YerevanYerevan, the capital of Armenia, is one of the oldest cities of the world. Its history dates back to the 8th century B. C. with the founding of the Urartian fortress of Erebuni in 782.B.C.. Yerevan is situated on Hrazdan River and is a leading industrial, cultural, and scientific centre in the Caucasian region. It is also at the heart of an extensive rail network and is a major trading centre for agricultural products. In addition, industries in the city produce metals, machine tools, electrical equipment, chemicals, textiles, and food products. Due to its strategic significance, Yerevan was constantly fought over and it passed back and forth between the domination of Persia and the Ottomans for centuries. In 1827 it was taken and formally ceded by the Persians in 1828. After the 1917 Russian revolution it enjoyed being the capital of independent Armenia for three years, and then in 1920 it became the capital of the newly formed Soviet Armenia within the territory of the USSR. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yerevan became the capital of the independent Republic of Armenia in 1991. In 1988, when the collapse of the Soviet Union became visible, Yerevan was a full- fledged, becoming Soviet city of over 1 million people. In Yerevan you will never need rose- coloured glasses, as most of its buldings use a pink shade of « tuf» stone which is quarried in Armenia. The very heart of the city , and indeed the nation, is the Republic Square. It is also impossible to imagine Yerevan without Ararat and Aragats mountains, which are visible from all over the city. The best views open from Cascade where the city seems to be in your palms with Ararat straight ahead and quadruple peaks of Aragats to the right. Art lovers may find truly formidable collections ranging from prehistoric times to modern days in numerous museums. Yerevan has a thriving nightlife with variety of national and international restaurants, bars and night clubs. On weekends one of the almost mandatory things to do is to visit Vernissage, which is an arts and crafts open- air bazaar. This is a place where beauty was created as means of survival. Ten year ago most of the craftsmen sitting here had different professions. They were doctors, architects and policemen. Mixing with old and new Armenian styles, their boundless imagination is constantly creating something. Thousands of souvenirs of different styles and types carefully made of silver, marble, wood, ceramics, cloths, different stones, threads and even fruit seeds. Everyone can have a good time and relax in Armenia particularly in Yerevan enjoying the diversity of nature, culture and people. |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
