Armenia has been unfairly overlooked as a tourist hotspot, but if you make it there you will discover a wealth of cultural heritage. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity, and its many ancient churches and monasteries often stand in breathtakingly beautiful landscapes.
Armenia has been unfairly overlooked as a tourist hotspot, but if you make it there, you will discover a wealth of cultural heritage, including numerous ancient sites and delectable cuisine. When you factor in the welcoming locals (and the abundance of extreme sports options), it’s easy to see why Armenia needs a new image.
You won’t find another place quite like it anywhere else in all of the Middle East. Armenia is a country renowned for its scenic beauty, delicious food, rich culture, and ancient history. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity, and the country’s many ancient churches and monasteries often stand in breathtakingly beautiful landscapes. Here are, to our mind, the 10 most interesting facts about what is Armenia famous for.
Armenians have been through a complicated history despite having only 30,000 square kilometres of land and almost three million inhabitants. Like people from other countries, Armenians take great pride in the characteristics that set them apart from other people and give them their own identity. The following is a list of the things that, according to them, make them extremely proud to be Armenian.
10 Insteresting Facts What Is Armenia Famous For
Leaving Armenia, or the Armenian Diaspora
Armenians are what make the country and its people famous. Since ancient times, Armenians have spread across the globe for various reasons, including economics, politics, and warfare. It’s common to refer to this as the “Armenian Diaspora.”
Over the last 1700 years, members of the Armenian Diaspora (known as Spyurk in Armenian) have spread across the globe. Armenians, who have lived in Old Jerusalem for centuries, are a prime example of this phenomenon. This Diaspora, however, was exacerbated by World War I and the Armenian Genocide (see below), both of which were precipitated by the Ottoman Empire and caused either mass exodus or the deaths of the targeted populations. Today, we refer to this as the “Armenian Diaspora.”
Despite having only 3 million residents, Armenia is home to 10 and 11 million people of Armenian descent due to decades of emigration. This equates to roughly 7,000,000 Armenians living in countries other than Armenia, making the total Armenian population abroad significantly larger than that of Armenia itself.
Armenians are found in large numbers in Russia, the United States, France, Argentina, Syria, Lebanon, Canada, Turkey, Ukraine, Australia, and Greece. Below, we will delve into the topic of the 130,000 Armenians who live in the de facto republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenian Genocide
When discussing Armenia, there are several delicate subjects that can easily spark contentious debates or even something more serious. The Genocide against the Armenian people is probably the most sensitive of these.
During World War I, the newly established Turkish government carried out a campaign of mass deportation and murder against the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. This campaign was known as the Armenian Genocide. Armenians contend that there was a concerted effort to exterminate the Armenian people and that this constitutes Genocide. The Turks do not accept this accusation. While they acknowledge that atrocities have been committed, they maintain that there was never an official policy of Genocide directed specifically against the Armenian people.
Between 1914 and 1923, it is estimated that 1.5 million Armenians of ethnic origin were either deported or put to death. As was just mentioned, many of the communities that make up the Armenian Diaspora experienced a growth spurt as a direct result of these unfortunate events.
The Armenian Genocide has been a topic of discussion in the media over the past few years due to an increasing number of nations and the European Union recognizing the events as Genocide. As a direct result of this, the government of Turkey frequently denies its existence and harshly criticizes nations that acknowledge it.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh
Another sensitive issue, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, has not been resolved to anyone’s satisfaction. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan, despite being populated and controlled by people of Armenian ethnicity.
The primary issue in this conflict is that the Karabakh Armenians initially demanded that Karabakh be transferred from Soviet Azerbaijan to Soviet Armenia and now want to be a part of Armenia. They have the backing of Armenia in their mission to secede from Azerbaijan, which is the land owner according to the consensus of international organizations.
The conflict began in 1988 and reached its height between 1992 and 1994 when it was finally resolved through the negotiation of a cease-fire. After having been a conflict of relatively low intensity between the years 1994 and 2020, it has once again become a full-scale war in the year 2020. Unfortunately, this war is one of the reasons that Armenia is featured so frequently in the media and is, as a result, one of the things Armenia is most well-known.
Kardashians (and other famous Armenians) (and other famous Armenians)
The Kardashian family has become one of the most well-known groups of Armenians living in the Diaspora in the past few decades. As you are probably aware, there are a significant number of them. Although Kim Kardashian is undeniably the most well-known of the Kardashian family, Kourtney, Khloé, and Rob are also well-known.
On the other hand, there are a great number of even more well-known people who have Armenian ancestry. Other beautiful celebrities, artists, and athletes have Armenian genes, despite the fact that most of them were not born in Armenia and are of mixed ancestry. Some examples of these are as follows:
- Cher – Singer, oscar winner.
- Andre Agassi was tennis great in the 1990s and early 2000s.
- Garry Kasparov is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished chess players.
- Composer and musician Aram Khachaturian
- Sergei Parajanov – Surrealist Artist/Produce
- Calouste Gulbenkian was a tycoon in the oil industry and one of the wealthiest men alive during his time.
- Formula One driver Alain Prost won four times during his career. His Armenian ancestry came from his mother.
- System of a Down is a band from the United States of America, and all its members are of Armenian descent.
This nation was the first to officially recognize Christianity.
Over ninety-five percent of Armenians identify as Christians, with the vast majority (roughly 92%) belonging to the Armenian church. This church is known as the Armenian Apostolic Church. Its establishment in the first century makes it one of Christianity’s earliest churches, and in 301 AD, it became the first Christian denomination to be recognized by the state.
