On Saturday I accompanied Julie on the final leg of her brief tour of northern Armenia. We traveled to Lori specifically, in the magical area surrounding the mining town of Alaverdi. There are several notable monasteries in that vicinity, and we travelled to three of them: Haghpat, Sanahin and Odzun. The first two were built around the 10th century, although construction continued at Haghpat for another 300 years or so.
Haghpat is known of course as being the monastery where troubadour Sayat Nova served as a devout priest a couple hundred years ago.
The one fact that I never forgot about Sanahin is that the complex was constructed by Queen Khosrovanush in dedication to her sons. I have contemplated calling my daughter Khosrovanush, assuming I have one someday, in honor of my father Khosroff, not ignoring of course that it is a fantastic name.
Odzun dates as far back as the fourth century but the structure collapsed after an earthquake hit the region not very long after completion. The church was rebuilt nearly in its entirety in the sixth century on the same foundation as its predecessor. Several salvageable relief stones from the first church were used in the reconstruction according to what the priest, who is a dynamic, passionate young man, explained to me. He also told me that an important religious figure (I am terrible with names) was believed to be buried in a crypt below the altar of the church, along with a segment of the shroud of Jesus. Apparently the government is going to sponsor an excavation of the site, which does not seem very appealing to me personally as I have noticed first hand in my travels that municipal workers can be fairly sloppy when undertaking such projects.
At Odzun there were notable differences in the upkeep since my attendance last year. For one thing the grounds surrounding the church were mowed—something I noticed for the first time having visited the place five previous occasions. I remember seeing a cow or two wandering around the premises the first time I visited there three years ago. Also, a staircase leading to an area above the entrance to the church, which served as a balcony but for what specific purpose remains unclear to me, was just reconstructed from wood according to what is thought to be a very close replica of the original design. The wood was simply stained to maintain authenticity, no paint applied. It is a fully operational church now, the priest having been appointed there in 2006.
This time of year is asparagus season in Armenia, most of which can be found growing wild in Lori. It only lasts for a couple of weeks. Residents of villages climb up to the lofty, rocky points where they live to access the asparagus, which they snip at the base of the stem, leaving the roots intact so that the plants sprout again the following year. I love asparagus, and I was lucky enough to find some people selling it alongside the main road on the way to Alaverdi. They sold me a huge bunch for 2000 dram, or about $7.00—the moment was proudly captured by Julie in the photo above. I must have purchased close to 2 kilograms worth and I have already eaten most of it, in Julie’s company of course. Incidentally, she moves onwards on Tuesday, and her project documenting genocide memorial sites around the world continues.
Second and seventh photos by Julie Dermansky.
Other photos by Christian Garbis.
These photos were taken at Geghard monastery, located in the Kotayk region, on Sunday, April 20. Geghard is one of the most fascinating places to visit in Armenia. The churches and chapels on site are partially carved out of a huge ledge. Every Sunday sacrifices of animals are performed in the courtyard behind the rear protective wall of the complex--you can still see the blood of slain lambs on the cement platform where the rituals are performed. As I was walking out of the complex with Julie someone was bringing in a rooster held by the neck to undergo the same fate. These sacrifices are usually undertaken to bring luck to a family member or to give thanks to God for the good fortune bestowed upon the family. The area is very picturesque with a brook running beside the monastery and high cliffs surrounding the place. In any case, I hope you enjoy the pictures.
Photos Copyright © 2008 Christian Garbis
YEREVAN (A.W.)—The streets are bustling with activity in Armenia’s capital. Road construction projects are partially paralyzing the city once again after a two-month break. The economy on the surface appears to be booming, with the exchange rate holding steady at 305 dram to the dollar. Yet Armenia finds itself at a socio-political crossroads, the first of its kind since the nation declared independence from the Soviet Union. The country is still spiritually reeling from the crisis of events that crippled the nation for nearly one month.
Throughout March and well into April, the arrests of oppositionists and even those suspected of having connections to opposition supporters persisted. Scores of people remain jailed amid sharp criticism from the Council of Europe and strong concern expressed by the United States. Aram Sargsyan, former prime minister and brother to slain Vazgen Sargsyan, who is one of the key players in the opposition movement, was formally accused by the authorities of conspiring against the state, although like People’s Party leader Stephan Demirchian, he has not been arrested. At least 100 people are being detained as political prisoners. The crackdowns are viewed by Western nations as being a blow to democracy in Armenia.
