Armenia unveiled: A land of hidden wonders and ancient flavours

Yahoo

31-03-2025

Reaching towards the sky, they rise vertically from the valley floor for a hundred metres and more: Masses of basalt columns, side by side and on top of each other, as if glued together like gigantic ensembles of organ pipes.
People standing below and stretching their heads upwards just might feel a bit lost.
The geological phenomenon in the Garni Gorge is called the "Symphony of Stones," natural works of art which are exemplary for the Caucasus mountain country of Armenia, which markets itself as a land of "hidden wonders." It attracts visitors with mountains, monasteries, ruins and vineyards. And it's not overrun by tourist crowds.
Yerevan is the gateway to Armenia. The capital city hovers in a balancing act between the old and the avant-garde, between sober Soviet architecture and hip designer bars.
Outside the city limits, the other Armenia begins. Then you rumble over patchworks of tarmac, through rutted mountain landscapes and fertile valleys. Along the road, friendly locals sell their mini harvests from baskets and cardboard boxes: Apples, tomatoes, watermelons and potatoes.
They need every dram (one-quarter of one US cent). Incomes are low - the monthly wage of a teacher is equivalent to one night in a luxury hotel in Yerevan. This explains why there are more Armenians living abroad than in their homeland of 3 million people.
'The oldest Christian country in the world'
Armenia stands out with its multitude of sacred monuments. "We have 70,000 cross stones and 3,000 monasteries and churches," emphasises our tour guide, Aramayis Mnatsakanyan.
"We are the oldest Christian country in the world." The 42-year-old puts the number of followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church at over 90% of the population. Christianity became the state religion in the year 301.
Among the monasteries, Khor Virap, located south-east of Yerevan, offers the most famous photo setting: The holy Mount Ararat, the peak where Noah's Ark is said to have touched land after the Biblical great flood.
However, the 5,000-metre peak is located in Turkey and therefore "on the wrong side," says Mnatsakanyan, while recalling the atrocities committed against the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire 110 years ago.
The border is hermetically sealed, the nearby mountain giant unreachable for Armenians. What feeling does the sight trigger among his compatriots, our guide is asked?
"For some, it is associated with pain or even hatred, because of family roots in western Armenia, which is now called eastern Anatolia," answers Mnatsakanyan and tells of his own family history.
"My great-grandfather was only able to save three of his six children" during the Turkish massacre of Armenians in the year 1915.
His other three children were killed in what is widely regarded - denied by Turkey - as a genocide.
Concert in a cavernous rock hall
But back to the subject of monasteries, there is Haghartsin, embedded in the green landscape of the north, the monastery Noravank in the south, and Geghard in central Armenia.
In Geghard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the church walls are blackened by soot from candles, while some of the chambers are carved into the mountain.
If you're lucky, you might catch a small concert in a cavernous mountain hall by the a capella quintet Garni.
The professionals backing soprano Nelly Kalashyan and mezzo-soprano Manush Harutyunyan bring to life Armenia's ancient spiritual music.
The 32-year-old Kalashyan says: "The place here is incredible. It's very emotional, it gives me goosebumps every time."
Armenia's cultural heritage tour continues with the Hellenistic temple of Garni, the ruins of Zvartnots from the 7th century and the tiny old town of the climatic health resort of Dilijan.
On the Sevan Peninsula, nature and culture intertwine. Lake Sevan, known as the "Blue Pearl of Armenia," provides the setting for the Sevanavank Monastery - a reward that awaits after climbing 240 stone steps.
Cultural heritage from the earth oven
On the way up, you pass stalls with paintings, devotional objects, knick-knacks. You are not the first tourist here either.
A stone cross in the monastery complex depicts the so-called Mongolian Christ with almond-shaped eyes and pigtails down to his feet.
"He has long hair because he did not lose his vitality on the cross," says guide Mnatsakanyan, interpreting the artist's intention.
Christianity, but also Armenia's gastronomy, reflects the character of the country and its people.
The simple folk have always needed a cheap way to fill their stomachs. In a kitchen house in Tsaghkunk, Gohar Gareginyan and Anna Yesayan demonstrate the making of a flatbread called lavash, baked in an earthen oven.
Lavash has made it on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List. You eat it in portions which often are filled with cheese and fresh herbs.
What Zara Karapetyan serves in her "Tasty Guest House" west of Yerevan is also full of flavour, be it everything from sweet bread to Armenian pasta. Her aim is to revive and continue Armenia's culinary traditions.
The 51-year-old Karapetyan has not undergone professional training, but instead learnt the art of cooking from her mother and grandmother.
She originally trained as a philologist. Yet another one of the unexpected surprises Armenia has to offer.