Armenia

PERSONAGES WHAT TO EAT MUST-SEE PICTURES

PERSONAGES

Vazgen I

Vazgen I (given name Levon Garabed Baljian; 20 September 1908 - 18 August 1994) was an Armenian Christian bishop. He was born in Bucharest in a family belonging to the Armenian community. He graduated from the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy at the University of Bucharest, when his interests began to shift from philosophy to theology, Baljian went to Athens to study Armenian Apostolic Theology. In 1940 he became bishop and later became head of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Romania. In 1955 he was elected Catholicos of all Armenians, a post he held until his death on 18 August 1994. «For his outstanding achievements in the preservation and multiplication of national and spiritual values» he was named national hero of Armenia.

Viktor Amazaspovič Ambarcumjan

Viktor Amazaspovič Ambarcumjan is also called Victor, his second name is Amazasp and his surname is Ambarzumian, Ambarzumyan or Ambarzumjan. (Armenian: ՎիկտորՀամբարձումյան, Tbilisi, 19 settembre 1908 – Byurakan, 12 agosto 1996). He was an Armenian astronomer and astrophysicist. He's considered a pioneer of theoretical astrophysics and he studied cosmogony of stars and galaxies, stellar dynamics, and nebulae. In 1947 he discovered the existence of stellar associations; he also suggested that the T-Tauri stars are relatively young and that stellar associations are ephemeral formations.

Ampropayin ampery misht ch’e, vor andzrev yen talis

Translation: Thunder clouds do not always give rain. This proverb warns us not to raise hopes so that we may not get disappointed.

WHAT TO EAT

Lavash

Armenian bread, called "lavash", is a bread without yeast with a peculiar consistency. The dough, made with few ingredients, is spread in a very thin dough, which can be enriched with poppy or sesame seeds.

Ghapama

The pumpkin is the main ingredient, it's emptied and filled with cooked rice, raisins, dried fruit, cinnamon, sugar or honey. It is traditionally prepared between New Year and Armenian Christmas, or other festive occasions. Also it is a dish so loved to have a song dedicated to him "Hey Jan Ghapama".

Khorovats

Khorovats are grilled (sometimes even marinated) skewers of chicken, pork, lamb or beef. They are usually accompanied by rice, fried potatoes and of course lavash (Armenian bread). To complete the dish, add a light touch of salt and pepper, not to cover too much the taste of the meat.

MUST-SEE

Areni-1 Shoe

The Areni-1 shoe is a 5,500-year-old leather shoe that was found in 2008 in excellent condition in the Areni-1 cave located in the Vayots Dzor province of Armenia. It is a one-piece leather-hide shoe, the oldest piece of leather footwear in the world known to contemporary researchers. The discovery was made by an international team led by Boris Gasparyan, an archaeologist from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.

Dvin

Dvin was a large commercial city and the capital of early medieval Armenia. It was situated north of the previous ancient capital of Armenia in the Ayrarat region.

Zorats Karer

Zorats Karer (Armenian: Զորաց Քարեր?, locally known as Դիք-դիք քարեր Dik-dik karer), also known as Karahunj, Qarahunj or Carahunge and Carenish (in armeno: Քարահունջ և Քարենիշ?) is is a prehistoric archaeological site located near the town of Sisian, in the province of Syunik, Armenia. The site is also known internationally as the 'Armenian Stonehenge'.