The southern reaches of Armenia are not to be missed! Our last four days on the road, proved this!When we suspended our traveling in the dead of winter, because driving conditions began to wear on us, we only assumed the south would have been much easier than up north, but we were in need of a break, so we put it off. Come to find out, when we did venture back out again, the south appeared to have had more snow than the north! Point being; we would not have made our destinations, had we tried any earlier.
So, everything happened just the way it should have
Our first stop was to see the Oldest Winery in the world; in a cave; where an ancient (leather) shoe was also discovered, as recently as in the 2008. What a treat!
The evidence that Armenia has been inhabited since ancient times is scattered throughout the country. One such places is Areni-1 Cave or Birds’ Cave, as it is commonly known. It is located in the Vayots Dzor region, at an altitude of 3,543 feet above sea level. Areni belongs to the Cretaceous period. Thanks to the microclimate of the cave, all traces of the Stone-Age are perfectly preserved.
Many Swallows have been making this cave home, for thousands of centuries! See the mud nests on the cave walls?The cave represents a rocky room with niches and aisles, which were inhabited in different epochs by ancient civilizations. During the archaeological excavations (which is ongoing) in the cave, valuable specimens were discovered, which later became key details to the world history of civilization. One of such valuable findings was the ancient leather shoe, which is perfectly preserved. It is considered the oldest shoe in the world, the age of which is supposed to be about 5,500 years old. For comparison, we can say that the famous Stonehenge is 400 years younger than this shoe!A photo of The oldest shoe ever discovered
This is me, when I visited Stonehendge in England around 1995. This mysterious monument dates back to the Bronze-Age; 3100 BC. As you may have guessed, I love exploring ancient places!
Besides the ancient leather shoe, the other valuable find is the oldest winery, which has proven the existence of wine and winery in Armenia, dating back to 4000 BC. In the vessels and jars, traces of grapes, apricots, wheat, and barley were found. Pitchers were stored in separate niches intended for wine production. This is only a small of part of treasures hidden in the darkest rooms of Areni Cave. With certainty, it still hides many more traces of ancient civilizations. As time and funding becones available, more treasures will undoubtedly be recovered.
On the same Silk Road, we got to visit a stop-over point; a Monastery, which is on the route from the Black Sea.
We are huge fans of the Silk Road, and make it a point to seek the routes out. As a result, we have been on the Silk Road in many other countries over the years. The history is simply fascinating to us! We love to see for ourselves, the routes of traders, from days of yore, who traveled by walking and riding camels, with their other four-legged beasts of burden to carry their wares. They traveled from East to West, many centuries ago. Traveling The Silk Road even in modern times is a feat in and if. It takes time a d energy to have seen so much of this familiar trade route. We are proud to say we accomplished our self-drive and stops in Armenia, as well.
The name of the Monastery literally translated to “new monastery” (Noravank means New), but today the name of the Monastery does not correspond to the reality, since Noravank was built 13 centuries ago! The Monastery stands majestically in the Gorge of the River Arpa, and from this Gorge, the views makes it just that much more impressive. The exceptionally magnificent landscape surrounding the two ancient churches and the chapel is quite a draws for visitors to make their way here. Noravank w as built by the Bishop of Vahanavank Hovhannes in the 13th century, around 1205, on the site ofearlier churches. The Monastery was completed between the 13-14 centuries. Hovhannes gathered monks, expanded the territory of the Monastery, and gained an order from the Seljuk rulers to recognize Noravank as an Episcopal church. The history of the Monastery is associated with the names of famous political figures of Armenia, who lived and worked at Noravank. These prominent figures and creators are also buried here. In the next two centuries, Noravank expanded and developed, thanks to the enlightening activities of the Orbelian family, who ruled in Syunik. As a result, Noravank became an educational and cultural center, then a tribal cemetery of the Orbelian family. In 1238 the Monastery was robbed and defeated by the Mongols, but peace was established between Aga Khan and Elikum Orbelian, which made possible, the restoration of the Monastery, and contributed to its further development and prosperity until the next invasions; the invasion of Tamerlan in Armenia in the 14th century.Scenic Silk Road
The Silk Road portion of the trip to go to the Monastery, begins at the cave site, where we visited the ancient winery. The drive was not long, and oh so beautiful, through the canyon.
St Karapet Church was built by the decree of Prince Liparit Orbelian. In 1340 an earthquake destroyed the dome of the church, which in 1361 was reconstructed by the architect Siranes. In 1931 the dome was damaged during another earthquake. In 1949, the roof and the walls of the church were repaired once again.The two-story St. Astvatsatsin was built for Prince Burtel Orbelian as the Orbelian dynasty sepulcher. The building is considered an architectural masterpiece among surviving Armenian sepulcher-churches, one of the later works by the famous artist and sculptor Momik.Cemetery
The 1931 Siunik Earthquake destroyed much of the site, including the dome of St. Stepanos. Repairs to the roof and the upper walls of the sepulchre-church were made in 1948-1949.The renovation of the entire complex begun in the 1980s and was completed in 2001.
Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More
When we suspended our traveling in the dead of winter, because driving conditions began to wear on us, we only assumed the south would have been much easier than up north, but we were in need of a break, so we put it off. Come to find out, when we did venture back out again, the south appeared to have had more snow than the north! Point being; we would not have made our destinations, had we tried any earlier.
What a beautiful journey!
Thank you, Dawn! We had a very fun four days. I just posted another blog.three more to go, at least! Armenia is quite fun to visit and beautiful!