🇦🇲 Armenia is one of my favourite places I’ve travelled to so far. ❤️ Ask me why, though, and I’ll probably give you a different answer depending on the day. Sometimes it’s the monasteries and the mountain views. Sometimes it’s the food. And sometimes it’s the fact that you can visit a cave where people were making wine 6,100 years ago.
✝️ One of the world’s oldest Christian countries
According to Armenian tradition, Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 CE. Its ancient monasteries are still some of the most beautiful places to visit, and their settings are often just as striking as the buildings themselves.
🔤 An alphabet of its own
The Armenian alphabet was created in the fifth century and is still used today. More than 1,600 years later, it remains an important part of Armenian identity.
🍷 6,100 years of winemaking history
The Areni-1 cave is home to one of the oldest known winemaking facilities in the world. So yes, people here have had quite a bit of time to get the hang of it. 😄
🗺️ Where East meets West
Persia, Rome, Byzantium, and the Ottoman and Russian empires all left their mark on Armenia’s history. You can still see traces of that past in the architecture and traditions, and you can taste it in the food.
🥙 So whose dolma is it, anyway?
Dolma, lavash, grilled meats, yoghurt, fresh herbs, pomegranates… you’ll find plenty of familiar flavours if you’ve travelled around the region. These cuisines are older than today’s borders, and they’ve influenced one another for centuries. I’m very happy to keep tasting my way through the debate. 😄
⛰️ A national symbol across the border
Mount Ararat appears everywhere in Armenia, and on a clear day you can see it from Yerevan. It’s one of the country’s most recognisable symbols, even though the mountain itself lies in modern-day Türkiye.
🇦🇲 Maybe that’s what stayed with me most. Persian flavours, Caucasian traditions, ancient Christianity and traces of the Soviet era all share a place in a country that feels unmistakably Armenian. There’s so much more I want to share, from the markets of Yerevan to the monasteries and the food I’d happily go back for. ❤️
