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Armenia is a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located in Western Asia on the Armenian Highlands, it is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the de facto independent Republic of Artsakh and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and Azerbaijan's exclave of Nakhchivan to the south.
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The ancient Armenian kingdom was split between the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires around the early 5th century. Under the Bagratuni dynasty, the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia was restored in the 9th century. Nowadays Armenia has its own church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the world's oldest national church, his own language and his own unique Armenian alphabet, invented by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD.
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Its an unknown country, but it is safe to travel and safe to stay. On you way you will see traces of the long Christian history all along the way. Picturesque monasteries like those in Tatev and Noravank are enthroned on mountain peaks, simple buildings without pomp and ornaments, but older than anything else in churches in Europe. In between lie the rock caves of Goris, where the whole city used to live. At Noratus, an endless cemetery full of "Khachkars" called crossstones, detailed gravestones adorned with images, which give orange lichen a supernatural beauty. And sometimes you see leftovers of the communist era.
From the heart of the christian Armenia at Etchmiadzin you cannot only see the Armenia's Mother Church, dated 303 AD and the oldest cathedral in the world. On the horizon is the the mountain Ararat, holy for armenians, but behind the turkish border, a real Iron Curtain, clearly visible from Khor Virap Monastery too, where Gregor, the founder of the armenian faith, was once held captive in a hole in the ground because he did not want to renounce Christianity.
Here are all woman and men prisoners now, prisoners of world politics. But its a nice country with friendly people.
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This first picture is really amazing with all those shades of grey! :)
I'd like to visit Armenia one day, too with all its interesting historical sights.
Sehr schöne Bilder und auch ein interessanter Bericht.
Danke
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