Yerevan became the capital of Armenia relatively recently, in 1920, but, nevertheless, it is one of the oldest cities in the world.
At least older than Rome itself. It was founded by the king of the ancient state of Urartu, Argishti, first in 782 BC, as the Erebuni fortress, the ruins of which are a unique monument to Urartu.
The location of the fortress on the way from the Ararat Valley to northern Transcaucasia made it an important trading point, and subsequently the city of Erivan. This is what Yerevan was called until 1936.
Illustrations of the history of Yerevan can be found literally at every step in the form of ancient architectural monuments, in particular cathedrals of the 15th, 16th, 17th and 19th centuries, the Blue Mosque of the 18th century, the remains of religious buildings of the 6th centuries still attract the attention of tourists.
It is interesting that Yerevan owes its current name “pink city” to the global restructuring that began in 1930. Architect Alexander Tamanyan chose volcanic tuff of characteristic cream and pink shades for the construction; they say that he dedicated this project to his wife.
The location of Yerevan high in the mountains creates a completely unique flavor of the surrounding area and views of it.
One of the most recognizable of them, even its “calling card”, is the view of the famous Mount Ararat, the symbol of Armenia.
According to legend, Noah himself, leaving his ark on Mount Ararat, after the “biblical” flood, descended into the valley where Yerevan now lies.
Associated with this view is one of the modern attractions of the capital, the famous Cascade, a suite of stairs decorated with sculptures and flower beds that connects the upper and lower cities. If you climb to its top, the observation deck in Victory Park, you can enjoy an unforgettable panorama of Yerevan with Ararat in the background.
It is interesting that the construction of the Cascade was carried out according to Tamanyan’s plan, but already in our century with the personal funds of an American businessman of Armenian origin, Gerard Cafeschan.
In Victory Park, the “Mother Armenia” monument rises 54 meters high and this monument can be seen from every corner of Yerevan. It is noteworthy that until 1967 there was a monument to Stalin on this site.
History buffs can't help but visit the treasury of writing - the Matenadaran Museum, which stores thousands of manuscripts and printed publications of the Armenian people, the oldest of which date back to the fifth century AD.
Interestingly, according to linguists, the Armenian alphabet is one of the three most perfect. In addition to him, this list includes the Georgian and Korean alphabets, and the Armenian and Georgian alphabets were created by the same Armenian scientist - the monk Mesrop Mashtots.
The largest square in Yerevan is considered to be Republic Square, where an entire museum complex is located, including the National Historical Museum of Armenia and the National Art Gallery of Armenia.
This complex, opened at the beginning of the last century, will help to fully understand the unique history and culture of the Armenian people.
Of course, in addition to this museum complex, Yerevan offers a huge selection of museums and galleries, covering a wide range of interests and time periods.
One of them is the museum of world-famous Armenian cognac - the Ararat Museum of the Yerevan Brandy Factory. They say that the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, drank Armenian cognac every day.
You can take away not only an amazing mood, but also a lot of memorable souvenirs as a souvenir of this city by visiting flea markets and shopping centers.
The most famous such place is Vernissage, not far from Republic Square. Previously, in its place there was a real flea market with all its pros and cons, but the authorities decided to restore order and streamlined trade.
Now here you can purchase both antiques and real collectibles, without fear for the quality and authenticity of the products.
The history of this amazing city is the history of the people of Armenia, the people who were the first to officially accept Christianity at the state level, the people who gave the first mathematics textbook, a people so hospitable and responsive that a tourist here feels at home at any time of the day or night.
The capital of Armenia, the city of Yerevan, is located at an altitude of 865 to 1390 m above sea level, on a volcanic plateau northeast of the Ararat Valley, located in the central part of the Armenian Highlands. There is a very complex system of mountain ranges and depressions here. The reason is that at the end of the Neogene, as a result of tectonic activity, this territory was split into several parts. Cracks formed, lava spilled out of them, and almost the entire surface of the highland was covered with basalt strata. That is why today Yerevan is surrounded by lava-tuff plateaus with giant volcanic cones, tectonic depressions and ridges.
The city is located on a plateau, which is closely surrounded on three sides by mountains: in the north-west is Mount Aragats (the highest in modern Armenia 4094 m), in the north - the Kanaker Plateau, in the east - the Geghama Mountains. In the south there is the valley of the Araks River, behind which rises the massif of Greater and Lesser Ararat. Since the city’s topography is very diverse, the fluctuation in altitude within Yerevan is up to 400 m.
Hrazdan, the largest river in Armenia and the left tributary of the Araks, flows through the entire city. Once in the city, Hrazdan dissects it with a deep gorge from north to south, making several sharp bends.
Yerevan has a fairly large number of sunny days a year. The local climate is notable for the fact that in summer there are significant daily temperature fluctuations. During the day it can reach +34°C, and at night it drops to +11°C.
