Yerevan City - on a walkabout with Roza

Of the three Caucasus countries and their capitals, I think we liked Yerevan the best. Unfortunately, we were there only for 2.5 days – we should definitely have spent more time there. It is a very ancient city over 2500 years old, apparently founded in 783 BC.

We arrived from Georgia and drove From Tibilisi to the border near Sadakhlo. The border crossing thankfully was not as tortuous as the Azerbaijan – Georgia border. Inside Armenia’s immigration area, we found our guide with our name board. She guided us through the right queue and we were out.

Roza is a charming lady full of high energy, tons of information and looked after our welfare like a mother hen looks after her chicks. She had been in touch with Zura, our Georgia driver throughout our Georgia stay as she had received no info about us from our so-called travel consultant in Tbilisi (less said about her the better). Were it not for the excellent guides and drivers throughout our 11 day tour would have been miserable,as our travel agent Advantours in Georgia did not liaise with their local agency Geo Travels in Azerbaijan or whoever in Armenia and their arrangements were terrible. Do not use Geo Travels.  This blog is dedicated to Roza and Armaan for their courtesies, warmth and guidance to us during our rather short stay. 

We drove towards Sevanavank and Sevan lake and through Etchmiadzin straight to Yerevan. A drive of 226 kms from border to our hotel.  Our hotel was well placed, being right next to the City’s Central Square. We began the city tour next day by 10.00 am. As you see the central square has all these stone buildings in a pastel shade which were apparently Govt offices but now some have been converted to Corporate offices etc. We walked across the whole square to the far side. 

The name of the city of Yerevan goes back to the period of Urartu and originates from the name "Erebuni". It is known from the Urartian studies that the Urartian sound "B" sounds like "V" in Armenian. Thus, the name Erebuni has been transformed and has become Yerevan.

We walked over to the History Museum where inside the arches, we saw the history of the country written on large boards outside the museum. 

From the history lesson, we went to the Vernissage market. It is a huge open air souvenirs market – this was a place where you really found good quality items – embroidery, wood, carpets, jewellery, home ware etc – all mostly with Armenian designs. We loved the embroidered handbags and woven fabrics. Unfortunately, I was so busy looking around, I forgot to take pictures though I do think that I did but they may not have come out well enough. If in Yerevan, do not miss this market but keep atleast two hours to roam around.

We arrived at Megerian Carpets in what looked like an industrial area. There was a small group of men chatting away, seeing us, one of them came over and introduced himself and asked about us. Turned out to be Rafe Megerian – the owner – who lives mostly in New York. Our guide Rosa took us to the Carpet factory’s guide and we were given a tour of the facility – the works – from the wool sorting to all the processes involved in manufacture. We saw them being made and finally to the HUGE warehouse and sales section. But more about this wonderful place and the charming owner in my blog on Megerian carpets.

Armenian food is interesting and well presented, Here are two examples of their cuisine. The aubergine triangles were so unique. Ther Farmer’s pastry was delicious. We also found an Indian restaurant “Indian Palace” in the main square area which was really good and we enjoyed chicken malai tikka, the shahi paneer, aloo mutter,  phulkas etc and the outstanding gulab jamuns as dessert. Having spicy food after a long time was a real treat.   

Our next halt on the way to the Opera House brough us to this garden where a large art exhibition was taking place. As an artist myself, I loved seeing the variety on display but felt sad that the artists had no genuine buyers looking around. Maybe it was the wrong time of day.

The Opera House luckily had a programme which was interesting enough for us. A ballet “ Masquerade” by Khatachurian – we bought the tickets and happily went home to rest before the evening’s performance. Don’t forget we had seen the Cascade Monument which houses the awesome Cafesjian Museum of Art.- read my blog -  its unbelievable. . 

We were keen to see a performance of local dances so we went to “Tavern Yerevan”. It’s a very large restaurant which caters to large groups who come for their show and dinner. Our seats were luckily right up front near the stage. Our dinners were pre-ordered by our agent which we did not know about. The starters for everybody were already plated and wine bottles laid out. Well organised. The main items were served one at a time. My wife being vegetarian, they made an attempt and she did not starve. The non veg was tough chicken which must have been in the freezer for a few months!!

The dance performance was good. Three women and three men ; all colourfully dressed. They performed and sang. All local instruments – one of them was like our santoor but called a kunbun. Each performance was for around 20 mins, then 30 min break and repeat again. It was a lengthy evening of music and dance but we got a good flavour of their culture.

Yerevan’s taxi service works on “BOLT” – an excellent app. I used it many times. Reliable and I found they do use the taxi meters! 

We arrived early at the Opera House as I was not sure exactly which entrance we needed to use. At the rear of the hall, in the big open space there was a huge Science exhibition for Students – many stalls with students exhibiting all sorts of scientific and tech items. Lots of adults too. Very interesting

The Opera House is large and impressive. We had excellent seats centre of stage. The audience was interesting. My neighbour was an American Armenian and he told me that many American Armenians return to Armenia every year. He said the audience had many American Armenians. Another interesting aspect was that there was a whole section reserved for school children. We enjoyed the performance.