Christian faith has been officially recognized in Armenia before any other nation. The Armenian Apostolic Church takes its name from the two apostles of Jesus Christ, Thaddeus and Bartholomew, who travelled to Armenia to spread the gospel. Gregory the Illuminator (Lusavorich) was the first Catholicos of All Armenians and is credited with baptizing the country of Armenia in the year 301. Armenia established the world’s first Christian state.
Yerevan, the capital of Armenia
Yerevan is well-known for being a beautiful city with a long history and a model of Soviet architecture and design with huge, massive buildings, wide streets, and spacious city squares. The city was named after Yerevan, Armenia, the Soviet Union’s capital city, from 1918 to 1991.
The history of Yerevan, now the capital of Armenia, can be traced back to the 9th century BCE when King Argishti I established the Erebuni fortress as the city’s first permanent settlement. This makes Yerevan one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. The importance of Yerevan and its size changed significantly over the centuries, with the city experiencing significant declines in importance for many centuries. It did not become the capital of Armenia until the year 1918.
Yerevan is well-known for having colour all its own as well. The city is commonly referred to as the “pink city” due to the pinkish hue of the ancient volcanic rock that was used in the construction of the majority of the city’s structures. Republic Square is a wonderful location to go to to take in the unusual patterns and hues.
Lavash
Lavash is a type of flatbread that is very thin and soft and baked in a tandoor. Lavash is made with flour, yeast, water, and salt. Before baking, toasted sesame and/or poppy seeds are sometimes sprinkled on top of the mixture. Because it is so common in the cuisines of the South Caucasus, Western Asia, and Caspian Sea regions, it is not only the most popular type of bread in Armenia but also in the countries that are located nearby, such as Azerbaijan, Iran, and Turkey.
As an expression of culture in Armenia, the making of lavash, its meaning, and its appearance were all included in the 2014 inscription of lavash as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Despite this, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan lodged protests because they believed it to be a regional issue rather than an Armenian one. In 2016, UNESCO added the act of making and sharing flatbread in these countries to its list of intangible cultural heritage.
Therefore, lavash and other types of bread that are similar to it are not exclusively Armenian; however, they are essential to Armenian cuisine and are among the things that Armenia is most well-known for. When travelling throughout the country, travellers frequently come across lavash. The practice of stacking dried lavash in layers so that it can be used at a later time is very common. It is possible to rehydrate the bread at the appropriate time by sprinkling it with water, which will cause it to become soft once more.
Chess
To set the record straight and forestall any premature judgments, the chess game did not originate in Armenia. Before the seventh century, an Indian board game known as chaturanga served as the game’s ancestor. Armenians have been playing chess since the middle ages, but the game didn’t become particularly interesting until much later.
After being first institutionalized during the times of the Soviet Union, chess was finally added to the curriculum of every school in Armenia after the country gained its independence in 2011/12. Armenia is the first and only country in the world to make playing chess in school a requirement for students in grades two through four. As a result, Armenia is the only nation in which chess instruction is mandated.
This information was widely disseminated throughout various international media outlets. Journalists and chess experts from various countries gave the program positive reviews, which contributed to the game of chess becoming one of the things that Armenia is famous for.
The world’s oldest Cathedral
Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, is located in Armenia and is widely regarded as the world’s oldest Cathedral.
Vagharshapat, where Etchmiadzin Cathedral can be found, is not far from Yerevan. Because of the conversion mentioned above to Christianity, the first church was constructed in the early 4th century, between 301 and 303. It was built over a pagan temple, symbolizing the conversion to the new religion. Despite numerous attacks and repairs over its long history, the building’s significance to Armenians has never wavered.
It is no exaggeration to say that Etchmiadzin Cathedral is one of the most well-known landmarks in Armenia.
Ararat, the Mountain
What is Armenia most well-known for? Are you thinking of Mount Ararat? Please be patient with us while we explain this peculiar situation, as we know it will likely cause some of you to wince or become irate.
To begin, and just to make this clear, Mount Ararat is not even located within the borders of the modern-day country of Armenia. Throughout history, Mount Ararat has been traversed by the countries of Armenia, Iran, Russia, and Turkey. It is currently located in Turkey, very close to the border with Armenia.
Nevertheless, Mount Ararat is the most important symbol of Armenia, and some even regard it as sacred. They also believe it is where Noah’s Ark came to rest. Despite this interpretation of the Bible, there is not a single piece of scientific evidence that the Ark existed.
The imposing mountain can be seen from Armenia; however, the most picturesque location from which to view it is probably Khor Virap, a monastery and one of the most visited places in Armenia. You will need to travel to Turkey to visit it because the borders between Turkey and Armenia are currently closed.
There are numerous references to Mount Ararat dispersed throughout the territory of Armenia. You name it, and there is probably at least one or several products named Ararat, either in a store, a restaurant, a bank, or something else entirely. The most well-known of these is most likely the Ararat brandy.
Conclusion:
Armenia is waiting to be discovered by those looking for a vacation destination that is wonderful, adventurous, interesting, full of emotions, and wows. The friendliest people, the oldest landmarks, and the most stunning scenery await your arrival.
FAQ
What is unique about Armenia?
It has one of the world’s oldest capital – The Armenian capital, Yerevan, is one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities, constructed as it was 29 years before Rome. Overlooked by the snow-capped Mount Ararat, the capital has a bewildering number of historic buildings, not to mention a clutch of excellent museums.What represents Armenian culture?
Armenians are often characterized as hospitable, friendly, and kind people who respect elders, have a gentle attitude to children and have strong family values.What are some Armenian values?
A bit hot-tempered but open-hearted and good-natured, Armenians are famous for their kindness and hospitality, respect for adults, strong family values and gentle attitude to children.
