Yerevan city of Armenia

1. Wonder World Travels Presents Yerevan – The Beautiful City of Armenia Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

2. City History: Yerevan is a surprising city. While it's history dates back to the 8th century B.C., the total population of Yerevan was still under 70,000 at the start of the Soviet era. With this nearly blank canvas to work with, Soviet architect Alexander Tamanyan went to work on the new capital of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, hoping to create a Neoclassical jewel modelled after the great capitals of Western Europe. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

3. What to see in Yerevan Sergei Parajanov Museum Yerevan Zoo Victory Park & Much more… Blue Mosque Unlimited fun History Museum of Armenia National Gallery of Armenia Republic Square Cafesjian Museum Saint Gregory Matenadaran Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

4. Let’s take a quick view of these popular places Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

5. Places of interest- 1 Republic Square Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

6. 1 Republic Square The heart of Yerevan, is the Republic Square, the only one in its type, endowed by singing fountains and a magnificent mosaic rock carpet, which covers 3000 year old ruins underneath it! The Republic Square and all buildings circling it were designed by Alexander Tamanyan the beloved architect for Armenians. The large oval of the Square will give you a great chance to examine Tamanyan's distinctive designs in detail. All buildings around the square, Armenia Marriot Hotel, the building of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The History Museum and National Art Gallery, the Government Building and the building of post office are all unique, built by tuff of different colors and loved by Armenians all over the world. The famous seven fountains, the meeting spot for thousands and thousands of dates, are also in Republic Square, right next to History Museum and National Art Gallery. On weekends, many cheerful wedding parties circle the Square thrice as if to bond their hearts with three more rings. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

7. Places of interest- 2 Matenadaran Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

8. 2 Matenadaran The Matenadaran or Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in Yerevan, Armenia, is one of the richest depositories of manuscripts and books in the world. The collection dates back to 405, when Saint MesropMashtots created the Armenian alphabet and sent his disciples to Edessa, Constantinople, Athens, Antioch, Alexandria, and other centers of learning to study the Greek language and bring back the masterpieces of Greek literature. After 1441, when the Residence of Armenian Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos was moved to Echmiadzin, hundreds of manuscripts were copied there and in nearby monasteries, especially during the seventeenth century. During the eighteenth century, tens of thousands of Armenian manuscripts perished or were carried away during repeated invasions, wars and plundering raids. In the late nineteenth century, the collection expanded as private scholars procured and preserved manuscripts that had been scattered all over Europe. In 1920, the collection, held at the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church at Echmiatsin was confiscated by the Bolsheviks, combined with other collections and, in 1939, moved to Yerevan. On March 3, 1959, the Matenadaran Institute was formed to maintain and house the manuscripts, and in 1962, it was named after Saint MesropMashtots. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

9. Places of interest- 3 Sergei Parajanov Museum Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

10. 3 Sergei Parajanov Museum The Sergei Parajanov Museum is a tribute to Soviet Armenian director and artist Sergei Parajanov and is one of the most popular museums in Yerevan. It represents Parajanov's diverse artistic and literary heritage. The museum was founded in 1988 when Parajanov moved to Yerevan. Parajanov himself chose the place (Dzoragyugh ethnographic center in Yerevan) and construction project of museum. Due to 1988 Spitak earthquake and socio-economic problems, the museum was opened only in June 1991, one year after Parajanov's death. The founding director of museum is Zaven Sargsyan. The museum is one of the cultural centres of Yerevan, known for his exhibitions, publications and honorary receptions (including the annual meetings of Yerevan International Film Festival guests). Paulo Coelho, Wim Wenders, Mikhail Vartanov, Tonino Guerra, Enrica Antonioni, Atom Egoyan, Nikita Mikhalkov, Vladimir Putin, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Yevgeni Yevtushenko, Arnold Rüütel, Valdas Adamkus, Tarja Halonen, Donald Knuth and many other famous people have visited the museum. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

