Armenia – a Country that is Worth Seeing

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Natural Mirror

A country mentioned in the Old Testament, which was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion, whose capital city is older than Rome, that has chess, boxing, gymnastics, shooting, and sambo world champions, Pulitzer Prize winner William Saroyan, world-famous chansonnier Charles Aznavour, rock star Serj Tankian and pop star Cher. Of course, some of them were not born in Armenia, but their roots are from this land. Welcome to the Republic of Armenia or just Armenia.

From this country that perhaps is hard to find on the map, originated some of the inventors who changed the course of the world history. Color television, magnetic resonance tomographic device, water tap, automated teller machines (ATM), automatic transmission (self-shifting transmission), these are all invented by Armenian scientists.

Armenia is situated in the western part of Asia and its total area is 30.000 square kilometers. It shares borders with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Iran. The population is about 3 million; the majority is Armenians (more than 98 percent).

The capital city is Yerevan and it is 2799 years old! Oh yes, don’t be surprised. We said that it is older than Rome, didn’t we? And the proof is in the records found in the area of Erebuni, Old Yerevan. They still exist. If you come to Yerevan you should definitely visit the “Erebuni” Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve. It is situated on the top of the Arin Berd Hill, where King Argishti founded the Urartian Erebuni Fortress in 782 BC.

There you not only will find the document confirming the age of Yerevan in the stone-carved script, but also numerous artifacts which tell us about the past, architecture, lifestyle, the etiquette of people, as well as the cuisine of the city. There are also barley seeds and wine barrels kept here, which evidence making beer and wine a millennium ago. Not a surprise that Armenia is considered to be the cradle of winemaking. So when you come to Armenia you should certainly go to Areni (a village in Vayots Dzor Province), where you can taste the wines made of fiery sun-fed grapes of Armenian highlands. And by the way, every year, there is the Areni Wine Festival taking place in fall. And again, not to worry if you are not in Armenia for this event; there are many wine barrels along the highway to the village. They not only sell but also allow you to taste for free: remember Armenians are one of the most hospitable nations in the world. Come and see yourself.

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