City `s history
Local legends attribute the title of the most ancient settlement to Yerevan, explaining this with the legend of Noah. According to it, the city was given its name by Noah himself, when during the flood, from aboard the ark, he saw the peak of Little Ararat appearing from under the water and said: “Erevac!” (Aramaic: “She appeared!”).
According to scientific hypotheses, the homeland of the Indo-European peoples is located here; iron smelting technologies were invented and horses were tamed. The geographical position of this place is extremely advantageous in military-strategic and commercial terms. The main trade routes between East and West through Georgia and along the coast of the Black and Caspian Seas ran along the Ararat Valley. On the other hand, for this reason, wars such as the Ottoman-Safavid wars and uprisings did not subside here for a long time.
Yerevan was first mentioned in cuneiform texts of the 8th century. BC e. as a guard fortress of Erebuni, founded in 782 BC. e. king of the state of Urartu. It is generally accepted that the name Erebuni (later remade into Yerevan) comes from the Eri, or Eriakhs, tribe.
In the 11th century Erebuni was conquered by the Seljuks. But despite the oppression and constant conflicts (in 1387 Tamerlane devastated the city), the fortress grew. In the Middle Ages, it became an important trading point on the way from the Ararat Valley to northern Transcaucasia. Starting from 1440, Yerevan became the administrative, trade and craft center of all Eastern Armenia. XVI-XVIII centuries were marked by numerous bloody and devastating invasions of Armenia's neighbors - the Persians and Turks. Since the 17th century. the city became the center of the vassal Erivan Khanate, subordinate to the Persian Shah.
During the Russian-Persian War of 1826-1828, when Russia and Persia fought for power over Transcaucasia and the Caspian region, Russia gained a foothold in this area. Yerevan (then Erivan) was taken by Russian troops and, according to the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty of 1828, was annexed to Russia.
In 1828-1840 it was the center of the Armenian region, and from 1849 the Erivan province.
After the establishment of Soviet power in Transcaucasia, from 1936, the city began to be called Yerevan: this form was considered closer to the modern local pronunciation.
Since 1991, Yerevan has been the capital of the Republic of Armenia.
Despite the fact that Yerevan is located in a natural area that can be considered arid, the city has a large number of artificial forests and fruit-bearing gardens, and trees and shrubs line the streets. Thanks to the greenery of southern pine, plane tree (sycamore), acacia and Nairian poplar, as well as numerous ponds and fountains, the microclimate of the city is quite mild. Therefore, in Yerevan you can see a lot of fruit trees: grapes, peaches, apricots, apples, cherries, sweet cherries, plums, quinces, and nuts grow here.
The city does not lack water. In Yerevan, water supply has been established from Garni springs, the Hrazdan and Azat rivers through pipelines 18-30 km long. The water is supplied without organic impurities, very clean, cold and has a distinct pleasant taste, which has become one of the old symbols of Yerevan.
The oldest architectural landmark of Yerevan is the Erebuni fortress on the Arin-Berd hill. Regular research in the fortress area began in the 19th century. During these excavations, a cuneiform record was discovered about the founding of this fortress by King Argishti, which later became the core around which a new city was formed.
When constructing buildings in Yerevan, one has to take into account the features of the topography, climate and even the wind rose on this section of the mountain plateau. The most common building material in Yerevan was pink tuff, which is why the city itself began to be called “Pink”.
The main architectural monuments of Yerevan are located in the city center. The most notable of them is Republic Square, built in 1924-1958. The border of the general architectural ensemble of the square is formed by the buildings of the National Historical Museum of Armenia, the Government of Armenia with the main clock of the country on the tower, the Central Post Office building, the Armenia Marriott Hotel and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Energy.
A distinctive feature of the capital of Armenia is its many fountains, and among them the most famous are the “singing” ones. They are located in front of the building of the Museum of History of Armenia and at the same time change their color to the sounds of musical accompaniment.
A monument of world significance is the Matenadaran, or the Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Manuscripts named after St. Mesrop Mashtots Research Center under the Government of the Republic of Armenia, one of the greatest collections of manuscripts in the world. Created on the basis of the collection of manuscripts of the Echmiadzin Monastery nationalized in 1920, Matenadaran is also the world's largest repository of ancient Armenian manuscripts. The beginning of the creation of this collection dates back to the 5th century. and is closely connected with the name of Mesrop Mashtots (c. 361-440) - the creator of the Armenian alphabet. The Matenadaran funds contain more than 17 thousand ancient manuscripts and 100 thousand documents from ancient archives.
The largest Armenian cathedral in Yerevan is the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator, built in 2001 in memory of the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity by Armenia, which became the state religion. The cathedral is so tall and majestic that it can be seen from almost anywhere in Yerevan.
One of the most revered places in their hometown by Yerevan residents is Victory Park in the Kanaker-Zeytun area. Here stands the Mayr Hayastan, or “Mother Armenia” monument, designed to personify the constant readiness of the residents to defend their people and their city.
general information
Location: North-eastern part of the Ararat Valley.Administrative division: 12 districts.
Languages: Armenian (state), Russian.
