If Armenia is your next holiday destination then you might want to take a sneak peek at what this stunningly beautiful and historically religious country – formerly part of the now-dissolved United Soviet Socialist Republic has to offer. If history and nature in all its unspoilt beauty come high on your list of holiday requirements, then you will enjoy our top ten Armenia attractions list.
10. Karahundj Observatory (Armenia’s Stonehenge)
flickr/Daniel "Spud" Murphy
Also known as Zorats Karer or Zorats Kar, the Karahundj Observatory was given its official name as recently as July 2004 by the Armenian Government. This ancient site, in the Southern Syunik Province of Armenia, is believed to be one of the earliest man-made structures and is thought to be some 3,500 years older than Stonehenge – a similarly constructed megalithic structure.
Indeed the translation of the Armenian word ‘Kara’ means stone and ‘hundj’ translates to henge so the similarities are not without good reason. The site is a combination of Bronze Age tombstones (otherwise known as cists, dolmens or tumuli) together with 223 standing stones, or menhirs, each 2-3 metres tall and weighing up to 10 tons. Many of these standing stones have holes drilled in their rough faces at about eye level – providing conjecture that the site was used for astronomical and calendrical observations.
9. Tatev Monastery
flickr/Tommy and Georgie
Also located in Syunik Province is the Tatev Monastery. This monastery and its associated buildings is set one kilometre up on the edge of a deep and rocky river gorge – with the monastery having an awesome eagles-eye view over the entire surrounding area. Not surprisingly, when built between 895 -906 AD, this monastery formed a large part of a defensive fortress – evident even today by the architectural techniques used then.
With tall cylindrical towers, narrow closely spaced windows and solid thick rock walls on two sides and high walls on the other two, the monastery held over 1000 monks in its heyday. Nowadays there are considerably less, but the monastery is still active and the Church of Pogos and Peter (Peter and Paul) is well worth a walk-round. Choose between driving up a long, narrow, winding, and at times, very frightening Armenian road or opt for a more stress-free approach by taking a breath-taking gondola ride to reach this destination using the longest (5.7 kilometres) reversible aerial tramway in the world! You decide!
8. Lesser Caucasus Mountains
flickr/Marc Tailly
The Lesser Caucasus Mountains are an impressive range of snow-capped peaks in northern parts of Armenia. Many visitors trek and hike the many diverse trails which offer stunning views, fresh mountain air and an abundance of small quaint Armenian villages where one can purchase local honey and other goods at very reasonable prices. If fresh air and exercise in beautiful surroundings is your idea of a fun time, then these mountains, filled with new wonders to behold around each rock and crevice and with ancient monasteries and churches cropping up everywhere to hold your historical and cultural interest along the way, will be just perfect for you.
7. Matenadaran – The Museum of Ancient Manuscripts
flickr/Carsten ten Brink
Before you yawn and scroll down your web-page to the next attraction, just stop a moment and consider where the word ‘scroll’ came from? This museum, located in the Armenian capital Yerevan is certainly the place to find out. The Armenian alphabet is one of the oldest in the world – created in 405 AD by Armenian Mesrop Mashtots, and as such many ancient and important texts were translated into Armenian.
The Matenadaran or as it is otherwise known –The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts – thus really came into being not long after the alphabet was created, and today this museum houses one of the world’s truly great collection of ancients writings and texts. Be amazed by the intricate beauty of the Ejmiadzin Gospel which dates back to 989 AD and is framed in ivory or just how tiny a 15th century calendar is, weighing in as it does, at only 15 grams. When you’re done inside looking at the works of art, don’t forget a trip outside where the statue of Armenia’s alphabet’s creator sits outside with a student at his feet.
6. Garni
flickr/tmn1111
28 kilometres to the south east of Yerevan is another Armenian attraction – the village and area of Garni. This site is believed to date back to the 3rd millennium BC when Garni was built at that time in one of the bends of the Azat River –which offered it natural defence. Nowadays among the most popular attractions are the nearby Hellenistic Garni Temple which was built in a Greco-Roman style and which houses beautiful mosaics within its bathhouse, as well as the nearby sites of: the Church of St Astvatsatsin, Mashtots Hayrapet Church – a 4th century single-aisled church now in ruins but still quite architecturally stunning, the ruins of Takh Manuk Shrine of Oshakan, Saint Sargis Shrine and also Queen Katranide Shrine.
