Armenia Travel Blog

“I fear for you that you may miss something important in your life, as you haven’t known anything about it. What is the question of? Of course, it is about duduk. The sense of this instrument can be understood by listening to it. And when you do it, you want to tell the new comers that the music of duduk is the mountain songs or the tree dialogue, the old cry of elderly people or a simple joy of a child, the fight of warrior or the weddings … Just listen! And you will feel the sense of duduk.” (Jivan Gasparian)

So, listen…

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Duduk is an ancient Armenian wind instrument made of apricot wood. It has a warm, mild and velvety sound, close to a human voice. Duduk was proclaimed a “Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO in 2005. Read more about Duduk here.

The sound of the Duduk can be heard in popular film soundtracks. Djivan Gasparian played the duduk in Gladiator, Syriana, and Blood Diamond, among others. The Duduk has also been used in The Crow, The Passion of Christ and even in science fiction, like Battlestar Galactica and Children of Dune TV series.

Komitas is one of the brightest Armenian composers and musicians.
He was born in 1869 in Turkey, studied in Etchmiadzin’s theological seminary, in conservatory and university in Berlin, lived in Constantinople, one of the significant centers of Armenian culture and died in France in 1935. He died in a Paris mental hospital. His mental desease was the consequence of what he had come through during the Armenian genocide in 1915. Among other Armenian population of Turkey he was arrested and exiled to Anatolia. The 3-month path to death and cruel murders of his friends, women and children left its indelible mark on his soul and mind.

Komitas brought a renaissance to the centuries-old Armenian music. Komitas’ music is the reflection of Armenian spirit and culture.

Many famous western composers found inspiration in Komitas’ music. After one of the concerts the outstanding French composer Claude Debussy exclaimed excitedly: “Brilliant father Komitas! I bow before your musical genius!” He paid high tribute to the merits of Komitas and his significance for the world of music, saying, “If Komitas wrote only “Antuni”, that alone would be enough to consider him a great artist”. In Debussy’s opinion Komitas was a revelation, the most remarkable phenomenon in the world of music.

“Vagharshapat Dance” performed by “Komitas Quartet”

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Komitas Quartet was founded in Moscow in 1924. In 1976 the quartet moved from Moscow to Yerevan starting a new page in its history. The quartet made a lot of collection recordings in the USSR and released numerous albums in Russia, United Kingdom, France and USA.

The present team of the Komitas Quartet:

Eduard Tadevosyan 1st Violin
Syuzi Yeritsyan 2nd Violin
Alexander Kosemyan Viola
Aram Talalyan Cello

Short film by Bettina Timm about Cosmic Ray Station on Aragats mountain in Armenia near the lake Qarilich at 3250 meters. The station was founded by world-known Armenian physicists Alikhanyan brothers in 1943. Research facilities are located on two high-altitude stations on Mt. Aragats: Nor-Amberd Station and Aragats Station. Cosmic Ray Division (CRD) headquarters are at the Alikhanyan Physics Institute, Yerevan, Armenia.

One of the researches of the group of scientists on the Aragats Cosmic Ray Observatory was the ANI experiment (Ani is one of the ancient Armenian capitals, now located on the territory of Turkey).  This world biggest experiment of detection of ultra-high energy cosmic rays was started before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, after the collapse the work was officially stopped. However, Armenian scientists go on researching on various aspects of cosmic rays, hoping to resume the ANI experiment.

The film is in 7 short parts!

 

About 11,000 years ago the ice shield of the last Ice Age covering the Armenian mountains started to melt. The new stage of the formation of Armenian relief began. The passing glacier formed a lot of cirques (an amphitheater-like valleys) on its way, part of which became tarns. A tarn is a mountain lake or pool formed in a cirque by waters of a melting glacier and snow that in a cold climate does not evaporate but accumulates and melts.

Tarn lakes can be found on Zangezur, Gegham, Vardenis and other mountain ridges of Armenia. But the most famous of them is Qarilich lake. Qarilich or Qari lich means stone lake. According to ancient popular beliefs the lake is fed by stone rivers, called kurums.

Qarilich is located on the Aragats mountain on the altitude of 3200 meters. The average temperature of the warmest month of August is about +10 C here. When it’s +40 C down in Yerevan, it’s about +10 on the Qarilich and about +0 on the Aragats summit. Qarilich’s surface is only 0,12 sq.km and depth is maximum 8 meters. It’s not a big but very picturesque lake. 

Qarilich is a transfer point on the way to the Aragats’ peaks. Going up the Aragats’ slope from the Qarilich, you can reach the Southern peak (the easiest), the Western peak and the shoulder. The least is the most convenient and safe way to descend to the crater and then climb the Northern peak of Aragats.

Institute of Physics of Cosmic Rays is situated on the bank of Qarilich lake. Cosmic Ray research at high altitude stations on Mt. Aragats, Armenia, was founded by famous Armenian physicists, Alikhanyan brothers, in 1943. Till now a group of scientists live on the station, measure cosmic rays and suns emissions.

Photo by Suren Manvelyan [see full size]

Direct flights from Venice, Italy, to Yerevan, Armenia, will start on June 5, 2009.

The flights will be opened by a new air-company Festa Tour Avia in partnership with the Italian MyAir. The ticket price is expected to be around 475 Euro. The flights will initially be only weekly, however if the new direction is successful and there’s more demand, the partners will consider the possibility of opening more flights to other Italian cities in future. According to Festa Tour, the expected number of passengers till the end of the tourist season this year in the direction Venice – Yerevan is around 4,000 people.