Ethnic composition: Armenians - 98.6%, Russians - 0.6%, Kurds and Yezidis - 0.4%, Azerbaijanis and others - 0.4% (2001).
Religions: Christianity (Armenian Apostolic Church, Orthodoxy, Catholicism), atheism.
Currency unit: dram
Largest river: Razdan.
Airport: Zvartnots International Airport.
Numbers
Area: 300 km2.Population: 1,121,900 people (2011).
Population density: 3739.7 people/km 2 .
Average altitude above sea level: 1040 m.
Economy
Industry: mechanical engineering, non-ferrous metallurgy, metalworking, chemical (synthetic rubber), petrochemical, food (cognac), light, building materials.Heat and hydropower(CHP and HPP).
Agriculture: plant growing (horticulture).
Service sector: tourism, financial, transport.
Climate and weather
Moderate continental, arid.Average January temperature:+4.2°C.
Average temperature in July:+26.2°C.
Average annual precipitation: 300-350 mm.
Attractions
■ Grand Cascade;■ Museums: history of Armenia, history of the city of Yerevan, the Armenian genocide, Erebuni, nature of Armenia, modern art. House-museums of A. Tamanyan, A. Khachaturyan, M. Saryan, S. Parajanov;
■ State Art Gallery of Armenia;
■ Republic Square;
■ Institute of Ancient Manuscripts Matenadaran;
■ Haghtanak Park (Victory Park);
■ Monument to David of Sassoun;
■ Erebuni Fortress (782 BC);
■ Religious buildings: Avan Temple (VI century), St. Astvatsatsin Church (XV-XVII centuries), St. Katoghike Church (XVII century), St. Zoravar Church (XVII century), St. Sarkis Church (XVII century) . Church of St. Hovhannes-Mkrtich (XVIII century), Church of St. Gevork (XVIII century), Blue Mosque (XVIII century);
■ Tsitsernakaberd (monument to the victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915);
■ Armenian Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after A. Spendiarov;
■ Monument to Mayr Hayastan (“Mother Armenia”);
■ Yerevan Brandy Factory.
Curious facts
The mountain plateau is connected to the city center by a cable car, which reduces the time by five times compared to traveling by car. There are two stations on the cable car, the distance between them is 540 m, and the height difference is 109 m.
The Aragats mountain peak is a volcano, but not a single eruption has been recorded in the entire history of Armenia.
Yerevan Metro named after Karen Demirchyan was opened in 1981. It has 10 stations located on one line and one single-track branch. The total length of the lines is 12.1 km.
At 311.7 m high, Yerevan TV Tower is the tallest structure in Yerevan and the 33rd tallest TV tower in the world. The base of the tower is located at an altitude of about 1170 m above sea level.
The Armenian Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after A. Spendiarov, built in 1940, is located in the very center of Yerevan, next to the square where the artificial reservoir “Swan Lake” is located, its outline reminiscent of the Armenian Lake Sevan.
In Yerevan, on Republic Square there is a pulpulak “7 springs”. Pulpulak is a drinking fountain whose name comes from the gurgling sound of water (pul-pul) splashing out from a source, and the Armenian word “ak” - source.
In 1990, a commemorative coin with a face value of 5 rubles was issued in the USSR. with an image of the Matenadaran and dedicated to the anniversary of the Matenadaran building, built in 1959, designed by the architect Mark Grigoryan.
The Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator in Yerevan - together with the Sameba Cathedral - is the largest religious building in Transcaucasia. The total area of the cathedral complex is about 3822 m2, the height of the cathedral from the base to the top of the cross is 65 m.
Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory named after. V.A. Ambartsumyan - one of the leading scientific institutions of the Academy of Sciences of Armenia - is located on the southern slope of Mount Aragats at an altitude of 1490 m. The 102-cm Schmidt telescope installed here in 1960 remains one of the largest telescopes in the world with a similar optical system. In 1971, the world's first symposium on communications with extraterrestrial civilizations (SETI) was held at the Byurakan Observatory.
Natural conditions.
The geographical position of Yerevan can hardly be called favorable: the city is located at an altitude of 850-1300 m above sea level and is divided by the gorge of the Hrazdan River flowing from north to south into two parts, one of which stretches along the Ararat plain, and the other occupies a volcanic plateau.
Yerevan is surrounded on three sides by mountain slopes: Mount Aragats rises in the northwest, Greater Ararat and Little Ararat in the south, and the Geghama ridge borders the city in the northeast.
The climate of Yerevan is continental: spring here lasts about two months and quickly gives way to hot summer, which lasts more than four months, the heat is replaced by sunny autumn, and then mild winter. In January, the mercury rarely drops below +4°C, and the average monthly temperature in July is +27°C.
There is quite little precipitation in Yerevan, about 200-400 mm per year. In summer, city residents escape the heat in the waters of the river flowing through Yerevan or go to the broad-leaved forests and groves that remain within the city limits (mainly in the mountains).
Information for tourists.
