wall.

Unusually – for ordinarily unpainted Armenian church interiors – and influenced by the Byzantine orthodox, Saint Nshan has a series of frescoes, the largest and best preserved of which are in the apse showing Christ and other religious figures.

The monastery’s library space is still intact, still showing the holes set in its floor for the purposes of hiding books when the next invader swept through. Next to the library is one of Armenia’s most elaborate khachkars – ornate sculpted stones dominated by a cross – the Holy Redeemer, carved in 1273.

A stand alone bell tower was constructed in the 1240s.

If you have enough time, there is an 8-kilometer hiking trail to Sanahin Monastery https://hikearmenia.org/all-trails/trail/world-heritage-trail. Both Haghpat and Sanahin were the first of Armenia’s monasteries to be granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1996.

Akhtala Monastery, built on a hillside bluff in the 10th-13th centuries and originally within a fortress, the church is unique in the extent of its luminous and intricate murals; again in a Byzantine orthodox style. Only 10 kilometers from the Georgian border, the Holy Mother of God Church was originally built as a Georgian orthodox church in the early 1200s.

The dome collapsed in the 18th century and was replaced by a wooden structure. Akhtala is one of the less visited of Armenia’s monasteries, but worth the extra journey on the road to Georgia. The site has superb views into the surrounding valleys but watch your step as there are multiple collapsed subterranean rooms in the monastery grounds.

The interior is heavily fresco’ed with biblical scenes and figures of the apostles and saints. The murals are believed to have been painted around 1205-1216 and mostly contain Greek and Georgian script.

Western Wall – Depictions of the Kingdom of Heaven and Various Saints

The apse has a large fresco with a defaced figure of the Virgin Mary and child, and below her a depiction of the last supper and various saints, all overlooking the altar.

Gyumri – the North’s Urban Center. Gyumri is Armenia’s second largest city, and after occupation by the Russians in 1804 during the Russo-Persian War, was Armenia’s principal city until the conquest of Russian Armenia by 1828, where Yerevan was made the capital. Gyumri was renamed Alexandropol – after a Tsar – in 1837 and then Leninakan – after another Tsar – in 1924, only regaining its original Armenian name in 1990. It’s a convenient stop along the northern part of the country, with a Tsarist-era historical center that largely survived the catastrophic 1988 earthquake, which leveled over half of the city. While Gyumri was surpassed by Yerevan as Armenia’s principal city, it is perhaps one of the best preserved examples of Tsarist-era architecture anywhere. Many of the buildings are solidly constructed low-level buildings, some made from black and orange stone found in the region.

Gyumri grew not only as a military and commercial hub for the expanding Russian Empire, but as a refugee center for Western Armenians fleeing the Ottoman Turkish genocide of 1915. The scale of the slaughter was such that orphanages for 22,000 children were established in the city. Historians don’t always look kindly on the Tsarist Russian Empire, but in this case it served a positive role.

The December 1988 earthquake was a disaster for the city and surrounding region, killing over 25,000 people and making 500,000 homeless. Gyumri’s main sights are easily walked from the main Vardanants Square – the old town is directly north and Central Park is just west for a greener walk.

Abandoned City Block – South of Central Park

The collapse of the Soviet Union through 1989-91 and the struggle of the restored Armenian Republic’s formative years meant that rebuilding was protracted – in many cases supported by the global Armenian community. Many buildings – Soviet and Tsarist – are still vacant.

The historic city center – look for the blocks north of the main Vardanants Square, particularly Abovyan Street – is increasingly restored and is a good place to start your walkabout or evening out.

The Black Fortress. Gyumri was an important strongpoint in the Russian defenses against the Ottoman Empire to the west and Imperial Persia to the south. In 1837, the Black Fortress was constructed just west of the city. The circular fortress, made of the black stone you see throughout the city, was never attacked but served as a strategic center that was instrumental in the Russian victories over the Ottoman Turks in the 1877-78 war.

The walls are heavily carved with Russian and Armenian graffiti. Today, the fort serves as an entertainment venue, with the cannon positions tastefully converted into concert hall style boxes.

Many of the Soviet Republics obtained a memorial to the motherland – here is Mother Armenia, built in 1975, located next to the Black Fortress. This statue holds a wheat sheaf and complements the other Mother Armenia statue in Yerevan, which comes armed with a broadsword.

Gyumri Railway Station. In 1899, the Russians connected Gyumri westwards to Kars (then Russian territory) and north to Tbilisi by railway, as part of the Transcaucasian Railway that connected its southern empire. Built in 1979 and an example of late Soviet-era modernist regional architecture, the railway station will connect you efficiently but slowly to Yerevan or as a stop on the way to Tbilisi – and ultimately Batumi on the Black Sea for the beach vacation crowd. The train schedule hasn’t changed much since Soviet times, although links into Russia via and beyond Tbilisi aren’t advertised.

Jrapi Caravanserai. The flatlands southwest of Gyumri run into Lake Arpi, through which the Turkish border runs. Just east of the lake and the H-17 highway is the 11th-century Jrapi Caravanserai, built as a way station between Anatolia and the Caucasus by the Seljuk Turks (https://goo.gl/maps/dkdAUMioZq6pMqhp6). There are two church structures on the site – one in 11th-century ruins and an 1874 building that is active, but usually unattended.

Jrapi Churches with Lake Arpi and Turkey Beyond

Only a quarter of the caravanserai’s roof remains, but there is enough of the remaining walls and archways to see how the full structure must have been. Rather like the Selim Caravanserai (https://www.aerotrekka.com/armenia-silk-road-passes-mongols-migs/), it is a long rectangular building with a single entrance at one end.

Logistics. You’ll need your own vehicle to travel around the region efficiently, although if you take the train to Gyumri, the town and the Black Fortress are navigable on foot or with a taxi ride. For hotels, the Tufenkian Avan Dzoreget is a good base to explore the Debed Region and Gyumri has plentiful accommodation – I stayed at the Hay Aspet B&B (53 Shiraz Street – shown as Gorky Street on Google maps, look just east of the Hovnannes Shiraz Museum).

Gyumri has a decent range of restaurant options, serving mainly Armenian food. Some good options include Gyumri Hatsatun (1 Peace Circle – southeast side) and Kilikia Bistro (22 Garegin Nzhdeh Avenue) near the center; in the old town, you can try Florence Gyumri (5/7 Shiraz (shown as Gorky on Google Maps) and Poloz Mukuch (Jivani Street – south of Rustaveli Street). Be aware that Gyumri’s old center is developing so it’s worth taking a walk around to see what else has opened – or closed. The Gyumri Garden House (Abovyan Street, south of Shiraz/Gorky Street) is a popular beer hall and bar and there are a number of cafes along pedestrianized Rijkov Street, with Herbs & Honey (5 Rijkov Street) well recommended. Also popular is Ponchik Monchik, a cafe/snack restaurant located on the west side of Vardanants Square.

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Monthly Archives: August 2021

Yerevan: Armenia’s Garden City

Armenia: Up North and a Turn West