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Photo: Ashot Arzumanyan, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Tumanyan, one of the most prominent Armenian writers, not only gifted the world with his famous poems and fairy tales, but also helped the Armenian nation during the genocide. You can see his personal items, manuscripts, as well as a peculiar rice-sized miniature sculpture of him. His heart is buried in the garden.
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Beautiful semi-ruined monastery with intricate carvings on the side of the canyon, overgrown with vegetation.
Tsover Lich
Have a picnic at Tsover Lake. A picturesque spot with fields, forest, and of course the lake.
Quirky little museum with thousands and thousands of matchbox labels from all over the world. The labels come from different decades, with designs and themes that give an interesting perspective into their time and places.
A 40-minute walk from the center of Tumanyan to this monastery on the cliffs, with its stunning frescoes and carvings. The partially collapsed church once had magnificently exposed frescoes - which are now being covered again as the complex is restored. The setting is really nice, as are the views. Well worth the 15-min walk up the slippery wet lush, green slopes of the canyon above the tiny hamlet of Kober.
St Hovhannes Monastery
Monastery built in 8-17th centuries consists of two small churches and a belfry surrounded by low-height walls. There is also a tetrahedral monument, khachkars (cross stones) and ruins of dwellings.
The monastery is built in part at the top of the cliff, in part halfway down. At the top, there is a three-chambered chapel. Below, the walls of the canyon form one of the four walls of the structures. There are caves within the monastic complex, khachkars and carvings. St Mark's Church was built by the Princes Zakare and Ivane Zakarian in 1187. The other buildings were built by Abbot Samuel in 1206.