International monitoring organizations such as the Council of Europe have expressed serious concerns about the mass political arrests. On March 31, the organization called for an independent investigation regarding the events of March 1 and for all political prisoners to be released. Human Rights Watch along with the Council of Europe called for the Armenian government to toss out its ban on public assemblies.
On April 2, about three dozen jailed opposition figures organized a hunger strike, among them former foreign minister Alexander Arzumanian. The protest began to fade as the health of some of the detainees declined drastically. On April 9, opposition leader and former president Levon Ter-Petrossian called for the hunger strike to end so that activists could prepare for renewed protest movements in the future. Meanwhile, Ter-Petrossian curiously remains under house arrest despite the fact that nearly all of those closest to him politically, notably Pan-Armenian National Movement party members, have been jailed.
You can read the full post here.
On Saturday I offered to take a photographer who is visiting Armenia on a one-day excursion to an area of Lake Sevan. Her name is Julie Dermansky and she is here working on various photography projects. One of them entails documenting memorials and museums dedicated to mass tragedies.
She heard about an ancient cemetery called Noratus which I was not aware of but was more than willing to find. It is located near the town of Gavar which is on the Lake Sevan coast. The cemetery was quite extraordinary. Many graves date back as far as the 9th century. Just opposite the old graveyard is one that is fairly new by comparison, which sports some momentous memorials to the dead. Noratus cemetery is basically a vast field of erect, intricately carved stone crosses (known as a khachkar in Armenian) as well as plain slabs of stone lying on the ground that served as grave markers for those families who could not afford the crosses. Some tombstones feature highlights of the lives of the dead or of Armenian mythical tales as depicted in the carvings. About five minutes after we entered I was accosted by some kids who wanted to serve as tour guides through the cemetery and some old women who wished to sell me some thick handmade knit socks.
One gentleman named Sergey, aged 77, just wanted to chat with me which is what we did for more than 10 minutes. Takuhi, who is only 11, with her friend dressed in red and possessing mesmerizing blue eyes showed me various stones to study. The entire time she explained the images to me—in other words, which form was supposed to represent Satan, how the holy trinity was depicted, what hash marks represented the barbeque, and so forth. She was a very charming girl.
Hayravank is the monastery on the other side of the lake that I had wanted to find for years but I could not get a straight answer as to its location before Julie explained it to me according to a map she found and some tips an acquaintance gave her. The structure is about the same size more or less as the ones found at Sevanavank monastery, which is hugely popular among tourists. There is a fabulous view of the lake from there, quite different from that at Sevanavank. I noticed while I was driving that at nearly every turn around the perimeter of the lake the view changed considerably.
I have been to Sevanavank probably a dozen times. There is no doubt that it is a beautiful place, although it is suffering from remodeling. I use that term because it has been going on for over a year, and all they seem to be doing is laying down some granite stones for walkways and installing new electrical wiring. The last time I was there—about 15 months ago—workers had carelessly unearthed some bones from the graves which were just lying around. I went back to the same spot to see if they could be found but they were missing. I don’t want to even ponder what happened to them, although I have some theories going around my head as I write this.
By the end of the afternoon we were famished and we walked into a diner on the beach at the foot of Sevanavank. We naturally wanted fish and had two choices: sig which is a small-sized type of trout or ishkhan which is a trout that has just about the same dimensions of a salmon. Seeing as the ishkhan cost 25,000 dram (about $85) per kilo, we stuck with the sig, which was only 2,200 dram per serving. It was barbequed but not charred beyond recognition, accompanied with lemon and roasted sliced potatoes. The homemade strained yoghurt served beforehand with black olives was superb. The meal was excellent. I’ve found in my travels that the food at these small mom-and-pop operations is superior to that found in wannabe fancy but more pretentious than anything else establishments. If you are visiting an area where you can choose between a quaint, mellow cottage or a multi-floored “complex” restaurant as they are called here, stick with the quaint. So long as the place is clean you won’t go wrong.
Photos Copyright © Christian Garbis 2008
When taking a walk during the day in Yerevan be prepared for a bumpy stride. Pedestrians do not give others sharing the sidewalk their own private space and are nearly always brushing up against each other. This could be said of every large cosmopolitan city perhaps but here, even if the sidewalk is fairly traffic free, there is always something to impede your pace.
