From: "Adil Baguirov"
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2004 9:18 PM
Subject: National Geographic map correction
Dear sirs,
I would like to point your attention to the map of Azerbaijan,
located at
URL:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/azerba/azerba-dl.gif,
which
contains minor, yet very important inaccuracies.
First, the former
borders of the Nagorno-Karabakh region do not "touch" the
international
common border of Azerbaijan-Armenia (former because the
Parliament of
Azerbaijan abolished Nagorno-Karabakh (NKAO) autonomy in
1991). There is a
Lachin region in between Nagorno-Karabakh and the
territory of
Armenia.
Second, two out of three small Azerbaijani exclaves within the
territory of
Armenia are not drawn (portrayed) on the map. One is the village
of Kerki in
the north of Naxcivan, near the Turkey border. Second missing
exclave is
near the only one that is drawn, near Qazax region.
You can
see a more correct map at the State Department website:
http://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/aj/
Also, at RFE/RL:
http://www.rferl.org/images/maps/azerbaijan-map.jpg.
In addition, here's the
Encyclopedia Britannica's map:
http://www.geocities.com/fanthom_2000/maps/ebaz.html.
The
best and most correct map is the official map of Azerbaijan as can be
seen
from the UN Office in Azerbaijan: http://www.un-az.org/karta.jpg.
To: <content@pinr.com>
Sent: Monday,
September 27, 2004 1:57 AM
Subject: Re: Armenia: The Dream of Complementarity
and the Reality of
Dependency
Dear PINR and Dr.
Weinstein,
I greatly value the PINR publications, and have been
especially interested
in seeing several reports lately on the subject of the
Caucasus. The most
recent report, "Armenia: The Dream of Complementarity and
the Reality of
Dependency" (27 September 2004), displays great research,
understanding and
analysis, except for one important point regarding the
status of the
Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. When Dr. Weinstein writes about
this
currently Armenian-occupied internationally recognized territory
of
Azerbaijan, he uses imprecise words like "mini-state" and "when
Azerbaijan
was incorporated into the Soviet Union as a republic after the
Russian
Revolution, it was given the ethnically Armenian region
of
Nagorno-Karabakh".
The report further offers a simplistic
explanation for the decrease of
Armenian population and increase of
Azerbaijani population in that region,
establishing as a base the unspecified
statistics figures of late 1910s and
early 1920s, while overlooking the huge
Armenian influx into Caucasus since
early 19th century, which has been well
documented by Russian, Turkish,
Iranian, Azerbaijani, European, American and
Armenian researchers. Perhaps
the census data from the Russian Imperial
Census of 1897, the most
authoritative statistical document, should be
considered as the most
reliable statistical document, as cited in Audrey
Altstadt, "The Azerbaijani
Turks", Stanford: Hoover Institution Press,
1992.
For additional readings, I invite you to examine: "The population
of the
Ottoman Armenians", by Prof. Justin
McCarthy
[http://www.tbmm.gov.tr/yayinlar/yayin1/4-McCarty(65-85).pdf&e=7507
and also
here: http://www.mfa.gov.tr/grupe/eg/eg37/05.htm],
as well as a
general
overview
[http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:Lbtzd6tkAOMJ:www.karabakh.org/%3Fid%3D
3047%26item%3D5&hl=en&start=5]
Moreover,
it is important to stress that there is absolutely no evidence
that Karabakh
ever belonged to Armenia, especially before the creation of
the USSR. All
relevant official maps and Soviet documents of the time
clearly show that
Karabakh was part of Azerbaijan, then upon Sovietization
of Armenia was
pressured to be assigned to it but due to Azerbaijani
resistance, was left
within Azerbaijan. All the relevant archive letters are
available upon
request. A recent U.S. State Department historical background
clarifies the
issue of historic land ownership irrefutably (all comments in
brackets are
mine): "In the late 18th century, several khanates [Azerbaijani
states],
including Karabakh [founded in 1747], emerged in the south Caucasus
to
challenge the waning influence of the [Iranian Empire and] Ottoman
Empire.
