History has thrown more than a few bad hands Armenia's way. It was trampled over by most of the ancient world's big players, then nearly wiped out altogether in the early years of the 20th century. The Soviet Union dropped in unasked and stayed for 70 years, bequeathing monumentally ugly buildings and a taste for grand military parades. Tensions with neighboring Azerbaijan flared in the early 1990s, and a continuing economic blockade has strained the economy, making fuel and some other commodities scarce. None of that has prevented Armenians from doing what they do best; celebrating their culture and enjoying their laid back lifestyle.

Facilities for travelers are few and far between, but then so are the queues. Yerevan's sidewalk cafes may not be exactly Parisian, but they are a great opportunity to get dressed up and spend an afternoon people watching. Get out of the cities and the countryside is astonishing; cloaked in wildflowers, framed by snowy mountains, pitted with deep caves and endowed with more than 40,000 ancient churches and monuments. One of the cradles of civilization, Armenia offers visitors a refreshing experience if they are prepared to occasionally pass on all the comforts of home.

Full country name: Republic of Armenia
Area: 29,800 sq km (11,622 sq mi)
Population: 3.5 million
Capital city: Yerevan
People: Caucasian
Religion: Armenian Orthodox (94%)
Government: Republic
Head of State: Robert Kocharyan

GDP: US'9.7 billion
GDP per head: US'2800
Inflation: 5.7%
Major industries: Machinery, clothes, chemicals, microelectronics, although a lot of industry has shut down since the disappearance of the USSR
Major trading partners: Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, Georgia
Member of EU: no

Facts for the Traveler
Visas: You only need a valid passport and an onward ticket to be granted a visa for three or four weeks upon arrival.
Health risks: Hepatitis, bacterial infection, land mines around Stepanakert (Nagorno-Karabakh)
Time: GMT/UTC + 3 hours
Electricity: 220 volts, 50 Hz
Weights & measures: Metric


When to Go

Autumn (September-October) is probably the most beautiful season, with balmy days, crisp nights and beautiful colors floating around on the air. There's no peak travel season so you won't be competing with hordes of tourists for a room at any time of year. If you want to avoid winter's chill, any time from about May to October is fine. If you like sliding down the icy slopes with skis on then Armenia has excellent resorts, and at lower prices than what you'd pay in Europe. January and February is the time for skiing.

Events
Armenians make the most of any opportunity to celebrate, and hold concerts, recitals and traditional dance and music performances year-round. The New Year is the largest holiday of the year, where people exchange gifts and houses are opened to walk-in guests. Motherhood and Beauty Day is celebrated on 7 April, and Easter, in March/April begins with the cracking of boiled eggs dyed brown. The one who cracks another's egg without cracking their own gets their wish. Religious celebrations begin on Good Friday and last throughout the weekend. The Armenian Orthodox Church is the only ancient church not to celebrate Christmas.

The heroes of WW II come out in force on Victory Day (9 May), and stroll through the towns. They are still revered for their sacrifices, and the tradition continues of smaller children giving them flowers and a kiss, with older children offering shots of vodka and konyak. Most towns have a cultural and music festival to accompany the beginning of spring, and nearly every region has a series of traditional and modern festivals throughout summer. In June, the unsuspecting get doused by children until the adults take revenge and join in on Water Day. Sevan Lake hosts weekend celebrations and concerts over summer, and most towns with outdoor stages host traditional Armenian dancing and music, with crafts and food. The town of Hrazdan hosts an annual autumn festival, called Voski Ashun, with concerts, traditional dancing and music in October, and the cultural season begins in Yerevan with the harvest and the approach of winter. Vernisage Art Park in Yerevan hosts spontaneous concerts and the occasional impromptu dance recital on weekends throughout the year.

Attractions
Yerevan
Yerevan is one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world, and has no fewer than 20 museums. Central Yerevan is a bowl ringed by hills on three sides, sloping gently from the north-east toward Mt Ararat in Turkey to the south-west. The central streets are a skewed grid, focused on the grand Republic Square (formerly Lenin Square, which used to host a statue of the man himself). On Republic Square are the State Historical Museum, the central post office, Hotel Armenia, and plenty of shops and foreign banks such as Midland Armenia and Milat. During commemorations and anniversaries like New Year, Republic Square becomes crowded as ceremonies and festivities take over. Armenia's armed forces strut their stuff in Republic Square on Independence Day. The main streets, and where the most important facilities are, are Ulitsa Abovyana and Ulitsa Machtots (formerly prospekt Lenina).

