Chiseled in Stone: Armenia’s Ancient Roots and Soviet-era RelicsChiseled in Stone: Armenia’s Ancient Roots and Soviet-era Relics

Weather permitting, we’ll take an alternative walking tour of Yerevan, stopping at some of the city’s most spectacular—and off-the-beaten-path—sites. After weaving through the popular Gumi Shuka Grocery Bazaar, we’ll pay a visit to the statue of Mother Armenia in Victory Park, peer out over Hrazdan Gorge, and check out a massive Soviet-era movie theater. We may even descend into Levon’s Divine Underground—an extensive network of subterranean rooms and caverns initially intended to be a potato cellar. If the weather is less than ideal, we’ll check out Yerevan’s museum scene instead, perusing the artwork at the Armenian National Gallery and the countless ancient manuscripts at the Matenadaran. After lunch, you’ll learn how to carve your own khachkar—Armenia’s traditional, ornate cross chiseled out of tuff. Enjoy a restful evening on your own.

Today we’ll make a day excursion to Etchmiadzin. Considered the spiritual capital of Armenia, Etchmiadzin is home to a vast religious complex and one of the oldest standing cathedrals in the world. We’ll stop to visit the ruins of the seventh-century Zvartnots Cathedral and the coeval Saint Hripsime Church. We’ll tour the complex and explore the semi-abandoned Etchmiadzin Sport Compound, a crumbling concrete relic of the region’s Soviet history. Just outside the city, we’ll have the chance to visit traditional villages inhabited by the Yazidi, a strictly endogamous ethnoreligious group that’s faced persecution across the globe. We’ll have the chance to explore Aknalich, the main Yazidi settlement, chat with locals, and pay a visit to one of the largest Yazidi temples in the world. After our visit, we’ll return to Yerevan for an evening at our leisure.

Today we head north into the mountain pastures of the Aragats Massif. We’ll stop en route to explore the Armenian Alphabet Monument—a field scattered with massive, metal letters memorializing the birth of the alphabet over 1600 years ago. A scenic shortcut takes us to the Soviet-era Byurakan Observatory and a 10th-century fortress in Amberd. We’ll continue on to Gyumri, a city that was devastated by the 1988 earthquake and later rebuilt in a variety of architectural styles. Here, we’ll visit some of the city’s most iconic buildings alongside its lesser-known sites, from the mesmerizing Iron Fountain to the Gallery of the Aslamazyan Sisters—two painters who are often referred to as the Fridas of Soviet Armenia.

This morning’s drive will usher us through the lush northeastern region of the country. Our destination today is Alaverdi, a quintessentially Soviet mining town close to the Georgian border. Aside from the routine stops we’ll make for lunch, bathroom breaks, and photo opportunities, we’ll pause to check out two Soviet-era urban constructs: Spitak, a small town rebuilt after the earthquake, and Vanadzor, a city home to several semi-abandoned industrial structures. After a scenic drive along the Debed Canyon, we’ll eventually arrive in Alaverdi, where we’ll tour the steampunk downtown—including its Soviet-era train and cableway station, now obsolete, and take a de rigueur tour of the monastic complexes of Sanahin and Haghpat. Later on, we’ll tour the Soviet Air Force Museum, dedicated to Artyom Mikoyan, a local aerospace engineer and one of the primary designers of the MiG. After finding dinner on our own, we’ll head to bed in preparation for an early rise tomorrow.

We’re off to Dilijan, a golden-era retreat for the Soviet intelligentsia. We’ll hit the road early since we’ll be taking a detour through the remote Tavush province. Driving along the road skirting the Azerbaijani border, we’ll pass through far-flung towns and villages, glimpse Soviet relics, and explore villages-cum-monasteries such as Akhtala and Haghartsin. We’ll reach Dilijan in time for dinner and head to bed.

On a walking tour of Dilijan, we’ll visit the Soviet Soldier Memorial and explore an old, Soviet-era sanatorium just outside of town. We’ll head to the hamlet of Fioletovo, one of the few thriving Molokan communities, belonging to a rural Orthodox sect of Christianity, in the Southern Caucasus. If we’re lucky, we’ll have the chance to chat with locals and partake in a Russian Molokan food and tea tasting.

From Dilijan, we’ll head to the famous Lake Sevan, also known as the Armenian Ocean—one of the largest alpine lakes in the world. We’ll visit the storied fourth-century Sevanavank churches as well as the Writers’ House on the former island-turned-peninsula (following the partial draining of the lake in the 1960s). We’ll drive south along the shores of Lake Sevan this morning, heading to the lakeside monastery of Hayravank and the khachkar graveyard of Noratus, replete with hundreds of intricately carved stone crosses. We’ll continue south, driving along the Selim Pass, where we’ll pause to admire the sublime landscape and visit the 14th-century Orbelian Caravanserai. Finally, we’ll drive down through the mountains and settle for the night in the Soviet spa town of Jermuk.

Today we’ll slowly begin making our way back to Yerevan, making several stops along the way. First, we’ll explore the wine-making village of Areni and the church of Noravank, set against a background of blazing red mountains. In Khor Virap, we’ll pause to visit an ancient Armenian monastery offering spectacular views of the Ararat mountains located close to the closed border with Turkey. We’ll arrive back in Yerevan before nightfall, where we’ll unwind and enjoy a final farewell feast together.

After a quick bite this morning, it’s time to say your goodbyes and head to the airport, or on to your next destination.