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Photo: Vahag851, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The most visited site in the Gyumri vicinity, some of the buildings here stood the test of time, some have been painstakingly restored by an Italian-Soviet joint team, and some buildings only have left behind their foundations to remind us of their past presence. Alongside a river, many Armenians come here for barbecues (khorovats), especially on the weekends. The pink stones contrast nicely with the green of spring, and the brown grass of late summer and fall.
Marmashen Monastery is a 10th-century Armenian monastic complex consisting of five churches near the village of Marmashen in the Shirak Province of Armenia. The buildings at Marmashen are very similar in style to those of Khtzkonk Monastery.
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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.
The big, round, black fortress on the top of the hill overlooking Gyumri is a good spot to take in the view. It once protected the Russian Empire from the Ottoman Empire. Nearby is the huge "Mother Armenia" statue.
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.
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
This gallery houses over 620 original paintings, ceramics, and graphics by Mariam and Yeranuhi Aslamazyan—Armenia’s pioneering female artists. Being well-integrated into Soviet political establishment, the sisters were able to travel a lot, which is reflected in both artists’ colorful works, in a fusion of Armenian heritage with global influences.
If you're spending a few days in Gyumri, make your way over to this church, which is a bit different from the norm.