The number of leisure tourists from Italy to Armenia is increasing every year and has grown 41% over the past 3 years, compared to the overall 11% growth of the leisure tourists to Armenia.

The Night of Museums will take place on May 16 in Yerevan, Armenia, kicking off at 18:00. A number of museums will not only open their doors for free but will also present their special programs and exhibitions. This is going to be the 5^th Night of Museums organised in Armenia, the first one was held in 2005.

There’s no official list of the museums participating in the event. However, the following could be recommended to visit.

The National Gallery of Armenia, situated on the Republic Square – here’s their program for the Night.

House Museum of Cinematographer Sergei Paradjanov. Address: 15/16, Dzoragyugh Str. Tel: (+374 10) 538473

Matenadaran, one of the world’s largest repositories of ancient manuscripts. Address: 53, Mashtots Ave. Tel: (+374 10) 562578, 583292

Museum of Folk-Art of Armenia. Address: 64 Abovyan St. Tel: (+374 10) 569387

Museum of Modern Art. Address: 7, Mashtots Ave. Tel: (+374 10) 535359

House Museum of Painter Martiros Saryan.  Address: 3, Saryan St. Tel: (+374 10) 581762

House Museum of Painter Minas Avetisyan.  Address: 29, Nalbandyan St. Tel: (+374 10) 560787

Please, check the last two before going there

Here are some clubs in Yerevan, Armenia, that I would recommend to visit if you like good life music

«Malkhas» jazz club (founded by Levon Malkhasian)
Pushkin str. 52/1
Tel.(374-10) 53-17-78, 53-53-50
www.malkhas.am

«Avantgarde Folk Music» club
Pushkin str. 3a,
Tel.(374-10) 56-14-97
www.afmclub.blogspot.com

“Poplavok” jazz cafe
Isahakyan str. 41 
Tel.(374-10) 52-23-03
 
«STOP» club
Moskovyan str. 37
Tel.(374-10) 56-07-80
www.stopclub.am

Club “12″
Abovyan str. 41
Tel.(374-10) 52-23-50
www.club12.am

“Ulikhanyan Club”
Gevorg Kochar str. 4  
www.ulikhanyanclub.am

Armenia and namely Yerevan can definitely be called the center of jazz in Caucasus. Jazz is an essential part of Yerevan’s life.

The first Armenian jazz orchestra was officially formed in Armenia in 1938 under the direction of Artemi Ayvazian. It was the first official state jazz orchestra in the Soviet republics (second after Russia) and was the first Soviet jazz band that visited USA and became known there. 

The first place in the city with life jazz music, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, where jazz was subject to strict censorship, was restaurant “Poplavok”. Its art director was Levon Malkhasian, a so-called “Godfather of the Armenian jazz”. Levon Malkhasian, or simply Malkhas, organised in 1998 the first International Yerevan Jazz Festival, where jazz bands from all over the world played their music.  In 2000 one of the participants on the Festival was Chick Corea and his “Origin” band. Unfortunately the Festival does not take place every year.

Last year, 2008, the 70th anniversary of the Armenian jazz was celebrated with numerous events related to this music genre, so beloved by Armenians. What makes Armenian jazz unique is inclusion of the elements of traditional Armenian music.

Now, the most popular jazz bands in Yerevan are ”Time Report”, “Katuner”, “Chiko & Friends”, “Art Voices” and “Armenian Navy Band”. There are several jazz clubs, the most popular of which is ”Malkhas”, a cult jazz club, where you can some evenings listen to maestro Levon Malkhasian.

Malkhas’s Jazz Club is a bar and restaurant with live jazz music.
Address: 52/1 Pushkin Street, close to Mashtots Street, in the Opera Square area.
Phone: (+374-10) 53-17-78; 53-53-50

Malkhas playing Nocturne by Arno Babajanian

Malkhas jamming in “Malkhas” club

Tatev means “giving wings”. According to the legend the architect of Tatev, after finishing the building, prayed God to have wings. God granted him wings and he flew away.

Tatev monastery was founded in the IX^th century  and was the political center of the Syunik principality. In the X^th century the population of the monastery was around 1,000 people. Stepanos Obelyan, an Armenian historian of the XIV^th century called Tatev “the perl of Syunik”.

In the XIV-XV cc. Tatev was one of the biggest and most important center of science, education, literature and art of Armenia. The famous school of Armenian miniature was founded in Tatev those times.

In the yard of the monastery you will find an 8-meter-tall pillar, made os small stones. This pillar is a unique work of Armenian architectural and engineering art. It survived hundreds of years of earthquakes and the strong earthquake of 1931, that caused severe destruction to the buildings of Tatev, because it’s swinging. Even a mere touch of hand can cause the pillar to tilt. The pillar used to warn the dwellers of the monastery of coming earthquake or approaching enemy forces.

You may take a virtual 3D tour to Tatev Monastery here (need to download Vizerra 3D client) or watch it on YouTube

The Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia has developed the plan for the Khosrov State Reserve management for 2010-2014, which should foster the development of the reserve’s bioresources. According to Aram Aghasyan, head of the department for coordination of natural areas under special protection, Ministry of Nature Protection, the new plan also includes scientific research works on the territory of the reserve.

The new administrative building was recently built in the Khosrov Reserve and the new ecotourism center is about to start its activity there.

Would it really be some nature protection activity or somebody’s business?

Alternative information sources claim that some “men of great power” intend to create tourist bases in Khosrov and Shikaoch reserves for their private businesses, justifying the construction by governmental nature protection activities.