armenia – Julian Worker Travel – A few ideas for your next trip in every direction

Travels through History – Armenia

I have written seven books about the history of places I have travelled to. If you are interested in history and / or travel then you should check out these books. Please bear in mind the books are travelogues rather than travel guides and so cover only the places I visited. Here is the oneContinue reading “Travels through History – Armenia”

Travels through History – Armenia

Saghmosavank in Armenia

On the way back to Yerevan I stopped at Saghmosavank (“Monastery of Psalms”) another Armenian sight close to a spectacular gorge, this time the Kasakh Gorge. The monastery has a large gavit to the west of the Zion church. A gavit serves as a narthex, mausoleum and assembly room for the church, but at SaghmosavankContinue reading “Saghmosavank in Armenia”

Amberd Fortress

From the Park of Letters the road to Amberd is not in great condition and it’s just as well there’s not much traffic around as drivers have to avoid large potholes and large cracks in the tarmac every few hundred yards. Amberd Fortress is one of those old places where visitors can climb all overContinue reading “Amberd Fortress”

Armenian Alphabet

In 2005, the Armenian alphabet celebrated its 1600th birthday. In commemoration, 39 large, carved Armenian letters were placed near the final resting place of the man who created the alphabet, Mesrop Mashtots. The place is known as the Park Of Letters and can’t be missed by anyone who is travelling towards Amberd Fortress. When MashtotsContinue reading “Armenian Alphabet”

Travels through History – Armenia and the UK

In 2005, the Armenian alphabet celebrated its 1600th birthday. In commemoration, 39 large, carved Armenian letters were placed near the final resting place of the man who created the alphabet, Mesrop Mashtots. The place is known as the Park Of Letters and can’t be missed by anyone who is travelling towards Amberd Fortress. Please seeContinue reading “Travels through History – Armenia and the UK”

Armenia – the treasury at Echmiadsin

I headed to the Treasury to see some of the less palatable objects associated with religion, namely reliquaries containing the body parts of the apostles, Thaddeus, Peter, and Andrew. These parts are called relics and are venerated by people who visit Echmiadsin, but I have always found it hard to believe these relics can beContinue reading “Armenia – the treasury at Echmiadsin”

The Homilies of Mush

There’s one original manuscript at the Matenadaran whose story, if it had taken place in another country, would have been made into a blockbuster film. The Homilies of Mush is the largest, surviving Armenian manuscript and was created between 1200 – 1202. This manuscript is associated with the Holy Apostles Monastery of Mush (now inContinue reading “The Homilies of Mush”

Zvartnots Cathedral

The main church at this site was built around 650. It had three storeys and seems to have had 32 equal sides, quite a feat of engineering in itself. The whole of the cathedral precinct was destroyed in 930 by an earthquake and gradually became hidden under centuries of soil until it was re-discovered aroundContinue reading “Zvartnots Cathedral”

Armenia – Noravank Monastery

Noravank monastery lies in the Gnishik Gorge around 6 kilometres from the main road. The gorge is known for its sheer, brick-red cliffs, directly across from the monastery. The monastery’s best known feature is the two-storey Surb Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) church, built by Prince Burtel Orbelian in 1339. He was the descendant ofContinue reading “Armenia – Noravank Monastery”