A semi-circle of parkland rings the town's eastern edge, and an array of impressive monuments, buildings and statues grace the streets. They include a massive statue of the mounted Vardan Mamikonyan, who led the Christian Armenian forces against the Zoroastrian Persians; Sasuntsi Davit (David of Sasoun, again on horseback), the symbol of Armenian epic glory; the breathtaking Erebuni Museum; and the Memorial Monument of Armenian Genocide, dedicated to the 1.5 million victims of the Turkish genocidal campaign of 1915. The splendid Opera House received the Grande Prix award of architectural design in 1937, and today it houses Khachaturian Hall, home to the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Komitas Chamber Music Hall unfortunately bears traces of the 'Soviet Brutal' architecture school, but is nevertheless one of the finest performance halls in the country. Home to the Komitas Quartet, it is named after Armenian composer and clergyman who recorded Armenian folk songs and helped preserve the tradition. The Matendadaran is a treasure trove of Armenian culture, housing for study and preservation more than 12,000 ancient Armenian texts and illuminated, hand written books and manuscripts from the 9th century onwards.

There are only a handful of hotels in Yerevan, but they're mostly central and easy to get to. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the freeing up of the economy, smaller guest houses and pensions have begun to spring up around the capital. There's something very Parisian about the way people meet and linger on the streets and get dressed up to eat or drink at Yerevan's pavement cafes, most of which are easy to find. Some even have menus in English.

Echmiadzin
Armenia's second city, Echmiadzin, was the capital from about 184 to 340 AD. It is a holy place for Armenians, owing to King Tiridates III's conversion to Christianity there in 300 AD. He had ordered a Christian virgin to be stoned to death, and subsequently went mad. A Christian prisoner named Gregory (later promoted to the title of Gregory the Illuminator) saved and converted him, and the whole country soon followed suit. Echmiadzin today is the site of the most important Orthodox cathedral, founded by the prisoner Gregory, on the site of a former pagan site of worship. It is also the spiritual home of the head of the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Supreme Catholicos.

St Hripsime Church is a fine restored church built in 618, replacing an earlier chapel on the site where Saint Hripsime died. Reputedly one of the most beautiful buildings in its day, the Church of St Gregory (Tserkov Sv Grigoria) was built in 641-61, but it was destroyed during an earthquake in the 10th century and only excavated ruins remain on the site today. Look at the model in Yerevan's Armenian History Museum before you visit it. Take a bus 20km (12.5mi) west from Yerevan's bus station to get to Echmiadzin.

Ashtarak
The main features of Ashtarak are the grand 5th to 6th century Tsiranavor (Orange) Church and the small, 7th century Karmravor (Red) Church. Armenia's highest mountain is the 4090m (13,415ft) Mt Aragats, and at the 2300m (7544ft) level are the 11th to 13th century Amberd fort and church. At nearby Byurakan is the Observatory, 6km (3.7mi) off the Ashtarak-Talin road. Ashtarak is 22km (13.7mi) north of Yerevan, and a bus from the station is the way to go.

Artashat
The Khor Virap Monastery and ruins of an early Armenian capital are reason enough to visit Artashat. Legend has it that Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned in a deep well at the Monastery, and the capital was founded there in the 2nd century BC. Extensive ruins at nearby Dvin, another former capital (from about 340 AD), are under excavation and there's a small museum at the site. A bus from Yerevan goes to Artashat, which is 30km (18.6mi) south of the capital.

Sevan
Sevan is a small settlement on the north-west shore of Lake Sevan, the largest lake in Transcaucasia. The lake lies 1900m (6232ft) above sea level, and used to cover 1360 sq km (530 sq mi), nearly 5% of former Soviet Armenia. It has shrunk by 420 sq km (164 sq mi) since the Razdan River - the source of the lake - was tapped for hydroelectricity and irrigation. One effect of that was to expose forts, houses and artifacts more than 2000 years old that had been drowned by an earlier rise in the lake. Some of the archaeological finds are in Yerevan's Armenian History Museum. Two churches, part of a 9th century monastery, stand on a peninsula (formerly an island) at Sevan. In the heroically grandiose style of the former Soviet Union, workers in the early 1980s cut a tunnel through mountains south of the lake to divert the Arpa River into it and keep the Razdan flowing. Sevan is 50km (31mi) north-east of Yerevan, and trains go through Sevan three times daily on the Yerevan-Tsovagyukh line.

