Rediscovering a Lost Community in Vayots Dzor

Late August sunset over a family plot at the medieval Jewish cemetery in Yeghegis

Driving south from Yerevan, after you pass Areni (of wine and cave fame) and Noravank, you reach the turn-off to the Selim Pass which leads to Martuni.  Not far up the road is the village of Shatin.  Take the turn into the village and follow the road which will bring you to Yeghegis.

Today, Yeghegis is a village of about 500 people. The houses look like they have sprung out of the landscape and may have been there forever.   Until 1994, it was an Azeri enclave known as Alayaz.  Sometimes, if you stop and ask a local, they will direct you to the village of Artabuynk, which also used to be called Yeghegis.  It’s a little confusing, but you are looking for the present day village of Yeghegis – the medieval capital of the Kingdom of Syunik.  Looking at it, it’s hard to imagine that it was once a capital city of 10,000 inhabitants.  What is even more amazing, though, is the makeup of that population.

In 1996, quite by accident, the local bishop spotted some very old looking tombstones in the Yeghegis River.  He searched the area and found more, some with inscriptions in an alphabet he did not recognize.  Imagine his shock to discover that the alphabet was Hebrew!  Fast forward a few years and seasons of excavations and an entire Jewish cemetery has been unearthed.

Geometric shapes on a tombstone at the Orbelian kings'
graveyard at the entrance to Yeghegis village.

Armenia today is 98% Armenian.  99% of the population is also Christian- the vast majority of them belonging to the Armenian Apostolic Church.  But here, in Yeghegis, 800 years ago, there was a thriving multiethnic society which included a previously unknown, and by all accounts prosperous, Jewish community.

The tombstones at the cemetery are quite large and come from the same quarry where the ruling Orbelian kings purchased their tombstones.  They would have been very expensive to make and transport.  They also bear markings similar to those on the kings' tombstones and undoubtedly came from the same workshop.

Geometric shapes on a tombstone found at the Jewish
cemetery. The stones came from the same quarry and
were engraved at the same workshop.

In addition to the cemetery, researchers discovered an inscription on nearby Spitakavor church which indicated that the land on which the church was built had been ultimately purchased from a Jewish person.  This one fact, in and of itself, sets the Jewish community of Yeghegis apart from their European cousins who were prohibited from owning land.

What became of the Jewish community?  We can only guess.  After the fall of the Mongol Empire, the Orbelian kings lost their privileged standing.  The population of the capital, which they had moved off the main trading routes of the Silk Road, dwindled.  The Jewish inhabitants probably just moved on as the other inhabitants did.  It is hoped that, with further excavations in the area, more will be discovered about this fascinating place.  Until then, we can only let our imagination wander.

Engravings on a young boy’s tombstone in Yeghegis.  This stone has Hebrew engravings on 3 sides.  It also features     eternity wheels which were engraved by a skilled Armenian craftsman before the Hebrew inscriptions were added.  It was found after excavation of a nearby watermill where it was in secondary use as flooring for the mill.

Rebecca is an American Peace Corps Volunteer who lives and works in Vayots Dzor Marz. The views and opinions expressed are hers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Peace Corps. 

Read more posts from Rebecca:
Ghosts of the Pasts in Vayots Dzor

Starting a Farmstay B&B in Armenia... Part 1

The Farmhouse

As a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV), my primary assignment is teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) in a village school, but living in Armenia for two years gives me plenty of time to pursue secondary projects.  Last summer, I worked at a bunch of youth camps (they’ll be a post on that later), but this year, I’m going to help my former host family set up and run a Farmstay Bed and Breakfast.  They live in a farming village with about 250 families in Kotayk Marz, about 30 km from Yerevan, where they own and operate an organic dairy farm with cows and sheep, earning about $120 a month from selling yogurt products in nearby Charentsavan.  They have a beautiful house set in rolling fields, with a garden providing fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the summer and homemade jams and juices during the rest of the year.

The Garden (in summertime!)

They’re ideally set up to be a Bed and Breakfast because they’re close to Yerevan (about a 45 minute drive), but at a much higher altitude, far above the heat and pollution of Yerevan in the summertime.  Guests will get to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of village life, as well as connecting with the land and learning how and farm works and where their food comes from.  The family will get a boost in income and maybe some extra hands on the farm, which they especially need because their eldest son is doing his army service right now.  On this blog, I’ll be keeping track of our progress in starting the B&B…

The first steps are to register as a company and develop a product line.  For that, I called on my friend and fellow PCV Terri, who works with the Kotayk Small and Medium Enterprise Development National Center (SMEDNC) On a snowy January day, she came out to visit the farm, tour the bedrooms and eat a delicious meal cooked by Anaheit, the wife and mother of the family. 

                “My brother has a car,” said Naver, the father and husband of the family “He could take guests to Sevan and Garni.”

Terri sitting down to a meal of dolma with homemade juice.

Well, we explained, there are lots of established tourist services that already do trips to Garni and Sevan.  Instead, let’s concentrate on what’s special about the village.  The things that are everyday chores on the farm are interesting to people from the city.  Milking the cows, gardening, making yogurt, cheese, khorovats and lavash are all fascinating to people who have always bought their food from a grocery store.  The village also has excellent hiking, roads for bicycling and a sports field.  Neighbors own horses and can arrange horseback-riding. 

As Terri and I left, we agreed that Terri and the SMEDNC would help the family set up their business and develop products, while I would start to put together a brochure and do marketing.  So how about it readers:

What would you like to do and see at an Armenian village farmstay B&B? Are you interested in a farmstay in Armenia? How would you find out about it, and what would you look for?

