Armenia is the world's first Christian state and one of the oldest countries on Earth with a rich history and culture. Armenia has long been considered one of the cradle of civilization: the first mentions of Armenia are found in the cuneiforms of the Persian king Darius I, who ruled in 522-486 BC, where the names Armenia and Urartu are still synonymous, also in Herodotus (5th century BC) and in Xenophon (V century BC), who in his work "Anabasis" described the retreat of the Greeks through Armenia to the Black Sea in 401-400 BC. Since then, all the epochs that have swept over this ancient land have left their traces on it. Therefore, in terms of the number of historical and cultural monuments, this country can be considered one of the most interesting in the Old World.
Armenia can intrigue any tourist. This is the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion (according to the traditional date of 301).Excursion tours to Armenia allow you to get acquainted with many monuments and masterpieces of the Ancient and Medieval eras, which can be found throughout the country. There are monuments of the pre-Christian era: the ruins of Urartian Erebuni, Teishebaini, the ancient Armenian capitals of Armavir, Artashat, the pagan temple of Garni and others. Armenia is especially rich in Christian monuments. These are the cathedral in Vagharshapat, the monasteries of Noravank, Geghard, Khor Virap, Goshavank, Sevanavank, the ruins of the ancient church of Zvartnots, the cemetery of khachkars (stone crosses) in Noraduz and many others. Thousands of stories and many mysteries are hidden in ancient churches and castles, high-altitude lakes and rivers, in majestic rocks, in dizzying canyons. Among the natural monuments are the unique Lake Sevan, the hot springs of Arzni and Jermuk, Parz Lich and Kari, the forests of Dilijan, Aghveran, Tsakhkadzor, Byurakan and Gugark, mountain caves and rocks of the South-eastern region. Often even in the most distant corner you can find a monument worthy of being considered the property of all mankind. Some monuments of Armenia are classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site - these are the cathedral and churches of Etchmiadzin and the ruins of the Zvartnots temple, the Geghard Monastery and the Upper Azat Valley, the monasteries of Haghpat and Sanakhin. Many sights are also located in the vicinity of Yerevan, one of the oldest cities in the world.
Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, is one of the oldest cities in the world, located in the middle course of the Hrazdan River, in the heart of the Ararat plain, at an altitude of 850 - 1300 m above sea level. Modern Yerevan is an amazingly beautiful city. The spirit of ancient Armenian civilization is reflected in the unique architectural ensemble of the city. There are a huge number of churches in the city, and Yerevan is able to argue with any capital of the world in terms of the number of museums and exhibition halls. The original architecture, literally saturated with national motifs, is distinguished by many buildings of the capital, the facades of which are faced with true Armenian material - pink tuff of various shades, as well as marble and basalt.
Armenia is mono called an open-air museum. A trip to Armenia will reveal to you the traditions and history of one of the oldest cultures of the planet, allow you to touch the legendary country protected by the biblical Mount Ararat - the haven of Noah's Ark, feel the spirit of the Armenian people and feel the hospitality of the locals. Here you will meet friendly people, taste delicious and original national food, see beautiful and contrasting nature and get away from the daily hustle and bustle.
Official name: Republic of Armenia
Capital: Yerevan
Official language: Armenian, but the majority of the population is also fluent in Russian and English.
Religion: Christianity
Population: number of about 3.8 million people. Up to 97% of the population are Armenians.
Currency: dram (AMD), equal to 100 luma. Coins in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 drams, as well as banknotes in denominations of 1000, 5000, 10000, 20000 and 50,000 drams are in monetary circulation. The 50,000 dram banknote was issued by the Central Bank of Armenia in 2001 in honor of the 1700th anniversary of Armenia's adoption of Christianity. Currency can be exchanged at numerous currency exchange offices throughout the city. Eurocheques can be exchanged in large banks and in many hotels. Visa, Evro/MasterCard, etc. credit cards are accepted by all international hotels, many shops and restaurants. Banks are open from 9:00 to 16:00 on working days, on Saturday some banks accept customers from 10:00 to 14:00. Currency exchange offices are usually open from 9:00 to midnight, often open on weekends and holidays.
Geography: located in southwest Asia (South Caucasus), occupies the territory between the Kura and Araks rivers in the north-eastern part of the Armenian Highlands between the Caucasus and Western Asia. The area of Armenia is about 30,000 square kilometers, more than 90% of which are located at an altitude of more than 1,000 m above sea level. The relief of Armenia is mostly mountainous, with fast rivers and few forests.
Nature: extremely diverse. From the height of the eagle flight, we see an endless series of high-altitude ridges, intermountain depressions, river valleys, plateaus and lonely peaks. The complex structure of the relief is characteristic of the entire territory of modern Armenia, it gives its landscapes a peculiar, incomparable charm. Aragats, a lonely extinct volcano, the highest mountain in Armenia and Transcaucasia. There are more than 100 lakes in Armenia. The real pearl of Armenia is Lake Sevan. On all sides, the lake is surrounded by mountains, individual peaks of which exceed 3000 meters. To see the sunrise over the tops of the Sevan ridge, look at the water of all shades of turquoise, listen to the cries of seagulls, breathe in the purest air of the highlands - many travel to Armenia with the main goal - to admire Sevan.
Climate: continental, mountainous. In general, summers are hot and dry, and winters are quite harsh. The best time to visit the country is from early spring to late autumn. Autumn is the most beautiful time of the year in the local region: calm pleasant days, cool refreshing nights, a fascinating variety of flowers and shades around and an abundance of juicy fragrant fruits ripened under the hot sun.
Cuisine: Armenian cuisine is one of the oldest in the world. The most popular dishes in Armenia are kebab, all kinds of salads, dolma - chopped meat passed through a meat grinder and wrapped in cabbage or grape leaves and its lean version - "pasuts tolma" and, of course, lavash, which is still baked according to ancient technology in clay ovens-tonirs and a lot of greens. Armenian cognac is produced from selected grape varieties grown in the Ararat Valley.