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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 1999 by Richard L. Ney This tour guide is prepared for personal information-use only. Absolutely no part of this tour guide, its complete form, or the information contained within it may be reprinted, copied or otherwise duplicated for the purposes of resale or commercial gain. Any duplication or copying of this guide, any part thereof, and the information contained must receive the express permission of the author.
LOCATION: Armenia is in the southwestern part of the Transcaucascus. It is South of Georgia, West of Azerbaijan, North of Iran and East of Turkey.
POPULATION: 3.6 million (1989 est.)
CAPITAL: YEREVAN (1.3 mln--1989 est.)
ETHNIC GROUPS: 96% Armenian, 4% Kurdish, Yesdi, Russian, Jewish, Assyrian, Greeks, Ouds, Bashahai (Gypsy) and other ethnic groups
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Eastern Armenian.
OTHER LANGUAGES: Western Armenian, Russian, English, French, German, Kurdish, Greek, Hebraic-Yiddish
RELIGION: 90% Armenian Apostolic.
OTHERS: Armenian Catholic, Armenian Protestant, Russian Orthodox, Jewish, Greek Orthodox
GOVERNMENT: Parliamentary Republic
EXCHANGE RATE: $1 = 450-500 AMD
TELEPHONE:
INTERNATIONAL COUNTRY CODE: (374-CITYCODE)
INTERNAL CIS CODE: (885-CITYCODE)
KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS
AND SYMBOLS:
· Public Transport:
M: Metro
B: Bus
TB: Trolley Bus
T: Trolley Car
YT: Fixed Route Taxi
Taxi: Taxi (approx. cost)
· Money:
AMD: Armenian Dram
$: US Dollar
FF: French Franc
DM: Deutsche Mark
£: British Pound
¥: Japanese Yen
· Dates:
bc: Before Christian Era
ce: Christian Era (ad) Abbreviated dates are written as Day/Month/Year
(i.e. 15/6/55 is June 15, 1955).
Telephone number
AT&T: Dedicated International Line
E-Mail: e-mail address
fax: Telefax Transmission number
Telex: telex address
The experience of Armenia is in its contrasts, it lies in the impossibility of so many opposites existing side by side. When you enter Armenia, you are entering a crossroads. Between the Russian Empire and Persia, between Asia and Europe, Armenia does not fit any region, and at the same time it fits them all. If it is your desire to place convenient labels on the new and the strange, Armenia will frustrate. If it is your desire to capture yourself in an enchanting culture and to learn more of yourself in the process, Armenia will illuminate. Armenia is unique for having fiercely resisted hundreds of invasions from foreign powers and retaining its cultural identity. It is unique for having adopted so many different customs and traditions, and transforming each into a uniquely Armenian identity. And it is a country that rivals all others for the hospitality and friendship it offers visitors.
Armenia is made of stone, the character of its people are shaped by thousands of years adapting rock into a graceful existence. They have the spectacle of the mountains that ring their land, the gazing Mount Ararat (Metz Masis and Poker Masis) to remind them of the time when they were the greatest power between the Mediterranean, the Black and the Caspian Seas, when they defeated both the Roman and the Persian empires. And they have the subtlety of rivers that etch green paths of abundance in even the driest of places. Armenians revel in their good fortune, but it is a good fortune built on solid ground.
And Armenia is not for the hasty visitor. She is to be lingered over, like the long cups of coffee at sidewalk cafes that thrive throughout the country (one of Armenia's legacies in the Soviet period is that they were the first to be allowed to open sidewalk cafes). One must look for the hidden jewels in Armenia, and the search is half the discovery. And the jewels are numerous: at the top of volcanic peaks that hold crystal clear lakes, in forests teeming with wildlife, in 8th, 9th and 12th century communities made from caves, on a dusty road that stops suddenly at an 8th century caravan stop on the Silk Road; they are on the sides of mountains where shepherds and flocks dot landscapes with temples and castles dating back to the 10th c bc; with hundred's of stone churches dating back to the 4th c ce (using architecure which shaped the Romanesque and Gothic styles in Europe); in the more than 10,000 intricately carved stone crosses at every bend; among the hundreds of hot and cold mineral springs that sprout along mountain springs, along dustry trails, in the depths of forests, and it seems at every turn in the paths that twist and wind through the country; they are in the sounds of a lonely boy tending cattle by a stream, singing a song as old as the days of Uratu, his voice echoing off a canyon wall; among women seperating wheat from chaff in the summer breeze, fishermen gathering their catch much as was done on the shores of Galillee; they are in the sheer cliffs and jagged peaks that form the backbone of this country, in Swiss style towns and villages, Greek houses, and stone carvings on the most humble of dwellings; they are even in the tropical regions along the Iranian border, where pomegrantes, 1 kilo peaches and succulent oranges andlemons crowd along carefully terraced hillsides.