The monetary unit in force in Yerevan and throughout Armenia is the dram. The city and country are open to foreign tourists and have great potential for the development of tourism business in various directions: ecotourism, religious tourism, cultural tourism.
There are many hotels in Yerevan (“Yerevan”, “Terjan”, “Valencia”, “Congress”, “Sil Hotel”, “Bass”, “Aviatrans”, etc.), where guests of the capital are offered cozy rooms of any class and at any floor of the building.
In large metropolitan hotels, private establishments and markets, along with local currency, you can use US dollars and Russian rubles.
In Yerevan, tourists will find numerous historical sites and architectural attractions, museums and theaters, cafes and restaurants and, of course, national cuisine with Armenian kebab and cognac.
Yerevan is one of the oldest cities in the world and, like any decent city, the capital of Armenia also has a legend about its origin. When Noah saw the earth after the Flood, he, according to legend, exclaimed “Erevac!” - that is, “it seemed.” And later that land was called Yerevan. Despite its extreme antiquity, there are few truly interesting sights in the city of Yerevan, and the capital of Armenia can hardly be called beautiful in the tourist sense of the word - even many local residents do not consider it so. For example, the owner of our first Yerevan hostel, Arthur, was very surprised that we decided to set aside a whole day to get to know Yerevan - in his expert opinion, three or four hours would be more than enough, and then “go to Sevan, there’s no point in hanging around in Yerevan , especially in the August heat.” And we almost fell for his convincing arguments, but at the last moment for some reason we changed our minds about blowing up Sevan and spent the rest of the day in Yerevan, which we never regretted. Actually, from the outside, Yerevan really doesn’t make any stunning impression – unlike, for example, Tbilisi. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that despite the ancient history, the modern appearance of Yerevan was formed at the beginning of the 20th century, when the architect Alexander Tamanyan developed and in 1924 presented the general plan of Yerevan to the government of Soviet Armenia - and after its approval, he made every effort to implement it.
But even if you show greed and do not assign the epithet “beautiful” to Yerevan, it is difficult to refuse it such as “nice”, “lively”, “optimistic” and “friendly”. We experienced the friendliness of the Yerevan people throughout our entire day in Yerevan - about once every half hour, one of the passers-by would start a conversation with us and always very vigorously approved of our visit to Armenia in general and to Yerevan in particular. I especially remember the incident near Church of Surb Astvatsatsin(Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary): near its fence some peasant was playing the duduk; I threw a coin into his case - and then listened to the talkative musician for about twenty minutes :-)) he expressively told me that “he studied in Moscow, he has a lot of friends in Russia and in general he prays for Russia every day” - I won’t hide, I felt all this is pleasant to hear, but when my interlocutor changed the topic and with even greater fervor began to prove that “Armenia and Russia have a common enemy,” I decided that it was time to somehow wind up this “political round table” - and, giving him a firm shake on parting his hand and assuring him of sincere and eternal friendship, he walked away.
It seemed appropriate to me to present a description of our stay in Yerevan in the form of a small author’s guide like “Sights of Yerevan or what to see in the city in 1-2 days”– I do not claim its absolute correctness and comprehensiveness. This is just our version, nothing more. So,
The best sights of Yerevan - what to see in the capital of Armenia
The sights of Yerevan are listed not by their importance/scale, but by how they were located on our route. We lived a little south of the city center, so we started our walk from the south and then moved north with periodic deviations from the general azimuth.
1. Surb Grigor Lusavorich
Surb Grigor Lusavorich (Church of Gregory the Illuminator) - the largest in Yerevan. It was built in 2001 and is currently the residence of the head of the Ararat diocese. Externally, the church looks quite ascetic:
Its interior decoration is even more laconic than its appearance:
In general, this is a common point of all Armenian and Georgian churches - inside they look very ascetic, especially in comparison with Russian Orthodox churches or Italian Catholic churches.
2. Monument to Andranik Ozanyan
Not far from Surb Grigor Lusavorich is located monument to Andranik Ozanyan- folk hero, also known as Zoravar Andranik (commander Andranik) - commander of the Armenian volunteers who fought the Turks in Western Armenia since 1890.
An interesting detail is that Andranik rides on two horses, which symbolizes the unity of Eastern and Western Armenia. A small geographical and historical digression: modern Armenia is an area that in the 19th century was previously known as Eastern Armenia and until 1917 this territory was part of the Russian Empire. And Western Armenia currently belongs to Turkey and it was there that at the beginning of the 20th century the tragic events known as the “Armenian genocide of 1915” took place. The fact of this genocide is not recognized by Turkey, but is not questioned by anyone in Armenia. The Turks, having expelled or destroyed the Armenian population in Western Armenia, tried to do the same in Eastern Armenia: after the revolution in Russia, Armenia declared its independence and the Turks considered it a rather easy prey. However, in 1918, the Armenians managed to stop the Turkish army and defeat it - and thereby save Eastern Armenia from the fate of Western Armenia.
Behind the monument to Andranik there is another Yerevan attraction - the picturesque Vernissage, a great place to buy Armenian souvenirs.
