Some of the interesting places in armenia

This lake is called Lake Sevan.There are also many former names of the lake include Gegharkunik, Gegham Sea, Lychnitis (Latin) and Gokcha (Turkish for Blue Lake). The entire lake is situated inside the Gegharkunik Province in eastern Armenia. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams.Along with Lake Van and Lake Urmia, Sevan was one of the three great lakes of the historical Armenian Kingdom, collectively referred to as the Seas of Armenia, and it is the only one within the boundaries of today's Republic of Armenia. Sevanavank is the historic area near the lake.
Before human intervention dramatically changed this ecosystem the lake was 95 meters deep, covered an area of 1,360 km (5% of Armenia's entire area), had a volume of 58 km and a perimeter of 260 km. The lake surface was at an altitude of 1,950 m above sea level.




This mountain is called the Mountain Ararat.Since ancient times, Ararat has been revered by the Armenians as their spiritual home and as the home of the gods of the Armenian pantheon. Today, it is the national symbol of Armenia, being featured in the center of the Coat of Arms of Armenia.The Mountains of Ararat is the place named in the Book of Genesis where Noah's ark came to rest after the great flood (Genesis 8:4). Ararat is a stratovolcano, formed of lava flows and pyroclastic ejecta, with no volcanic crater.It is above the height of 4,200 m (13,780 ft)and it is mostly consists of igneous rocks covered by an ice sheet.




This is called the monastery of Tatev which is established in 895 and is located in the Tatev village.Tatev Monastery is located in South-East of Armenia, in the area of ancient Armenian Syunik, not far from city of Goris and 280km away from Yerevan. It was founded in 9th century and became the political center of Syunik principality. According to Armenian historian Stepanos Orbelian, the founders of the monastery, were Prince Ashot, his wife Shushan, Grigor Supan, the ruler of Gekharkunik, and Prince Dzagik.In 14th-15th centuries Tatev became one of the most important centers of Armenian art and science.
Source: panossianhotel

About Armenian Music

Armenia is situated close to the Caucasus Mountains, and its music is a mix of indigenous folk music, perhaps best-represented by Djivan Gasparyan's well-known duduk music, as well as light pop, and extensive Christian music, due to Armenia's status as one of the oldest Christian nations in the world.

About the Christian music
Armenian chant was composed in one of eight modes which is the most common kind of religious music in Armenia. It is written in khaz which is a form of indigenous musical notation. The chants are ancient in origin, extending to pre-Christian times, while others are relatively modern, including several composed by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, who invented the Armenian alphabet. Some of the best performers of these chants or sharakans, are at the Holy Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, and include the late soprano Lusine Zakaryan.

About the melodic basis of Armenian music

Traditional Armenian folk music as well as Armenian church music is not based on the European tonal system but on a system of tetrachords(which is a series of four tones filling in the interval of a perfect fourth). The last note of one tetrachord also serves as the first note of the next tetrachord - making the scale on which a lot of Armenian folk music is more or less based a theoretically endless scale.

About the Folk music

While under Soviet domination, Armenian folk music was taught in a rigidly controlled manner at conservatoires. Instruments played in this way include kanun (dulcimer), davul (double-headed hand drum), oud (lute), shvi and zurna. The duduk is especially important instrument needed. Its famous stars are Margar Margarian, Levon Madoyan, Saro Danielian, Vatche Hovsepian, Gevorg Dabaghyan and Yeghish Manoukian, as well as Armenia's most famous duduk player, Djivan Gasparyan.

Classical music
In classical music, many Armenian singers have gained worldwide recognition like sopranos Haykanush Danielian, Gohar Gasparyan, Gohar Galachian, Tatevik Sazandarian, Anna Nshanian.Armenian classical composers includes Kemani Tatyos Ekserciyan which is one of the best-remembered composers of Ottoman classical music.

Popular music
In pop music, Suzan Yakar and Udi Hrant Kenkulian were famous cabaret singers in Turkey during the 1920s and 1930s. The most prominent female representatives of modern Armenian pop music include Bella Darbinyan, Raisa Mkrtchyan, and the more contemporary vocal performers such as Elvina Makaryan, Erna Yuzbashian, Nadezhda Sargsian, Zara Tonikyan, Suzan Margaryan, Tatevik Hovhannisyan. The Armenian male pop performers in the diaspora are Adiss Harmandian. Rouben Hakhverdian, Forsh, VANArmenya and Aram Avagyan are prominent lyricists and author-performers.
The first jazz-band of Yerevan was founded in 1936.
Today's Armenian traditional dances can be associated with performers such as Tata Simonyan. However, true Armenian traditional songs are being passed on by performers such as Rouben Matevosian, Ophelia Hambardzumyan, Varduhi Khachatrian, and Papin Poghosian.

Source:wikipedia(information),youtube(video)

This is the armenia flag

Flag used between 1918 and 1921 and readopted 24 August 1991, coat of arms used between 1918 and 1921 and readopted 24 August 1991.
Use: on land, as the civil, state and during war flag.

The national symbols in the Constitution of Armenia

The flag of the Republic of Armenia is tricolor made of three horizontal and equal stripes of red, blue, and orange.
The coat of arms of the Republic of Armenia depicts, in the center on a shield, Mount Ararat with Noah's ark and the coats of arms of the four kingdoms of historical Armenia. The shield is supported by a lion and an eagle while a sword, a branch, a sheaf, a chain and a ribbon are portrayed under the shield.
The national anthem of the Republic of Armenia is Our Fatherland.
The capital of the Republic of Armenia is Yerevan

Colours of the flag

According to the aforementioned law adopted in 1990, the colours of the flag are karmir, kappoyt, narndjagooyn (Eastern Armenian pronunciation), which translates exactly into "red, blue, orange".

The flag represents the people of Armenia. The red stands for the blood shed by all Armenian soldiers, present and past. The orange stands for the fertile land and the farmers who work on it. The blue stands for the sky.

Some other different interpretations of the colors of the Armenian flag are:
1) A rainbow over Mount Ararat.
2) Red is the blood shed and the whole is derived from the colours of the banners of the former Kingdom of Cilicia.
3) A simple description of the colours says: vermilion red, ultramarine blue and apricot orange.
4) A friend told me that he has heard: red: blood shed; blue: eternal land of Armenia; orange: courage.
5) Finally a source not to be neglected, the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Ottawa (although I find this one very awkward): red: the sun's energy; blue: the clear sky; orange: the wheat at harvest.