The Republic of Armenia is situated in the south of Transcaucasia. To the north and east are Georgia and Azerbaijan, while its neighbours to the west and south are Turkey and Iran.

The territory of the republic is 11,500 sq. miles. It is a mere 225 miles long and 125 miles wide, with most of its territory lying 3,300 feet to 8,200 feet above sea level. Armenia’s highest mountain is Aragats (13,420 feet) whose jagged summit is snow capped all year round except for a short period in late summer.

Armenia is described as “sunny,” and it is a fact that sun shines there more than 250 days a year. The climate ranges from dry subtropical to cold mountain weather. In the plateaus and foothills the climate is dry and continental with hot summers and moderately cold winters. The mean temperature in July is a steady +75 to +80 degrees Fahrenheit, and +25 F in January. The best time of the year in Armenia is dry, sunny, and long autumn with rich harvests of grapes, fruits, and vegetables.

The numerous rivers of Armenia are turbulent and quite unfit for navigation, penned up as they are by steep mountain gorges; there are also more than 100 mountain lakes. Sevan is the world’s biggest lake at the altitude of 6,000 feet and higher above sea level.

Armenia’s forests cover approximately 13 percent of its territory and are to be found mainly in the north-east and in the Zangezur mountain country. The forests are predominantly beech, hornbeam, oak, elm, maple, plane, ash, pine, and fir. The Armenian fauna abounds in rare species of animals and birds. The forests are populated by roe deer, boar, bear, and lynx and by such birds as the sparrow, woodcock, robin, warbler, tomtit, and woodpecker. In the mountains one finds the mountain turkey, horned lark, and bearded vulture, while in the southern regions and on the Aragats the animal kingdom is represented by the moufflon and the bezoar goat.

Armenia is an ancient country – its history starts about 7 thousand years ago. Armenians are an Indo-European race, whose origins are not clearly known. Specialists speculate that the Armenians migrated to the Armenian Highland via the Balkans or the Caucasus. There are monuments of olden times left by ancient tribes (16 thousand years BC) from the times of paleolit. Besides, there are 4,500 architectural monuments of an early middle ages and middle ages in Armenia.

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, is set among mountains at the altitude of 3,100 to 4,000 feet above sea level on the river Razdan, the only river that flows out of the Lake Sevan, 30 miles from Mt. Ararat of Biblical fame. Yerevan, which is 2782 years old, is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is 15 years older than eternal Rome. The city was founded by King Argishti I of Urartu in 782 BC. Today, Yerevan is a modern city with interesting architecture, plenty of museums and historical monuments.

RED STAR TRAVEL offers you to visit the Republic of Armenia, the ancient land with unique history, beautiful nature, and cross-stones and churches at the foot of the Biblical Ararat. You will find wonder in every place of Armenia – in its marvelous nature, in the world of mounts and forests, in waterfalls and canyons, and in remains of temples, churches, and monasteries.

YEREVAN HOTEL

Ideally located in the very city center, next to the Republic Square and the Government House. Walking distance the National History Museum and the National Art Gallery. 12 miles from the Zvartnots International Airport and 5 miles from the railway station. Opened in 1937. Totally renovated in 2000. 5 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 104 well-furnished rooms: 23 standard singles, 41 standard doubles, 10 upgraded doubles, 10 standard twins, 12 junior suites, 6 suites, 2 apartment suites. All rooms feature private bathroom with hair-dryer, air conditioner, color satellite TV, international direct-dial telephone, mini-bar, in-room safe. Apartment suites are additionally equipped with Jacuzzi and bidet. 24-hour room service. Rossini Restaurant for 80 seats. Dolche Vitae Bar for 56 seats. Zansibar Bar for 40 seats. Business center: facsimile and photocopying facilities, secretarial and computer services, multi-language translating. Service bureau. Conference hall for 110 seats. 3 meeting rooms for 20, 25 and 40 seats. Health Club: roof garden with swimming pool and solarium, gym, sauna with massage. Billiards room. Penny arcade. Gift shop. Currency Exchange. Post office. Laundry. Dry-cleaning. Baggage storage. Towncar service. On-site parking. Security service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $190.

