The former Soviet republic of about 3 million people is a beautifully developing state. Compared to neighboring Azerbaijan, Christianity is more widely practiced in this country, so the assertiveness and impulsiveness traditional for Caucasians are not so pronounced.
Magnificent mountain landscapes, wonderful Armenian cities with ancient sights included in the UNESCO heritage list, and, of course, the amazing hospitality and goodwill of the locals attract many tourists here.
General information about Armenia
Armenia stretches across the northeastern territory of the Armenian Highlands. It borders Azerbaijan in the east, Turkey in the west, Georgia in the north and Iran in the south. This is an amazing land of mountains with medieval monasteries. This is a land that has endured the decline of ancient civilizations and the Great Flood. It is here that carpets of fabulous beauty are created and the best cognac is produced.
Armenia –state, on the territory of which there are wonderful cities. The capital is Yerevan.
The following is a description of several Armenian cities.
List of cities
Armenia has a total of 10 regions, 48 cities and 953 rural settlements. In this state, the concept of "city" is not defined by population.
The largest Armenian cities:
- Yerevan (1,060,138 people);
- Gyumri (121976);
- Vanadzor (86199);
- Vagharshapat (46540);
- Abovyan and Kapan (over 43,000);
- Distributed (over 41 thousand);
- Armavir (over 29 thousand).
The population of such cities as Dilijan, Gavar, Artashat, Ararat, Ijevan, Goris, Cherentsavan and Masis is just over 20 thousand people.
City of Ararat
The city is located 48 kilometers southeast of the city of Yerevan. It got its name in honor of the sacred Mount Ararat, located seven kilometers from it. It extends on the Ararat plain, which is the most fertile in its history. The largest settlements have always been located on it.
The city was founded in 1939. Ararat is known as a center of heavy industry. It houses a gold processing factory and a cement plant. There is a railway station Ararat, which passes daily electric trains from the village of Yeraskha to the capital Yerevan.
The main attraction of the city of Ararat is the mountain of the same name, also called the Giant. Its circumference exceeds40 kilometers. This majestic mountain is famous not only for its beauty, it is also sacred. According to the biblical stories, it was here that Noah's ark moored. Until now, many residents of Armenia are sure that it was the Armenians who were the first settlers on planet Earth after the Flood.
Meghri city
Armenia has many rivers on its territory, including Meghri. In the south of the state along the banks of this river is the city of the same name. Its height above sea level is approximately 600 meters. The climate in these places is much warmer than in the main part of Armenia. In winter, there is little snow, and there is practically no frost. Summer weather is dry and hot with little rainfall.
The word "meghri" in translation from the local means "honey". The city is so named due to the fact that this area is the most honey-bearing in the country.
The locality, with a population of only about 5,000 people, received the title of city in 1984.
It is difficult to get to Meghri. The railway branch, located 5 kilometers from the settlement, has not been working for a long time, and the roads are bad. There is also an airfield not far from Meghri, which is also not used today.
However, there is something to see in this area. Among the Armenian cities, Meghri is famous for the fact that there is an ancient monument in it - the Meghri fortress, which is a construction of the 17th century. There are also several ancient temples and cathedrals in the vicinity.
The city is famous for the fact that of theseplaces originates from the Kharatyan family, whose descendant is the famous Russian actor Dmitry Kharatyan.
Ruined City
From the Armenian language "Spitak" is translated as "white". The former name of the city is "Amamlu", which in translation from the Turkic word "ammamly" means "bathhouse". Perhaps this name was due to the presence of warm springs in these places.
This Armenian settlement was completely destroyed in just 30 seconds as a result of a catastrophic earthquake that occurred on December 7, 1988. 40% of the entire territory of Armenia suffered from this terrible natural phenomenon. Today Spitak is under restoration.
The main attractions of the area are the city church of St. Astvatsatsin, rebuilt on the basis of the old one, as well as ancient cave dwellings in the vicinity of the city.
In closing
Armenia is a small but amazingly beautiful country, and when traveling through it, you can see many interesting historical places with architectural monuments. Being in these small towns, you can learn a lot about Armenian hospitality, as well as get great pleasure from the picturesque landscapes of the surroundings and the wonderful mountain air.