After the Russian Empire eventually took control over the region in
1813,
Azerbaijani Turks began to emigrate from Karabakh while the
Armenian
population of
mountainous (Nagorno) Karabakh grew. With the 1917
Russian Revolution,
Azerbaijan and Armenia each declared independence [in
1918] and sought
control over Karabakh during the Russian Civil War. In 1923,
after the
Bolshevik takeover of the Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) was made
an
autonomous region [NKAO] within the Azerbaijani Soviet Republic"
(Source:
U.S. Department of State, History of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict,
March
30, 2001).
I tried to keep this letter as short as possible, but
am ready to offer more
details and clarify any point. I hope that all of the
corrections will be
carefully reviewed and after any additional verification,
will be applied to
the article and considered in the
future.
Sincerely,
Adil Baguirov, Ph.D.
From: "Adil Baguirov"
To: <content@atimes.com>
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2004 10:52 AM
Subject: Fw: Asia Times Online: Iran at sea over Azerbaijan
Dear Justin, EurasiaNet, and Ms. Owen,
It was interesting to read the
latest article by Elizabeth Owen, "Temps
Flare Over the Issue of
Nagorno-Karabakh 'Souvenir' Currency", published on
7 September (URL:
http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav090704.shtml).
While
factually correct in re-telling the Echo newspaper's investigation
and
publications, there are two important points I wanted to bring to
the
attention.
First, as Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as 7 other regions
that have been
occupied by Armenia are recognized by the international
community being part
of Azerbaijan, the regional capital of the Karabakh
region of Azerbaijan
official name is Khankendi. This is the historic name of
the city, which was
changed by Soviets in 1923 to Stepanakert, and was
re-named back in 1992 by
the independent Azerbaijan. Usually, all the media
tries to mention both of
those names, although official maps, such as those
from the CIA World
Factbook, show the official name of Khankendi only
(URL:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/aj.html).
This distinction
is especially important in an article such as that by Ms.
Owen, to show the
struggle and disagreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on
a wide-range of
issues.
Second, the statement "the 13th century
Gandzasar Monastery, once a
residence of the head of the Armenian Apostolic
Orthodox Church" is not
correct. The Gandzasar Monastery, which was built by
Hasan Jalal, a
Caucasian Albanian (ancestors of Azerbaijanis) grand prince of
Karabakh and
some other lands of the Caucasian Albania that were under
his
semi-autonomous rule -- because at the time all of Azerbaijan and
the
greater region was firmly under the rule of Turkic dynasties -- was never
a
residence (seat) of the head (catholicos) of the Armenian Apostolic
Orthodox
Church.
There are several reasons for this: it could not be,
as it was an Albanian,
not Armenian church, which were not only two different
nations and states,
but adopted different versions of Christianity. Secondly,
Armenian
catholicos at the time resided in Cilicia, and later moved to
the
present-day location of Echmiadzin. It is also important to note that
there
was not even a semi-independent Armenian state at the time -- and
could not
have been as the entire region was dominated Azerbaijani and
Turkic
dynasties/empires such as the Gara-goyunlu, Ag-goyunlu, Mongols,
Seljuk,
etc. In fact, Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian, a prominent Armenian
researcher from
the London School of Economics, who subscribes to the
Armenian nationalist
revision of history designating Karabakh as "Armenian",
nevertheless
admitted, "Beginning with the fifteenth century, the monastery
of Gandzasar
became the seat of the native Catholicos of the Albanian Church"
("Religious
Discourse on the Conflict in Nagorno Karabakh" / Religion in
Eastern Europe,
Volume XVIII, Number 4, August 1998).
I hope that the
web-version of the article could reflect these correction,
and future
articles will take this into account.
Sincerely,
Adil Baguirov,
Ph.D.
