1. ARMENIA – HEAVEN ON
THE EARTH

2. Geographical Outline
• Armenia(Հայաստան, transliterated Hayastan, officially
the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն
, Hayastani Hanrapetut’yun,is a landlocked
mountainous country in theCaucasus region of
Eurasia. Situated at the juncture of Western Asia and
Eastern Europe,it is bordered by Turkey to the west,
Georgia to the north, and Azerbaijan to the east, and
Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the
south.
• After independence from the Soviet Union in 1991,
Armenia quickly became drawn into a bloody conflict
with Azerbaijan over the mostly Armenian-speaking
region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

3. One of the earliest Christian civilisations, its first churches were founded in the
fourth century. In later centuries, it frequently oscillated between Byzantine,
Persian, Mongol or Turkish control, as well as periods of independence.
Its rich cultural and architectural heritage combines elements from different
traditions. The Armenian language is part of the Indo-European family, but its
alphabet is unique.
Divided between the Persians and Ottomans in the 16th century, eastern
Armenian territories became part of the Russian Empire in the early 19th
century, while the rest stayed within the Ottoman Empire.
Between 1915 and 1917, hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians died at
the hands of government troops in the Ottoman Empire.
Yerevan wants Turkey, and the world, to recognize the deaths as genocide,
and some countries have done so.
Howver, Turkey says that there was no genocide and that the dead were
victims of World War I, and that ethnic Turks also suffered in the conflict.
The governments of the two countries agreed to normalise relations in October
2009, although Turkey has said opening the border will depend on progress on
the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.
An independent Republic of Armenia was proclaimed at the end of the first
world war but was short-lived, lasting only until the beginning of the 1920s
when the Bolsheviks incorporated it into the Soviet Union.

4. • When Soviet rule collapsed in 1991, Armenia regained
independence but retained a Russian military base at Gyumri.
• In the mid-1990s the government embarked on an economic reform
programme which brought some stability and growth. The country
became a member of the Council of Europe in 2001.
• Unemployment and poverty remain widespread. Armenia's
economic problems are aggravated by a trade blockade, imposed
by neighbouring Turkey and Azerbaijan since the dispute over
Nagorno-Karabakh.
• Despite these problems, Armenia's economy experienced several
years of double-digit growth before a sharp downturn set in in 2008.
• The conflict over the predominantly Armenian-populated region in
Azerbaijan overshadowed Armenia's return to independence.
• Full-scale war broke out the same year as ethnic Armenians in
Karabakh fought for independence, supported by troops and
resources from Armenia proper. A ceasefire in place since 1994 has
failed to deliver any lasting solution.
• Armenia receives most of its gas supply from Russia and, like some
other republics of the former Soviet Union, has had to face sharp
price rises. Russian gas arrives via a pipeline running through
Georgia.
• Armenia has a huge diaspora and has always experienced waves of
emigration, but the exodus of recent years has caused real alarm. It
is estimated that Armenia has lost up to a quarter of its population
since independence, as young families seek what they hope will be
a better life abroad.

5. LAKE SEVAN

7. Khosrov Forest Preserve
• Khosrov Forest Preserve was established in the 3rd
century by the Arshakuni King Khosrove The Great.
• It has rich flora and fauna. Armenian mouflon (wild
sheep) and Bezoar goat are widespread in fauna. You
can see also leopard, grizzly bear, wild boar, fox, rabbit,
hare lynx, marten, wolf,etc.Forest is particularly rich in
bird world. You can see black kite, eagle, wild pigeon,
seagull and etc...There are many reptiles; particularly a
poisonous viper.
• Geghard, Havuts Tar, Kakavaberd, medieval bridge and
many other historical monuments are located in Khosrov
forest. A deep river Azat flows through it, on the
tributaries of which there are many magnificent
waterfalls.

9. Etymology and History
• The native Armenian name for the country is
Hayk’. The name in the Middle Ages was
extended to Hayastan, by addition of the Iranian
suffix -stan (land). The name has traditionally
been derived from Hayk (Հայկ), the legendary
patriarch of the Armenians and a great-great-
grandson of Noah, who according to
Moses of Chorene defeated the Babylonian king
Bel in 2492 BC, and established his nation in
the Ararat region.

10. Hayk Defeats Bell-Juliano Zasso

11. History
• Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding
the Biblical mountains of Ararat, upon
which, according to the Bible, Noah's Ark
came to rest after the flood. Recent
archeological studies have found the
earliest leather shoe, skirt, and wine-
producing facility in Armenia, dated at
about 4000 B.C, pointing to an advanced
early civilization In the Bronze Age,

13. • The Nairi people (12th to 9th centuries BC) and the
Kingdom of Urartu (1000–600 BC) successively
established their sovereignty over the Armenian Highland
.
• Around 600 BC, the Kingdom of Urartu was established
under the Orontid(Երվանդունիների) Dynasty. The kingdom
reached its height between 95 and 66 BC under
Tigranes the Great, becoming one of the most powerful
kingdoms of its time within the region. Throughout its
history, the kingdom of Armenia enjoyed periods of
independence intermitted with periods of autonomy
subject to contemporary empires. Armenia's strategic
location between two continents has subjected it to
invasions by many peoples, including theAssyrians,
Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, Persians
, Ottoman Turks and Russians.

15. Christianity
• In 301 Armenia adopted
Christianity.It was the first
country in the world to adopt
Christianity as a state
religion.The date is very
important for all Armenians
because Christianity helped
us to survive and to develop
our national culture and
service.
• In 2003 we celebrate the
1700years’ anniversary and a
magnificent cathedral was
built on a small hill in Yerevan
to commemorate this event.

