Afisha Daily: Reasons beside Armenian brandy to visit Yerevan

PanARMENIAN.Net - Afisha Daily has prepared an article about Yerevan from a tourist viewpoint, suggesting several reasons other than the world-famous Armenian brandy for visiting the city.

The daily has asked friends and colleagues to name some reasons to visit the Armenian capital on May holidays.

Among top recommendations wasEtchmiadzin Cathedral which, according to an Afisha reporter, is a great idea for a one-day trip.

“Start with the main cathedral, then make a little walking tour of other churches nearby - Hripsime, Gayane, Shoghakat - with a visit to the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary,” the journalist says.

Tsitsernakaberd - the biggest memorial complex in Yerevan - is dedicated to the 1.5 million innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated at the hands of the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923.

Next on the list is Tatev. Visiting Yerevan, it’s worth dedicating one day to Tatev, which hosts the longest cable car in the world - 5752-meter-long Wings of Tatev - and Tatev Monastery, which turns 1111 this year, another Afisha contributor says.

The cable car was opened in 2010. It passes over the gorge and leads to the monastery, which since the 9th century has been one of the most important spiritual and academic centers of Armenia, with about a thousand monks and thinkers living there. Today, most of the complex has been restored as part of a large-scale project, Tatev Revival.

Cafesjian Center for the Arts is a museum of contemporary art in the territory of the architectural complex Cascade. Inside the museum itself, there is a cozy library and a souvenir shop with reasonable prices on the ground floor; concerts and lectures are often held in various halls of the complex.

Matenadaran is a museum of ancient manuscripts from around the world. The museum stores about 120,000 ancient manuscripts and archival documents not only in Armenian, but also in Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Russian languages.

Also, the publication recommends visiting Yerevan Vernissage, a large open-air market with excellent souvenirs, Dalan air gallery, Mirzoyan Library offering books and photos along with whiskey and gin, as well as a host of restaurants, cafes, bookstores, bars and pubs.