>
>
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/10/17/TRGD8991V41.DTL
>
>
>
Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 23:38:19 -0700 (PDT)
> From: "Adil" <baguirov@yahoo.com>
>
Subject: Letter re: San Francisco Chronicle Jane Wampler's Travel
>
piece
> To: gaylon@gaylonwamplerphotography.com,
letters@sfchronicle.com,
> readerrep@sfchronicle.com, travel@sfchronicle.com
>
>
Dear SFC and Mrs. Wampler,
>
> It was interesting to read Jane
Wampler's intriguing
> storytelling of the travel to Armenia (Armenia
reveals
> ancient treasures, new life Mountains, monasteries and
>
modern capital Sunday, October 17, 2004) - hopefully
> equally
comprehensive stories will appear about the
> other no less fascinating
nations of the South
> Caucasus region, namely Azerbaijan and Georgia.
There
> are a couple of factual inaccuracies in terms of
>
historical account that I wanted to bring to your
>
attention.
>
> Ms. Wampler writes that, "In 301 A.D., Armenia
became
> the first nation to embrace Christianity as a state
>
religion (a dozen years before Rome)". While some
> indeed might believe
that Armenia was the first nation
> to adopt Christianity, facts are
otherwise. The first
> nation in the world to adopt Christianity as a
an
> official state religion was Osroene (Edessa) under its
> king
Abgar IX, in c. 206 A.D., i.e., a whole century
> before the purported
similar adoption of Christianity
> as a state religion in Armenia (e.g.,
URL:
> http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Edessa).
>
After Osroene, the following partial list of states
> adopted Christianity
before Armenia: Eritria,
> Ethiopia, Caucasian Albania (Azerbaijan) and
Iberia
> (Georgia). Moreover, the oldest church in the Caucasus
> is
located in the Kish village in Azerbaijan, built in
> early
A.D.'s.
>
> While Ms. Wampler writes about "Armenia's 4,
>
000-year-old history" and "Ararat, the name of the
> former Armenian
kingdom", it is important to consider
> such authoritative scholarly
resources as Encyclopedia
> Britannica (any edition) or Prof. I.M.
Diakonoff (top
> Urartologist), which state that Armenians, who
call
> themselves "Hayk" and their nation "Hayastan",
> influxed the
South Caucasus and Iranian Plateau in the
> VI century B.C., and
assimilated the remaining
> Urarteans (Ararat) - in turn being conquered
by
> powerful Medes (Media) empire after a short while. The
>
geographic term Armenia stuck with the Hayk nation.
> Under its prolific
king, Tigran the Great, from 95
> B.C., Armenia became independent and
expanded its
> small borders to an empire until 66 B.C., when
Romans
> put an end to it and split Armenia with Persia.
> Armenia
became independent again only in 20th century.
> Despite the claim of
Armenia being a "massive kingdom
> [reduced] to one-tenth of its size", it
was of course
> -- due to Armenia's always lower than its famous
and
> powerful neighbors' population -- neither sustainable,
> nor
physically possible.
>
> Finally, on the issue of alleged genocide,
it is
> important to note that it is disputed to this day, and
>
that the suffering of the other side goes without
> mentioning at all.
According to Turkish, Kurdish,
> Azerbaijani, and other sources, these
nations accuse
> the Armenians of genocide as well, whilst the
modern
> day suffering of almost one million Azerbaijani
> refugees
and IDPs because of Armenia's aggression and
> occupation of 16% of
Azerbaijan - which is the real
> reason for arrested development, poverty
and problems
> of the entire region - go without being mentioned
by
> Ms. Wampler. Unfortunately, the people of this small
> nation
fell hostage to the radical expansionist ideas
> of the irresponsible
government, which has one of the
> highest military spending as a
percentage of GDP in
> the world, a large external debt and total
dependence
> on foreign aid and handouts. With the restarting of
>
hostilities possible at any time, tourism development
> will not solve
Armenia's problems and is not the
> answer to the long-term challenges on
the turbulent
> road ahead.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
Adil Baguirov, Ph.D.
>
San Francisco Chronicle
Armenia
reveals ancient treasures, new life
Mountains, monasteries and modern
capital
- Jane Wampler, Special to The Chronicle
Sunday, October 17,
2004
Yerevan, Armenia -- On a clear autumn day, the smell of fresh cement
and the
sound of chisels and hammers permeates the capital city of Armenia.
