Undiscovered Armavir Marz

I live near Armavir Marz, which I used to think was the most boring, un-touristworthy Marz in Armenia. Sure, it has Echmiadzin, but that's all the way in the East, and really more of a suburb of Yerevan anyway. I thought there was nothing else to see in the Marz. But I found out that I was wrong! Armavir Marz boasts not one, but two excellent and under-discovered museums, both of which are only a short drive from Echmiadzin and Yerevan: The Metsamor Archaeological Site and The Sardarapat Museum and Memorial.

The Sardarapat Museum and Memorial is the site of a last-ditch battle in 1918 between the nascent Republic of Armenia and the forces of the Ottoman Empire, who wished to reclaim Yerevan, Gyumri (then Alexandropol) and Tbilisi. The Armenians won, ensuring the survival of the nation and the people. Memories of the battle were soon eclipsed by the arrival of the Red Army in 1921 and the establishment of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. But in 1968, a memorial was erected, accompanied by an ethnographic museum.

Rediscovering a Lost Community in Vayots Dzor

Late August sunset over a family plot at the medieval Jewish cemetery in Yeghegis

Driving south from Yerevan, after you pass Areni (of wine and cave fame) and Noravank, you reach the turn-off to the Selim Pass which leads to Martuni.  Not far up the road is the village of Shatin.  Take the turn into the village and follow the road which will bring you to Yeghegis.

Starting a Farmstay B&B in Armenia... Part 1

The Farmhouse

As a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV), my primary assignment is teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) in a village school, but living in Armenia for two years gives me plenty of time to pursue secondary projects.  Last summer, I worked at a bunch of youth camps (they’ll be a post on that later), but this year, I’m going to help my former host family set up and run a Farmstay Bed and Breakfast.  They live in a farming village with about 250 families in Kotayk Marz, about 30 km from Yerevan, where they own and operate an organic dairy farm with cows and sheep, earning about $120 a month from selling yogurt products in nearby Charentsavan.  They have a beautiful house set in rolling fields, with a garden providing fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the summer and homemade jams and juices during the rest of the year.

Ghosts Of The Past In Vayots Dzor

About two hours south of Yerevan, in Vayots Dzor Marz, is the town of Yeghegnadzor where I serve as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English at a local university.  The climate is best in spring and fall.  In the past year and a half of my service, I have seen the odd tourist come through here, but they always seem to be on their way somewhere else.  Most visitors to Vayots Dzor come to see Noravank, a magnificent complex of churches and outbuildings where monks lived and studied in the middle ages, and then they move on.  While Noravank is certainly worth the trip, visitors often miss out on the many other churches, universities and monuments that were built during the Orbelian reign over the Kingdom of Syunik.

Still Thinking of Winter Vacation? Discover some Winter Resorts in Armenia!

Where to spend vacation this winter? Is this still a question?
Throughout this hunt, someone might like to discover a new winter vacation destination in Armenia. Armenia has world-class winter resorts along with great sites and mountains.  Tsaghkadzor and Jermuk are just the two of the numerous fascinating places that winter vacation lovers must consider.