Fiction, Essays, and Other Things

  August 31 was my last full day in Armenia and my time was devoted to my host city of Yerevan. Throughout my stay, I had gotten to know Yerevan quite well, its pulse and rhythm and its many charms. The pink glow of the vibrant Republic Square greeted me each night back to the hotel after a journey to the county’s mountains. Within its ancient walls I discovered many bookshops, arts and crafts galleries as well as authentic Armenian cuisine and a sampling of Armenia’s version of international cuisine through a Mexican restaurant (Los Pueblos) and an Italian eatery (Limone). Before I left, however, I felt I ought to visit Aram Khachaturian Museum before the highlight of the day, the Genocide Memorial. Museums are often on my “maybe” list when I visit places as I prioritize absorbing myself in the daily life of the citizens but I had grown rather fond of Republic Square and after days visiting ancient sites I was ready for a stroll through galleries.         ...

  August 30 brought us outside of Armenia if only temporarily in both a literal and political sense in a way that can only be understood with an appreciation of the nation’s political climate, both current and historical. And yet, Mount Ararat, the highlight of this day and in many ways this trip, though it towers the landscape from across the border in Turkey, is the truest embodiment of the Armenian spirit than anything I saw on my journey. That it defies hostile and even contested boundaries, though, is fitting with the visceral power of the mountain. Rising across the Ararat Plain like a snow-capped giant, Ararat has inspired wonder since the beginning of civilization when it was fabled as the resting place of Noah’s Ark. While much of the world has moved away from legend the sheer majesty of Mount Ararat elevates emotions. Its bigger peak, Greater Ararat, has come to inspire Armenia’s resiliency through the centuries while Little Ararat completes the compounded volcano’s uni...

  The Arch of Charents is a modern monument surrounded by ancient history. If Armenia is a window to the distant past, the Arch is a gateway to the nation’s symbol and one of its last remaining pagan structures, the Temple of Garni. Indeed, Garni and the majestic Mount Ararat were the two inspirations for architect Rafayel Israylelian who envisioned a window to two iconic images, one carved by nature the other by the hand of man. Israyelian completed the monument in 1957 in tribute to his country’s poet Yeghishe Charents, a reminder that while we mourn the art stolen or destroyed over the centuries, Armenia’s inspiration for art and innovation has survived the destruction of the nation’s heritage.                                                      I stand before the Arch of Charents                 ...

  Yerevan is a wonderful home base before an excursion into the ancient world. In Northern Ave, the city’s pulse, one can find boba cafes, grocery stores, artists and bookshops. The night before setting off to Haghpat Monastery, a religious complex completed no later than the 13 th century, I found a churro stand tucked away in one of Yerevan’s alleyways painted with a colorful mural depicting a row of houses on one side and a memorial to the victims of the Armenian parliament massacre of 1999, a case which I remember distinctly making news waves in the States that year, on the other. Likewise, Haghpat today is a relatively well populated area and continues to draw visitors each year. Ironically, however, the site was originally chosen for its inaccessibility as a measure to ward off invaders. The monastery sits atop a hillside partially hidden from view but with a beautiful view of the Debed River. Such was the vision of Queen Khosrovanuysh who envisioned the monastery as somet...

  On an early morning excursion our guide informed us that only about eight leopards still inhabit Armenia, but an accurate number is almost impossible to assess. Only one individual has been captured by camera in the last twenty years and the remote and rugged territory hinders further search expeditions. What is certain is that the Anatolian leopard is among the most endangered of the big cats, centuries of hunting and habitat loss having extirpated them from much of their former habitat. Not surprisingly, Iran, which is the last stronghold of the nearly extinct Asiatic cheetah after reintroduction projects in India were stalled, remains the best hope for the leopard in the Caucus region. Armenia, however, has shown an admirable commitment to preserve its spotted cats for over fifty years. Following the pathway set by Iran in 1969, Armenia and the Soviet Union granted their dwindling leopard populations full protection in 1972 and fines for killing leopards have increased sin...

  Adopting Christianity before the rest of the world is a recognition Armenians guard zealously, so tied is this recognition to their natural history. All things considered, their rivalry with Georgia over this sacred recognition is surprisingly amicable. What isn’t surprising is that among the most revered figures in Armenia is St. Hripsime, whose story goes back to the origins of Christianity in the country. As with most canonized martyrs, the story of Hripsime is based part on record and part on faith, but her significance to the nation’s identity cannot be overestimated. According to text, Hripsime was a young Roman maiden who fled her homeland to escape the advances of Emperor Diocletian. Her flight took her to Armenia where she made a new home in the city of Vagharshapat. Her freedom was not to be long-lived, however, as her beauty now caught the eye of King Tiridates III. Once more she rejected the advances of the powerful, professing her devotion to God. In retaliation,...