11. Places of interest- 4 History Museum of Armenia Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

12. 4 History Museum of Armenia The Yerevan History Museum is the history museum of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. The museum was founded in 1931 as the Communal Museum. Currently, the museum is located in a building attached to the Yerevan City Hall. At the beginning, the museum was located in two rooms, on the second floor, of the Yerevan Fire Department building. In 1936, it was moved to the Blue Mosque (Gyoy-Djami) where had functioned for sixty years. From 1994 to 1997, the museum was located in the building of former Hripsime Female Gymnasium. From 1997 to 2005, the museum functioned in one of the adjacent buildings of the school N1 named after Shahoumian. In 2005, the museum was established in a new building. It forms an architectural complex together with Yerevan Municipality. There are more than 87,000 objects exposed in the Yerevan History Museum. They represent the local material and spiritual culture from ancient times to the present day. The collections of archaeology, ethnography, numismatics, fine arts, written records, photography and others, kept in the storage of the museum, tell a vivid story about the past and the present of the capital city and its people. There are three scientific expositions of the museum, that have collected, studied and showed objects highlighting the history of Yerevan. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

13. Places of interest- 5 Blue Mosque Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

14. 5 Blue Mosque The Blue Mosque is a mosque in Yerevan, Armenia. During the Soviet era, because of atheist policy, the Mosque stopped its services and became the Museum of Yerevan. After the independence of Armenia, with the support from Iranian government, the premises again started acting as a Mosque. The Yerevan region had been under the control of various Muslim rulers since the incursions of Timur in the 14th century. From the second third of the 18th century, it had been a province of Iran (ruled successively by Nadir Shah, Karim Khan Zand and the Iranian Qajar Dynasty), before it fell to the Russian empire in 1827. The building was the main congregational mosque for the city. When Yerevan was captured by Russia in 1827 it was, according to the cataster drawn up by the Russians, the largest of its eight functioning mosques. The building consisted of the main prayer hall, a library, and a madrasa with 28 cells, all organised around a courtyard, with the overall complex occupying 7,000 square metres of land. There is a single minaret at the main portal, in keeping with contemporaneous mosques, and there is no evidence that there were more minarets. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

15. Places of interest- 6 Victory Park Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

16. 6 Victory Park HaghtanakZbosaygi (Victory Park) is a big park located at the top of Cascade in Yerevan. The park is named Victory Park in commemoration of Soviet Armenia's participation in the second World War. The park is a large forested area with an artificial lake, an amusement park, cafes, the MayrHayastan statue and museum, and sweeping views of central Yerevan. The current statue replaces a monumental statue of Joseph Stalin that was created as a victory memorial for the Great Patriotic War. During Stalins reign of the Soviet Union, GrigorHarutyunyan, the first secretary of the Armenian Communist Partys Central Committee and members of the government oversaw the construction of the monument which was completed and unveiled to the people on November 29, 1950. Inside the monument there is the military museum of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia . Near the monument stands the tomb of "unknown soldier» as the gratitude to those who died in the struggle against fascism. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

17. Places of interest- 7 Saint Gregory- the illuminator cathedral Yerevan Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

18. 7 Saint Gregory- the illuminator cathedral Yerevan The Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Yerevan is currently the largest cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the world, effectively making it the current largest Armenian cathedral. It is located in the Kentron District (Central District) of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and considered to be one of the largest religious buildings in the South Caucasus along with the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi (known as the Sameba Cathedral). Adjacent to the General Andranik metro station, it's visible from the numerous corners of Yerevan. The huge cathedral is a complex consisting of three churches: the Cathedral (Main Church) with 1700 seats and the Chapels of St. Tiridates the King and of Saint Ashkhen the Queen (both with 150 seats). These two royal figures were the crucial helpers of St. Gregory in converting Armenia to Christianity. The belfry tower (which consists of more than 30 arches) and the court are located at the entrance of the Cathedral. The halls for both the receptions and church-related activities are provided on the lower floor of the Main Church. The total area of the complex is around 3,822 square meters, while the height of the cathedral from the ground to the top of the cross is 54 meters. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