Sam is an American Peace Corps Volunteer who lives and works in Aragotsotn Marz. This piece originally appeared on his blog: www.heyamerikatsi.com The views and opinions expressed are his personally and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Peace Corps. 


Read more posts from Samuel:
The Soviet Arcade Games of Giumri

Ghosts Of The Past In Vayots Dzor

About two hours south of Yerevan, in Vayots Dzor Marz, is the town of Yeghegnadzor where I serve as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English at a local university.  The climate is best in spring and fall.  In the past year and a half of my service, I have seen the odd tourist come through here, but they always seem to be on their way somewhere else.  Most visitors to Vayots Dzor come to see Noravank, a magnificent complex of churches and outbuildings where monks lived and studied in the middle ages, and then they move on.  While Noravank is certainly worth the trip, visitors often miss out on the many other churches, universities and monuments that were built during the Orbelian reign over the Kingdom of Syunik.

The Orbelians came to power during the Mongol period.  While most of the known world was being ravaged by Mongol invaders, the Kingdom of Syunik thrived.  In 1236, Prince Elikum Orbelian of Syunik established diplomatic relations with the Mongol invaders, affording the region a privileged status.  His brother and successor, Smbat, visited the Mongol court in 1251.  This visit resulted in Smbat being given a high rank by Mangu Khan and cemented the importance of the Orbelian family and the areas over which they reigned, including Yeghegis and Vayots Dzor.  After 1273, the Orbelians transferred their capital to the Yeghegis Valley.  Under these conditions, the Kingdom of Syunik flourished and became a cultural center and a hub for migration.

Today, in the sleepy Yeghegis Valley, you can see the many monuments to Orbelian kings which still stand.  There are countless churches, the impressive Smbataberd fortress, and the kings’ tombs on the near side of the village.  And on the far side, a most unexpected discovery excavated only 10 years ago: a Jewish cemetery.  More on that in my next post.  

Above the entrance to one of the churches at Noravank is this engraving.  It is attributed to the architect Momik who was said to be of such a singular talent that he alone was permitted to depict the face of God.  But look closely at the eyes and you will see a decidedly Asian aspect.  The Orbelians believed, and rightfully so, that if the Mongolian invaders saw a God that looked like them, they would not destroy the church.

One of several medieval cemeteries in Yeghegis village

View of Smbataberd fortress from the entrance to Yeghegis village

Rebecca is an American Peace Corps Volunteer who lives and works in Vayots Dzor Marz. The views and opinions expressed are hers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Peace Corps.  Parts of this post have been previously published.


Read more posts from Rebecca:
Rediscovering a Lost Community in Vayots Dzor

Still Thinking of Winter Vacation? Discover some Winter Resorts in Armenia!

Where to spend vacation this winter? Is this still a question?
Throughout this hunt, someone might like to discover a new winter vacation destination in Armenia. Armenia has world-class winter resorts along with great sites and mountains.  Tsaghkadzor and Jermuk are just the two of the numerous fascinating places that winter vacation lovers must consider.
50 km north from the capital - Yerevan, 1750 m above sea level, surrounded with alpine meadows, Tsaghkadzor is known for being a wonderful winter sports center, especially with excellent conditions for cross-country skiing and snowboarding, with lovely forests and ancient monasteries (11-13th centuries).

Jermuk is another fantastic resort-spa town, where much of the country's mineral water comes from. Its 173 km south-west of Yerevan, 1980-2080m above the sea level, surrounded with mountains 2500-3000 meter high and is covered with fresh Alpine vegetation and forests. An ancient fortress, the stones, peculiar to ancient buildings and architectural monuments of this area, remain on the Jermuk territory till these days. The fortress of Jermuk was built during the rule of the Artaxiad Dynasty in 189 B.C., but the settlement was established much earlier.

Both of the resorts have got ropeways meeting international standards, which enable the mountain-skiers to enjoy the professional ski-runs. The ropeway in Tsaghkadzor has five levels and is 6105 m long and the one in Jermuk has one level and is 1000 m long. Tsaghkadzor ropeway is considered to be the best in the Caucasus and it opens a beautiful view of Lake Sevan.

A lot can be shared on these fascinating sites, however, as the saying says, “BETTER SEE IT ONCE THAN HEAR THOUSAND TIMES”!

The Soviet Arcade Games of Gyumri

In the Central Park of the town of Gyumri, once called Alexandropol after the Czar, and still referred to as "Leninakan" by most locals, across the gorge from the Russian military garrison, and down the hill from the town’s Ferris wheel, is a small, square building with "Attractions - Games" written on the outside. Inside the building are a dozen Soviet-era arcade games and attractions. Give the middle-aged lady who works there 100 drams-worth about 30 cents, and she'll give you a Soviet 15 Kopek coin, enabling you to travel back to 1987 and experience the best in Soviet entertainment technology.

"Snayper-2," a target-practice game

Today, a father and his young son are the only other people in the arcade besides myself and the attendant. The father helps the son shoot targets in "Snayper-2," a target shooting game, then the boy challenges me to race him. This is the only true video game in the room. I control one little car at the bottom of the screen, and the son controls another other. To move the car, I twist the wheel. I have to fully spin the wheel to move the car across the screen. I avoid hitting other cars on the road, and when I crash into them the little 16x16 pixel drawing representing my car goes red and gets a broken wheel. As we're getting to the end of the race, the screen goes blank. The machine hasn't malfunctioned-electricity has gone off in the town.

This game never quite caught on like its famous cousin, Tetris.

"Morskoy Boy-Water War," a submarine simulator

15 kopek coins

Sam is an American Peace Corps Volunteer who lives and works in Aragotsotn Marz. This piece originally appeared on his blog: www.heyamerikatsi.com The views and opinions expressed are his personally and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Peace Corps.