Lastiver - a place from a fairy-tale

Imagine a fairy-tale nature of the dark forest in the mountains, tall trees and clouds that stuck in the trees, impassable trails, torrents of mountain rivers, steep slopes and ... a cave.

The picturesque valley of Hachahbyur river to the west from Ijevan, Armenia, called Lastiver, is amazing in its beauty. Lastiver is not just a cave in the valley of Hachahbyur River, but also an area surrounded with forest, river and waterfalls.

The name of this cave is translated from Armenian as "up the raft." Why such an unusual name?

There is a common explanation. The cave is located on the slope of a very steep gorge. The villagers of the Yenokavan village had to build a log ladder to be able to get to the gorge, which is located three kilometers from the river Hachahbyur. The staircase was like a kind of a vertical raft, on which people went up and down in the gorge. So the name of this place became popularly known as Lastiver - "up the raft."

The peculiar terrain, waterfalls, green forests make Lastiver a favorite tourist destination. Surely, only the lazy did not happen here. It is noteworthy that Lastiver remains a popular destination for many years.

Lastiver causes interest among archaeologists and historians, as well as local residents and tourists.

People with different interests come to Lastiver and always find everything they need. Lovers of beautiful scenery get remarkable experiences and share them with friends. Photographers come seeking unusual frame. Families and friends come to the picnic. Tourists and lovers of hiking the mountains often set tents and stay for a few days. In summer it is cool here and people come to relax from the city heat and stuffiness. In the winter explorers can see the beauty of the forests in the snow, and have an opportunity to exercise extreme mountain hiking. Extraordinarily beautiful 

Lastiver is in the autumn, when the forests are full of all sorts of colors - from bright green to burgundy red.

Noteworthy is also the history of the caves. There is a belief that in XIII-XIV centuries in these caves local people hid from invaders. After a close examination of the drawings on the rocks of the cave, you can see the entire scenes from their life. Lastiver leaves a deep lifetime impression from a trip to Armenia. Its beautiful nature - caves, gorges, forests, waterfalls, and, of course, rocks, rocks and rocks again will never leave you indifferent.

Новый Год в Армении

Новый год - один из самых любимых праздников в Армении.  Он отмечается 31-ого декабря и продолжается до 7 - го января, так как 6 - ого наступает Рождество Христово.  

Эти зимние праздники армяне празднуют с особым вдохновением. Готовятся за 2 – 3 недели. Везде приятная предпраздничная суета, все куда то спешат, делают покупки, выбирают подарки …

Дома наряжается елка, а за несколько дней уже начинаются приготовления традиционных праздничных армянских блюд.  В последние годы в меню вошли так же блюда разных стран, но армянская толма и гата являются обязательными составляющими праздничного стола …

За несколько минут до наступления 12-и часов, все члены семьи собираются за столом, чтобы проводить старый и встретить новый год вместе. Радуются все, ведь новый год приносит новые надежды и мечты.  После 12-и соседи уже стучатся в дверь … так и празднуют до утра  …

Праздничная суета конечно приятная, но для армянских женщин этот праздник так же полон забот, поэтому те кто хотят отмечать новый год в узком кругу семьи или друзей приезжают в прекрасный горнолыжный курорт Цахкадзор. Где так же можно очень интересно провести праздничные дни  -  Снег, горные лыжи, новогодний дух …

Армения - страна где даже зимой тепло. Это теплота исходит из душ самых гостеприимных людей в мире …

Приезжайте, будем праздновать вместе :)

Ancient Armenian Roots of Winemaking

Armenia is an ancient land one of the world's oldest civilizations and since ancient days Armenia was famous for th wine making.

Talking about the history of wine-making it should be said that Forefather Noah was the first winemaker according to the Biblical legend. The grape was planted in the slope of Mount Ararat.

Armenians are noted as one of the first nations making wine and in accordance with scientifically proved data it has 6000 year history. 

In 401 BC, when the Greek armies were passes on the Armenia, called that time Nairi, in houses they found wine, kept in deep dugouts called as "karas".

In June of 2010 National Geographic Society announced that near the village of Areni, in the same cave where  was found the world's oldest shoe dating back 5,500 years group of Armenian, U.S. and Irish archaeologists found the world oldest winery.

"For the first time, we have a complete archaeological picture of wine production dating back 6,100 years," said Gregory Areshian, co-director of the excavation and assistant director of the University of California Los Angeles's Cotsen Institute of Archaeology.

They found a rudimentary wine press and a clay vat surrounded by grape seeds, grape vines and even a cup and drinking bowl. The seeds belonged to a domesticated grape variety, known as Vitis vinifera vinifera, that is still used to make red wine today, the team reported.  Also they suppose thet wine was likely used for ceremonial purposes since the press and wine jugs were found near grave sites,

It should be mentioned that from ancient times till now Armenian wine makers keep the traditions of wine making. Today in Armenia there are about 40 companies which produce more than 100 types of wine.

Come to Armenia to test the best wine sorts made by ancient Armenian traditions!!!

6 Interesting facts about Armenia

1. According to legend the Armenians are the descendents of Haik, a powefull person who didn’t want to live in Babelon under the brutal rule of the King Bel. He took his sons, grandsons, all his big family and moved from Mesopotamia to the north, to Highlands around the Mountain Ararat. But Bel decided to revenge and capture the fugitive family and came with his army to conquer Haik. The battle took place in Ararat Valley and Haik’s family beat the Bels army. It was about xx century B.C.