17. • Vazgen Sargsyan was born in
Ararat on March 5, 1959.He was
the Prime Minister of Armenia for
theRepublican Party of Armenia
from June 11, 1999 to October
27, 1999 until his assassination in
what is known as the
Armenian parliament shooting.
He was well-known as a military
leader, the first Minister of
Defense of Armenia, awarded
by Artsakh hero and
National Hero of Armenia
(posthumously) titles. In 1992 he
organized and led the
"Mahaparts" special battalion. He
laid the groundwork for building
Armenia's army.He controlled the
fledgling armed forces during the
height of the fighting in Karabakh,
in which Armenia's forces were
heavily involved.

18. • The Armenian Army, Air Force,
Air Defence, and Border Guard comprise
the four branches of the Armed Forces of
the Republic of Armenia.

19. The Armenian Genocide
• On 24 April 1915,
Armenian intellectuals were arrested by Ottoman authorities
and, eventually a large proportion of Armenians living in
Anatolia perished in what has become known as the
Armenian Genocide.
• There was local Armenian resistance in the region,
developed against the activities of the Ottoman Empire.
The events of 1915 to 1917 are regarded by Armenians
and the vast majority of Western historians to have been
state-sponsored mass killings, or genocide. Turkish
authorities, however, maintain that the deaths were the
result of a civil war coupled with disease and famine,
with casualties incurred by both sides. According to the
research conducted by Arnold J. Toynbee( a
British historian ) an estimated 600,000 Armenians died
during the Armenian Genocide in 1915–16.

21. Symbols of Armenia
• Armenia is a rocky country.Legend say
that God, intending to test the deligence
and the patience of the nation, granted
them the rockiest part of the earth.People
used the stones to whorship God.They
built magnificent churches in most
inaccessible places and carved unique
cross stones .

26. Mount Ararat
• The Mountains of Ararat is the place named in
the Book of Genesis where Noah's Ark came to
rest after the great flood.That’s why it is called a
HOLY MOUNTAIN. It is the highest peak of the
Armenian Highland, located in present day
Turkey. Ararat dominates the skyline of
Armenia's capital, Yerevan. The 2002 film Ararat
by Armenian-Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan
features Mt. Ararat prominently in its symbolism.

28. Yerevan

31. • The Matenadaran was designed by architect
Mark Grigoryan. Located slightly north of the
city's center at the foot of a small hill,
construction of the Matenadaran began in 1945
and ended in 1957. The exterior was
constructed of basalt but parts of the interior
were made of other materials such as marble.
[1] In the 1960s, the statues of historical
Armenian scholars, Toros Roslin, Grigor
Tatevatsi, Anania Shirakatsi,
Movses Khorenatsi, Mkhitar Gosh and Frik,
were sculpted and placed on the left and right
wings of the building's exterior. The statues of
Mesrop Mashots and his pupil are located
below the terrace where the main building
stands.

32. • The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient
Manuscripts , commonly referred to as
the Matenadaran (Armenian:Մատենադարան), is an ancient
manuscript repository located in Yerevan, Armenia. It
holds one of the world's richest depositories of medieval
manuscripts and books about history, philosophy,
medicine, literature, art history and cosmography in
Armenian and many other languages. The Armenian
collection at the Matenadaran is rich in manuscripts
dealing in all fields of the humanities, but particularly
historiography and philosophy. The writings of classical
and medieval historians Movses Khorenatsi, Yeghishe
and Aristakes Lastivertsi are preserved here, as are the
legal, philosophical and theological writings of other
notable Armenian figures. The preserved writings of
Grigor Narekatsi and Nerses Shnorhali at the
Matenadaran form the cornerstone of medieval
Armenian literature.

33. Armenian cuisine
• We are very much interested in food.Our
cuisine is more than 2 thousand years old
and it is still tasty and fresh.
• Bread was the most important food in
Armenia .That’s why such english
expressions as to have dinner supper are
simply replaced by to eat bread in
Armenian.Most Armenian use a lot of
bread and especially lavash…

34. National dishes

35. A Peace Corp Volunteer’s opinion
about Armenian cuisine
I have liked almost everything I have had. Most is much
fresher than you can get in New York – the eggs are hours
old when I eat them, the milk comes straight from the cow
(with a stopover on the stove for boiling), the tomatoes are
amazingly tasty and I eat bowls of raspberries that are
picked from the bushes in the backyard. The khoravats
(barbecued meats) are delicious, and most of the bread,
butter, yogurt and cheese is homemade. I eat a lot of
soups, dolma, homemade ravioli type things(they call it
khinkali) and a lot of pasta, although always in butter
instead of sauce. There are tomatoes, cucumbers, bread
and cheese at every meal. My host mother also makes
delicious apple turnover type things that I love – some
nights, dinner is about ten of them. There tends to be a
LOT of salt and butter in everything, lots of potatoes, a lot
is fried and there is candy and cookies everywhere.

36. Climate
• Armenia is a country of contrasts.In this small
piece of land a sultry summer and eternal winter
exist almost side by side.The valleys can be hot
as topics,while mountains are covered with snow
all year around.
• Evening breezes blowing down the mountains
provide a welcome refreshing and cooling effect.
Springs are short, while falls are long. Autumns
are known for their colorful foliage.
• Winters are quite cold with plenty of snow.
Winter sports enthusiasts enjoy skiing down the
hills of Tsakhkadzor.

41. Painters

44. Composers

46. Poets,writers