ARMENIA MARRIOTT HOTEL

Ideally located in the heart of Yerevan, the hotel is a part of an architectural ensemble, which frames the Republic Square. Walking distance to the National History Museum, National Art Gallery, House of Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Central Post Office. 12 miles from the Zvartnots International Airport and 5 miles from the railway station. Opened in 1956. Totally renovated in 1993. 7 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 159 well-furnished rooms: 24 singles, 101 twins, 3 triples, 8 junior suites, 17 suites, 6 apartment suites. All rooms feature private bathroom with hair-dryer, air conditioner, color satellite TV, radio, international direct-dial telephone, mini-bar. Suites are additionally equipped with VCR. 24-hour room service. Armenia Restaurant for 115 seats. Don Pepe Restaurant with show program. Maran (wine cellar) with live folk music. Night bar. Lobby bar. Meeting Point Cafe (seasonal). Business center: facsimile and photocopying facilities, secretarial and computer services, multi-language translating. Service bureau. Conference and banqueting facilities: Blue Hall for 26 seats, Spring Hall for 30 seats, Pomegranate Hall for 20 seats. Currency Exchange. Safety deposit box. Fitness center: gym and massage. Beauty shop. Shopping arcade. Laundry. Dry-cleaning. First aid medical office. Baggage storage. Towncar service. Complimentary airport shuttle. On-site parking. Security Service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $145.

ANI PLAZA HOTEL

Centrally located, within walking distance to the Matenadaran, next to the National History Museum, the main architectural and historical monuments, theatres, and galleries. 15 minutes drive from the Zvartnots International Airport. Opened in 1970. Renovated in 1999. 14 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 99 rooms overlooking the city and Mount Ararat: 31 standard singles, 31 standard twins, 32 upgraded doubles, 5 upgraded twins. All rooms feature private bathroom with hair-dryer, air conditioner, color satellite TV, international direct-dial telephone, mini-bar. 24-hour room service. Ani Restaurant for 200 seats. Ani Lounge. Bar. Out-door cafe. Business center: facsimile and photocopying facilities, secretarial and computer services, multi-language translating. Service bureau. 4 meeting and conference rooms: Dvin and Erebuni for 50 seats each, Garni for 45 seats, Urmia for 30 seats. Currency Exchange. Safety deposit box. Fitness Center. Beauty shop. Armenian brandy shop. Gift shop. Laundry. Dry-cleaning. First aid medical office. Towncar service. On-site parking. Security Service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $90.

DVIN HOTEL

Located close to the city center, next to the beautiful and peaceful Hrazdan ravine. 15 minutes drive from the Zvartnots International Airport and 10 minutes drive from the railway station. 13 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 240 rooms. All rooms feature private bathroom, color satellite TV, radio, international direct-dial telephone, refrigerator. Room service. 2 restaurants. Maran (wine cellar). Round bar. Business center. Conference and banqueting facilities. Currency Exchange. Safety deposit box. Health Club: swimming pool, sauna with massage. Beauty shop. Souvenir shop. News stand. Laundry. Towncar service. On-site parking. Security Service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $65.

Armenian History Museum. Operating hours: from 10am to 04pm, from 11am to 03pm (on Sundays), closed on Mondays. The Armenian History Museum, founded in 1921, has 160,000 exhibits. A visit to the museum is a fascinating journey from the Stone Age and man’s first settlements to the end of the 19th century. There are unique relics of how people lived, beginning from the first social system, stone age tools, items made of bronze and iron, weapons from the time of the Urartu state, statuettes, jugs, coins, ornate jewellery, and household utensils found during excavations. The ethnographic section houses a collection of national costumes, carpets, amulets and agricultural implements. The architecture of the Middle Age and of the urban culture of Armenia’s ancient capitals Artashat, Dvin, and Ani is represented in varied fashion.

National Art Gallery. Operating hours: from 11am to 04:30pm (on Tuesdays – Saturdays), from 11am to 03:00pm (on Sundays), closed on Mondays. Being situated in the central square of Yerevan, the gallery makes a great impression on the viewer by its architectural style. The Art Gallery has three main expositions, those of Armenian, Russian, and European arts. Out of the 20,000 items of the collection only 3,000 are permanently exhibited. There are over 16,000 works of Armenian, Russian, West European, and Eastern art. The Armenian painting section is the largest, spanning a period from the seventh century to the present day. Secular canvases of the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries are also well-represented. There are a considerable number of paintings by the famous seascape painter Ivan Aivazovsky, an Armenian by origin. The Western art section includes works by artists from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, the USA, and other countries, ranging from works by old masters to modern art.