As for us, we refrained from shopping there - there was already nowhere to put the souvenir junk at home; we decided to limit ourselves to buying good Armenian cognac and pomegranate wine as souvenirs - a rare and quite tasty thing. Georgian neighbors, when they want to give someone a gift, give this Armenian wine. Actually, the Georgians advised us to buy it as a souvenir from Armenia. Vernissage is located in the park southeast of Republic Square (between Aram and P.Byuzand streets), open on weekends. In addition to souvenirs, you can buy books, stamps, coins, musical instruments and items of national clothing there.
Further along the boulevard along Aram Street we came to one of the two main squares of Yerevan: Republic Square, where the National Art Gallery of Armenia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia are located.
3. Republic Square
In general, the regular layout of Yerevan is striking: the entire city center is divided into even, neat blocks and all this is surrounded by a boulevard semi-ring. As I understand it, this is the result of the work of the same Tamanyan who developed and brought to life the master plan of the garden city, where the center, almost entirely built up with houses made of pink tuff, was surrounded by a boulevard ring, the blocks on the hillsides, like spectators, were turned towards Ararat, and completed the capital's appearance has two main squares - in front of the Government House and the Opera House.
4. Opera House
After Republic Square, we walked a little along Amiryan Street and turned onto Mashtots Street, which led us to Opera House Yerevan:
The Yerevan Opera is a very typical example of the city’s “Armenian minimalism” - an architectural style that dominates the appearance of the city. Personally, I somehow prefer baroque with its “curls” and “trinkets” - but this is still a matter of taste, perhaps minimalism has its adherents. Not far from the Opera there is another attraction of Yerevan - Cascade, from the top of which Ararat could be distinguished in the summer haze:
5. Cascade
Yerevan Cascade is the architectural fantasy of Alexander Tamanyan, designed to transform this part of Yerevan into a unique corner:
According to the author's idea, stepped passages, harmoniously connected with the park at the foot, should lead to the most important attraction of Yerevan - an observation deck from which a beautiful view of the entire city center and Mount Ararat opens.
At the very beginning of the park there is a monument to the “father of the city” Tamanyan, carved from a basalt block (of which, thanks to the architect, there are so many in the foundations of Yerevan buildings):
The inscription on the monument reads: “He probably dreamed of this sunny city” - a line from a poem by the poet Charents.
In reality, the Cascade makes a slightly strange impression: I personally had the feeling that the original idea was simply not fully completed - or not completed as planned. There is something unfinished and unfinished there.
6. Surb Astvatsatsin Church
If from the Cascade you go back south to the Opera, and then turn southeast on Sayat-Nova Street, then in a couple of blocks there will be the oldest church in Yerevan - Surb Astvatsatsin (Church of the Virgin Mary), above which rises the Church of the Mother of God, built much later - it looks as if “a daughter hugged her mother”:
It was near this church that the situation with that Russophile musician, described at the very beginning of the story, took place.
7. Baghramyan Avenue
Baghramyan Avenue- the main transport artery of Yerevan and one of its most distinctive streets in terms of development, named after the Soviet commander Hovhannes Bagramyan, known for his participation in the development and implementation of Operation Bagration - the liberation of Soviet Belarus in the summer of 1944, which led to one of the most crushing defeats Wehrmacht throughout the war. The buildings located along the avenue add considerable pomp and splendor to this landmark of Yerevan. National Assembly, residence of the President of Armenia, National Academy of Science, Writers' Union, Union of Architects, Geology Museum and numerous foreign embassies.
8. Monument to David of Sassoun
Monument to David of Sassoun- installed on the station square of Yerevan in honor of the hero of the national epic, who for centuries personified the desire for freedom. Currently, this work by sculptor Yervand Kochar has become an unofficial symbol of Yerevan and one of its main attractions. The epic tells the story of the birth, life and exploits of four generations of Sasun heroes.
The epic can be briefly retold as follows:
...Having drunk “a handful and half a handful” of the miraculous water of Katnakhbyur (milk spring), Queen Tsovinar conceived and gave birth to the heroes Sanasar and Bagdasar, and the twins built the city of Sasun. At the bottom of the sea, Sanasar obtained for himself the miracle horse Jalali and the Lightning Sword, which slays enemies, and the Military Cross, which became a symbol of the invincibility of the Sasun heroes. Sanasar drank the miraculous water and turned into a giant hero, before whom his enemies trembled. Sanasar’s son Mher, Mher’s son David, and David’s son Mher Jr. drank from the wonderful spring. But the earth is deceitful, and the world is full of evil - the last hero from the clan of Sanasar and the horse Jalali went into the rock Agravakar (crow rock), and the rock closed. And they are waiting in the wings - when the old sinful world is destroyed and a new one is born, they will immediately come out...
