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_Armenia reveals ancient treasures, new life
Mountains, monasteries and modern capital_
()
– Jane Wampler, Special to The Chronicle
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Yerevan, — Armenia
On a clear autumn day, the smell of fresh cement and the sound of
chisels and hammers permeates the capital city of Armenia. Sidewalk
cafes overflow with suited businessmen and couples talk over demitasse
cups of strong, boiled coffee. Fashionable women in rimless sunglasses
and stiletto heels walk armin arm, sidestepping wheelbarrows and loose
paving stones, and several new luxury hotels are nearly booked to
capacity.
It’s clear that Armenia is making a comeback. Again.
After surviving genocide, 70 years of Soviet domination, a devastating
earthquake in 1988 and millennia of foreign marauders who whittled
this once-massive kingdom to one-tenth of its size, this Eurasian
country of 3 million inhabitants is reassuming its role of phoenix.
Because it was cloaked behind the Iron Curtain for most of the 20th
century, few Westerners, until recently, have glimpsed of this
culturally rich, mountain republic tucked between the Caspian and the
Black seas. What onlythe privileged have known, until this past
decade, is that this is an astonishingly beautiful country of high
mountain lakes, snow-capped peaks, ancient monasteries, cascading
rivers and archeological ruins so impressive they ought to be behind
the velvet ropes of a museum.
Perhaps more significantly, for a region of the world more associated
with terror than tourism, many Westerners are surprised to hear that
this predominantly Christian nation — bordered by Iran, Turkey,
Georgia and Azerbaijan — is politically stable and welcoming to
tourists.
Try to buy a single peach from a roadside fruit stand and the old
woman will wave your money away. Ask a farmer if you may take a photo
of him with his crop of newly harvested red peppers, and he will press
a bag of 20 of theminto your hand, refusing payment.
The prices are particularly tourist-friendly. At Old Erivan
Restaurant, one of Yerevan’s dozens of eateries that serve quality
Armenian fare , my husband and I enjoy a meal of lavash, tomato and
cucumber salad, a cheese platter, lamb stew and khorovatz (a meat and
vegetable shish kebab) — washed down with several strong Armenian
beers — for under $15.
Drawing on the past
The rebirth of Armenia after the end of the Soviet Union in the early
1990s has had financial help from the approximately 8 million members
of the Armenian Diaspora, 1.4 million of whom live in the United
States (1 million in the Los Angeles area alone). Many are descendants
of those who perished or fled during the 1915-25 Turkish genocide.
While those who visited shortly after Armenia regained independent
statehood found gutted factories and streets stripped of trees for
fuel, today they find fountains spraying and flowers blooming along
boulevards lined with Russian olive and locust trees. Crowds of
stylishly dressed mothers and children walk down Khanjian Street to
buy roasted coffee beans, potatoes, onions, ice-cream and fried sweet
cakes from street vendors.
But despite Armenia’s forays into modernism and self-sufficiency, the
rich and tragic past hasn’t dimmed. Nor does anyone want it to:
Armenia’s 4,000-year-old history is its main draw.
Many consider this country the cradle of civilization. The biblical
rivers of Tigris and Euphrates originate in the original Armenia, the
16,945-foot-high snow-capped Mount Ararat (now inside Turkey’s
borders) holds what many believe to be the remnants of Noah’s Ark in
its crevasses, and there even is reference in the Bible to Ararat, the
name of the former Armenian kingdom.
In 301 A.D., Armenia became the first nation to embrace Christianity
as a state religion (a dozen years before Rome) — another factor that
shapes this tiny republic’s past and present tourist appeal.
A common sight from spring through fall are “monastery tours”:
busloads of people on weeklong organized sightseeing excursions that
shuttle from such Hellenistic pagan temples as the 1st century Garni,
to the 3rd century Echmiadzin (ETCH-me-OTT-sin) Cathedral, home to the
Supreme Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox faith. At
Echmiadzin (think: Vatican but smaller) nonbelievers mingle with
pilgrims to view ancient silver chalices, bejeweled crosses and
religious relics such as a metal spearhead believed to have pierced
the side of Christ.