We took a Bolt cab back to the Central Square and I end this blog with some photos of the square lit up at night. In the distance, we could hear the music from the Musical Fountains near the History Museum, which are on daily from 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm. It had been a long enjoyable day and we loved Yerevan’s relaxed atmosphere. 

This blog is dedicated to Roza  Atanesyan our guide, and Armaan our driver,  for their dedication, warmth, knowledge and caring. They showed us the beauty of their wonderful city of Yerevan over two days that we were with them. 

They are a wonderful cheerful pair who were part of the group of guides and drivers in the Caucasus who made our trip memorable. Thank you. 

Their contact details are in the blog on Guides used by us. 

Text and photographs copyright of the author. No part of this article or photographs maybe transmitted or reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Do contact the author on email -- helpthesun@gmail.com

Zaha Hadid's impressive Hyder Ali Centre in Baku.

You just cannot miss this huge extravagant building with its brilliant white rolling curving walls, its massive number of glass windows (the cleaning company has an enviable task) and its length from one end to the other side. its unique and typical of Azerbaijan when they want to make a statement. In this country of boom and bust, prosperity can be at your doorstep overnight and can be snatched away just as quickly, depending upon who is in power !  Invading armies, oppressive ideologies and nosy neighbours have ruled Azerbaijan’s territory around for centuries, each taking its turn to pillage the country of its oil wealth. As in the other Caucasus countries, the brief periods of sovereignty in between are now looked back on as the Golden Period. We went to the main entrance but were forced to go to the side door as there was some major conference taking place. A long detour but we could see the breadth of the building and the grandiose design.  This looks like a keel of a boat!

You go through a long passage and come face to face with this extraordinarily long loom and a carpet in progress. In this foyer, there is a large bronze and granite sculpture and two antique cars – a Citroen and a Packard. One wonders at their relevance. After going through the whole building, every floor, every gallery, we realised that there need not be any linkage at all to the next exhibit. Every gallery had something unique and unusual. Every artist came from across the world. If its good, exhibit it. Independent since 1991, contemporary Azerbaijan is considered with a new sense of permanence. The state has set foundations that cannot be uprooted – most notably via ambitious civic projects that have re-shaped the city’s skyline. Be it the Three Tall Towers, the Carpet Museum, The huge Winged Mall, The Remembrance Arch, the Martyrs Wall… the list of creative structures is growing in Baku. Add to that this unique building …….The Heydar Aliyev Centre in downtown Baku is a signature of Azerbaijan’s self-authored modernity – a symbol of stability and forward momentum.

Designed by the famous late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, the eye-catching Heydar Aliyev Centre opened in 2012. Its astonishing curved, wave-like shape and innovative use of space have turned it into an icon of modern Azerbaijan. In 2014 the stunning structure, which doesn't have a single straight line, won the London Design Museum's prestigious Design of the Year Award. 

The building aims to be a place that is open to anyone regardless of gender, race and origin and that brings people together united by shared ideas. And besides its extraordinary appearance, it’s also a world-class exhibition and museum complex where you’ll find a wide range of permanent and temporary curations showcasing the best of local and global arts and culture. 

Among the permanent collections, there's a museum exploring the life and legacy of the national leader Heydar Aliyev, a Mini Azerbaijan exhibition displaying miniature versions of the country's key landmarks, and even a very unique collection of classic cars. 

In addition, the Centre also has a stylish cafeteria as well as a state-of-the-art auditorium that hosts international conferences and events. 

What's more, the surrounding area is effectively a large green park where, in warmer months, you can walk, relax and get away from the urban hustle and bustle.

There are many galleries, each with many exhibits, all well captioned in Azerbaijani and English. I have shown photos of the dolls, the clowns, the carpets, the fruit and peppers, the strange metal sculptures. I could not take photographs of the excellent musical instruments section as it was too dark – every wind and string instrument was shown and its origins explained. There were some strange items too which I had never seen before. Our santoor and its maestro Shiv Kumar Sharma featured too.

Seeing the dolls exhibits and their size and features, you realize how much time and effort has gone into making them so well and in such detail. .

This para here refers to an exhibit which could not be photographed.  

The carpet section was awesome. Really beautiful works, so delicately crafted. See my blog on the Carpet Museum where I have featured, in the first half of the blog, some of the carpets from here. Every detail is visible in the carpet – the eyes, the face, the expressions, the stream flowing by, life as it is lived. One can stand there for hours and examine each detail, and not get tired.  

The building is joyful and dynamic; you’re allowed to walk on its perfectly manicured grass lawns and clamber up the sides of its enveloping walls. Best of all, no one will tell you off for taking photos.

Text and photographs copyright of the author. No part of this article or photographs maybe transmitted or reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without written permission. Do contact the author on email -- helpthesun@gmail.com