A family trip in January, 2018 from Dubai to Georgia to Armenia.
Armenia is a nation, and former Soviet republic, in the mountainous
Caucasus region between Asia and Europe. To the north and east Armenia is
bounded by Georgia and Azerbaijan, while its neighbours to the southeast and
west are, respectively, Iran and Turkey. Naxçıvan, an exclave of Azerbaijan,
borders Armenia to the southwest. The capital is Yerevan (Erevan). Modern
Armenia comprises only a small portion of ancient Armenia, one of the world’s
oldest centres of civilization. At its height, Armenia extended from the
south-central Black Sea coast to the Caspian Sea and from the Mediterranean
Sea to Lake Urmia in present-day Iran.
Akhtala Monastery Complex is located in the village of Akhtala, Lori
region․ It was built in the 10th century by the Kiurikid princes. The fortress
of Akhtala stands on the edge of a high ravine and is protected by natural
barriers on three sides. The entrance to the castle was protected by walls and
a three-storey conical tower. In the 1180s, the region belonged to the prince
Ivane Zakaryan, who adopted Chalcedonian (Orthodox) Christianity and converted
Akhtala into a Chalcedonian monastery.
The Akhtala monastic complex incorporates elements of Armenian, Georgian and
Byzantine architecture. The main church of the Monastery is St. Astvatsatsin
(Holy Mother of God).
The walls of the church are decorated with beautifully preserved frescoes
painted in the 13th century when the church became Chalcedonian. The colouring
of the frescoes is typical of Byzantine art while the thematic solutions of
the miniature are Armenian. The inscriptions on the walls are in the Greek or
Georgian languages. A small singe-nave church of the 13th-century is right
next to the main church. The main feature of the church is its frescoes. They
are unique because they cover almost all of the interior walls of the church,
and also because there are not many other churches with frescoes in Armenia. A
detailed study of the frescoes suggested that they were created by the joint
efforts of eight masters, each of whom used his own style. The frescoes are in
the Byzantine style, but the theme of almost all the frescoes is the history
of Christianity in Armenia. Today, at the entrance to the church, you can buy
postcards depicting these frescoes.
Today, Akhtala Monastery is not very popular among tourists because it is far
from Yerevan. Most visitors are passing by on their way between Armenia and
Georgia (or vice versa). Nevertheless, the monastery is worth a visit for the
architecture of the church and fortress and, especially, the frescoes.
Sanahin Monastery is an Armenian monastery founded in the 10th century in the Lori Province of Armenia. The name Sanahin literally translates from Armenian as "this one is older than that one", presumably representing a claim to having an older monastery than the neighbouring Haghpat Monastery.
Sanahin is a village in the Northern Lorri province of Armenia, now considered part of the city of Alaverdi (the cable car that connects it with the Alaverdi centre is supposed to have the steepest climb in the whole former USSR). The village is notable for its monastery complex, founded in the 10th century and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with monasteries in Haghpat.
The name Sanahin literally translates from Armenian as "this one is older than that one", presumably representing a claim to having an older monastery than the neighbouring Haghpat. The two villages and their monasteries are similar in many ways, and lie in plain view of each other on a dissected plateau formation, separated by a deep "crack" formed by a small river flowing into the Debed river.
As with Haghpat, Sanahin is frequented by an increasing number of tourists, due to its recent inclusion on the itineraries of numerous Armenian tour agencies, the beauty of its monastery complex matching that of Haghpat's.
The complex belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church with numerous khachkars (stones with elaborate engravings representing a cross) and bishop gravesites scattered throughout it.
Sanahin was also the birthplace of the two well-known Mikoyan brothers. Artem Mikoyan was a well known airplane constructor, and one of the "fathers" of MiG. Anastas Mikoyan was the politician with the longest career of any member of the Soviet politburo. He was involved in negotiating the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was a member of the Soviet delegation trying to improve relations with Tito's Yugoslavia, and played a major role in the Cuban Missile Crisis negotiations.
A fraction of visitors to the monastery also stop at the small nearby museum in the former school, run by Mikoyans' relatives.
The Monastery includes the churches of St Astvatsatsin and St. Amenaprkich with their courtyards, St. Gregory and St. Harutyun chapels, a seminary, a scriptorium, a bell tower, as well as the mausoleums of the Zakarians and Kyurikians.
St. Astvatsatsin Church is the oldest building of the complex. It was built in the 10th century (928-944).
The church is a rectangular domed construction with an internal cross-shaped plan. The narthex of St Astvatsatsin Church (built in AD 1211) is unique in its plan of a three-nave rectangular hall.
St. Amenaprkich Cathedral was built in 966 next to St Astvatsatsin. It is larger in size and has two-story annexes at each of the four corners. The interior walls of the two churches were decorated with frescoes, some of which are well preserved.
The scriptorium (also called ‘Nshkharat” relic house) is located on the northeastern side of the group of buildings. It was built in AD 1063; it is square in plan and vaulted, with niches in which books were stored. Sanahin was renown for its school of illuminators and calligraphers.