Armenia is for the adventurous soul, for the visitor looking to discover a country still rooted in its ancient traditions while emerging into the 21st century. It is a land where even the very young are able to dance to haunting rhythms and jubilant strains of music, where they follow family traditions while at the same time they race to learn high technology, to create new feats of engineering and discover new galaxies that change the way we look at the origins of the universe. She is a place where it is possible to star gaze from the largest telescope in Europe or the oldest in the Middle East (1000 years bc); where living dragons (carved demons at the sources of springs--9th c bc) vie with the pristine waters of Lake Sevan for capturing the imagination. Armenia is an equally rewarding travel experience for the hiker, for it contains some of the most spectacular mountains and the most hospitable villages in EurAsia. Southern Armenia has river canyon walls rivaling those of the Grand Canyon, and everywhere there are churches, castles and temples dating back to the dawn of recorded history. These are the Jewels of Armenia: her natural splendors, her warm and gracious people, and her quiet spaces. They reward the adventurous soul with personal experiences no packaged tour in one of the so-called "developed" countries can hope to offer.
Perhaps the best way to prepare yourself for visiting Armenia is to understand that you are traveling to a country that is highly developed in its own right --one that was flourishing long before Europe moved out of the Dark Ages-- and has a savvy sense of business and quality. It may appear to the simple visitor she is still developing by Western "standards", but you will soon learn she is already developed in a much deeper sense. The most literate of the former Soviet Union Republics and one the oldest cultures on earth, Armenia is a contrast of discriminating taste and the remains of 70 years of Soviet rule that has left its mark in the ways the populace consider public and private property. In the public sphere, there is decay and disuse. In their private lives, Armenians delight in the sophistication of their hospitality and decor. It is a point of honor to treat visitors with courtesy and graciousness. No home should be judged by its outward appearance: that drafty, dirty stairwell you tread often leads to parquet floors and 19th century treasures. If any country fits the oft repeated admonition to "not judge a book by it’s cover", Armenia does.
And Armenia is going through many chnages while much seems the same. Shops and stores open at a remarkable rate in Yerevan, and wealth is beginning to become apparent. To be sure, there are still contrasts between the have’s and have-not’s. Part of the visitor’s experience in Armenia will be to draw conclusions on this account. But the difficulties of the last years has awakened a spirit of independence and a willingness to create a new Armenia.
Whether in a group or alone, by car, van or on foot; staying in hotels, in homes or camping out; traveling to Armenia is an adventure. It is possible to make arrangements through travel agents for visas, flights and hotels in Yerevan. Beyond that, it is a come-as-you-are affair, and reservations are seldom required. The adventure of visiting Armenia is in the undiscovered delights that wait for you along the way (And some would say it is in the surprises waiting in your room). It is easy and cheap to get around and about, using both public transport and hired car. And though you might find yourself waiting in lines that seem to form for no apparent reason, you will also be able to crack the language barriers by attempting even a smattering of Armenian and win the hearts of those around you, gathering bits of local gossip and shared tidbits of bargain food in the process.
The border between Turkey and Armenia is still officially closed, though the air route to Athens and Lebanon has opened, and the border with Turkey is porous, to say the least. A weekly bus travels from Yerevan to Istanbul, and there are plans for road points to reopen. Stores and markets are filled with products marked "made in Turkey", and we have heard of people who manage to cross over from Turkey into Armenia at Giumri.
Planning your visit to Armenia involves several decisions, among them whether you want to travel alone or in a group. In researching and writing this travel guide, we tried to assist both types of visitors. Where it is determined to take less time and make a travel decision easier, we point to travel agents and group excursion options. We also suggest do-it- yourself options for the solo traveler. By mixing and matching between these choices, we hope that you will be able to create a tailor made tour.
