Gyumri

Blacksmithing has been one of Armenia’s most important crafts for centuries. It has been especially important in Gyumri, where there were exactly 247 blacksmiths, according to a 19th-century inventory of guilds. One of those blacksmiths must have been an ancestor of Gagik Martirosyan, a sixth-generation blacksmith, who in 1986 was nominated as “the best blacksmith” of the Soviet Union and in 2015 was named Armenia’s “National Blacksmith.” Today Gagik owns the Yerankyuni (Triangle) restaurant, named for a famous Armenian film set in World War II, which tells the story of five blacksmiths from Gyumri (known then as Leninakan).

Professor Susanna Mkrtchyan founded the Gyumri Aesthetics Center in order to preserve traditional Armenian values. Located on one of the oldest streets around Gyumri’s historical central square, the Center initially occupied the kolkhoz shop that sold the fruits and vegetables of collective farmers. Further expansions and renovations followed—particularly after the devastating earthquake of 1988. Gyumri Aesthetics Center is a place that fosters creativity, artistic self-expression, and art therapy to thousands of children, ages three to eighteen. The arts and crafts taught there include painting, dancing, singing, embroidery, rug and carpet weaving, crocheting, lacemaking, national costumes, doll-making, and traditional Armenian cuisine.

Join Karine in her kitchen and learn her family recipe for making chanakh—a nutritious comfort food, usually cooked with beef, but also sometimes with lamb. While you wait for the main dish to cook, you’ll have an additional option to make sweet pokhind dessert from whole-wheat kernels roasted and then ground into flour. Once you’ve got the basics down, you’ll mix the pokhind flour with a base of honey or milk and then add the ingredients of your choice, such as nuts and dried fruits. Then, roll everything together into ping-pong-sized balls of sweet flavor. After your meal, take a short tour of the farm where you may see, feed, and take pictures of the animals, sheep, cows, chickens, and indigenous Armenian Van cats and Gampr dogs.

Visit the workshop and studio in Gyumri and learn from Hasmik about her experiences reviving the traditional national costumes with her own signature style.Because Armenia possesses such a rich writing culture, you’ll learn about “bird letters,” a calligraphic tradition that entwines images of birds with the elegant letters of Armenian script. On either chiffon or silk, Hasmik will show you how to paint a scarf with your own bird letters, creating a special souvenir to take home. While the painting dries, get in the spirit and dress up in traditional Armenian costumes for your very own photoshoot. In the late 19th century, family photography became a common ritual in Armenia to mark special occasions and to demonstrate close kinship between generations and in-laws.

Meet with the guide and take a tour of the gallery to learn about the art and lives of the Aslamazyan sisters. After the tour, a local artisan will tell you more about their artistic styles and techniques. The sisters used motifs from their home in Armenia, their extensive travels, and their own creativity to create expressive works of art on everyday ceramics. You may choose to paint a miniature ceramic plate or to learn a decoupage technique on ceramic ornaments. While painting or while trying decoupage, try some tea or coffee and sweets in the garden courtyard. The gallery’s inner courtyard and wooden balcony are typical of 19th-century urban architecture in Gyumri. You may take your art piece home with you. Other souvenirs made by local Armenian artisans may be purchased in the gallery shop

Vazgen will share with you some of the main techniques for making Armenian pottery, and the current efforts to revive those traditions. By touching, feeling, and smelling the clay up close—and at different phases of production, from raw to baked to glazed—you will fully understand and appreciate the traditional techniques and processes. You will hear about Vazgen’s careful research to discover the best raw materials to make the best clay and how he creates various colors with different glazes, including the use of milk. Vazgen will also demonstrate the different tools and equipment he uses (such as molds and kilns) to fashion a variety of plates, bowls, and ritual pots for everyday life.

Mamikon Varderesyan is a young artisan and experienced biker who has developed two biking routes that allow visitors the opportunity to learn more about the people and places of the distinctive Shirak region. Mamikon’s two bicycle routes begin and end in Gyumri’s Independence Square,The Gyumri-Marmashen Trail, 50 kilometers long, takes you to: Marmashen Monastery,No photo description available.The Gyumri-Lernut Loop Trail, 66 kilometers long, takes you to: Lernut village where 150 people live on Shirak’s mountain slopes; the historic Jajur railway station at the trail’s highest point (2000 meters); the Soviet bunker that connects several underground tunnels that served as bomb shelters; the natural egg-shaped monument, known as Tsak Kar, considered sacred since pagan times; and Hatsik village.