Travels with Boris
Group tours are plentiful, but if you want to strike out solo,
consider hiring a driver who speaks English to ferry you through the
countryside, oreven to the main sites of the capital city. That’s what
we did during a one-week visit in late September. We found our driver,
Boris (a former Soviet-system mathematician now struggling, like many
of the highly educated, to reinvent himself), through the Armenian
Tourism Development Agency, which was happy to supply us with a list
of recommended English-speaking guides.
We chose several sites, all southeast of Yerevan, for a 2- 1/2 day
excursion.
They included the famous dungeon of Khor Virap; Noravank monastery;
the historically and spiritually significant Tatev Monastery; the
Bronze Age celestial observatory, the Zorats Stones; and a natural
wonder, Devil’s Bridge.
Boris was more than willing to pack an overnight bag and accompany us.
Something to keep in mind: Although the map shows Armenia to be a
small country, getting from point A to point B can take longer than
you anticipate.
There are no super highways here. And it takes time to wait out cattle
crossings, to dodge potholes and to wind up narrow mountain roads.
On the first morning of our excursion, we emerged, bleary-eyed from
the Congress Hotel in Yerevan. Boris was waiting for us, polishing the
windshield of his red Niva, a Soviet-made SUV. Within an hour we were
watching Mount Ararat turn an orangey pink and by 10:30 a.m. Boris
announced what would become a comforting ritual: a coffee break. He
pulled the car over to the side of the road and removed from his trunk
a small propane stove, a bag of powdered coffee, sugar and three small
china cups.
While we took in the views, Boris set out the coffee with sweet cakes
(kizgiel, baked early that morning by his wife, Jana) and jam for a
makeshift picnic on the roadside rocks. We drank our coffee in the
squat position, like Boris, and poured the remaining hot water over
our jam-stained, sticky fingers.
Khor Virap is an eerie place with two claims to fame: The church
complex was built atop the well where St. Gregory the Illuminator had
been imprisoned (depending on who is telling the story) for 12 to 17
years only to emerge and baptize the King and Queen of Armenia and
herald the introduction of Armenia as the first Christian
nation. Climb down into the narrow pit on a ladder and when you’re
through imagining Gregory’s claustrophobia, climb back out to the
blazing sun and get the closest view of Mount Ararat in all of Armenia
— the Turkish border is within walking distance from here.
Noravank, perched on a forested cliff top, high above a river gorge
and surrounded by caves, is a 13th century monastery surrounded by
dramatic redrock outcroppings. On a bright afternoon, there was nobody
else wandering the compound. A hawk circled overhead in the clear
sky. We wandered the church grounds and tracde khatchkars (“cross
stones” — unique and elaborate crosses carved on tufa or basalt
tablets found primarily in Armenia) with our fingertips.
There was no shortage of natural beauty on this journey. We hikde
along the verdant banks of a stream below the monastery and, on the
drive out of the gorge, noticed many caverns tucked into the
outcroppings. In one of them, an enterprising man has converted the
cave into a clean and comfortable restaurant.
We weren’t the only sightseers who found him: As we ventured into the
cozy grotto, we saw him shuttling pitchers of red wine, hard-boiled
eggs, barbecued pork and grilled vegetables to a table of raucous
Russians, the largest of whom was wearing a drunken grin, a
traditional sheepherder’s cloak and crooked hat.
About this time we discovered that Boris perceived his job as more
than driver. We were his charges, and it was a role he assumed
gravely. He was protector, wrinkling his brow in concern as the
sheepherder and his friends loudly insisedt that we share a mug of
wine, and negotiator, finagling the best price for our hotel room in
Sisian later that evening.
