May 28 - Day of Republic Marked in Sardarapat

Sardarapat Museum

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.The Catholicos, deeply saddened by the suffering of his people, ordered the bells of the mother church in Etchmiadzin as well as the bells of all Armenian churches around the country to ring all day, calling his people to come to the aid of their fighting soldiers and to participate in the defense of their fatherland. Yeznik Vartabed took with him a group of young churchmen and members of the congregation of Etchmiadzin and went to the front to fight the invaders.

Lavash – Traditional Armenian Bread

Armenian cuisine is quite popular with its traditional bread called lavash. It is flat, thin and soft bread that can be dried and kept for quite a long term. It is the most widespread bread in Armenia and no festive table can be imagined without lavash.

Lavash symbolizes life and wisdom. In ancient times, lavash was used during battles as it lasted long and saved the soldiers from starvation. Mothers cooked lavash, dried it and put in the bags of the soldiers

Let me introduce lavash recipe. Lavash is made of flour, water and salt. You mսst knead the dough well and leave it to rest. Then divide the dough into 300-400 gram pieces and start rolling. The dough of lavash is rolled out flat and then slapped on the hot wall of underground clay oven called tonir. Fresh lavash is easier and suitable for making wrap sandwiches and kebab.

The Lovers’ Park, the Everyone’s Park

Photos © Boghossian Gardens

The so-called Pushkin park (situated on Baghramyan avenue) used to be one of the most favorite places for many Yerevanians. Huge trees, green areas, merry-go-rounds, happily screaming children, young mothers with baby carriages and old wooden benches – all these will always remain in the childhood memories of many people.

Happy Birthday, Yerevan!!!

On October 14 Yerevan will mark its 2794th anniversary. The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC by king Argishti I.

Each year the municipality of Yerevan organizes festive events and celebrations, this year is no exclusion. The festive events will be held on a large scale. The joyful atmosphere of the actions provided for October 14 will spread all over the capital. Various events have been provided on 26 stages. On this day the traffic in the center of the city will be stopped from 08.30.

Cascade: the Open-Air Museum

Photos © Cafesjian Center for the Arts

The so-called Cascade complex, located in the center of Yerevan is the favorite place for many Yerevanians, especially the youth. The complex has passed a long and difficult road until it reached us with its today’s look.

The Cascade project was planned by the Armenian architect Alexander Tamanyan (1878–1936), who aimed to make Cascade a bridge between the northern and central parts of the city, decorated with waterfalls and gardens. However, the project was “frozen” until the second half of the 20th century, when Yerevan’s Chief Architect Jim Torosyan restarted it. Some modifications were made to the project and the construction works of the updated plan started in the 1980s. The Armenian earthquake in 1988 and the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 were also obstacles for the Cascade project.

Wine Festival in the Country of Oldest Winery

Armenia is famous for its good wine-makers and the tradition of wine-making preserved till nowadays. According to Biblical legend, winemaking dates back to the time, when Forefather Noah planted grape on the slope of Mount Ararat. Archeological examinations found nuclei of grapes in Armenia that come to prove that winemaking has history of centuries in Ararat Valley. Lots of tares and other winemaking equipment with grape nucleus have been found in the caves of Areni village.

On the 6^th of October, 2012, there will be Areni Wine Festival in village Areni, south-eastern region Vayots Dzor. It has become a traditional Wine Festival yearly, when many people from all over Armenia come to Areni village to take part in it.

This is a wonderful occasion for wine-tasting. During Areni Wine Festival you can taste the best variety of Armenian wines that are highly valued by European consumers. The opening will start with bright and spectacular parade of the best wine-makers accompanied with singing and dancing.

Happy World Tourism Day!

Since 1980 the whole world celebrates the International Tourism Day on September 27. It is the day when the Statutes of the United Nations World Tourism Organization were adopted (1970).

The Armenia Tourism Blog congratulates you all on this wonderful day, wishing you a lot of interesting travel destinations, new feelings and experiences. 

Happy World Tourism Day!

Meghri: the Sweet Part of Armenia

Meghri town is situated in Marz Syunik near the Armenian-Iranian border. Meghri is one of the most economically developed towns in Armenia.

Food industry is mostly developed there: the town has a bakery, a cannery and a winery.

Visiting Meghri you can visit a number of beautiful and interesting places, the Meghri fortress (17th century), St. Astvatsatsin church (17th century) and Meghri Monastery (15-18th century) among them.

St. Gevorg Church in Mughni

St. Gevorg Monastery (14th century) in Mughni town is one of the most “favorite” monasteries in Armenia. There is indeed something special about it – the soul of ancient centuries, the modest sizes of the church, the original architecture or the wonderful garden surrounding it. Something makes it special and it is impossible not to fall in love with it after the first visit.

St. Gevorg church is of a cross-winged domed basilica type. It was renovated in the second half of the 17th century. The building of the church does not stand out with any special architectural solutions, but small details decorate the church and give special coloring to it.

Let September 21 Be a Holiday for us for Millions of Years

Twenty-one years ago on August 23 Armenia declared its independence from the Soviet Union. Full Independence was declared after the referendum on September 21. And it is on this day that the whole Armenian nation celebrates the Independence Day.

Many people still remember the Independence Day celebrations of 2011 (20th anniversary). The most notable one was the grandiose military parade, one of the largest during the history of Independent Armenia. Armenia demonstrated its military might with tanks, warplanes and all kinds of military hardware.