Sidewalk
cafes overflow with suited businessmen and couples talk over
demitasse cups
of strong, boiled coffee. Fashionable women in rimless
sunglasses and
stiletto heels walk arm in arm, sidestepping wheelbarrows and
loose paving
stones, and several new luxury hotels are nearly booked to
capacity.
It's clear that Armenia is making a comeback. Again.
After
surviving genocide, 70 years of Soviet domination, a devastating
earthquake
in 1988 and millennia of foreign marauders who whittled this
once- massive
kingdom to one-tenth of its size, this Eurasian country of 3
million
inhabitants is reassuming its role of phoenix.
Because it was cloaked behind
the Iron Curtain for most of the 20th century,
few Westerners, until
recently, have glimpsed of this culturally rich,
mountain republic tucked
between the Caspian and the Black seas. What only
the privileged have known,
until this past decade, is that this is an
astonishingly beautiful country of
high mountain lakes, snow-capped peaks,
ancient monasteries, cascading rivers
and archeological ruins so impressive
they ought to be behind the velvet
ropes of a museum.
Perhaps more significantly, for a region of the world more
associated with
terror than tourism, many Westerners are surprised to hear
that this
predominantly Christian nation -- bordered by Iran, Turkey, Georgia
and
Azerbaijan -- is politically stable and welcoming to tourists.
Try to
buy a single peach from a roadside fruit stand and the old woman will
wave
your money away. Ask a farmer if you may take a photo of him with his
crop of
newly harvested red peppers, and he will press a bag of 20 of them
into your
hand, refusing payment.
The prices are particularly tourist-friendly. At Old
Erivan Restaurant, one
of Yerevan's dozens of eateries that serve quality
Armenian fare , my
husband and I enjoy a meal of lavash, tomato and cucumber
salad, a cheese
platter, lamb stew and khorovatz (a meat and vegetable shish
kebab) --
washed down with several strong Armenian beers -- for under
$15.
Drawing on the past
The rebirth of Armenia after the end of the
Soviet Union in the early 1990s
has had financial help from the approximately
8 million members of the
Armenian Diaspora, 1.4 million of whom live in the
United States (1 million
in the Los Angeles area alone). Many are descendants
of those who perished
or fled during the 1915-25 Turkish genocide.
While
those who visited shortly after Armenia regained independent statehood
found
gutted factories and streets stripped of trees for fuel, today they
find
fountains spraying and flowers blooming along boulevards lined with
Russian
olive and locust trees. Crowds of stylishly dressed mothers and
children walk
down Khanjian Street to buy roasted coffee beans, potatoes,
onions, ice-cream
and fried sweet cakes from street vendors.
But despite Armenia's forays into
modernism and self-sufficiency, the rich
and tragic past hasn't dimmed. Nor
does anyone want it to: Armenia's 4,
000-year-old history is its main
draw.
Many consider this country the cradle of civilization. The biblical
rivers
of Tigris and Euphrates originate in the original Armenia, the
16,945-
foot-high snow-capped Mount Ararat (now inside Turkey's borders)
holds what
many believe to be the remnants of Noah's Ark in its crevasses,
and there
even is reference in the Bible to Ararat, the name of the former
Armenian
kingdom.
In 301 A.D., Armenia became the first nation to embrace
Christianity as a
state religion (a dozen years before Rome) -- another
factor that shapes
this tiny republic's past and present tourist appeal.
A
common sight from spring through fall are "monastery tours": busloads
of
people on weeklong organized sightseeing excursions that shuttle from
such
Hellenistic pagan temples as the 1st century Garni, to the 3rd
century
Echmiadzin (ETCH-me-OTT-sin) Cathedral, home to the Supreme
Catholicos of
the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox faith. At Echmiadzin (think:
Vatican but
smaller) nonbelievers mingle with pilgrims to view ancient silver
chalices,
bejeweled crosses and religious relics such as a metal spearhead
believed to
have pierced the side of Christ.