Should you start to feel tired at all these historic and religious sites, then why not take a ‘brain-drain break’ and look at ‘The Symphony of Stones’ in the nearby river gorge – a fascinating display created by Mother Nature of basalt columns that have been carved out of the rocks by the force of the river over the centuries. Truly a great area for the history or geology buff!
5. The Cascade
flickr/marishka k
Just a short trip away from the Matenadaran museum in central Yerevan, is this wonderful tourist attraction, which combines modern aesthetics and architecture with the area’s outstanding natural beauty. The Cascade is a kind of mix between a modern-day public square and a giant staircase, which you can reach the summit of, either by walking on the outside (up the steps), or by taking a lift (elevator) from the inside. The whole Cascade area is like an indoor and outdoor art exhibition. Add to that the backdrop of Mount Ararat (of Biblical fame) behind this landmark and views of the Armenian capital Yerevan below from its summit, and you begin to get the picture. A big hit with all who visit it, the cafes, pubs and bars in the area also add to its charm and visit-ability.
4. Khor Virap
flickr/Lea_from_Armenia
Probably the most visited pilgrimage site in this religious country, Khor Virap Monastery is located 8 kilometres south of the Turkish border in the Ararat region of Armenia. The monastery came to prominence as a pilgrimage site after it gained prominence for the 13 year imprisonment of Grigor Lusavorich by King Tiridates III of Armenia. Grigor, who subsequently became Saint Gregory and the King’s religious mentor, was instrumental in spreading Christianity here – so much so, that Armenia became the first country in the world to be declared a Christian nation.
The original building on the site was a small chapel built in 642 AD at Kirat Virap by Nerses the III the builder – as reverence to Saint Gregory, but over the centuries the monastery has been expanded and rebuilt many times. Definitely a must-see and the views of Mount Ararat from the monastery are spectacular.
3. Republic Square
flickr/Rita Willaert
Formerly known as Lenin Square during Armenia’s past as an integral part of the United Soviet Socialist Republic, Republic Square in the centre of Yerevan was constructed during the Soviet era and like so many others, once had a large statue of Lenin at its centre which has now been removed. Covering an area of some 14,000 square metres, the square has 7 major buildings on its perimeter and is now famous for its ‘Dancing and Singing Fountains’, a wonderful computer-generated auditory and visual display with the water fountains both changing directions and colours in rhythm to the different genres of music being played. Visit it during the day or at night for two completely different Armenian experiences! No visit to Yerevan would be complete without a few hours spent here!
2. Tsitsernakaberd (The Armenian Genocide Museum)
flickr/Rita Willaert
This poignant memorial which sits on the hill called Tsitsernakaberd in Yerevan was founded in 1965 – the 50th Anniversary of the period (1915-1916) when the then Ottoman Empire carried out the massacre and killing of over 1.5 million civilian Armenians. The memorial consists of a large concrete spire and next to it, a lower, circular-shaped memorial – the centre of which contains an ‘eternal’ flame of remembrance. Each year on April 24th, thousands of Armenians and tourists alike, flock to this capital landmark to pay homage and their respects to those whose lives were so wrongly taken. Next to the memorial is a small museum which explains more about the Armenian Genocide.
1. The Monastery of Geghard
flickr/Marco Fieber
Given the religious history of Armenia as a country, it is perhaps unsurprising that her number one attraction for visitors is a religious monastery. The Monastery of Geghard however is a wonderful example of a mediaeval monastery complex which has been carved out of solid rock. Situated at the head of the Azat Valley in an area of outstanding natural beauty and surrounded by towering rock cliffs, this remote Monastery has to be seen for the full depth of its worker’s skills and artwork to be appreciated. The entire monastery complex is very well preserved, so there is plenty to see.
The monastery was founded in the 4th century AD according to tradition by Saint Gregory the Illuminator, but it was destroyed in the 9th century by invading Arabs, before re-emerging again by the 13th century. Now standing as an enduring legacy to the Armenian faith and to its peoples’ beliefs, this entire area is one where quiet, calm reflection and a sense of endless history not only fills the air but also permeates through the very rock on which this ancient monastery stands.
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