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July 24, 2006

A Day Spent in Yerevan

There was still a lot to see in Yerevan before the trip ended. First up was the Matenadoran, one of Armenia's most historic museums, filled with thousands of manuscripts, fragments of books, ancients records and documents in Georgian, Greek, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Hebrew and Latin.

And a visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum. Pre-World War I, the Armenians and Turks had lived together in relative harmony, but the War gave Turkish extremists dictatorial control. It was they who masterminded the plan to eradicate the Armenian race to fulfill their dreams of a new Pan-Turkic empire. '...able-bodied men were then "drafted" to help in the wartime effort. These men were either immediately killed or were worked to death. Now the villages and towns, with only women, children, and elderly left were systematically emptied.' The Armenians were led on death marches across Anatolia - raped, starved, murdered and kidnapped.

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July 23, 2006

Haghbat and Haghartsin Monasteries

We stopped to visit Haghbat, a World Heritage site, built in the 10-13th centuries. Haghbat is a complex of cathedrals and basilicas on a plateau. ... View image...

This was one of the prettier sites. Honestly, I was getting a little "churched" and "monasteried" out but each time I thought..."I've had it"...the next place we visited would be more picturesque or interesting.

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July 22, 2006

The Road to Yerevan

We left for the border crossing at the Georgian/Armenian frontier. Customs and a transfer to an Armenian bus (along with new Armenian guide) for the remainder of the trip.

Armenia is an unusual country. The only reason Armenia isn't as desperate as its neighbors is that millions of Armenians live in other countries and send money back to help their families and country. The average Armenian earns $30-50 a month, unemployment is 50-60% and pensionsers get, maybe, $10 a month to survive on. Kirk Kerkorian, a Nevada billionaire born to Armenian immigrants, is one of the most generous contributors. We were told that Kerkorian's contribution kept the entire economy afloat for ONE YEAR.

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Yerevan is surrounded by mountains, most important of which is biblical Mt. Ararat where Noah's Ark is said to have landed. Ironically, Mt. Ararat lies in Turkish territory. ...View image...

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