Today was a rest day, so we weren’t hurrying. After a leisurely breakfast in Poki, we decided the first thing we would do, would be to go to the market we visited last night, to purchase some fruit and vegetables. Once we reached the market, however, it was closed, it is obviously an evening event.
Sightseeing
As far as we can establish, there are three main things to see in Yerevan. The Yerevan Cascades, the Matenadaran (Manuscripts Museum) and the Genocide Memorial. They are far apart and we did not want to drive Poki, so we decided to walk.
The Yerevan Cascades
The walk to the Cascades was 3.6 kms, mostly uphill. At the base of the Cascade are a sculpture park and gardens. Sculptures by sculptors from all over the world. English, other Europeans and the Colombian, Fernando Botero. Botero is famous for his large, voluptuous figures. We saw a lot of his work in Bogotá and his home town, Medellin.
Botero’s cat
Surely it’s a Kiwi!
Looking up the Cascade, there are 570 steps. We climbed them at midday with the temperature in the 30’s. (We needed the exercise! Mad, or what.) There are escalators inside. We chose to go up the hard way and down the easy way. The escalators take you through more artwork with sculptures and pictures on either side.
The Cascade has been years in planning and building. Originally in a master plan for Yerevan in the 1920’s. The architect Alexander Tamanian envisioned connecting the city centre to the northern hills of Kanaker with a system of terraces, waterfalls and flowerbeds. At the time it was thought too ambitious and expensive.
In 1967 the Armenia Obelisk was placed on the top of the Karnaker plateau. A revived idea arose to create a stairway to the obelisk and in the 1970’s a new design for the Cascade began to be developed. Construction began in 1980. However, following the 1988 earthquake, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the first Nagorno-Karabakh war, construction was suspended.
In 2002 the government decided to reconstruct the existing sections and complete the unfinished sections. In 2009 the Cafesjian Museum of Art opened and in 2011 the Aznavour Concert Hall. The project is still incomplete and in 2024 two options were proposed. The Cascade Gardens or the Cascade Cultural Centre. The latter won the vote, but neither were popular. However the go ahead has been given to spend US$7.8 million. The project is expected to take 5 years.
From the top of the Cascade on a clear day you can see Mount Ararat. We could just see the two cones in the haze. The minor one to the left and the major one the right, which is still snow covered. Mount Ararat is actually Turkey’s highest peak, although it is only 32kms from the Armenian border. Greater Ararat measures 5,137 meters.
After we had wizzed back down via the escalators, we found a cafe for some lunch and a much needed drink. Although, all around the city there are drinking fountains with spring water.
The Matenadaran
The Matenadaran is the Manuscript Museum, it was another kilometre walk away and up another lot of steps. It was beautifully presented. Over the last two years they have organised an exhibition where the Armenian diaspora have been asked to donate old manuscripts, books, paintings etc. which are part of Armenia’s rich history.
Inside the Matenadaran
An old picture of Mount Ararat.
Checking how far it was to the Armenian Genocide Memorial, it was 7kms. We decided we were too hot and tired to visit this afternoon and we will drive there in the morning. By the time we had walked back to our hotel it was about 5pm. We needed a drink and a rest, before we walked to the fruit and veg. market, where we bought two large bags full, to keep us going for a few days, we hope.
Some other sights around Yerevan
Modern church
En route to the Cascade we walked through 2 parks
We also walked across Republic Square with it’s grand buildings
Some brightly decorated buildings.
Tomorrow, after we have been to the Genocide Memorial, we will head north to the border with Georgia, as we cannot cross into Turkey.
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