Tours of Yerevan and Armenia from local residents
I recommend that the most curious and sociable travelers book unusual excursions around Yerevan from local residents. Your guides will be the Yerevan residents themselves: writers, artists, photographers, journalists - who are in love with their city and country and know almost everything about them. Below is a selection of the most interesting and popular excursions in Yerevan according to traveler reviews. To see all available options, click View All. At the booking stage, you will need to pay online only 20% of the excursion cost - you will give the rest of the amount to the guide before it starts.
Well, at the end of the story about the sights of Yerevan, a small photo selection of city monuments - these are the ones we remember Yerevan most of all:
Monument to Aram Khachaturian near the Opera House:
“Monument to the Flower Man”:
The themes of Soviet comedies by Leonid Gaidai and Georgy Danelia are very popular in Yerevan:
By the way, in the Caucasian Captive cafe we were able to try the Armenian national dish called “ garni yarakh"- these are fried eggplants stuffed with minced meat, a very tasty thing.
In the evening, we recommend taking a walk around the city center and visiting the Republic Square. After sunset, it transforms and instead of daytime officialdom, it acquires a relaxed bohemian atmosphere - which, among other things, is greatly facilitated by dancing fountains:
Continuation of our road trip around Armenia: .
Useful articles about Armenia and Georgia:
As for good working insurance, it was not easy to find before, but now it has become even more difficult due to the constant jumps in the exchange rate of the ruble against world currencies. For the last few years, I have been purchasing insurance for my travels through an online service - here you can compare the products of different insurers and choose exactly what suits you best:
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Wishing you vivid impressions from the sights of the city of Yerevan!
Your Roman Mironenko
Located on the left bank of the Ararat Valley, along the Araks River. Population – 1,121,900 people (2011).
Yerevan is the most important transport hub, as well as the political, economic, cultural and scientific center of the country.
Yerevan's architectural monuments and landmarks are concentrated in the city center, an area originally developed and built by architect Alexander Tamanyan in the first half of the 20th century. Since that time, many buildings have appeared and disappeared in the city, but the layout and general architectural appearance have generally been preserved.
The most common building material is pink tuff, which is why Yerevan received the name “Pink City”.
Climate
The climate in Yerevan is temperate continental, arid. Summers are hot and dry, winters are mild and with little snow. Autumn is long and warm; the weather is warm until mid-November. Spring begins in March.
The average air temperature in July is +24…+26 °C, in January -2…-6 °C.
Story
The year of foundation of Yerevan is considered to be the year of foundation of the Urartian city of Erebuni - 782 BC. BC, located on the southern outskirts of modern Yerevan, although there is no evidence indicating the existence of a significant settlement at the site of the city in the period from the 4th century BC. e. to 3rd century AD
The earliest mention of the city in Armenian sources – in the “Book of Letters” – dates back to 607. Further, Yerevan is mentioned in connection with the Arab conquest: in August 650 it was besieged by the Arabs, but to no avail.
The city came under Arab rule in 658. In 660 there was an anti-Arab uprising. The defeat of Tamerlane in 1387 dealt a severe blow to the city. During the reign of the Kara Koyunlu and Ak Koyunlu, Yerevan was an important cultural center, although until 1441 its administration remained in the hands of the Armenians.
In the 16th-17th centuries, Yerevan, like the entire region, served as the scene of devastating Iranian-Turkish wars, which had a serious impact on the demography of the region.
During the struggle between the Ottoman Empire and Persia, Yerevan changed hands 14 times.
As a result of the wars, by 1804 the population of Yerevan had decreased to 6 thousand inhabitants, but by 1827 the city's population was already more than 20 thousand.
During the first Russian-Persian War, the Yerevan fortress was unsuccessfully besieged by the Russians twice (in 1804 by Tsitsianov and in 1808 by Gudovich). On October 5, 1827, Yerevan was captured by the troops of Paskevich (who received the title of Count of Erivan for this); the following year, under the terms of the Turkmanchay Peace, the Erivan Khanate became part of the Russian Empire.
Despite the status of the capital of the province, Erivan retained the appearance of a poor provincial-eastern city, with one or two-story adobe houses and narrow crooked streets.
In 1902, the first railway line passed through Erivan, connecting it with Alexandropol (Gyumri) and Tiflis; in 1908, a second line connected it with Julfa and Persia, which contributed to its economic development.
In May 1918, Erivan became the capital of the Republic of Armenia. At the beginning of December 1920, Erivan was occupied by the Red Army; On February 18, 1921, as a result of a nationwide uprising, Soviet power was overthrown, but on April 2, the Red Army re-entered Yerevan, where Soviet power was established for 70 years.
Under Soviet rule, a large-scale reconstruction of Yerevan began, carried out in 1924 according to the project of Alexander Tamanyan, who developed a special national style using elements of traditional church architecture and tuff as a building material.
Since the beginning of 1988, mass rallies of the Karabakh movement, which has grown into the movement for the independence of Armenia, begin in Yerevan on the square near the Opera House.
City transport of Yerevan
Yerevan city public transport - buses, trolleybuses, minibuses And metro.
