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MUST SEE YEREVAN - HUFFINGTON POST
YEREVAN, May 16. /Novosti-Armenia/. Yerevan is a surprising city.
While it's history dates back to the 8th century B.C., the total
population of Yerevan was still under 70,000 at the start of the
Soviet era. With this nearly blank canvas to work with, Soviet
architect Alexander Tamanyan went to work on the new capital of the
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, hoping to create a Neoclassical
jewel modeled after the great capitals of Western Europe.
A good way to start your cultural immersion into Armenia, is to head
outside the city to the Monastery of Geghard, which is a UNESCO
heritage site. The Geghard complex, which dates back to the 4th
century A.D., is also known as "the Monastery of the Cave," and is
cut into the cliffs in the Azat River gorge.
Ninety-seven percent of Armenians are Christian, and Geghard has been
an important religious site dating back at least as far as the 13th
century, when it was purported to have held many important relics,
including the spear that wounded Christ on the cross.
A short 15-minute drive from Geghard, is the town of Garni. Here you
can reach back even further into history, with a visit to the eponymous
temple. Work on the Garni temple began in the first century A.D. This
Hellenic structure, which was funded by Emperor Nero, has been restored
after being partially destroyed by invasions and earthquakes over the
centuries. It is the only surviving pagan temple in the entirety of
the former Soviet Union.
With a look into Armenian antiquity complete, your next stop on the
way back to Yerevan should be Victory Park. Perched in the hills
above Yerevan, Victory Park features a very dated Soviet style
amusement park complete with a Pripyat-esque 1980's ferris wheel,
old Soviet military hardware (tanks, SAM's and even a MiG), as well
as a brilliant lookout point providing great views of the city, and
on a clear day, Mt. Ararat. The highlight of Victory Park however,
is the 21-meter tall hammered copper Mother Armenia Statue, set atop
a 30-meter high basalt base.
Back in "Kentron," the city center, Republic Square is not to be
missed. Formerly known as Lenin Square, this "square" is actually
an oval that was designed by Tamanyan to resemble a traditional
Armenian rug when viewed from above. The square is ringed by the
National Gallery, National History Museum and several government
buildings. If you visit Armenia in the summer months, be sure to
return to Republic Square after dark to see the "dancing fountains,"
a choreographed water show synched with lights and music.
Tamanyan envisioned Yerevan as a city with two centers, the main center
being Republic Square, and the second, smaller center located around
the Opera House. Northern Avenue is the pedestrian way linking these
two focal points, and while strolling between them, you can find high
end shopping, cafes and some of Yerevan's finest restaurants.
Perhaps the most impressive tourist attraction in the city center is
the Cascade. Construction on this massive undertaking began in 1971,
and it was not completed until 2009. The Cascade is a Soviet-sized
stairway that links the city center to the hilltop neighborhood of
Monument, where Victory Park is located.
The Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex houses both the Armenian
Genocide Museum, and the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial. The museum,
which is less than ten minutes taxi ride from Republic Square offers an
account of the 1915 genocide in which as many as 1.5 million Armenians
perished while Armenia was part of the Ottoman Empire.
The final stop is the Khor Virap Monastery, located 20 miles South
of Yerevan, and less than 500 yards from the Armenian-Turkish border.
Construction of the still functioning church began in 642 A.D. and
aside from viewing the Monastery, it's vantage point on a hilltop in
Pokr Vedi affords unparalleled views of nearby Mt. Ararat just across
the Turkish border. -0--
- See more at:
http://arka.am/en/news/tourism/must_see_yerevan_huffington_post_/#sthash.xZCv0jOd.dpuf
YEREVAN, May 16. /Novosti-Armenia/. Yerevan is a surprising city.
While it's history dates back to the 8th century B.C., the total
population of Yerevan was still under 70,000 at the start of the
Soviet era. With this nearly blank canvas to work with, Soviet
architect Alexander Tamanyan went to work on the new capital of the
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, hoping to create a Neoclassical
jewel modeled after the great capitals of Western Europe.
A good way to start your cultural immersion into Armenia, is to head
outside the city to the Monastery of Geghard, which is a UNESCO
heritage site. The Geghard complex, which dates back to the 4th
century A.D., is also known as "the Monastery of the Cave," and is
cut into the cliffs in the Azat River gorge.
Ninety-seven percent of Armenians are Christian, and Geghard has been
an important religious site dating back at least as far as the 13th
century, when it was purported to have held many important relics,
including the spear that wounded Christ on the cross.
A short 15-minute drive from Geghard, is the town of Garni. Here you
can reach back even further into history, with a visit to the eponymous
temple. Work on the Garni temple began in the first century A.D. This
Hellenic structure, which was funded by Emperor Nero, has been restored
after being partially destroyed by invasions and earthquakes over the
centuries. It is the only surviving pagan temple in the entirety of
the former Soviet Union.
With a look into Armenian antiquity complete, your next stop on the
way back to Yerevan should be Victory Park. Perched in the hills
above Yerevan, Victory Park features a very dated Soviet style
amusement park complete with a Pripyat-esque 1980's ferris wheel,
old Soviet military hardware (tanks, SAM's and even a MiG), as well
as a brilliant lookout point providing great views of the city, and
on a clear day, Mt. Ararat. The highlight of Victory Park however,
is the 21-meter tall hammered copper Mother Armenia Statue, set atop
a 30-meter high basalt base.
Back in "Kentron," the city center, Republic Square is not to be
missed. Formerly known as Lenin Square, this "square" is actually
an oval that was designed by Tamanyan to resemble a traditional
Armenian rug when viewed from above. The square is ringed by the
National Gallery, National History Museum and several government
buildings. If you visit Armenia in the summer months, be sure to
return to Republic Square after dark to see the "dancing fountains,"
a choreographed water show synched with lights and music.
Tamanyan envisioned Yerevan as a city with two centers, the main center
being Republic Square, and the second, smaller center located around
the Opera House. Northern Avenue is the pedestrian way linking these
two focal points, and while strolling between them, you can find high
end shopping, cafes and some of Yerevan's finest restaurants.
Perhaps the most impressive tourist attraction in the city center is
the Cascade. Construction on this massive undertaking began in 1971,
and it was not completed until 2009. The Cascade is a Soviet-sized
stairway that links the city center to the hilltop neighborhood of
Monument, where Victory Park is located.
The Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex houses both the Armenian
Genocide Museum, and the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial. The museum,
which is less than ten minutes taxi ride from Republic Square offers an
account of the 1915 genocide in which as many as 1.5 million Armenians
perished while Armenia was part of the Ottoman Empire.
The final stop is the Khor Virap Monastery, located 20 miles South
of Yerevan, and less than 500 yards from the Armenian-Turkish border.
Construction of the still functioning church began in 642 A.D. and
aside from viewing the Monastery, it's vantage point on a hilltop in
Pokr Vedi affords unparalleled views of nearby Mt. Ararat just across
the Turkish border. -0--
- See more at:
http://arka.am/en/news/tourism/must_see_yerevan_huffington_post_/#sthash.xZCv0jOd.dpuf