Shades of Stonehenge
The next morning, we left our cold and dank hotel shortly after dawn
because we were eager to see the Zorats stones — or Zorakar — in the
day’s first light. This circular arrangement of stones, thought to be
a celestial observatory, is similar to England’s Stonehenge, but
older. The Bronze Age phenomenon lies on a barren rolling plain just
outside of Sisian, and, like most other natural and manmade wonders in
Armenia, is startlingly unprotected and un-commercialized. Only the
snowcapped mountains, which loom over the windy field, stand guard. We
wandered through the deserted site of lichen-covered stones and peered
through holes that the ancient cosmographers might have drilledto
better view the heavens.
The road to Tatev is bumpy, but it soon opens to reveal a lushly
wooded canyon — the monastery perched on top like a crown. Indeed,
this 9th century complex was viewed as something of a prize to
invaders who attacked the site in numerous bloody waves. Other than a
caretaker (an old woman who appeared periodically to gather pears that
have fallen beneath a courtyard tree) we were once again practically
alone, free to explore the faded frescoes in dark rooms; to consider
the grisly remnants of a fairly recent chicken sacrifice; to climb the
lurchy heights of the fortified walls, and to imagine the 13th century
Mongols who, historians say, pushed Christians into the gorge.
Our only disappointment was Devil’s Bridge, which we passed on the way
to Tatev. The rock formation and hot springs might be beautiful, but
the site is trashed by beer bottles, cigarette wrappers and other
remnants of partying.It would have been better to stay longer at Tatev
sipping a cup of Boris’ ubiquitous coffee or just soaking in the sun
on one of the precipices before the long drive back to Yerevan.
‘New Armenia’ in the city
Back in Yerevan — with its rich history and plethora of significant
museums and fun restaurants — we find no shortage of things to do.
This city of 1.3 million is culturally vibrant and staggeringly old,
older than Rome — by 29 years. To put that in perspective, when
construction workers happened to ram into a 700-year-old stone
aqueduct, as they did last summer, it hardly registered a blip on
their archaeological radar screen.
The National Museum on bustling Republic Square — formerly called
Lenin Square — is as good of a starting place as any to get a flavor
for the country.
Also known as the State Museum of Armenian History, it has an
English-speaking guide who can show you Uratian cuneiform inscriptions
dating back to the 8th century B.C. and 3,000-year-old silver rhytons
(drinking vessels), wine vats and horse carriages uncovered in Lake
Sevan.
>From there, you can branch out to other not-to-be-missed sites (the
streets are arranged in a compact, easy-to-navigate pattern, and
anything too hard to reach by foot is a cheap cab ride away.) Stroll
through the Vernissage, a festive outdoor market that operates each
weekend near Republic Square. Here you’ll find accordions, old
toasters, Russian nesting dolls, obscure car parts, jewelry and
strolling musicians. The “closed bazaar,” a football stadium-sized
indoor market on West Mashtots Avenue, brims with fresh fruits and
vegetables displayed like gleaming jewels, and brightly colored spices
measured with a one-ounce shot glass.
The Matenadaran rare document museum (at 53 Mesrop Mashtots St.)
houses an extraordinary collection of ancient manuscripts, some dating
to the 9th century. An English tour guide — just $2.50 above the
regular $4 admission fee — will heighten the experience. The
highlight is a huge 15th century book of Armenian history. It was
ripped in half and smuggled out of the country bytwo peasant women, at
great peril, during the 1915 genocide. Both women, and both halves of
the book, survived.
This museum pays homage to Mesrop Mashtots, the founder of the
Armenian alphabet, unchanged since its inception in 405 A.D. That the
alphabet and the Armenian language are still intact after nearly 2,000
years is evidence of a country that has fiercely resisted
assimilation.
