SUMMARY: ARMENIA
Armenia is a small but historic country in the mountainous south of the Caucasus - the 'silk route' region wedged between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. It borders Georgia & Azerbaijan to the north & east, and Iran & Turkey to the south & west. So, geographically and culturally it is on the front line between the Middle East and Asia.
It was the world's first country to officially adopt Christianity in 301 AD, and is a popular destination for pilgimages.
Its territory borders the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh which is usually the subject of Foreign Office travel warnings.
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Tourist Office The Armenian Tourism Development Agency does not have representation in the UK... Armenian Tourism Development Agency (ATDA) |
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Mount Ararat - careful! Mount Ararat - legendary resting place of Noah's Ark - has been a part of Armenia at several key periods in its history, and it looms large in the Armenian psyche, not least because, only 30 miles away, it dominates the skyline of Armenia's capital, Yerevan. It is the Armenians' national symbol (depicted right in the middle of their coat of arms), but was (last) lost to Turkey in 1923 when the post WW1 Treaty of Kars divided the region up between USSR and Turkey. The Armenians refer to their town of Ararat and their Ararat region, and to Mount Ararat itself, a lot, but don't be confused. Mount Ararat is in Turkey. To make things even more confusing, Armenia's highest peak is called Mt Aragats (4090m). |
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What to do/Where to go Yerevan, Armenia's capital is the gateway for tourism to Armenia. The city is celebrating its 2,790th anniversary in 2008 (making it 30 years older than Rome). Lake Sevan is a beautiful Alpine-style lake surrounded by mountains. The town of Sevan is on nearly every tourist itinerary. Monastaries. There are a number of significant monastaries scattered about Armenia, often in dramatic locations, visited by interested tourists and Christian groups on pilgimages. Garni is the site of an impressive Greek temple dating back to 77AD but restored in the 1970s. Jermuk is a resort town at the location of hot water springs. |
