The vibrant city of Yerevan (Երևան) is the capital of Armenia. It’s the largest city in the country and its cultural heart.
My Posts on Yerevan
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Brief History of Yerevan
Yerevan is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It dates back to 782 BC, when King Argishti I of Urartu founded the Erebuni Fortress. The city became part of the Median Empire in 590 BC followed by the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BC. The Armenians then gained independence and founded the Kingdom of Armenia in 331 BC after Alexander the Great defeated the Achaemenids.
Erebuni declined in importance with the establishment of new capital cities over the next few centuries. It became part of the Sassanid Persian Empire in 387, and the Byzantines took the city in 587. The Umayyad Caliphate gained control in 658, and it was around this time that the name changed from Erebuni to Yerevan.
Bagratid Prince Ashot I led a revolution against the Muslims and liberated Yerevan in 850. The Byzantines returned to rule briefly in 1045 followed by the Seljuks in 1064 until Georgian rule in 1201. Armenia became a Mongol protectorate under the Ilkhanate in 1236. The Aq Qoyunlu took over in the late 14th century, the Kara Koyunlu in 1410, and the Safavid Persians in 1501.
Save for brief periods under Ottoman rule from 1582 to 1604, 1635 to 1636, and 1724 to 1736, Yerevan was under Persian rule for over 3 centuries until 1828. During this time, Shah Abbas I ordered the deportation of 80% of the city’s Armenians to mainland Persia. They were replaced by Persians, Turks, Kurds, and Tatars.
Yerevan Under Russian and Soviet Rule
The Russians conquered Yerevan in 1828 and sponsored a resettlement program in which the city’s Armenian population increased to over 53%. At that time, it was just a small town that steadily grew to 30,000 by the beginning of the 20th century.
After the dissolution of the Russian Empire in 1918, the short-lived Republic of Armenia was formed and Yerevan became the capital. However, it fell to the Bolsheviks and was incorporated into the Soviet Union on December 2, 1920. The Soviets converted Yerevan into a modern industrial metropolis, demolishing many historic buildings, including churches, mosques, baths, bazaars, and caravanserais, in the process.
Yerevan in Independent Armenia
The Soviet Union dissolved and Yerevan became the capital of an independent Armenia on September 21, 1991. Since then, it has seen a construction boom in which many high-rise buildings were built as part of a large-scale urban planning project. Unfortunately, more historic buildings have either been demolished while others were converted to modern residential buildings. Many new streets have also been created.
Today, Yerevan is a bustling modern city with broad leafy avenues, several public parks, and a vibrant cultural and arts scene. It’s home to several museums and art galleries, and many festivals are organized throughout the year.
Getting to Yerevan
The great majority of international visitors will fly into Zvartnots International Airport (EVN). It’s the gateway to Armenia and about 15 minutes from the city center.
Getting Around Yerevan
If you’re staying in the city center, most of the major attractions are accessible on foot. We never found the need to use the bus or metro.
To visit harder to reach places outside the city center, such as the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Erebuni Fortress, you’ll probably want to take a taxi. Taxi drivers in Yerevan aren’t always honest, so I highly recommend downloading one of two apps. GG Taxi and Yandex Go are widely used by both locals and tourists. You can request a ride on both iOS and Android devices. In our experience, it’s best to order a higher level of service. It’s a slightly higher price and you’re pretty much guaranteed to get a clean car in good condition. If you don’t want to bother with any apps, have your hotel request a ride for you.
Where to Stay in Yerevan
There are seemingly endless choices for accommodation in Yerevan, from hostels and private apartments to basic and luxury hotels.
Hotel Avenue 30
We stayed 5 nights at Hotel Avenue 30. It’s a mid-range hotel hidden in a courtyard in the heart of the city center. It’s run by a fantastic group of people who go out of their way to make you feel at home. A decent buffet breakfast is included in the rate.
Our rooms were spacious, spotless, and comfortable. The bathroom is big, air conditioning works nicely, and it’s extremely quiet all day.
The only negative is that taxis and other hired transportation have a hard time finding it. If the courtyard is closed, you have to walk out onto Mesrop Mashtots Avenue to get picked up.
Where to Eat in Yerevan
Yerevan has a good culinary scene and several restaurants serving a variety of cuisine. As expected, there are plenty of traditional Armenian restaurants as well as Georgian, Iranian, Indian, Russian, Italian, American, and many more. In the city center, you’ll find lots of places with outdoor seating, good service, and a wonderful atmosphere. Most of the places we ate at had a great vibe.
Tavern Yerevan
For traditional Armenian cuisine, Tavern Yerevan came highly recommended by many people we spoke to. It’s a block from Republic Square, and reservations are highly recommended.
I started with a bowl of harissa, which is considered a national dish of Armenia. It’s a porridge made of cracked wheat mixed with butter and chicken. I also had a side of arishta, which is thick buttered noodles. My main course was javakhk, which is a stew of beef, tomatoes, and onions. Everything was excellent and service was efficient, but prices are a little high on some dishes.
Dors Craft Beer & Kitchen
We walked by Dors Craft Beer & Kitchen just off Missak Manouchian Park and decided to give it a try. They have a nice outdoor patio, prices are reasonable, and service is friendly.
I started with the tomato soup, which was very good. My main course was the fish and chips while the rest of the group ordered a couple margarita pizzas to share. The fish and chips was a little greasy and heavy while the pizza was excellent. The craft beer I ordered was pretty good.
Andrew
Andrew is on a corner of Missak Manouchian Park. They serve a decent mix of Western and Armenian dishes in a pleasant setting. We had a very good overall experience when we stopped in for lunch. I had the crispy chicken burger and it was delicious.
BOHO by Status
Along Teryan Street, we had dinner outdoors at BOHO by Status. They offer several different international dishes, including pizza, pasta, salads, soups, sandwiches, ramen, fish, and meats, as well as Armenian cuisine with a modern twist. I had the beef with lavash and it was very good.
Tumanyan Khinkali
If you’re looking for good traditional Georgian cuisine, head to Tumanyan Khinkali on Tumanyan Street. The restaurant, which opened in 2004, has a huge variety of dishes from neighboring Georgia. There’s seating both outdoors and inside. Reservations are recommended.
Just about everything on the menu looks amazing, but we went for the khinkali. They come either boiled or fried, and are stuffed with your choice of cheese, mushrooms, chicken, or beef. Three to five per person is a good number to order. The khinkali are excellent but if you’ve never had them before expect them to be a little messy and squirty. For the record, we all preferred the fried version.
In addition to the khinkali, we shared a plate of dolma and three Georgian “lemonades”, which are actually sodas. The sodas come in three flavors – grape, pear, and tarragon.
Kamancha
We stopped into Kamancha for dinner on our last night in Yerevan. It was full so I recommend reservations. There was a live band playing, but we sat in another dining room to avoid paying a cover for the band.
I started with a borscht and had a beef kebab as my main course. The others in my group had cheese pideh. Everyone was very happy with their meals but the servers were a little off their game.
Eat & Fit (Permanently Closed)
For lunch one afternoon, we stopped into Eat & Fit, which sits along Diana Abgar Park. It’s a health food restaurant with a few vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. I had a pumpkin soup that was pretty good. The service wasn’t exactly the friendliest.
Il Solo Gelato
If you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, head to Il Solo Gelato. They have a nice variety of flavors and the gelato is great. We went there four times during our stay in the city.
Coffee Music
Finally, around the corner from our hotel is a branch of Coffee Music. It’s a small place where you can get a take-away coffee, iced tea, lemonade, or milkshake. You’ll find a few kiosks throughout the city. They also serve pastries.
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