Travels with Boris
Group
tours are plentiful, but if you want to strike out solo, consider
hiring a
driver who speaks English to ferry you through the countryside, or
even to
the main sites of the capital city. That's what we did during a one-
week
visit in late September. We found our driver, Boris (a former Soviet-
system
mathematician now struggling, like many of the highly educated, to
reinvent
himself), through the Armenian Tourism Development Agency, which
was happy to
supply us with a list of recommended English-speaking guides.
We chose
several sites, all southeast of Yerevan, for a 2- 1/2 day
excursion. They
included the famous dungeon of Khor Virap; Noravank
monastery; the
historically and spiritually significant Tatev Monastery; the
Bronze Age
celestial observatory, the Zorats Stones; and a natural wonder,
Devil's
Bridge. Boris was more than willing to pack an overnight bag and
accompany
us.
Something to keep in mind: Although the map shows Armenia to be a
small
country, getting from point A to point B can take longer than
you
anticipate. There are no super highways here. And it takes time to wait
out
cattle crossings, to dodge potholes and to wind up narrow mountain
roads.
On the first morning of our excursion, we emerged, bleary-eyed from
the
Congress Hotel in Yerevan. Boris was waiting for us, polishing
the
windshield of his red Niva, a Soviet-made SUV. Within an hour we
were
watching Mount Ararat turn an orangey pink and by 10:30 a.m. Boris
announced
what would become a comforting ritual: a coffee break. He pulled
the car
over to the side of the road and removed from his trunk a small
propane
stove, a bag of powdered coffee, sugar and three small china
cups.
While we took in the views, Boris set out the coffee with sweet
cakes
(kizgiel, baked early that morning by his wife, Jana) and jam for
a
makeshift picnic on the roadside rocks. We drank our coffee in the
squat
position, like Boris, and poured the remaining hot water over
our
jam-stained, sticky fingers.
Khor Virap is an eerie place with two
claims to fame: The church complex was
built atop the well where St. Gregory
the Illuminator had been imprisoned
(depending on who is telling the story)
for 12 to 17 years only to emerge
and baptize the King and Queen of Armenia
and herald the introduction of
Armenia as the first Christian nation. Climb
down into the narrow pit on a
ladder and when you're through imagining
Gregory's claustrophobia, climb
back out to the blazing sun and get the
closest view of Mount Ararat in all
of Armenia -- the Turkish border is
within walking distance from here.
Noravank, perched on a forested cliff top,
high above a river gorge and
surrounded by caves, is a 13th century monastery
surrounded by dramatic red
rock outcroppings. On a bright afternoon, there
was nobody else wandering
the compound. A hawk circled overhead in the clear
sky. We wandered the
church grounds and tracde khatchkars ("cross stones" --
unique and elaborate
crosses carved on tufa or basalt tablets found primarily
in Armenia) with
our fingertips.
There was no shortage of natural beauty
on this journey. We hikde along the
verdant banks of a stream below the
monastery and, on the drive out of the
gorge, noticed many caverns tucked
into the outcroppings. In one of them, an
enterprising man has converted the
cave into a clean and comfortable
restaurant. We weren't the only sightseers
who found him: As we ventured
into the cozy grotto, we saw him shuttling
pitchers of red wine, hard-boiled
eggs, barbecued pork and grilled vegetables
to a table of raucous Russians,
the largest of whom was wearing a drunken
grin, a traditional sheepherder's
cloak and crooked hat.
About this time
we discovered that Boris perceived his job as more than
driver. We were his
charges, and it was a role he assumed gravely. He was
protector, wrinkling
his brow in concern as the sheepherder and his friends
loudly insisedt that
we share a mug of wine, and negotiator, finagling the
best price for our
hotel room in Sisian later that evening.
Shades of Stonehenge
The next
morning, we left our cold and dank hotel shortly after dawn because
we were
eager to see the Zorats stones -- or Zorakar -- in the day's first
light.