Erebuni Museum. Operating hours: from 10am to 04pm, closed on Mondays. The fortress Erebuni on Arin-berd Hill was erected by the Urartu king Argishti I in 782 BC. Urartu was a state in Asia Minor (ninth to sixth centuries BC.), which at the height of its power embraced all the Armenian foothills. Erebuni Fortress and the excavations of other towns show that the Urartu state enjoyed a very advanced cultural level; their buildings are astonishing in their magnificence, well-planned, and elegant. A museum, whose exhibits are constantly being supplemented by new finds, stands at the bottom of Arin-berd Hill.

Matenadaran Museum. Operating hours: from 10am to 04pm, closed on Sundays and Mondays. Matenadaran is a scientific research institute of old manuscripts at the Government of the Republic of Armenia. It is the largest center of study and safekeeping of Armenian manuscripts in the world. Originals and hand-written copies of more than 17,000 manuscripts and around 300,000 divan and archive documents not only in Armenian, but also Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian, Asyrian, Jewish, Hindu, and Japanese are kept in the Matenadaran. The institute annually provide with around 3,000 hand written and published materials, available for study.

Yerevan City Tour, 4.5 hours

Yerevan, the capital of the Republic of Armenia, has its roots in the prehistoric times of the Stone Age. The official establishment of the great city of Yerevan took place under the reining of the mighty king Argishti the First in the year of 782 BC. The establishment of the City Fortress of Erebuni predates that of the “eternal” city of Rome. Your tour of the capital city of the Republic of Armenia will include the following visits.

Matenadaran. The Research Institute of Armenia, which houses beautiful illuminated manuscripts created centuries ago by scribes. The Matenadaran is named after Mesrob Mashtots, founder of the Armenian alphabet. Over 10,000 manuscripts detailing history, philosophy, medicine, and geography written in Armenian, Greek, Arabic, and other languages are preserved here.

Tsitsernagaberd Monument and Museum. This monument commemorates the 1915 Genocide. It was built around 1965 and the monument and its eternal flame are pilgrimage sites for Armenians all around the world.

Central “Shuga.” Take a walk through the huge central market in Yerevan, where row upon row of fresh fruit, dried fruit, and vegetable vendors offer their sun-ripened wares alongside the tastiest tonir-baked lavash bread and Armenian cheeses.

TOURS AROUND YEREVAN

Tour of Medzamor Settlement, 4.5 hours

Take a trip through time, to a place that boasts 6,700 years of continuous inhabitation. The Medzamor culture thrived through the Bronze and early Iron Age; it was integrated into the Urartu Empire in 7 BC and later continued under the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantine, and Ottomans until the 18th century, when it was abandoned. This tour will take you to the Medzamor settlement, with a trip to the Medzamor Museum. This Museum holds hundreds of artifacts excavated from this settlement.

Tour of Byurakan, 5 hours

Travel 75 miles from Yerevan to visit the family castle of the Pahlavouni Princes, one of the few castles in Armenia that has been preserved.Tour the church and the fortress of Amberd, built on a rocky promontory in the 10th to 13th centuries, near Mt. Aragats and the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory. The domed church was built in 1206, and is one of the most beautiful churches of its type in Armenia. Beyond the fortress there was a fortified three-story castle made of basalt; built as a military measure, the castle blocked invaders from Aragats. Fragments of the water supply system of the castle, as well as baths and a secret passageway to the canyon, are preserved. You will also see the ruins of the wall and gates of Amberd.

Tour of Khor Virap, 6 hours

Khor Virap is the site where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned by an Armenian king for preaching Christianity. You can climb down into the dark pit yourself, and then treat yourself to the most spectacular view of the glorious Mt. Ararat.

