It’s the first country in the world, that officially accepted Christianity as its religion – back in 301. In their own language, the country is called Hajastan – the land of Haiko. If you’re a Slovenian citizen, you don’t need a visa to enter any more, as I’ve needed it a few years ago.
It’s easiest to reach the country from neighbouring Georgia, or arriving directly to the airport of the state capital Erevan, with most larger airlines connecting to the city. The border with Turkey is closed and so is with the Azerbaijan, with the region of Karabah being a challenge, as it’s officially under the sovereignty of Azerbaijan, but in practice under Armenia. If you want to visit that part, you’ll need to get a special visa. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the Armenia got a new wind when it comes to nationalism and traditional culture. In 1915 the second genocide over Armenian people took place, the one Turkey still doesn’t acknowledge that has happened. This was the second largest known genocide in human history, right after the Holocaust – genocide of Nazi Germany towards Jews. Armenia also lost the mountain of Ararat at that time. They could hardly choose less friendly neighbours than they have. In 1965 they got the idea to set up the memorial park for the genocide, which was set up two years later.
The monument stands on the Cicernakaberd mountain and is a 44 metre tall obelisk, symbolising the rebirth of Armenian people. In a circle around it there are 12 blocks representing the 12 provinces Armenia has lost to Turkey. Within the circle, there’s an eternal flame burning. Next to the monument there’s a memorial park, where foreign diplomats plant trees. A visit to Sevan, a lake for which the Armenians say is their sea, is a true rest for the traveller. The Savan Lake is the biggest on the other side of Caucasian mountains and among the biggest lakes in the world, when it comes to high altitude lakes. It’s at the elevation of 1900 meters and there are 28 spring flowing into it. It’s the place where the river Hrazdan begins, which flows through the capital city of Erevan. The people are extremely friendly, since they know where their roots lie. The crime rate is so low, you feel safe. Traveling through Armenia is very simple and I’ve done it mostly by hitchhiking.
The capital Erevan (Yerevan) has the inhabitants of 1,2 million people and is also the largest city in the country. It used to be named Erivan and Erebuni. It is dated to have been founded 2797 years ago, when king Urarta established a fortress of Erebuni here. The biblical name for Armenia is Urart. The geography influenced the development of the city, as it’s on the crossroads of important trading rutes. It kept developing until the attack of Arabs and later Seljuk Turks. When Russia defeated Persia in 1828 it made Erebuni part of its empire. The city then housed 30.000 people. The average monthly wage is between 150-200 US dollars. Armenia is also known for Radio Yerevan or Armenia Radio. It was the only radio in the Soviet Union that had a repertoire of political jokes. It’s also good to know, that you can visit the museum Matenadaran, which is the museum of old books and manuscripts. The museum itself is a big dark grey stone building, with heavy protection and numberless stairs leading to the top.
In front of the museum there is the huge statue of Saint Mesrop Mashtots, who invented the Armenian writing in 405, the writing that is still in use today. It’s only lost a few characters, as they used to write numbers as part of the alphabet as well. The museum has 15.000 old manuscripts, with 2500 minatures. It also has 30.000 other documents in 2000 different languages. Many documents are writen on various types of pregame, some on skin and some on stone.
Erevan is a fantastic city to visit any time of year, as the list of cultural activities is extremely long. Armenia has many old churches and monasteries, of which some made it to the UNESCO list of heritage. Upon visiting churches and monasteries, you should be properly covered – head covers for women, and long trousers for men. At some places there are signs explaining that. If you want to feel Armenian hospitality, food or old culture, then Armenia is the place to go!