Off the Beaten Track
Dilizhan
The hill resort of Dilizhan is the source of much of Armenia's mineral water, and the Regional Museum at ulitsa Myasnikyana, the main street, is worth a visit. The many furniture and carpet factories in Dilizhan today make great shopping, and you can tour the ruins of two 13th-century monasteries (Matosavank and Djukhtakvank) facing each other on opposite sides of a ravine. Armenians say that heaven must be like Dilizhan, and while that may be an exaggeration, it is a beautiful mountainous area with woods and springs. Agartsin Gorge and the Agartsin Monastery (which is 1000 years old) are particularly worth visiting in autumn. The monastery was probably the most important medieval Armenian cultural center, and is a classic of Armenian architecture. A spa center is nearby at Arzni. Dilizhan lies beyond the 2114m (6934ft) Sevan Pass, and is 120km (74.4mi) north-east by bus from Yerevan.

Alaverdi
Three more ancient Christian sites are grouped around Alaverdi, a copper mining town in the Debed Valley in north-eastern Armenia. The centerpiece of Sanain Monastery (10th to 13th centuries), a few km south-west, is the squat Amenaprkich (Saviour) Church. The 6th century Odzun Church and medieval cemeteries are just west of Sanain, 17km (10.5mi) from Alaverdi. Akhpat Monastery, built between the 10th and 13th centuries, is 11km (6.8mi) east of Alaverdi on a beautiful mountain ridge. The 18th century Armenian bard Sayat-Nova, whose love songs are still popular, was exiled here after working as a court minstrel in Tbilisi. The best way to get to Alaverdi is from Tbilisi in Georgia, 113km (70mi) by road (it's nearly twice as far from Yerevan). Train departure times from Tbilisi make day trips impossible.

Activities
You can take an art tour with the Artist's Union, or if architecture and urban design are your thing, the Yerevan Institute for Architecture arranges tours. For cavers and outdoorsy types, the Armenian Speleological Society takes guided hikes, caving and mountain expeditions. They'll arrange excursions up to one month long, from easy walking to the toughest terrain over the most spectacular scenery in Armenia. Cycling is also an option, but it is largely unorganised and you'd be wise to bring spare parts with you. The country is overflowing with religious buildings, and you can spend months easily enough trying to see them all and not managing.

History
Poor little Armenia has been the mouflon in the sandwich between warring nations and factions for millennia, and its people have been used as spear fodder time and time again. They've been shipped or fled back and forth across burning deserts with the vicissitudes of shifting borders or the whims of empire builders in far flung capitals. National borders - historic and present - tend to waver depending on who you're talking to, but what is certain is that the isthmus between the Black and the Caspian seas has long been a who-what-where pressure cooker of ethnic migrations, competing religions, jostling international egos, envy, ethnic hatred, warring armies, grand victories and devastating losses.

The first empires and kingdoms that encompassed parts or all of present day Armenia were the Urartu (originally under King Argistis, who built a fort at present day Yerevan), the Persian Achaemenian, Alexander the Great's Macedonian Empire, the Seleucid, the Roman and the Byzantine. The Persians threw a punch around 428 AD, and when they tried to impose the Zoroastrian religion in 451 they sparked a revolt that eventually won Armenians a degree of political and religious freedom.

Muslim Arabs ventured north in the 7th Century AD, and local big shot Ashot Bagratuni the Carnivorous (no prizes for his favorite food) came to power and launched a period of prestige for his line. But in the 11th century the Byzantines expanded into the region again, and scarcely had the dust settled than the Turks marched in. Before the end of the 12th century came Egyptian Mamluks and European crusaders (who didn't rule but managed to bring in a few western style reforms and leave some French words). The Persians and the Ottoman Turks were the next to come to blows in the region, and the Ottomans managed to cling on to most of Armenia for the better part of 400 years.

From the 18th century, Armenians within various empires agitated for reform and political and cultural self determination. Armenian literature, art, religion and education boomed under the Ottoman and the Russian Empires, which eventually led to the formation of Armenian political movements. During the early 19th century, Russia gained control of Yerevan and an area that encompassed parts of present day Turkey, leading eventually to the Russo-Turkish War of the 1870s. Armenians in Turkey were massacred - an early form of ethnic cleansing - as local nationalist movements grew, and hundreds of thousands had been killed by the 1890s. Ironically, the 1905 Russian revolution, and even more ironically, the Young Turk revolution of 1908, raised Armenian hopes for the chance to build a nation in their historical homeland. Those hopes were dashed as the Ottoman and Russian Empires came to blows during World War I.

The persecution and massacres Armenians suffered at the hands of the Turks escalated into genocide by 1915. The Young Turk Movement feared (perhaps with good reason) that Christian Armenians would side with the Christian Russians during the war, and they massacred and forcefully deported Armenians, killing between one and two million. Armenians say the treatment the Turks dished out was motivated by racism and religious hatred, pure and simple, but whatever the case, Hitler consciously took a leaf out of the Young Turks' book in his Final Solution for the Jews during the 30s and 40s.