Since then they lived in freedom and they gave birth to a whole nation – Armenians (Armenian call themselves Hai by the name of their ancestor Haik).


2. The present Capital of Armenia Yerevan was founded in 782 B.C. The name of the initial castle was Erebouni. It is even older than the Eternal City – Rome. There were numerous nice churches and monasteries in Yerevan. Unfortunately in 30s the Bolsheviks ruined almost all of them. Church Zoravor is one of the few survivors. One of nicest Mosques in the Southern Caucasus is the


Blue Mosque in downtown Yerevan. This is a memory from periods of Persian rule in Eastern Armenia.

3. In 2001 Armenia celebrated its 1700th Anniversary of Christianity. In 301 Armenia became the first nation in the world that officially adopted Christianity as the religion of the State.   To commemorate this extremely important event of its history the people of Armenia   constructed an impressive cathedral named after Gregory the Enlightener, the person who convinced the King Trdat to turn Armenian into Christianity and later became the first Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch of the of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

4. One of the wonders in Armenia is Matenadaran. The word means a depository of ancient manuscripts. Here about 17000 manuscripts are kept under special conditions. This is one of the
biggest collections of the manuscripts in the world.  The most unique items are displayed in the Matenadaran Museum.

5. The museum complex is located at the Republic Square which is the center of Yerevan.  The Museum of History introduces absolutely fascinating archeological findings which is the material proof of the ancient history of Armenia. The Tower of the complex is the National Art Gallery. The exclusively rich collections of paintings are made by the famous French, Dutch, Italian, German, Russian and Armenian artists.

6. Sport Concert Complex is a modern building with quite an creative architectural solutions. It has two main halls and there is a rotating tribune between these two halls. Depending on       necessity it can be used either for enlargement of the Sport Hall or the Concert Hall.

Nagorno Karabakh is an ancient part of Armenia

The Bolshevik Government in Russia aligned with Germany (1918) and later with Turkey (1920). As a result of this betrayal Turkey started a new war against the young Republic of Armenia. At the same time Bolsheviks attacked Armenia from the east.   Being a member of Antante, the Armenian Government appealed to the British Government, but the answer was disappointing: “sorry, our vessels can’t climb your mountains”.  The Armenian Government decided to transfer power to the Bolsheviks with the hope that they could rescue the country. But the Armenian Bolsheviks were not successful and Armenia, having yielded significant territories to Turkey & Azerbaijan (Karabakh and Nakhichevan), established the Soviet Republic of Armenia on only one-tenth of its historic territory.

The Republic of Armenia in spite of the boundaries of the Soviet regime managed to achieve significant success in the development of almost all spheres of the economy, science, culture and art. All of these are expressed in a sort of a quintessence in the Capital of Armenia, Yerevan.

In 1988 the population of the Autonomous Region of Nagorno Karabakh initiated a movement of reuniting with their motherland, Armenia. Tough repressive measures were taken against Armenians by the Soviet government and by the authorities of Azerbaijan. Demonstrations were responded to by the massacres of Armenians in the different cities of Azerbaijan including the capital city Baku.

In 1991 the Soviet Union was dissolved. As a result, Azerbaijan declared its independence.  Nogorno Karabakh carried out a referendum and based on the results of this referendum also declared its independence. In 1992 Azerbaijan initiated a war against Nagorno Karabakh which lasted until the present ceasefire agreement of 1994.

On September 21, 1991, the Republic of Armenia declared independence from the Soviet regime. It still suffers from the unresolved Karabakh issue and is blockaded on two sides (Azerbaijan and Turkey). But in spite of hardship, the tiny country enjoys a free and independent life.

World Longest Strudel - Armenia Marriot

Fall in Armenia is the most beautiful season for tourists.  Our sunny and pink Yerevan welcomes thousands of guests, who mostly like to stay Central Yerevan.  Daytime is still warm, however evening get wonderfully cool, and Central Yerevan, Republic Square, around Opera House, Victory and other parks and alleys fill will pedestrians, young, middle-age, children, guests and locals.

And what was going on 8 September, 2015 in Republic Square?


If you were having your evening walk, you would see the following... Just click in the video and see.  If you enjoy, please let us know :)!

Sunday Liturgy in Holy Echmiadzin

Armenians love to go to the church on Sundays.  This is a sacred day, when after six days of work people spend time in relation with God. They separate themselves of all problems and personal relationships, set aside future plans, tasks, to do-s, and in the church, under the deeply touching holy hymns emerge into the presence of our Lord.

In the inner silence they recall what have they done that wasn't glorifying the Lord, think of the days, when in the hassle of the life they had misbehaved, made mistakes, didn't do what would have been good for everyone, had been selfish, inconsiderate, greedy, and many other things.

In this video they are well-known people, you will recognize.  If you know them, leave your comment in our blog.  If you are in Armenia, you should also join the army and believers and let Jesus give you new life.
Ամէն հայի սրտից բխած, Amen hayi s@rtic bkhac
Լսիր այս ձայն, ով Աստուած. Lsir ays dzayn, ov Astvac
Երկար կեանք տուր Հայրապետին, Yerkar kyanq tur Hayrapetin
Երկար օրեր Հայոց Հօր. Yerkar orer Hayoc horn
Տէր, անսասան պահիր դու միշտ Ter, ansasan pahir Du misht
Քո իսկ հիմնած Մայր Աթոռ։ Qo isk himnac Mayr Ator

May you be blessed by the Lord Jesus Christ.