Armenia - Yerevan

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia is one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities. The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC and has been the capital city since 1918. Known as the Pink City since the Soviet era because of the colour of the stone used for the buildings.



Approaching Yerevan. Epebah is the Russian spelling for Yerevan.



Yerevan was celebrating their 2796 years anniversary when I was there in 2014. Just for comparison, the founding of Rome was 2767 years ago.



I stayed here in Yerevan for 4 nights, mostly travelling to the nearby attractions outside of Yerevan. Well, I still had ample of time to visit this vibrant city of Yerevan.



Many statues can be seen in Yerevan.



Located around the outskirts of Yerevan, there are numerous adult establishments.



Lounge and strip clubs.



Night clubs.



Casinos.



More night clubs.




When heading back to Yerevan, a welcome to Yerevan sign greets you.



The Hyarenik Cinema which is no longer in operation.


I’m right now at the capital city of Armenia. So, what’s the foremost thing to do? Shopping of course. This is where I bought my souvenirs.



Tigran, our tour guide brought us here at a covered warehouse market. 



Haggling is definitely recommended to get the best price. 


Beautiful paintings for sale.



My beau’s favourite, miniature of the churches we had previously visited.



Next, Tigran brought us to a flea market.



Shop like a local.



My beau trying on a sweater. Items were of good quality and the price was cheap.



After our shopping spree, we checked in to our hotel. I stayed here at Hotel Erebuni for the duration of my stay here at Yerevan.



Hotel Erebuni is strategically located just beside Yerevan Republic Square. 



Panoramic view of the square.



The buildings at the Square are pink, thus the name Pink City.



Time for photographs.



The Republic Square of Yerevan is a large central town square intersected by the main streets of Yerevan.



Even though Yerevan was established more than two thousand year ago, the buildings in Yerevan actually dates back to about 100 years or earlier.



Construction of the Republic Square started in 1926 and was finally completed in 1958. Deigned by Alexander Tamanian to be a perfect city with two hubs, the Republic Square and Freedom Square.



Considered the finest example of Soviet era architecture.



Seven Major building surround the square. One of it is the Marriot Hotel.



At the Marriot Hotel, you can sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while enjoying the view of the square.



Time for dinner. There are plenty of restaurants in Yerevan. I opt for the famous Tavern Yerevan highly recommended by Tigran. The restaurant is actually located below the building.



Tavern Restaurant serves Armenian and Caucasian cuisine.





Internal view of Tavern Yerevan.





Nice place to have a meal.



We ordered a rice dish and other Armenian dishes.



Armenian dance is performed in the restaurant every 30 minutes or so.



After dinner, I strolled around the city of Yerevan.










9D Cinema?? What is that?



Conservatoire Park




Few decorative musical instruments at the park.



Near the park is actually the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, a music college.



A street performer.



A statue of someone.



A small amusement park.



Not many customers either.


My son having a nap after a long outing.



St. Gregory The Illuminator Cathedral is not far from the Republic Square. It was completed in 2001 to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of Armenia as a Christian nation. It is also the current largest Armenian cathedral.



The entire cathedral is lit up  at night and clearly visible from a distance.



Heading up the cathedral.


The Cathedral houses the relics of Saint Gregory the Illuminator and the Holy Remains of St. Gregory that were brought from Naples, Italy.



Having a peek inside the cathedral. The cathedral was closed when I was there. 




.Well, that did not stop people from praying from the outside of the cathedral.



Unlike the others churches in Armenia, this church doesn’t have any candle stand. The candle house is a separate structure next door



Back to the Republic Square.



When Armenia was under Soviet Union rule, Yerevan became the first city for which a general plan was developed. The urban planning is so well planned out, making it very easy to navigate around the city. In fact, it is one of the best cities I’ve been to.



But, as a result of this major redevelopment, many historic buildings were demolished.



During Soviet times, this Square is known as Lenin Square.



Initially designed for a population of 150,000, the city transformed into a modern metropolis of over a million people.  



Of the seven major buildings surrounding the Republic Square, five of it are Armenia Ministry buildings which comprise of The Ministry of Finance, The Government House, The Ministry of Transport and Communication, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Territorial Administration.  



The other two are the Marriot Hotel and National Gallery and History Museum.




The singing fountain or some call it dancing fountain in front of the History Museum of Armenia at the Republic Square.



The water streams and lighting changes its shape and colour according to the rhythm of the music played.



Just beautiful.



I really enjoyed the music and the spectacular performance of the fountain.



The singing fountain can be seen every night which usually starts at 8pm and last till 10pm. Various classical music from jazz, rock and pop are played during the performance.



I give the fountain performance 2 thumbs up! Definitely recommended if you’re in Yerevan. Moreover, its free! 



I have visited so many interesting places in Yerevan that I couldn't fit all in one post. Next posting shall concentrate on the individual places that I went in Yerevan.