Armenia Things to Do

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Zvartnots (Celestial Angels)

by RedEaredPanda

St. George at Zvartnots church was built between 643 and 652 by Katholikos Nerses III and is believed to have been a three story structure. Modern artists' impressions of its appearance are inevitably conjectural. Zvartnots is an amazing site of historic era.. As you drive towards Ejmiatsin from Yerevan, it is passed Musaler and is located on the left hand side. The admission per person to this UNESCO protected archaeological site is 250 Drams which translated into US 50 cents. If you pass the gate with a taxi or a vehicle and go closer to the site, they do charge an additional 200 Drams or US 40 cents for the vehicle.I would strongly recommend anyone who is driving towards Ejmiatsin from Yerevan to stop by this amazing site. It is well worth its admission rate given this site was barried completely and unheard of until one century ago.

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Sourb Hovhannes basilica in Odzun

by kr_en

This is a fine basilica church, the oldest parts dating as far as into 6th century. It is located in a village Odzun on the plateau above Alaverdi but on the left bank of the Debed river (opposite than Sanahin and Haghpat monasteries). If you take a taxi to Haghpat, try to negotiate for an extension to Odzun.There is an interesting funeral monument standing right beside the church

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Yereruyk Church in Anipemza Region

by RedEaredPanda

In Gyumri => Shirak => Anipemza lies Yereruyk church. Though roofless, it is one of the most architecturally important in Armenia and often features in collections of photographs of the country. Its significance rests with its early date (5th to 6th century) and the idea it gives of early Armenian church architecture which was modelled on the style of churches in the eastern provinces of the Roman empire. The basilica-style building is erected on a large plinth approached by steps. The porches are framed by elaborately carved pediments of Graeco-Roman style, contrasting with the different style of the carved widow arches and the plain pilasters.You may read more details and see more photos of Yereruyk church in Anipemza by clicking Yereruyk churchFrom where the church is located, if you look only a few hundred meters to the west, you can see the Turkish border.On a clear day, both...

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Yereruyk Church of Anipemza from Outside

by RedEaredPanda

You can see the wall of the Yereruyk church of Anipemza from the outside.. The remainders of the wall in south-western corner show that walls had been raised over the arches of the main nave and there are windows on top to provide light for the inside. There are 5 relatively large steps leading up to the church and there are two points of entry from this side of the church.There have been efforts in the past to restore some of the fallen rocks and stones from the church and you may see a few newer cut stones laying around the perimeter of the church for the purpose of restoring the walls on the western side.

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Sardarabad Monument Memorial Grounds

by RedEaredPanda

Along the side of the Sardarabad monument in the background, there is now a a memorial garden for the dead in the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh. The memorial garden and the Sardarabd Complex is meticulously well kept and mainted and older women sweep the paths with besoms while younger ones weed the rose beds.There is a memorial garden just outside of the city of Yerevan "Yerablur" where many martyrs of the Nagorno Karabakh battle are resting there. I will post tips and photos and a link at a later time.

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Sardarabad Monument Museum

by RedEaredPanda

A second adjacent point of interest to the monument is an excellent ethnographical museum. The museum includes material about the battle of Sardarabad from the year 1918. A path leads down to it from the memorial wall. Halfway along there is a cafe and to one side a restaurant. The museum is open from 10:30am to 4:00pm daily except Mondays. The museum symbolically has two windows. One looking east towards Aragats mountain and the other west towards Ararat mountain. Apart from displays on the battle, the museum has displays about life in Arax valley, findings from various archeological sites in the valley along with displays explaining the traditional farm tasks like butter-making and other occupations such as armourer, blacksmith and goldsmith.

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Sardarabad Monument

by RedEaredPanda

Driving towards Sardarabad, you can see its striking red tuff monument, in the form of two Assyrian bulls facing each other separated by a structure from which bells are hung. The tall structure with the bells is 35 meters tall and there is sometimes a caretaker on the premises who will ring the bells for visitors for a donation of any amount. The Sardarabad monument commemorates the victory by Armenian troops commanded by Daniel-Bel Pirumian over attacking Turkish troops who were coming down the railway from Alexandropol (Gyumri). The battle of Sardarabad lasted from May 22 to May 26 1918 and was a decisive victory resulting in the delcaration of independent Armenia on May 28, 1918. The monument was unveiled in 1968 to commemorate the 50th anniversary and each year on May 28 celebrations are held here; the bells are tolled and there are performances by folk song and dance groups.

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The Art of KHACHKARS (at Geghard)

by RedEaredPanda

Khachkars, carved memorial stones, are an important, conspicuous and beautiful feature of Armenian decorative art. The word khachkar literally means cross-stone. The dominant feature of the design is generally a cross and occasionally a crucifix. The remainder is covered with complex patterns of leaves, bunches of grapes or abstract geometrical patterns. The absolute peak of khachkar design was between 12th and 14th centuries. On the porch of Geghard monastery, you may witness the supreme masterpieces by Timot and Mkhitar dating back to year 1213. Some good examples are transported to Yerevan museum and to Edjmiatsin Cathedral. However, it is no substitute for seeing them at the place where they were originally erected.

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Sanahin

by kr_en

I was lucky to arrive there when (according to church's caretaker words there are many tourist buses otherwise) there weren't any other visitors except two locals so she could take time and gave me a short guided tour around the monastery (BTW it was in Russian). Then I climbed with those nice Armenians the nearby hill with a church (can't remember its name at the moment) - you can see it at the background of the photo- for a good view, incl. Sanahin, Haghpat, Alaverdi etc. but we had to return quickly as it was going to rain, pretty typical for summer afternoons in the region

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Mikoyan brothers museum in Sanahin

by kr_en

When you visit the Sanahin monastery, don't miss a nearby Mikoyan museum, it is a short way down hill from the monastery on the way towards the cable car. It is located in a former school (the new school standing next to it looks much worse) and you will see a real MiG 21 plane in front of it. The museum is small and contains many photos and things from both brothers' lifes. Artem Mikoyan was an airplane constructor (one of "fathers" of MiG planes) and Anastas Mikoyan was a politician with the longest career in Soviet politburo during Stalin and Khrushchev period. Museum is run by their relatives who still live at a nearby house. The guide speaks Armenian and Russian only and despite my wish to talk slower (my Russian is very basic) she just couldn't slow down but she was so nice to repeat sentences I couldn't understand well. At the end you'll be requested to write yourself into a...

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Things to Do: Cities in Armenia
  1. Yerevan Things to Do
  2. Gyumri Things to Do
  3. Ejmiatsin Things to Do
  4. Dilijan Things to Do
  5. Sevan Things to Do
  6. Sisian Things to Do
  7. Ashtarak Things to Do
  8. Khor Virap Things to Do
  9. Geghard Things to Do
  10. Haghpat Things to Do
  11. Step'anavan Things to Do
  12. Tsaghkadzor Things to Do
  13. Noratus Things to Do

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Q:  Plan to travel next fall in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. What is your opinion of renting cars in these countries and driving? 

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A: I can't speak specifically for renting in the other 2, but renting in Azerbaijan is more hassle than it's worth. Rental cars are expensive, $70+ per day. On top of that,... 

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