People like to walk in rows spanning the width of the sidewalk. If there are three or more friends going for a stroll, they walk side by side in a single line which sometimes makes it impossible for a pedestrian to pass them without walking into the street and risk being hit by a car (or being bumped into by another with the same aim in mind). You cannot somehow cut between two of them since more often than not they are linked to one another with their arms interlocking. I have seen up to eight people walking this way. Then you are forced to wait until the chain suddenly shifts to the right or left so as to provide a passage for overtaking them. Usually women between the ages of 18 to 30 wearing shoes with stiletto heels can be observed walking down the loosely set tiled sidewalks on Abovyan Street in such a manner, probably in defensive support to prevent one of them from falling on her face.
Armenians cut each other off while walking. It is a common instance to find someone passing you or meeting the sidewalk after crossing the street getting under your feet. Also to complicate matters, oftentimes people do not walk in a straight line, but rather in a diagonal pattern without taking into consideration the pedestrians behind them or even in front, so what you experience and often see are people colliding into each other despite whether there is ample room for walking. It doesn’t matter how crowded the sidewalks are—someone is bound to walk into you or move in such a way as to cause you to bump into them.
Pedestrians usually walk very slow, regardless of age, probably because they have nowhere special to go. People in a hurry do walk fairly rapidly and are sometimes the instigators for the collisions noted above. Strollers that seem to reach the end of a short block in about 30 minutes are often chatting with a friend or manically munching away on sunflower seeds leaving a trail of shells in their wake. I think if you are looking for someone who has somehow managed to lose his way it might be fairly easy to find him if he is, in fact, an avid seed muncher. Depending on the size and shape of the seed they usually select (I am assuming that people stick to a certain type of seed and don’t munch away on anything, just as a smoker favors a particular brand of cigarette) you should be able to easily locate the person by following the path of shells.
Pensive walkers are dangerous. They sometimes forget where they are going or they become lost in a train of thought, so they suddenly stop dead in their tracks before walking in the opposite direction. Naturally you panic and swerve away so as to not ram into the person, but nevertheless a collision will most likely occur in such situations. These types of walkers tend to conglomerate in open-air shopping areas or are found alone on sprawling street corners.
Conversationalists are oblivious to their surroundings. People who are finishing their conversations with others on the sidewalk usually start moving without looking ahead of them as they remain affixed on their counterparts, so they are actually walking backwards if their heads are not turned when advancing forward while they get in their last word. Also people who talk on their mobile phones tend to look down while walking no matter how fast they are going, and before they realize that they are about to stumble into someone it is already too late. Such people can also be seen pacing very slowly and turning unexpectedly only to bump into another person talking on the phone.
Loiterers block sidewalk traffic. Acquaintances chatting with each other usually fail to take into consideration that they may be impeding the way, or else they simply don’t care. Swerving around them can be tricky since everyone is trying to get past them at the same time from all directions, including those people walking behind you. In such situations, collisions or more often than not sideswipes are unavoidable. You will witness this along Tumanyan Street, especially in the area near the Opera House, at most any time day or night.
Armenians don’t know how to cross the street. When people see a break a traffic they make a move to reach the opposite side of the road, but they usually stop on the line separating oncoming from outgoing traffic—meaning that they are perched in the middle of the street for several moments at a time. Sometimes minutes go by before they are able to cross if traffic is dense, and when it is some pedestrians feel that it is best to dart out in front of slow moving cars. Apparently they are able to judge how skilled some drivers are at slamming on their brakes on a moment’s notice. Driving along the stretch of Abovyan Street where some institutes are located from the intersection with Charents Street to the rotary at the top of the boulevard during mid-morning hours will prove my point. Or else, drive along Gomidas Street and anywhere downtown throughout the afternoon. People of all ages and stamina cross roads the same way. The use of pedestrian underpasses has long become passé, which is why I find it strange that the Yerevan municipal department continues constructing them. It shows how out of touch city hall is with what is going on.
The ways people walk in this city represent a facet of the lifestyle and culture. It is difficult to avoid being bumped into, and sometimes passing those crawling along in front of you can be perilous. But the bumping, pushing, leaning and so forth associated with a pedestrian’s life is an accepted part of everyday life. I have never seen any arguments break out on the sidewalk with someone telling another to watch where they are going and so forth. It doesn’t happen because the foot traffic despite everything is harmonious, no matter how discordant it may appear to be.
This morning as I was preparing to leave for work I suddenly noticed a hot air balloon floating not very far from my apartment building, nevertheless it must have been a few hundred feet above ground. I ran to grab my camera and managed to take several shots of the dozen or so balloons that were in the sky, again apparently heading north. While driving to work one of them was landing in Victory Park for some reason. Apparently these balloons are taking off from Republic Square, so early tomorrow morning I hope to head down there to get a closer look. All of these photos were taken from my balcony.
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