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trips to Armenia
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• Go to Echmiadzin, the capital of Armenia from AD 180-340, which remains the site of the country’s most important cathedral, and home of the church’s Supreme Catholicos; the Cathedral of St Gregory the Illuminator is believed to stand on the site of a much older church, itself predated by a pagan shrine. The existing 17th-century cathedral is a fine example of Armenian ecclesiastical architecture, with a squat bell tower and elaborately carved dome. In addition to chalices, vestments and other religious artefacts, the cathedral’s treasury contains a spearhead believed to have been used to pierce the side of the crucified Christ.
• Visit one of the oldest cities in the world, founded nearly 2800 years ago in the time of ancient Babylon: Yerevan. Sadly, little remains to remind the visitor of the city’s ancient heritage. Most of the old town was demolished in the 1930s and has been rebuilt using the attractive pinkish-brown volcanic tufa stone seen throughout the republic in so-called 'Armenian national style' architecture – solid, sometimes imposing, and essentially Soviet in character. However, there is still much to occupy your time: go to the National Gallery (founded 1919); the Yerevan library of ancient manuscripts (Materadaran) , which houses over 13,000 texts, many beautifully illuminated and some dating as far back as the ninth century; or the Vernisaj flea market, which takes place at weekends. Nearby sites of interest include the fortress of Erebuni (an archaeological site studded with over 200 ancient rock engravings [petroglyphs] and surrounded by a pristine lake) and Ughtasar (3km above sea level on a mountainous plateau in the mesmerising region of Syunik, an ancient fortress not to be missed).
• Climb up a steep, rocky valley to view one of Armenia’s most dramatic sights, the Geghard Monastery: Geghard means 'spear' or 'lance' in Armenian, and harks back to Christ's crucifixion. The monks, who still inhabit the monastery, occasionally sacrifice sheep on an open-air stone altar. ‘Wishing trees’ by the road approaching the site are decorated with coloured scraps of cloth, tied on by pilgrims and travellers hoping their prayers will be answered. A monastery has occupied this site since the fourth century AD, and the existing churches, all magnificently carved, date from the 13th century. Leading from the vaulted chambers of the main church and adjoining jamatoun, or meeting room, are two chapels hewn into the rock of the mountain itself. One of these contains a holy spring, the other a burial vault decorated with an ornate coat of arms. Higher up the slope, a passage leads into the mountainside to the 13th-century tomb of Prince Papak and his wife Rouzakan, a structure noted for its extraordinary acoustics.
• On the road between Geghard and Yerevan, Garni is the site of a temple to the Roman god Mithras. In the first century AD, Nero sent money and slaves to build the temple as a tribute to the Armenian King Tiridates for his support in fighting off the Parthians. Repeated earthquakes have destroyed most of the original structure, but the temple’s vertiginous position, dominating the valley from a plateau 300m (984ft) above the Azat River, is breathtakingly beautiful. A ruined ninth-century church stands near the restored temple, and a Roman bathhouse has recently been excavated, revealing a well-preserved mosaic floor. It stands, as it did two millennia earlier, adorned by two dozen ionic columns.
• Take in the panorama of Lake Sevan, situated 70km (43 miles) east of Yerevan and the largest lake in the Caucasus, much vaunted for its pure waters, stunning setting and delicious salmon trout.
• Go to what was a major cultural centre in medieval Armenia, and one of the very few perfectly preserved examples of the architecture of its period (10th to 13th centuries), the Agartsin Monastery, which is a few kilometres east of Dilijhan in a wooded gorge and has a particularly prized refectory building.
• Well worth visiting are the Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanakin, which are in close proximity to the banks of the Debed River, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site: these were first built in the 10th century and have undergone many different constructions and expansions. It is believed that the great Armenian troubadour-poet, Sayat-Nova, was born in Sanakin, and became a monk at Haghpat.
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Inscrita en el R.M. de Madrid Tomo 15.973, F. 206, Sec. 8, Hoja M-270179 . C.I.F. B82826991 Gran Vía, 22 Dcdo. 4º Madrid, 28013 Spain.
Tel. (+34) 913 605 670 - (+34) 915 242 400 Fax: (+34) 902 196 339