Echoing Saroyan
Armenians are fond of naming streets after, and quoting, their heroes,
from playwrights to poets to war generals. But it is novelist William
Saroyan who is most often quoted when Armenians talk about their
country coming perilously close to, then back from, the brink of
extinction more times than they can count. His most famous quote
speaks to the resilience of his people:
“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this
small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and
lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is
unheard and prayers are no more answered. . . . Burn their homes and
churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For
when two of them meet anywhere inthe world, see if they will not
create a new Armenia.”
Saroyan’s words have never been more relevant, according to the editor
of Armenian International Magazine in Yerevan, which caters to
English-speaking Armenians.
“We only had two choices: a downward spiral after Soviet
totalitarianism or to blossom,” said Laura Gononian. “And we’re
blossoming. We’re undergoing a renaissance in art, music and in
building. We’re like the phoenix — we keep getting pounded and we
keep coming back.”
____________________________________
If you go
Spring and autumn are the best times to visit, with moderate
temperatures and dry weather. The official currency is the Armenian
dram, but U.S. dollars are widely used. At press time $1 equals 585
dram. Yerevan has a cash economy, so credit cards aren’t helpful
here. All prices below are given in U.S.
dollars; all locations are in Yerevan.
Getting there
A passport and visa are required. Three-week tourist visas are
relatively easy to obtain through the Armenian consulate in Los
Angeles (for details, click on “Consular Affairs” at
_www.armeniaemb.org_ () or call
310-657-6102), or at Zvarnots Airport upon arrival. British Airways is
the leading carrier serving Armenia, with flights from London to
Yerevan three times a week. Upon arrival at Zvarnots, the 20-minute
cab ride to the city center should cost about $15.
What to do
In Yerevan, your first stop should be the Armenian Tourism Development
Agency at 3 Nalbandyan St., not far from Republic Square (look for the
red pomegranate sign above their doorway). The staff is
bend-over-backwards helpful and can provide you with maps, books on
Armenian history, hotel information, and phone numbers of reputable
guides and drivers. Phone: (011) 374-1-54-23- 03 or 54-47-91.
Sightseeing tour operators: Menua Tours (_www.menuatours.com_
() ), Sati (_www.satiglobal.com_
() ) and Princess Maneh ([email protected]_
(mailto:[email protected]) ) are just three of the many travel agencies
that offer sightseeing tours in Armenia. If you plan to hike Mount
Aragat (not Ararat, which is in Turkey), note that mosttour operators
stop leading trips up the peak after Sept. 30.
Where to stay
Congress Hotel, 1 Italia Street (just south of Republic Square).
011-374-1-58-00-95; fax 011-374-1-52-22-24; e-mail
[email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) . A clean and
modern four-star facility, it has small rooms with private baths and
air conditioning, plus a pool, fitness center, restaurant and
bar. Doubles, $100.
Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan, 1 Amirian Street, at Republic Square.
011-374-1-59-90-00; e-mail: [email protected]_
(mailto:[email protected]) .
Formerly the Hotel Armenia, it’s considered by many to be the city’s
flagship hotel The rooms are on the small side but they are nice, with
private baths, air conditioning, satellite television and
phones. Facilities include two restaurants, cafe, bar, health club and
business services. Doubles, $140.
Includes breakfast buffet.
PLACES TO EAT
Dolmama, 10 Pushkin St., 011-374-1-56-8921. Owner Jarair Avanian has
created an upscale but cozy continental eatery centrally located in
downtown Yerevan.
Entrees range from $13 to $18.
Old Erivan, 2 Northern Ave., 011-374-1-54-05-75). This four-story
eatery is actually several restaurants under one roof, with dining
rooms ranging from elegant European to rooftop al fresco dining with
traditional Armenian foodand live folk music. The ambitious décor and
lively entertainment is belied by the moderate prices. Entrees range
from $5 to $7.
For more information
The Armenian embassy Web site _www.armeniaemb.org_
() has sightseeing tips and lodging informationunder its “Discover Armenia”
link. Other helpful Web sites include _www.armeniadiaspora.com_
() and _www.armeniainfo.am_ () .
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