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Mount Ararat with Armenian church
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A landlocked mountainous country in the South Caucasus between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, this former republic of the Soviet Union is an emerging democracy having re-established its independence in 1991. Mount Ararat, which was historically part of Armenia, is the highest mountain in the region. Now located in Turkey, with which Armenia has strained diplomatic relations, it is clearly visible in Armenia and regarded by its people as a symbol of their land, considered after all to be the place where Biblical Noah and his descendants first settled. It contains also perhaps the key to the many fascinating Christian heritage sites which are the group of ancient churches and monasteries in this nation, recorded as the first to officially adopt Christianity as its religion.
The capital of Armenia is Yerevan, the most significant industrial, cultural and scientific hub of the Caucasus region. As a centre of Armenian culture, Yerevan is the site of the Yerevan State University, the Armenian Academy of Sciences, several noteworthy museums and art galleries, an opera house, a music conservatory and several technical institutes. It has a number of theatres, botanical gardens, the Water World entertainment park and zoos, alongside a lively street culture and buzzing contemporary arts scene. A couple of excellent markets, including the Vernisage, have vendors selling a variety of wonderful arts, crafts and antiquities on weekends and Wednesdays. This is a rapidly modernizing city, ready to embrace within the sumptuous surroundings of new boutique hotels, a growing influx of visitors keen to discover new unexplored territories. As such, it provides an excellent base from which to explore some of the more remote regions.
Armenia's long history as a crossroads of the ancient world has resulted in a landscape with innumerable fascinating archaeological sites to explore, of which all but the most spectacular remain almost undiscovered. Vayots Dzor and Syunik are two of the southern regions, great for exploring earthquake-ravaged mountain trails by foot, horse or Jeep as well as several ancient churches and rustic villages. Lake Sevan in the northern region has recently been developed to a kind of Armenian Riviera on its southern peninsula, coming to life suddenly during the brief hot summers with a flurry of bars, beach volleyball and paddleboat activities on offer, as well as the local churches and Sevan Monastery to see. The regional landscapes here vary from Shirak's plains to Lori's pine forests and the dense hornbeam and oak woods around Dilijan.
Nearby Debed Canyon lures visitors with its two World Heritage-listed monasteries, Haghpat and Sanahin, but closer inspection actually reveals historic buildings in almost every village, packing in more history and culture than anywhere else in the country.
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Mount Ararat with Armenian church
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A landlocked mountainous country in the South Caucasus between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, this former republic of the Soviet Union is an emerging democracy having re-established its independence in 1991. Mount Ararat, which was historically part of Armenia, is the highest mountain in the region. Now located in Turkey, with which Armenia has strained diplomatic relations, it is clearly visible in Armenia and regarded by its people as a symbol of their land, considered after all to be the place where Biblical Noah and his descendants first settled. It contains also perhaps the key to the many fascinating Christian heritage sites which are the group of ancient churches and monasteries in this nation, recorded as the first to officially adopt Christianity as its religion.
The capital of Armenia is Yerevan, the most significant industrial, cultural and scientific hub of the Caucasus region. As a centre of Armenian culture, Yerevan is the site of the Yerevan State University, the Armenian Academy of Sciences, several noteworthy museums and art galleries, an opera house, a music conservatory and several technical institutes. It has a number of theatres, botanical gardens, the Water World entertainment park and zoos, alongside a lively street culture and buzzing contemporary arts scene. A couple of excellent markets, including the Vernisage, have vendors selling a variety of wonderful arts, crafts and antiquities on weekends and Wednesdays. This is a rapidly modernizing city, ready to embrace within the sumptuous surroundings of new boutique hotels, a growing influx of visitors keen to discover new unexplored territories. As such, it provides an excellent base from which to explore some of the more remote regions.
Armenia's long history as a crossroads of the ancient world has resulted in a landscape with innumerable fascinating archaeological sites to explore, of which all but the most spectacular remain almost undiscovered. Vayots Dzor and Syunik are two of the southern regions, great for exploring earthquake-ravaged mountain trails by foot, horse or Jeep as well as several ancient churches and rustic villages. Lake Sevan in the northern region has recently been developed to a kind of Armenian Riviera on its southern peninsula, coming to life suddenly during the brief hot summers with a flurry of bars, beach volleyball and paddleboat activities on offer, as well as the local churches and Sevan Monastery to see. The regional landscapes here vary from Shirak's plains to Lori's pine forests and the dense hornbeam and oak woods around Dilijan.
Nearby Debed Canyon lures visitors with its two World Heritage-listed monasteries, Haghpat and Sanahin, but closer inspection actually reveals historic buildings in almost every village, packing in more history and culture than anywhere else in the country.