The belfry is a three-storey structure, crowned with a six-pillar tower. The stone steps lead to the second and third floors of the bell tower. Its western façade is distinguished by its decorative ornamentation.
Sevanavank is a monastic complex located on a peninsula at the northwestern shore of Lake Sevan in the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia, not far from the town of Sevan. Initially the monastery was built at the southern shore of a small island.
Sevanavank, or the Black Monastery, stands on what used to be an island in Sevan Lake. The legend says that Mashtots Eghvardetsi (a monk who lived as a hermit for ten years in Sevanavank and later became a Catholicos) saw a dream in which the 12 apostles came to him and ordered him to build a church after their name on the island of Lake Sevan.
Sevanavank (meaning monastery of Sevan) is located on what was once an island of the same name. Sevanavank is a monastic complex located on a peninsula at the northwestern shore of Lake Sevan in the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia, not far from the town of Sevan. Initially, the monastery was built at the southern shore of a small island. The two cross-shaped churches, Sourb Arakelots (Holy Apostles) and Sourb Astvatsatsin (The Holy mother of God) dating back to the IX-X centuries are quite similar in appearance. For several hundred years the monastery was important spiritual center housing many monks, and it was visited by thousands of pilgrims from all parts of Armenia.
Lake Sevan is often called the “emerald of Armenia”. In ancient times it was called Geghama Lich. Lake Sevan is located 1900 meters above sea level. Its maximum depth is 99 meters. The Hrazdan River flows out of it. There is a peninsula stretching into the lake. One of the most interesting sights on the peninsula is the Seven monasteries founded by King Ashot the first. The sea fauna of Lake Sevan is unique with a species of trout called ishkhan “meaning prince”.
Tsaghkadzor, is a spa town and urban municipal community, as well as one of the most popular health resorts in Armenia, located north of the capital Yerevan in the Kotayk Province. A visit to ski resort in winter is fun.
Khor Virap is an Armenian monastery located in the Ararat plain in Armenia, near the closed border with Turkey, about 8 kilometres south of Artashat, Ararat Province, within the territory of ancient Artaxata. The monastery was host to a theological seminary and was the residence of Armenian Catholicos.
The history of the site dates back to a pagan temple that stood here for centuries before Christ’s birth. An important visit happened at Khor Virap, between Gregory, son of Parthian nobles, and King Trdat III, of Armenia. Parthia and Armenia had been fighting for generations, and Gregory and Trdat were finally meeting after their fathers had been involved in a deadly battle. Trdat wanted to lay flowers at the pagan temple, and Gregory was forced to confess that he was Christian. Trdat threw Gregory in a deep pit and kept him there for 13 years. As the years went on, Trdat started to feel ill. His wife, who had already converted to Christianity, told him that he would feel better after he released Gregory, and she turned out to be right. After being cured, Trdat converted to Christianity in 301, making Armenia the first official Christian country in the world. Gregory became St. Gregory the Illuminator, revered for converting Armenia to Christianity.
In 642 Catholicos Nerses built a white limestone chapel above the dungeon. It looked like Zvartnots Temple, which had been destroyed by an earthquake. The chapel was destroyed later, though, and then rebuilt. The site was used for construction of the existing St. Astvatsatsin Church in 1662, with the belfry on it western side. The pit is still open for people to climb down, though it’s a quite a steep descent down a ladder. In fact, the name Khor Virap means “deep pit”, named after the prison where St. Gregory the Illuminator was held.
The monastery is located close to the border between Armenia and Turkey, on a hill near the village of Pokr Vedi. Long ago it was the site where Artashat, the ancient Armenian capital, was located.
The pit dungeon is 4.4 m in diameter and 6 m deep. Tourists can descend down using a narrow ladder in order to experience the atmosphere, which is mostly quite dark. Khor Virap Monastery also hosts a theological seminary and a residence of the Armenian Catholicos. There is also the most beautiful view of Mount Ararat and entire Ararat Valley from the monastery.
Fun fact: from Khor Virap, it’s actually possible to look out over four countries at once: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran.
Garni Temple:
The Temple of Garni is the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia and the former Soviet Union. Built in the Ionic order in the village of Garni, Armenia, it is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia.
Built in the middle of the 1st century CE, the Temple of Garni remarkably survived the destruction of pagan temples following Armenia's conversion to Christianity in the 4th century CE, and countless invasions and earthquakes until its collapse in 1679 CE.
The pagan temple of Garni is supposed to be built in 77 AD. It is located in Kotayk region of Armenia at the left bank of Azat River. The temple was dedicated to God Mihr, the Armenian pagan god of light and the Sun.
According to a Greek inscription, it was founded by Tiridates I of Armenia. In 305 when Armenian King Tiridates III adopted Christianity as a state religion, all the pagan places of worship were destroyed.
The Temple of Garni is the only pagan Hellenistic and Greco-Roman structure to have survived. Probably it survived because of its widely recognised status of "masterpiece of art".
The temple is constructed of grey basalt. It is supported by a total of twenty-four 6.54-metre high columns of the Ionic order: six in the front and back and eight on the sides. The 24 columns symbolize the 24 hours.
