%cgThe Genocide Memorial (Tsitsernakaberd)%c* and other Armenia Things to Do Tips

I strongly recommend visiting the genocide memorial and museum for anyone wishing to understand Armenia and its people.
In 1965, the Armenians throughout the world commemorated the 50th anniversary of the 1915 genocide by the Turks and the lack of any tangible symbol in Armenia itself was the reason the genocide memorial was created in 1967.
As you approach the memorial from the car park, you will notice the collection of trees, each of which has been planted by a distinguished visitor such as Barbara Cox, an English Congresswoman.
The monument itself has two parts. One is a 44 meter tall stele reaching to the sky. The other is a ring of 12 large inwardly leaning basalt slabs whose shape is reminiscent of traditional Armenian Khachkars. The 12 Slabs represent the 12 lost provinces of western Armenia.
The Museum was added in 1995 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the massacres. There are photographs taken by German army photographers and more information in various forms such as foreign publications, etc...

You may find more details on my Yerevan VT page.

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Directions: In the City of Yerevan, on the west side of the Hrazdan River.

Visitors to Yerevan are inevitable drawn to the large and imposing REPUBLIC SQUARE. In Soviet times, the square used to be called the Lenin Square. The square is surrounded by different buildings with fine architecture.. An example is the "National History Museum" of 1926 on the northeast side with fountains outside. There are also government buildings, a post office and Hotel Armenia/ Marriot Hotel around the square. A must see for the tourists.. There are people vending snacks and cold drinks around the square and there are some fine restaurants near the square including the Hotel Armenia/ Marriot Hotel's restaurant on the bottom floor.

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Garni temple is Armenia's only Graeco-Roman-style building. Recently, historians have suggested the temple to be a tomb built for a Romanised ruler, probably Sohaemus in year cAD 175. The temple itself was destroyed in the earthquake of 1679 but well restored between 1969 and 1975. This fact can easily be seen in stones that are surviving originals and modern stones used as replacements.
The Building has 24 columns supporting the roof with Ionic capitals and Attic bases. Garni Temple differs from other Graeco-Roman buildings in being constructed of basalt which suggests work and employment of Armenian craftsmen skilled in the technique of carving rocks.

Archeologists in recent years have discovered the remains of:
1) A Neolithic encampment; an inscription from the early 8th century BC on a "Vishap" stone recording the capture of Garni fortress by the Urartian King Argrishti I.
2) A Greek inscription on a huge basalt block recording the construction of a later fortress here by King Trdat I

Garni Temple is one of the few sites in Armenia where an admission is charged to public. The admission is 250 drams or US $0.50 (50 cents)

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Directions: East of Yerevan on the way to Geghart in the village of Garni

Geghard is one of the most amazing sights of Armenia and a must for every tourist. Geghard Monastery has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since the year 2000. It is different and unusual from other monasteries in Armenia in that it is partly an ordinary surface structure and party carved and cut into the cliff.
When driving to Geghard, it is a spectacular scenery as the road turns and the monestary and the cliff appear infront of your eyes.. Please make sure to watch for this effect as it is breath taking..
The main cathedral was built in 1215 and is of cross-dome type. The main buildings of the monastery are surrounded by walls on 3 sides and a cliff face on the other.
There are many details one can talk about when it comes to Geghart monastery. The lion, dove and ox carvings on the walls and on top of the entrance door and the history of the Khachkars (Cross Stones).
The acoustics inside the main cathedral is amazing.. Anyone standing there and singing, particularly by the northeast pillar would sound like an entire choir.
Visiting Geghard on Sunday mornings is an enthralling experience with beautiful singing of the choir and the beautifully groomed animals brought for sacrifice after the service.
Outside of the entrance gate, there are small ledges on to which visitors try to throw stones. If a stone remains on the ledge then the thrower's wish is supposed to come true.
Upon entering or exiting the monestary on the lower level where there is spaces for cars to park, a group of 3 or 4 musicians play wind instruments as tourists enter and there are also local elderly villagers who come there everyday and try to sell their home-made sweet breads decorated by Armenian letters spelling "Geghard"..
It is an amazing sight and I would definitely recommend people to visit Geghard on their first visit to Armenia..
Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery can be made into a half a day trip from Yerevan. They are situated east of Yerevan.

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Directions: East of Yerevan, passed Garni Temple.

You can see the inside of the Geghard monastery is carved rock. In the 13th century, they carved the rock from above the cliff and slowly made their way inside the monastery carving and carving and transporting the rocks out from where they began carving.. The dimensions and the carvings inside the church are amazing.. You should see it for yourself to believe its beauty. There is only natural light coming from a round hole in the roof inside the church.

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The sweet bread "Gata" tastes great and the letters "Geghard" are written on them. They cost something in the area of US $10.00. The elderly villagers scream and yell at you to get you to buy it from them.. Just choose someone and buy a gata from them...

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This is a detailed map of the Geghard Monastery. You can find by the number assigned where the first or second cave church or the cathedral are.. This map is scanned from a travel guide I used to explore Armenia and I loved it.. Very current and accurate description and directions..

I will soon add a link to the source where you will be able to identify the travel guide.

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Khachkars, carved memorial stones, are an important, conspicuous and beautiful feature of Armenian decorative art. The word khachkar literally means cross-stone.
The dominant feature of the design is generally a cross and occasionally a crucifix. The remainder is covered with complex patterns of leaves, bunches of grapes or abstract geometrical patterns.
The absolute peak of khachkar design was between 12th and 14th centuries.
On the porch of Geghard monastery, you may witness the supreme masterpieces by Timot and Mkhitar dating back to year 1213.
Some good examples are transported to Yerevan museum and to Edjmiatsin Cathedral. However, it is no substitute for seeing them at the place where they were originally erected.

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Driving towards Sardarabad, you can see its striking red tuff monument, in the form of two Assyrian bulls facing each other separated by a structure from which bells are hung. The tall structure with the bells is 35 meters tall and there is sometimes a caretaker on the premises who will ring the bells for visitors for a donation of any amount.
The Sardarabad monument commemorates the victory by Armenian troops commanded by Daniel-Bel Pirumian over attacking Turkish troops who were coming down the railway from Alexandropol (Gyumri). The battle of Sardarabad lasted from May 22 to May 26 1918 and was a decisive victory resulting in the delcaration of independent Armenia on May 28, 1918.
The monument was unveiled in 1968 to commemorate the 50th anniversary and each year on May 28 celebrations are held here; the bells are tolled and there are performances by folk song and dance groups.

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Directions: From Yerevan, drive westward as far as Armavir city. The monument is west of the city of Armavir. Ask a Taxi driver.

A second adjacent point of interest to the monument is an excellent ethnographical museum. The museum includes material about the battle of Sardarabad from the year 1918. A path leads down to it from the memorial wall. Halfway along there is a cafe and to one side a restaurant.
The museum is open from 10:30am to 4:00pm daily except Mondays.
The museum symbolically has two windows. One looking east towards Aragats mountain and the other west towards Ararat mountain.
Apart from displays on the battle, the museum has displays about life in Arax valley, findings from various archeological sites in the valley along with displays explaining the traditional farm tasks like butter-making and other occupations such as armourer, blacksmith and goldsmith.

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Directions: On the Sardarabad monument premises.. Westward from Yerevan pass the city of Armavir.. Ask a Taxi driver.