Armenia’s economic, political, and cultural center reside at the hands of Yerevan. Yerevan keeps life more laid back than up tight with its many boulevards from strolling and cafes for dining. The laid back capital in Caucasus dresses in 19th century Russian edifices, brick squares, and parkland, setting the stage for a lackadaisical city. Museums, monuments, theaters, concert halls, galleries and live music clubs fill in the rest of the city. Yerevan literally and figuratively functions as the heart of Armenia.
The dominating fortress in town is none other than the Erebuni Fortress. Dating back to 782 B.C., the Erebuni Fortress notes the city’s past with inscriptions belonging to Argishi I, king of Uratu. The city looms effortlessly and wonderfully from Erebuni’s gaze. Within, rooms display where wine and oil were kept, along with workshops and oven pits. Other architecture in the city presents wonder and awe. The Blue Mosque serves as the only remaining mosque in town. The Persian Governor Hussein Ali Khan constructed it in 1765. The Blue Mosque is hard to miss for its brightly tiled turquoise glistening dome, 24-meter high minaret and garden courtyard.
Yerevan is home to dozens upon dozens of museums, educating on various aspects to the city throughout time. The State Museum of Armenian History begins with Stone Age cave dwellers, travels through to the arrival of Christianity, and even covers the Arab conquest. The National Art Gallery in Yerevan prides itself on holding the third biggest collection of European masters in the former USSR. Works by Donatello, Tintoretto, Fragonard, Courbet, Rubens, and Jan Van Dyck cloud the walls. Other museums in the city worth a look through include the Museum of Armenian Genocide and the Military Museum.
At the tiptop of Yerevan’s grandest avenue, the city’s largest concentration of ancient and modern manuscripts lies. Matenadaran presents the city’s ancient manuscript library. It contains 17,000 Armenian manuscripts and 100,000 medieval and modern documents.
To take off the edge of touring and sightseeing, Yerevan supplies a tourist spot to relax and sip on brandy. The Yerevan Brandy Company remains home to the world famous Armenian brandy. Tours and tastings are offered of the nation’s specialty, just enough to calm and relax after a day of touring the city.
For the evening, Yerevan entertains with several venues. Opera, ballet, and concerts play on throughout the city’s theaters and concert halls. Other prefers to get their entertainment from people watching throughout the city’s streets. Many linger in Hanrapetutyan Hraparak, the former Lenin Square. Many of the city’s finest buildings surround Hanrapetutyan Hraparak. At the square’s center, a flat stretch of polished marble makes for an eye-catching scene.
Yerevan appears to be on a never-ending vacation. The city takes its time with most aspects to life, effortlessly strolling rather than frantically sprinting at a busy pace. Easy day trips abound just beyond the city limits like Lake Sevan, Mt. Aragats, and Vayots Dzor. However, the true relaxation comes in town, whether you are busing yourself at a museum or just wandering wide boulevards with locals, out for a casual everyday in Yerevan.