There used to be trams in Yerevan, but on January 21, 2004 their service was officially closed (due to high costs).
Until 2004, Yerevan had a cable car that connected the Nork plateau with the city center. On March 2, 2004, a carriage collapsed on the cable car; it fell from a great height, resulting in 3 deaths and 5 injuries. Since then the road has stopped working.
Yerevan metro
The Yerevan metro was opened on March 7, 1981. Construction of the metro began in 1972, initially as a metrotram, but during construction it was converted into a metro. Today the metro has 10 stations located on two lines, with a total length of 12.1 km. Eight more stations are expected to be built.
The fare from July 1, 2011 is 100 drams (1 trip).
Yerevan metro map
Last changes: 10/25/2011
Airports of Yerevan
There are two airports in the vicinity of Yerevan:
Zvartnots International Airport- located 12 km west of Yerevan, has a transit zone.
From the Airport to the center of Yerevan you can get by public transport - by bus and minibus 250 drams (about $0.8) travel time - 40 minutes or by taxi from 1,300 to 4,500 drams (from $4.2 to $14.8) travel time - 15 minutes.
Erebuni Airport– a mixed civil and military airport located 7 km south of the center of Yerevan. Currently, the airport is mainly used by the military.
At the same time, the airport is also used by private enterprises performing charter helicopter flights both within the country and to the CIS countries.
Yerevan Station
Yerevan Station is the main railway station of Yerevan, located on David of Sasun Square.
Long distance trains:
Yerevan – Batumi (only in summer)
Yerevan – Tbilisi
Suburban trains
Yerevan – Gyumri
Yerevan – Araks
Yerevan – Armavir
Yerevan – Ararat
Yerevan – Yeraskh
Armenia is connected by international railway traffic only with Georgia (Tbilisi and Batumi).
Architecture and sights of Yerevan
The center of the city's architectural ensemble is Republic Square(1924-1958), the shape of which is formed by 5 buildings: the building of the National Historical Museum of Armenia (in front of it there are singing fountains), the building of the Government of Armenia with the main clock of the country on the tower, the Central building of the RA Post Office, the Marriott Armenia hotel, the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affairs and energy.
Adjoining the square to the north is a newly built pedestrian Northern Avenue, about 1500 m long, connecting it with the territory of the Opera House. Around the theater there are numerous squares and monuments, as well as the famous “Swan Lake”; to the north of it is the second largest square in Yerevan - France Square.
From Republic Square and the Opera House, the largest streets of Yerevan diverge in all directions, leading to all its other districts.
Opera theatre or Armenian Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after. A. Spendiarova - located in the very center of Yerevan, was created in 1933, received its own building in 1940.
– the main historical museum of Armenia. It was founded in 1921 together with the Art Gallery of Armenia, with which it shares a common building of the museum complex. The National History Museum occupies the lower two floors of the complex.
The museum's exposition is divided into several departments: archaeological, ethnographic, numismatics, historical architecture, and the department of modern and contemporary history of Armenia.
The museum displays objects of material culture discovered on the territory of Armenia and dating back to periods ranging from the Stone Age to the end of the 19th century.
National Art Gallery – the main museum of fine arts of Armenia. The gallery was founded in 1921 and is part of the Museum complex, occupying its upper floors from the third to the eighth (the lower two floors of the building are occupied by the National Historical Museum of Armenia).
The State Art Gallery of Armenia is one of the largest museums in the CIS, and the largest in the world in terms of the collection of Armenian fine art.
The collections of the Art Gallery of Armenia contain more than 20 thousand works of art, the collection of the Western European department has more than 350 canvases and drawings.
– one of the historical museums of Yerevan, located on the Arin-Berd hill, next to the remains of the Urartian fortress of Erebuni. The museum was opened in 1968 on the 2700th anniversary of the founding of the city of Erebuni.
The museum contains many exhibits that were discovered as a result of excavations of the Erebuni fortress itself in 1950-1959 and excavations of the neighboring Urartian city of Teishebaini, which took place on the Karmir-Blur hill in 1939-1958.
The most valuable finds, in particular items made of gold and silver, for example a figurine of the god Teisheba, were transported to the Historical Museum of Armenia - the main museum of the country, and only copies of these finds are exhibited in the Erebuni Museum. The most valuable exhibits of the Erebuni Museum proper are considered to be 23 cuneiform tablets from the Urartian period.
The museum territory includes the remains of the fortress walls of Erebuni and a partial reconstruction of some halls of the royal palace, located in the open air behind the main museum building on the top of the Arin-Berd hill.
Cascade Monument– a monumental architectural structure in the form of a system of stairs, fountains, sculptures and flower beds on the slopes of the Kanaker Hills. At the top there is an observation deck, which offers a beautiful view of the city with Mount Ararat in the background.
Tsitsernakaberd (Tsitsernakaberd)– a memorial complex in Yerevan dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Located on the hill of the same name.