The staircase of the temple has nine 30-centimetres high steps. There are square pedestals on both sides of the staircase on which the sculpture of Atlas, a titan from Greek mythology, is carved as if he holds the entire temple on its shoulders.
The complex was strategically built upon a promontory above high cliffs and surrounded by walls, making it a powerful fortress. The complex included a Roman bath, a royal summer palace and a 7th-century church. The Roman bath contains a mosaic crafted from fifteen different colours of natural stone that bears the inscription. “We worked but received nothing”.
An earthquake in 1679 completely destroyed the temple and strew the ruins across the site and into the gorge. It took the archaeologists more than 20 years to put the pieces together. The reconstruction was completed by 1975, almost 300 years after it was destroyed in an earthquake. The temple was entirely rebuilt using original stones. The missing pieces were replaced by blank stones to make them easily recognizable.
Garni was designed according to the sacred geometry of the day: It perfectly follows the Pythagorean and Platonic theories of sacred geometry in its design, a design for civilization carved form the wilderness.
Geghard Cave Monastery:
Geghard is a medieval monastery in the Kotayk province of Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with enhanced protection status.
The monastery of Geghard contains a number of churches and tombs, most of them cut into the rock, which illustrate the very peak of Armenian medieval architecture. The complex of medieval buildings is set into a landscape of great natural beauty, surrounded by towering cliffs at the entrance to the Azat Valley. Geghard is primarily famous for its architecture. On the walls of the ancient temple you can see remarkable bas-reliefs and unique khachkars, which are carved in memory of the deceased. The symbol of the princely family Proshyan – a lion conquering a bull, is engraved on the walls of the monastery. Inside the temple. there is a spiritual, solemn atmosphere. Thanks to acoustics, during church singing, the monastery is filled with divine, angelic music. Inside the church. there is also the family tomb of Proshyan princes.
Saghmosavank monastery:
A 13th-century Armenian monastic complex located in the village of Saghmosavan in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia.
Like the Hovanavank monastery, Saghmosavank is located above the high gorge near the Kasakh River. The Church of Zion in this monastery and the church of St. Karapet in Ovanavank were founded by Vache Vachutyan. They belong to the same type, which has a luxurious cross and high domes. The temples have several domes, which are reflected from the outside. The abbots of the Saghmosavank Temple tell that it was Gregory the Proponent who founded this monastery. And he was called the «Monastery of the Psalms», because the monastic brethren were called to write psalms here. However, there is no other information about the Saghmosavank monastery until 1215, when Prince Vache Vachutyan erected here the temple of Saint Sion (Surb Sion). Later, the Church of St. Astvatsatsin (1235), the vestibule (1250) and the book depository (1255) were built. All these structures are the monastery complex Saghmosavank.
Armenian Alphabet Monument:
Giant stone letters dedicated to the founder of Armenia's alphabet. Armenian Alphabet Monument is located in Artashavan village of Aragatsotn region, on the Western slope of Mount Aragats. The complex was built in 2005, on the 1600th anniversary of the creation of Armenian alphabet.
The complex includes sculptures of 39 letters of Armenian alphabet, as well as monuments to the great Armenian thinkers. All the letters and statues are made of Armenian tufa. Armenian language is an independent branch in Indo-European language family. Armenian alphabet was created by Mesrop Mashtots in 405; it is used in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Javakhk, in communities of Armenian Diaspora, in different armenological and cultural centers.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE ARMENIAN ALPHABET MONUMENT
1 Rich literature has been created with Armenian language. It is a writing of old, middle and new civilizations․ The alphabet is used in Armenia, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Javakhk, in communities of Armenian Diaspora, in different armenological and cultural centers.
2 To make the Bible available to Armenians and spread Christianity, Armenian letters were developed by the linguist and statesman Mesrop Mashtots. Originally Mashtots created 36 letters. The alphabet was completed in the Middle Ages and it has survived to this day, almost unchanged since then.
3 The Holy Cross, which has 33 meters high, is located just above the complex. It symbolizes Jesus Christ's age, when he was crucified. An unusual monument consists of more than 1700 big and small metal crosses, the number of which symbolizes the years of Christianity in Armenia. Each year, one new cross is added to them.
Yerevan:
Republic Square
The city centre is, of course, the place to do this, as it is home to landmarks like the grand Republic Square, the impressive Opera House, the 18th century Blue Mosque and the famous Cascade complex.
Walking around the city centre is a phenomenal way to see the history of the city, from the Persian times to the Soviet periods. You will also get a glimpse at Yerevan’s modern side, with contemporary architecture, coffee shops and trendy restaurants being found along the alleyways and the main streets.
Cascade Complex
The Cascade is a giant stairway made of limestone in Yerevan, Armenia. It links the downtown Kentron area of Yerevan with the Monument neighborhood.
Opera house
A fat smoking woman
Statue of Alexander Tamanian:
At the join between the Cascade and the main city, is the statue of Alexander Tamanian by Artashes Ovsepian, looking down over the city that he had designed. This is very much like Wren, saying ‘Si monumentum requires, circumspice‘.
If anyone planning, dont forget to ask for English speaking driver!!!
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