Tour of Garni and Geghart, 5 hours

Garni. The only pagan temple existent in Armenia, the 2nd century pagan temple of Garni was reconstructed from ruins. This pre-Christian structure, with its classical Hellenistic lines, is situated in a picturesque mountain locale, offering a breathtaking panorama of the valley below. The structure of the temple with its columns and dimensions was created to please the gods and protect the people from their wrath. Garni temple was destroyed by an earthquake in 1679 and rebuilt during the Soviet era. The ruins include a bathhouse, where you can see remnants of beautiful mosaic work. You’ll be greeted by the hospitable villagers of Garni and will visit a typical Armenian village home. Here you will have a chance to taste lavash, a bread baked in a traditional pit called a “tonir,” with homemade yogurt.

Geghart. This ancient monastery was carved out of solid rock. In ancient times this monastery was known as “the monastery of the seven churches,” “the monastery of the forty altars,” or Ayrivank (the monastery of the cave), confirming the presence of ancient caves dug into the rock. Geghartavank is the monastery of the spear. This last name derives from the relics, for many years conserved in the monastery and now in Echmiadzin’s museum, of the spear that was said to have wounded the chest of Christ on the cross. The exact date of Geghart’s foundation is not known, but according to the inscriptions found locally dating from the 7th and 8th centuries, it is likely that it dates back to the early times when Christianity was recognized and declared the official state religion. The main church dates back to 1215. Inside the church’s interior exists a natural spring, anciently worshipped and today carefully preserved. A visit to Geghart is truly spiritual experience.

Tour of Echmiadzin, Hripsime, Gayane, and Zvartnots, 6 hours

Visit the Echmiadzin Cathedral, the most ancient Christian temple in Armenia, and the Holy See and official residence of the Catholicos of all Armenians. According to tradition, St. Gregory the Illuminator saw a vision of the “Only Begotten” descend from heaven, and show the spot where the church should be erected. In 303 AD, two years after Christianity was declared the state Religion, the Mother Church of the Holy See was completed. It was rebuilt in the 480s. Through the centuries there have been construction and additions, and the main dome was rebuilt in 1627. Nagash Ovnatan painted the interior murals in 1720. The church is surrounded by gardens, were you will see examples of “khachkars,” or stone crosses.

You will visit the underground site of the pagan temple upon which the present cathedral stands. You will also visit the Museum, “Gandzaran,” which houses exquisite church attire embroidered with gold and pearls, as well as crosses and all kinds of ritual vessels of silver, gold, ivory, adorned with filigree work and jewels, with most items dating back to the 17th through 19th centuries (the tour of the museum is available every day except Sunday).

St. Gayane and St. Hripsime Churches. The St. Gayane church is built in the City of Echmiadzin, a short walk from the Cathedral. Built in 630 (according to a chronicle), they are the two oldest churches in Armenia. St. Hripsime is a beautiful example of Armenian architecture of the classical period.

Zvartnots Cathedral. Visit the magnificent ruins of the Cathedral of Zvartnots, which was built in the 7th century by Catholicos Nerses III. Here a mighty three-tiered circular structure once stood, with a glorious central dome. The Cathedral was magnificently decorated with sculptured floral and geometric patterns and decorative pillars and arches, the ruins and remnants of which you can see on the grounds. Zvartnots is considered the masterpiece of Armenian church architecture.

Tour of Ashtarak and Oshakan, 6 hours

Travel 45 miles from Yerevan to see the grand 5th to 6th century Tsiranavor (Orange) Church and the small, 7th century Karmravor (Red) Church in Ashtarak. The Karmravor church is of the cross domed type, and fragments of murals have been preserved in its interior. The small dimensions of this church allow it to be considered a familial church. Other monasteries on this tour are Saghmosavank and Ohanavank, built in 1215 and 1216 respectively.

Tour of Sevan and Dilijan

No trip to Armenia is ever complete without a visit to Lake Sevan, one of the largest and highest lakes in Eurasia at about 6200 feet above sea level.

At Lake Sevan you will visit St. Karapet and St. Arakelots monasteries. Take a serene stroll on the beach, and a boat ride in season. Then when you’ve worked up an appetite you can taste the most delicious trout, fresh from the lake.

Dilijan, located in the northern part of Armenia, is famous for its forests and health resorts, its spectacular scenery and cultural centers. You will drive through a plush forest to reach the Haghartsin Monastery, an 11th-13th century church situated deep in the woods, about 11 miles from the town of Dilijan. You will also visit the beautifully landscaped 12th century monastery of Goshavank.