In 1916, Russia took Ottoman Armenia but had to hand it back temporarily since WWI had knocked the stuffing out of its military. The independent state of Transcaucasia was quickly declared, but it lasted a grand total of one month and four days. Local differences split it into Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. Turkey immediately jumped back in and stole a chunk and the Russians, under the brand new banner of the Soviet Union, came back and took control by early 1921. They fooled with local borders, sowing seeds for later discontent, but the Soviet apparatus of control kept a lid on Armenian/Azerbaijani tension for nearly 70 years. When glasnost peered under the lid and then threw it away, the stage was set for another round of violence.

In December 1988 an earthquake struck north-western Armenia, killing around 25,000 people and leaving half a million more without shelter. It also destroyed about 10% of the nation's industrial capacity and housing. Meanwhile, Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian Christian enclave in Muslim Azerbaijan, voted for unification with Armenia, protesting that the 80% 'minority' of Armenians there had been victims of repression. The region, incidentally, holds billions of dollars worth of untapped oil reserves, and the Soviets had placed it into Azerbaijan with their wobbly cartography. Violence soon flared in Sumgait as dozens of Armenians were killed. Hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis and Armenians, suddenly finding themselves on the wrong side of the border, fled. Battles broke out between Armenian and Azerbaijani militias and more Armenians were massacred in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, as the Soviet Union stumbled. The Soviet army finally fought its way into Baku and restored its version of order, and while Azerbaijan voted communist at the 1990 elections, an Armenian nationalist president, Levon Ter Petrosian, managed to restore control in Armenia.

The Soviet Union would soon be history anyway, and Armenia voted for independence in 1991. By 1993, Armenia controlled over one fifth of Azerbaijan, including much of Nagorno-Karabakh. The warring parties signed a ceasefire in 1994, and have maintained an uneasy truce ever since. The military campaign drained resources from the new republic, and Iran and Turkey also imposed an economic blockade. A large part of the historical Armenian heartland, including Mt Ararat, now lies in Turkey, but Armenia has more or less dropped its claims there. 'To aspire to Ararat is more noble and exciting than to reach Ararat,' wrote an Armenian poet. Nagorno-Karabakh is still nominally part of Azerbaijan, but accessible only from Armenia and patrolled by Armenian troops. This situation has strained the weak economy further, and a conflict in Georgia has cut off supply routes, squeezing even more sap out of the economy. At the March 1998 elections Robert Kocharyan was elected (with 59% of the vote) as President for a term of five years.


Culture

If you're unsure what the flavor of south-west Asia is, a quick look around Yerevan will tell you it's Middle Eastern, albeit Middle Eastern without mosques and Islam. Church architecture, often adorned with intricate stone carving, is the most visible art form. The 7th century was a high point in religious architecture, although Armenian churches are generally plainer than Russian ones. One of the country's most important modern painters is Hakob Hakobyan, an ethnic Armenian from Egypt who settled in Armenia in 1962. Composer Aram Khachaturian and sculptor Khorem Der Harootian are giants in their fields nationally and internationally. Traditional music sounds Middle Eastern, and it generally follows Middle Eastern time signatures. Folk music is beautiful and is still part of everyday life. Armenian literature is rich in proverbs, fables and folk tales, and 20th century novelists and poets have made significant contributions. Khachatour Apovian is regarded as the founder of modern Armenian literature.

If you were to classify the Caucasus by language, it could be broken up into three main groups - Caucasians, Indo-Europeans and Turks. Armenian is an Indo-European language, and are the largest group of Indo-European speakers in Caucasia. The family of languages is reckoned to have originated in western Turkey and spread west into Europe and east as far as India by 1000 BC. The speakers claim it is rich and beautiful.

Armenians converted early to Christianity (the oldest churches were founded in the 4th century), and the head of the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Supreme Catholics, lives in Echmiadzin. The Armenian rite, the Church's ritual of worship, includes ancient, rhythmical chants. It is the only ancient church that doesn't celebrate Christmas.

Lamb is the staple meat, and kashlama, or boiled lamb, a specialty. The trout from Lake Sevan is excellent. Fruit and vegetables are generally not hard to find, despite the Azeri economic blockade. Beans, chickpeas, eggplant, yoghurt, tabouleh and other dishes common in the Middle East are the norm in Armenia. The local konyak, or brandy, is first rate, and it's claimed that Winston Churchill preferred the Armenian to the French variety.