And Then, In The Middle Of Nowhere, The Armenian Alphabet

Gallery20. October 2018 hikeminded4 Comments

The Armenian Alphabet is – after Mount Ararat, the Genocide and Christianity – one of the big contributors to Armenian identity. It was developed by Mesrop Mashtots in 5th century and was probably influenced by the Ethiopian alphabet. Just after its development Mesrop Mashtots founded schools all over Armenia where the new alphabet was taught. Rosas […]

Armenia: Saghmosavank Monastery And The Myth Of The Bearded Virgins

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The Monastery was build in 13th century and is picturesquely located next to the gorge of Kasagh river. One peculiarity of this Monastery is the tympanum of the “Bearded Virgins” which are obviously also depicted in Hovanavank Monastery. There is the myth that there are five wise virgins and five stupid virgins with beards and Jesus […]

Armenia: Mystical Sanahin Monastery

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Sanahin Monastery (meaning: This one is older than that one – referring to Haghpat Monastery) was clearly one of my favorite Monasteries from the felt 200 Monasteries we have seen during our stay in Armenia. It was build in the 10th century.

It is more chaotic and full of hidden symbols than other monasteries I have seen, and reminded me of Moria where the dwarfs live in Lord Of The Rings. All that said, while I’m quite aware that the inspiration for Moria probably came from buildings like that one 🙂

Armenia: The Deep Gorge Of Dsoraget And Lori Berd Fortress

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The Gorge of Dsoraget partially looks like if a giant would have cut into earth with a giant knife. I didn’t find anything like an information about the geological formation history of this site, but looking at the clear and straight edges, it nearly seams impossible that a river should have done this. Even if it […]

Armenia: The Beautiful Basilica Of Odzun

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Odzun Basilica dates back to the 7th century and differs from other sacral buildings we have seen. Some of those extravaganzas are the proportions (height vs. width ratio) which rather evokes the thought of gothic decendance than one from the early middle ages. Second are the paintings inside the church – above all a giant […]

Armenia: Haghpat Monastery In The Morning Mist

Image15. October 201818. October 2018 hikeminded2 Comments

Haghpat Monastery was build in the 10th century and was listed – together with Sanahin Monastery – as Unesco World Heritage Site.

Alaverdi: The City That Could Be A Jewel

Image14. October 2018 hikeminded1 Comment

Alaverdi is a city of 13.000 and was the biggest center of copper mining since the 18th century. 13% of all copper of the Russian Empire came from here. During Soviet times Alaverdi has been enlarged massively to satisfy the metallurgical needs of the Soviet Union. Today there are still 500 people working in the […]

Vanadzor: A Stroll In Pictures Through Armenias Third Largest Town

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Transcaucasian Trail Matosavank Monastery

Armenia: A Hike With Piggies From Dilijan To Matosavank Monastery Along The Transcaucasian Trail

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Gukhtak Churches Matosavank Monastery I saw a sign for the Transcaucasian Trail on the way and was surprised because I always thought the trail to be located in the upper Caucasus in Georgia. I looked for a map and the only thing I found was a map from a planned […]