The 44-meter stele symbolizes the will to revive the Armenian people. Along the entire stele from the base to the top there is a deep cut or fault, dividing it into two parts. The arrow symbolizes the divided Armenian people, the smaller part of which lives in Armenia, and the larger part lives in the Diaspora.
Next to the stele there is a pedestal - a cone formed by twelve large stone slabs. In the center of the cone, at a depth of 1.5 meters, an eternal flame burns.
There, next to the stele, there is a hundred-meter-high Wall of Mourning with the names of the places (cities and villages) along which the path of the Armenians deported during the genocide passed.
The last completed building of the complex was the Genocide Museum, opened in 1995 at the other end of the park, which is almost entirely underground and consists of two floors with a total area of 2000 m².
The museum displays some of the photographs taken by German photographers, as well as their publications. Not far from the museum there is an alley where foreign government officials plant trees in memory of the victims of the genocide.
– the largest Armenian cathedral in Yerevan. Built (1997-2001) in memory of the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity as the state religion by Armenia. It is also a repository of relics associated with Gregory the Illuminator. The relics were brought here from Naples, and after the consecration of the temple, Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral.
The cathedral consists of three temples: the Church of St. Tiridates III (150 seats), the Church of the Holy Queen Ashkhen (150 seats) and the cathedral itself with 1,700 seats. The names for the churches were not chosen by chance. King Tiridates III and Queen Ashkhen helped Saint Gregory the Illuminator spread the Christian faith in Armenia.
The total area of the complex is about 3822 sq. m. m, the height from the ground to the top of the cross is 54 meters.
Blue Mosque– the cathedral mosque of Yerevan, built in 1766 by the local Turkic khan of the Erivan Khanate, Huseynali Khan Qajar. The area of the mosque is 7000 square meters. m. In the southeastern part of the mosque there is a 24 m high minaret, there are 28 pavilions, a library in the northern part, the main hall and dome in the southern part, and a courtyard.
During the Soviet years it was converted, first in 1931, into the Yerevan City Museum, then into a planetarium, and is currently one of the cultural centers of the Iranian community in Armenia.
or Institute of Ancient Manuscripts- a research center under the government of the Republic of Armenia, which is one of the largest repositories of manuscripts in the world.
The Matenadaran funds include more than 17 thousand ancient manuscripts and more than 100 thousand ancient archival documents. Along with 13 thousand Armenian manuscripts, more than 2000 manuscripts in Russian, Hebrew, Latin, Arabic, Syriac, Greek, Japanese, Persian and other languages are stored here.
The building where the institute is currently located was built in 1959 according to the design of architect Mark Grigoryan.
- a monument in honor of the victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War in Yerevan. Located in Haghtanak Park, overlooking the city center. Built in 1950. The height is 54 m, of which 22 m is the height of the statue.
Initially, a monument to Stalin was installed on the pedestal, dismantled in 1962. The statue “Mother Armenia” (1967) is made in hammered copper and symbolizes the power and greatness of the Motherland. Represents the image of a mother sheathing a sword. There is a shield at the mother’s feet. The sculpture is characterized by the stylized shape of the hands and the strict features of the clothing.
At the base of the monument there is a museum of the Ministry of Defense, which displays exhibits from the Great Patriotic and Karabakh wars: personal belongings, weapons, documents and portraits of heroes. Around the pedestal are displayed samples of weapons of that time.
- on David of Sasun Square in front of the Yerevan station building. David of Sasun is a medieval epic that tells the story of the struggle of heroes from Sasun (a region in historical Armenia, now in Turkey) against Arab invaders.
– approximately 60% of the all-Armenian reserves of cognac spirits of various aging periods are located here. This is the leading enterprise in Armenia for the production of alcoholic beverages.
Also worth a visit in Yerevan water park "Yerevan Water World", Botanical Garden And Zoo.
Sights in the vicinity of Yerevan
(Temple of the Vigilant Forces, Temple of Heavenly Angels) is the greatest temple of early medieval Armenian architecture, located near Yerevan and Vagharshapat.
Built in the 7th century under Catholicos Nerses III the Builder, who planned to move his residence from Dvin to Vagharshapat. The consecration ceremony of the colossal temple was attended by the Byzantine emperor Constant II, who wished to build the same one in Constantinople.
In the 10th century, the temple collapsed during an earthquake due to the weakness of the support nodes of the second tier.
The ruins of Zvartnots were discovered by excavations in 1901-1907. To date, the first tier has been almost completely reconstructed.
In 2000, the ruins of the temple and the archaeological area around it were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
– the ruins of the ancient fortress city of the state of Urartu, the last stronghold of Urartian statehood during the decline of Urartu. They are located on the Karmir-Blur hill on the outskirts of modern Yerevan.
Teishebaini was founded in the 7th century BC. e. Tsar Rusa II.
At the southern foot of the Karmir-Blur hill, on the site of an Urartian vineyard, a small building of the Teishebaini Museum was built, which is currently closed, and almost all of its funds were transferred to the Erebuni Museum (with the exception of large stone fragments of the Teishebaini water conduits).
Video of Yerevan
