ANCIENT LAND OFFERS FEAST OF HISTORY AND NATURAL BEAUTY
Toronto Star, Canada
8
March 29 2007
Just the facts
The Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan is on Republic Square. It has 215
rooms and 11 suites. For information, visit
Visitors need a visa. For more information, call the Armenian Embassy
at 613-234-3710 or visit armembassycanada.ca
For information on travelling to Armenia, see the Armenia Tourism
Development Agency’s website at
British Airways, Austrian Airlines, Air France and Lufthansa offer
direct flights to Yerevan from Western Europe.
Weather: The best time to visit Armenia is in the fall or the spring.
Vibrant culture survived decades of Soviet dominance
Mar 29, 2007 04:30 AM BENOIT LEGAULT Special to the Star
Yerevan, Armenia-The axles scream at every bump in the road and we
are tossed about inside our minibus like lottery balls.
Appropriately enough, this crumbling Armenian back road, like an
archeological ruin, paves the way for a unique journey back in time.
Part of the road network, battered by the great earthquake of 1989,
remains in disrepair.
A couple of hours along, our stomachs feel the same. We have been
told to bring food and water since rural Armenia offers little for
tender Western stomachs.
But we are here to sample a different menu: a feast of ancient history
and natural splendours.
"This is a special place. Its beauty never ceases to amaze me," says
Armenian-American Matthew Karanian, a professional photographer and
writer (and attorney and university professor) who co-wrote Armenia &
Karabagh, The Stone Garden Guide, an illustrated 306-page guidebook
about his beloved homeland.
Set amid the mountains of the Caucasus Region, Armenia is surrounded
by exotic, sometimes turbulent neighbours, including Iran, Turkey,
Georgia and Azerbaijan, and packs 7,000 years of history into a
country that’s a little more than half the size of Nova Scotia.
Imagine a breathtaking blend of rivers, valleys, plains and sand
canyons reflecting 1,001 colours.
One of several countries whose doors have recently opened to tourists,
Armenia unveils a paradox of an intense religious culture and dazzling
urban nightlife that will impress even the most jaded traveller.
"When I was transferred to Yerevan, I did not know what to think
and what to expect. Now I’m having a great time here. The Armenian
culture and people are fascinating," says Frenchman Alex Nurock,
director of management at the Marriott Armenia Hotel in Yerevan.
Despite centuries of conflict and oppression, Armenians remain a
steadfastly religious people, proud of being the oldest Christian
nation on Earth.
Monasteries, some of them thousands of years old, remain active,
inhabited and true to their purpose. Very much a living history,
these medieval structures operate much as they did 1,700 years ago,
despite being Armenia’s No. 1 tourist attraction.
During my visit, the head of the Armenian Church, Catholicos Karekin
II, said that the role of all church leaders is "to establish goodness
in the heart of the people, so that, through love, they will find
their salvation."
"Christianity is like the colour of our skin," our guide added. "It
is inseparable for the life of every Armenian."
For centuries, Armenia’s political and social evolution has been
guided by faith.
The Armenian Apostolic Church resembles Catholicism (although married
men can become priests), and as with many Western nations of centuries
past, the church represents a kind of a parallel government.
The fraternal and historical links between Armenia and the West –
particularly France and the United States – breathe a natural warmth
into the relationship between Armenians and their guests.
Roughly eight million people of Armenian descent are scattered
throughout the world (double Armenia’s population), notably French
singer Charles Aznavour, American tennis legend Andre Agassi and
American singer and actress Cher.Armenia languished as a republic of
the former Soviet Union before regaining its independence in 1991.
Today, the architecture, cars and fashions stir memories of this
period and Russian endures as the nation’s most common second language
after Armenian.
Still, the painted-over greyness of the land is brightened by a grand
elegance that will not be denied.
Yerevan, the capital, resembles a modern Russian city. A small town
of 14,000 in 1900, it is now home to 1.2 million people. At its heart,
Republic Square is an immense public space and cultural centre bordered
by shops, hotels, museums and art galleries.
This was Lenin Square during the Soviet period, and the requisite Lenin
statue stood watch over the masses before eventually being toppled –
and beheaded – after independence.
This decapitated symbol of Soviet repression lies broken and discarded
in a back courtyard of the National History Museum, for all to see.
The Canadian consulate has a prestigious address – on Republic Square,
in an office once occupied by the KGB.
"The Canadian embassy is in Moscow but we provide consular services,"
says Artashes Emin, the honorary Canadian Consul.
"Once I was in an arts and crafts market, and I found a Canadian
passport on the ground. Then I returned to the consulate and the
Canadian who lost the passport arrived just moments after me, to
get a replacement passport. It was incredible. I really felt useful
that day."
Yerevan’s Genocide Monument pays homage to the estimated two million
victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide.
A circular, underground museum recalls the event in stories and photos
while a 45-metre granite stela points to the sky to signal rebirth. A
12-sided structure leans inward to mourn the 12 Armenian provinces
annexed by Turkey. More a pilgrimage site than a tourist stop, the
park is both profoundly moving and deeply disturbing.
The greatest surprise is the restaurants and the lively nightlife
that begins as soon as the plates are emptied.
A full meal of Armenian specialties, accompanied with wine, costs
about $12, delivering wonderful memories at remarkably affordable
prices. At night, joyful revellers move through the main streets
in waves. Food and drinks are served on terraces with an authentic
Mediterranean flavour.
"Armenia is a destination that will open the eyes of a curious
traveller seeking something beyond the well-worn pathways of tourism,"
says Karanian.
Benoit Legault is a Montreal-based writer. His trip to Armenia was
subsidized by the Armenia Marriott Hotel and by Lufthansa Airlines.