19. Places of interest- 8 Cafesjian Museum of Art Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

20. 8 Cafesjian Museum of Art The Cafesjian Center for the Arts, also known as the Cafesjian Museum Foundation is an art museum in Yerevan, Armenia. It is situated in central Yerevan in the area in and around the Cascade. At the core of the museum's permanent collection is the Gerard L. Cafesjian Collection of Art. The inauguration took place on 17 November 2009. It is said that "the museum project represents one of the most ambitious works of contemporary architecture undertaken in any of the former republics of the Soviet Union."[citation needed] The New York Times described it as "a mad work of architectural megalomania and architectural recovery, one of the strangest and most spectacular museum buildings to open in ages." The project was designed by the New York based architecture firm David Hotson Architects. The rest of the design team includes architect of record David Hotson Associates Architecs, Yerevan; structural engineer Dewhurst Macfarlane and Partners, New York, NY; structural engineer of record ArmProject, Yerevan and services and environmental engineer Atelier Ten, New York and London, UK. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

21. Places of interest- 9 National Gallery of Armenia Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

22. 9 National Gallery of Armenia The National Gallery of Armenia is the largest art museum in the Republic of Armenia. Located on Yerevan's Republic Square, the museum has one of the most prominent locations in the Armenian capital. The NPGA houses significant collections of Russian and Western European art, and the world's largest collection of Armenian art. NGA's Chief Director ParavonMirzoyan told Armenia Now news site that the museum has 65,000 visitors in 2005 The National Gallery of Armenia or NGA was founded in 1921 under the decree of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (Armenian SSR) and represents the artistic section of the State museum. Upon its establishment the NGA's art section encountered serious difficulties, largely due to the fact that Yerevan lacked state owned and private art collections to form the core of the collection. The first works to enter the collection where the dozens of works purchased from an Armenian painters' exhibition in August 1921. A decisive factor in the founding of the NGA's art collection was the transfer of the renowned collection of The Armenian Cultural Center (the former Lazarian Seminary, Moscow) and also the donations made by Armenian artists to the NGA. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

23. Places of interest- 10 Yerevan Zoo Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

24. 10 Yerevan Zoo At present the zoo is home to about 2749 individuals representing 204 species. Species representing the South Caucasus and Armenia include brown bears, Bezoar goats, vipers, Armenian mouflon, and black vultures. Other species at the zoo from around the world include lions, tigers, hyenas, and an Asian elephant named Grantik. The zoo will be partnering with the Artis Zoo (among others) to upgrade and renovate the zoo to modern standards. Since Armenia is a biodiversity hot spot, the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) has leased and taken over management of about 839 hectares (2,070 acres) near the Khosrov reserve, which until recently had been unprotected and at risk of poaching, illegal logging, and overgrazing. The Yerevan Zoo is cooperating with the FPWC to use this land for wildlife rehabilitation and the reintroducing critically endangered species of the area into the wild. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

25. Places of interest- 11 Katoghike Church Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

26. 11 Katoghike Church The surviving church dates back to the 13th century. After the 1679 Yerevan earthquake, a large basilica named after the Holy Mother of God was built between 1693 and 1695, in the ancient Shahar district of Yerevan. It was founded on the western side of the Katoghike chapel. It was built of typical Armenian tufa stones and cement and was of the three-nave basilica type with no dome. With its prayer hall measuring 14.0 x 19.3 meters, and an outside perimeter of 16.4 x 28.4 meters, it was considered one of the most capacious churches of old Yerevan. In 1936, the basilica church of the Holy Mother of God was demolished under the Soviet rule to make way for residential buildings at the Sayat-Nova Avenue. During the demolition, the 13th-century chapel of Katoghike was discovered encased within the structure of the large basilica. After protests from archaeologists, the chapel was preserved. Many old khachkars (cross-stones) were found in the walls of the demolished church dating back to the 15th and 17th centuries. Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

27. & the most interesting 12 Belly Dance Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

28. 12 Belly Dance Visit: www.WonderWorldTravels.com

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