At Eastertide we usually go to unusual places in the pursuit of archaeology. This year it was the turn of Armenia, an unusual place perched in the Caucasus.
It is slightly smaller than Belgium, with a population of around three million. Armenia is mountainous and varies between 400 and 4,000 metres above sea level. It is landlocked between the Black and Caspian Seas and it includes a large alpine lake, Lake Sevan, with its surface at 2,000 metres above sea level.
It is a land of ups and downs, of snow-clad peaks and majestic gorges.
The ups and downs are also reflected in Armenia’s history. In 301 it was the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion. Surrounded by Islam, it has remained staunchly faithful and defiant, independent of the Roman and Orthodox hierarchies.
It is peppered with early Christian monasteries and churches – sometimes with faint Moorish, Romanesque and early Gothic features – but always with the unmistakeable Armenian imprint, the ubiquitous Khachkar.
The churches are small, nearly all of the Greek cross type, with vestigial transepts and choir, a slightly bigger nave and sometimes a narthex. They often have conical domes, or small hemispherical domes with a top light.
They display an amazing variety of constructional methods: cross vaults, intersecting main arches, pendentives or Byzantine squinch arches leading to an octagonal shallow drum supporting the dome.
On one occasion the small square church was free of columns and had a coved ceiling supporting the central drum and dome.
In Geghard, a complex of churches is hewn in the solid rock on the side of the mountain. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
As we were there on Easter Saturday we were regaled with some fabulous religious singing by a polyphonic choir of five elements which exploited the cavernous acoustics of the temple.
Armenia was crossed by the Silk Road, of Marco Polo fame, and at the Selim Pass (2,410 metres) there is a small but very well preserved caravanserai.
We were travelling through mist and cloud and it was a rather eerie experience. At one time we were driving almost at walking pace.
The roads in Armenia, except in and around the capital, are in a rather poor state. I have often heard it said that ‘the Maltese drive in the shade.’ In Armenia they drive where there are fewer potholes.
Traffic keeps right but we were often on the left with an oncoming car also on its left lane.
Fortunately, traffic and speeds are very low and the two vehicles would slow down and sort themselves out before passing. Our driver was very skilful and the academics in our group awarded him a Ph.D. – Pot hole Dodger!
Armenia is divided into 11 provinces and we visited nearly all of them. Apart from the monasteries – which are al fairly similar – there is an enormous difference from one province to another.
In the northern provinces there is an air of great desolation, with abandoned factories and houses in a state of total dereliction. When the Russians moved out after the dissolution of the USSR the economic basis of the region went out with them. Slowly, some work is being generated by the hospitality industry, exploiting Lake Sevan and its attractions.
The central and southern provinces, based largely on an agricultural economy, are poor but more stable. People are largely cheerful, content with a very modest standard of living. When the tourists arrive, which is not very often, they come out with their trays of souvenirs or woollens. When one of our group paid more than was required they came chasing after her to refund the change.
None of the hotels we stayed at, except in the capital, had a lift, though they were otherwise quite adequate. In one of our first hotels, after skipping a night’s sleep because of the night flight, we found the breakfast consisted of a fried egg, a sausage and some noodles laid out a full hour in advance!
The capital Yerevan, with a population of 1.25 million, is a modern city on Western lines. Its downtown area is planned with wide ring roads and axial boulevards like a miniature Washington DC, and attractive modern buildings are replacing the more drab blocks built during Soviet times.
The colonnaded classical buildings framing the hub, Republic Square, would do credit to any European capital. The higher ground is exploited for monuments and vistas, especially of the symbolic Mount Ararat.
Yerevan has quite a rich cultural life with over a score of first class museums run by very expert guides. At the Matenadaran Depository of Ancient Manuscripts a particularly petite guide, not more than 1.50 metres tall, speaking perfect English, took us through piles of ancient manuscripts and incunabula.
At the Museum of Erebuni I nearly got left behind when I got involved in a very erudite discussion with two pretty young guides who were explaining to me the finer points of prehistoric underground conduits.
The most prestigious Armenian artistic figure is no doubt the composer Amar Khachaturian. We were privileged to attend an absolutely first class ballet performance of his opera Spartacus at the national opera house named in the composer’s honour. Fortunately it has a roof because it rained quite steadily.
We paid the princely sum of €7.50 for a seat in the stalls.
Armenia has always been bullied by its bigger neighbours but its culminating martyrdom was the genocide of 1915-1920 in which 1.5 million Armenians were massacred by the Turks. This gave rise to the diaspora in which a large number of Armenians left their country for more secure pastures.
It is said that as many Armenians live abroad, especially in Russia and the US, as in Armenia itself. These exiles – like Charles Aznavour – often come back to revisit their roots and provide an economic boost to the country.
Armenians still do not regard the Turks with brotherly affection and our guide was tickled pink when we told him that our favourite expression when we experience particular aggravation is “Haqq it-Torok”!