This circular arrangement of stones, thought to be a celestial
observatory,
is similar to England's Stonehenge, but older. The Bronze Age
phenomenon lies
on a barren rolling plain just outside of Sisian, and, like
most other
natural and manmade wonders in Armenia, is startlingly
unprotected and
un-commercialized. Only the snowcapped mountains, which loom
over the windy
field, stand guard. We wandered through the deserted site of
lichen-covered
stones and peered through holes that the ancient
cosmographers might have
drilled to better view the heavens.
The road to Tatev is bumpy, but it soon
opens to reveal a lushly wooded
canyon -- the monastery perched on top like a
crown. Indeed, this 9th
century complex was viewed as something of a prize to
invaders who attacked
the site in numerous bloody waves. Other than a
caretaker (an old woman who
appeared periodically to gather pears that have
fallen beneath a courtyard
tree) we were once again practically alone, free
to explore the faded
frescoes in dark rooms; to consider the grisly remnants
of a fairly recent
chicken sacrifice; to climb the lurchy heights of the
fortified walls, and
to imagine the 13th century Mongols who, historians say,
pushed Christians
into the gorge.
Our only disappointment was Devil's
Bridge, which we passed on the way to
Tatev. The rock formation and hot
springs might be beautiful, but the site
is trashed by beer bottles,
cigarette wrappers and other remnants of
partying. It would have been better
to stay longer at Tatev sipping a cup of
Boris' ubiquitous coffee or just
soaking in the sun on one of the precipices
before the long drive back to
Yerevan.
'New Armenia' in the city
Back in Yerevan -- with its rich
history and plethora of significant museums
and fun restaurants -- we find no
shortage of things to do.
This city of 1.3 million is culturally vibrant and
staggeringly old, older
than Rome -- by 29 years. To put that in perspective,
when construction
workers happened to ram into a 700-year-old stone aqueduct,
as they did last
summer, it hardly registered a blip on their archaeological
radar screen.
The National Museum on bustling Republic Square -- formerly
called Lenin
Square -- is as good of a starting place as any to get a flavor
for the
country. Also known as the State Museum of Armenian History, it has
an
English-speaking guide who can show you Uratian cuneiform
inscriptions
dating back to the 8th century B.C. and 3,000-year-old silver
rhytons
(drinking vessels), wine vats and horse carriages uncovered in Lake
Sevan.
>From there, you can branch out to other not-to-be-missed sites
(the streets
are arranged in a compact, easy-to-navigate pattern, and
anything too hard
to reach by foot is a cheap cab ride away.) Stroll through
the Vernissage, a
festive outdoor market that operates each weekend near
Republic Square. Here
you'll find accordions, old toasters, Russian nesting
dolls, obscure car
parts, jewelry and strolling musicians. The "closed
bazaar," a football
stadium-sized indoor market on West Mashtots Avenue,
brims with fresh fruits
and vegetables displayed like gleaming jewels, and
brightly colored spices
measured with a one-ounce shot glass.
The
Matenadaran rare document museum (at 53 Mesrop Mashtots St.) houses
an
extraordinary collection of ancient manuscripts, some dating to the
9th
century. An English tour guide -- just $2.50 above the regular $4
admission
fee -- will heighten the experience. The highlight is a huge 15th
century
book of Armenian history. It was ripped in half and smuggled out of
the
country by two peasant women, at great peril, during the 1915 genocide.
Both
women, and both halves of the book, survived.
This museum pays homage
to Mesrop Mashtots, the founder of the Armenian
alphabet, unchanged since its
inception in 405 A.D. That the alphabet and
the Armenian language are still
intact after nearly 2,000 years is evidence
of a country that has fiercely
resisted assimilation.
Echoing Saroyan
Armenians are fond of naming
streets after, and quoting, their heroes, from
playwrights to poets to war
generals. But it is novelist William Saroyan who
is most often quoted when
Armenians talk about their country coming
perilously close to, then back
from, the brink of extinction more times than
they can count. His most famous
quote speaks to the resilience of his
people:
"I should like to see any
power of the world destroy this race, this small
tribe of unimportant people,
whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose
structures have crumbled,
literature is unread, music is unheard and prayers
are no more answered. . .
. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they
will not laugh, sing and
pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in
the world, see if they will
not create a new Armenia."
Saroyan's words have never been more relevant,
according to the editor of
Armenian International Magazine in Yerevan, which
caters to English-speaking
Armenians.
"We only had two choices: a downward
spiral after Soviet totalitarianism or
to blossom," said Laura Gononian. "And
we're blossoming. We're undergoing a
renaissance in art, music and in
building. We're like the phoenix -- we keep
getting pounded and we keep
coming back."
IF YOU GO
Spring and autumn are the best
times to visit, with moderate temperatures
and dry weather. The official
currency is the Armenian dram, but U.S.
dollars are widely used. At press
time $1 equals 585 dram. Yerevan has a
cash economy, so credit cards aren't
helpful here. All prices below are
given in U.S. dollars; all locations are
in Yerevan..
Getting there
A passport and visa are required. Three-week
tourist visas are relatively
easy to obtain through the Armenian consulate in
Los Angeles (for details,
click on "Consular Affairs" at www.armeniaemb.org or call 310-657-6102),
or
at Zvarnots Airport upon arrival. British Airways is the leading
carrier
serving Armenia, with flights from London to Yerevan three times a
week.
Upon arrival at Zvarnots, the 20-minute cab ride to the city center
should
cost about $15..
What to do
In Yerevan, your first stop should
be the Armenian Tourism Development
Agency at 3 Nalbandyan St., not far from
Republic Square (look for the red
pomegranate sign above their doorway). The
staff is bend-over-backwards
helpful and can provide you with maps, books on
Armenian history, hotel
information, and phone numbers of reputable guides
and drivers. Phone: (011)
374-1-54-23- 03 or 54-47-91.
Sightseeing tour
operators: Menua Tours (www.menuatours.com), Sati
(www.
satiglobal.com) and Princess Maneh (maneh@netsys.am) are just three of the
many
travel agencies that offer sightseeing tours in Armenia. If you plan to
hike
Mount Aragat (not Ararat, which is in Turkey), note that most tour
operators
stop leading trips up the peak after Sept. 30..
Where to stay
Congress
Hotel, 1 Italia Street (just south of Republic Square). 011-374-
1-58-00-95;
fax 011-374-1-52-22-24; e-mail congress@arminco.com. A clean
and
modern four-star facility, it has small rooms with private baths and
air
conditioning, plus a pool, fitness center, restaurant and bar.
Doubles,
$100.
Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan, 1 Amirian Street, at
Republic Square. 011-
374-1-59-90-00; e-mail: info@hotelarmenia.com. Formerly the
Hotel Armenia,
it's considered by many to be the city's flagship hotel The
rooms are on the
small side but they are nice, with private baths, air
conditioning,
satellite television and phones. Facilities include two
restaurants, cafe,
bar, health club and business services. Doubles, $140.
Includes breakfast
buffet..
PLACES TO EAT
Dolmama, 10 Pushkin St.,
011-374-1-56-8921. Owner Jarair Avanian has created
an upscale but cozy
continental eatery centrally located in downtown
Yerevan. Entrees range from
$13 to $18.
Old Erivan, 2 Northern Ave., 011-374-1-54-05-75). This four-story
eatery is
actually several restaurants under one roof, with dining rooms
ranging from
elegant European to rooftop al fresco dining with traditional
Armenian food
and live folk music. The ambitious décor and lively
entertainment is belied
by the moderate prices. Entrees range from $5 to
$7..
For more information
The Armenian embassy Web site www.armeniaemb.org has sightseeing tips
and
lodging information under its "Discover Armenia" link. Other helpful
Web
sites include www.armeniadiaspora.com and www.armeniainfo.am.
Jane Wampler is a
freelance writer in Colorado. To see more photos by Gaylon
Wampler, her
husband, visit www.gaylonwamplerphotography.com.
This is their
first article for Travel.
Page D - 7
URL:
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