ARMENIA
The
ancient country of Armenia lies on the southern slope of the Armenian
Mountains in the Lesser Caucasus,
bordered by Georgia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran.
Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, is one
of the oldest cities in the world, founded nearly 2800 years ago during
the time of ancient Babylon.Armenia has a long and fascinating history.
It is an ancient Christian kingdom with its own unique language,
alphabet and culture. A small and mountainous country, Armenia offers
great scenic variety and there are thousands of churches, monasteries
and khatchkars (stone crosses erected for religious and symbolic
purposes) to be found throughout the land.
In the ancient world Armenia was a major power in the Near East, often
in conflict with Persia and Rome. In 301 AD, Armenia was the
first country in the world to adopt Christianity
as the state religion, which has played a special role in the
development of its history and culture. In 405 AD, the scholar Meshrop
Mashtots invented the Armenian alphabet which is still in use to this
day. Throughout its history Armenia has alternated between periods of
independence and subjection to its stronger neighbours, the Persians,
Turks and Russians. Armenia was incorporated into Russia in 1828 and the
USSR in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict
with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated
exclave, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia
and Azerbaijan began fighting over the exclave in 1988; the struggle
escalated after Soviet Union in 199both countries attained independence
from the 1. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces
held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of
Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their
inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution.
With
its fresh mountain air, pure water and diverse flora and fauna, Armenia
is a destination that will appeal as much to lovers of nature as those
interested in historical sights.
Yerevan, which is nestled in the
shadow of the snow-capped heights of the majestic mount Ararat, where
the Biblical Noah's Ark first landed escaping the Great Flood, is the
capital city of Armenia. With a population numbering over 1.2 million,
Yerevan is a bustling city. The central plaza, Republic Square, is
designed in the Armenian national style and houses the Government House,
the Cabinet and other governmental offices as well as the Erebuni and
Armenia hotels.
Also situated on Republic Square are the Armenian History Museum and the
Art Gallery of Armenia. Here, one finds informative and interesting
models and artifacts of ancient Urartu and Armenia. In the Art Gallery
one finds a worthy section on Armenian art from the seventh century AD.
Amongst the many other museums in the capital city, the two most
interesting house museums are those of landscape artist Martiros Saryan
(1880-1972) and twentieth century composer Aram Khatchaturyan.Yerevan is
one of the oldest cities in the world. The earliest recorded settlement
there dates back to 782 BC. King Argishty I founded a fortress city in
the north-eastern part of present-day Yerevan, with the following
cuneiform inscription, "With the majesty of God Khald, Argishty, son of
Menua, built up this inaccessible castle and named it Erebuni..." You
can still see relics from this part of our history at the Erebuni Museum
in Yerevan.
Armenia's
second city, Echmiadzin, was the
capital from about 184 to 340 AD. It is a holy place for Armenians,
owing to King Tiridates III's conversion to Christianity there in 300
AD. He had ordered a Christian virgin to be stoned to death, and
subsequently went mad. A Christian prisoner named Gregory (later
promoted to the title of Gregory the Illuminator) saved and converted
him, and the whole country soon followed suit. Echmiadzin today is the
site of the most important Orthodox cathedral, founded by the prisoner
Gregory, on the site of a former pagan site of worship. It is also the
spiritual home of the head of the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Supreme
Catholicos.
St Hripsime Church is a fine restored church built in 618, replacing an
earlier chapel on the site where Saint Hripsime died. Reputedly one of
the most beautiful buildings in its day, the Church of St Gregory
(Tserkov Sv Grigoria) was built in 641-61, but it was destroyed during
an earthquake in the 10th century and only excavated ruins remain on the
site today. Look at the model in Yerevan's Armenian History Museum
before you visit it. Take a bus 20km (12.5mi) west from Yerevan's bus
station to get to Echmiadzin.