Discover Yerevan

20/07/2025

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, has ancient roots tracing back to 782 BC, when it was originally founded as Erebuni by King Argishti I of Urartu. The city’s official "birth certificate" is a remarkable cuneiform inscription carved into a basalt stone slab, which records the king’s declaration of the fortress's founding. This ancient artifact is now preserved at the Erebuni Museum in Yerevan, offering a direct connection to the city's 2,800-year-old history.

According to the inscription, King Argishti built the fortress of Erebuni under the command of the god Khaldi, intending it to be a symbol of power for the Urartian kingdom (also known as Biaina) and a deterrent to enemy nations. The land where Erebuni rose was uninhabited before construction began. To populate the new stronghold, the king brought in 6,600 settlers from the regions of Khale and Tsupane, showcasing the strategic and political intent behind the foundation.

The Erebuni inscription is more than just a historical record it is a powerful statement of authority, religion, and imperial vision. It also makes Yerevan one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, predating Rome by nearly three decades. Today, the site of the Erebuni Fortress and its museum serve as enduring reminders of Armenia’s deep and resilient heritage.

20/07/2025

15/06/2025

Beauty of Armenia ❤

10/06/2025

Rita of Armenia

Rita of Armenia (Armenian: Ռիտա Հայաստանի; Greek: Μαρία; 10/11 January 1278 – July 1333) was an Armenian Princess. She was a Byzantine Empress consort by marriage to Michael IX Palaiologos.

She was the daughter of King Levon II of Armenia and Queen Keran. She was the wife of Byzantine co-emperor Michael IX Palaiologos, making her a junior empress-consort of the Byzantine Empire. In 1317, she became the only empress upon the death of the senior empress, Irene of Montferrat. She was known as Maria in Constantinople.

A chronicle attributed to Hetoum II of Armenia is included in the collection known as Recueil des Historiens des Croisades. According to a passage recording her birth, Rita was the twin sister of Princess Theophane of Armenia.

The history of George Pachymeres records that Andronikos II Palaiologos began negotiations with Levon while seeking a potential wife for his son and junior co-ruler Michael IX Palaiologos. Levon offered him Rita, and the marriage took place on 16 January 1294. The bride was sixteen years old and the groom seventeen.

Rita assumed the name Maria upon her marriage.

Empress

Rita was the junior Empress consort from 1294 to 1317. The senior was Irene of Montferrat, second wife of Andronikos II and stepmother to Michael IX. Since 1303, Andronikos II and Irene held separate courts. The senior emperor resided in Constantinople and the senior Augusta in Thessaloniki. Rita became the only Empress when Irene died in 1317.

She remained so for three years. In 1320, however, the death of her second son resulted in tragedy. Prince Andronikos maintained a mistress but suspected her of infidelity. He assigned retainers of his to wait by her house and attack whoever tried to enter. The one who approached was Manuel during night time and the retainers failed to recognize him. The second prince died by order of his older brother.

The affair seriously affected the health of Michael IX who died on 12 October 1320. Both deaths strained the relationship between Andronikos II and Andronikos III. Grandfather and grandson started a civil war that would last until the victory of the younger man in 1328. Meanwhile, the widowed Rita retired to a monastery, where she assumed the name "Xene". She would die there five years following the end of the war.

07/06/2025

Ruins of Ani, ancient Armenian city in modern day's Turkey.

Church of the Holy Apostles (1031–1215).

06/06/2025

ՇՈՒՏՈՎ!!!
🇦🇲 🇬🇪 Հունիսի 21-ին #դիլիջան քաղաքում կմեկնարկի Հայ-վրացական մշակութային-խոհանոցային Mimino Armenian-Georgian Cultural Culinary festival փառատոնը:

Եկեք մասնակցելու երկու երկրների ավանդույթների ամենամյա տոնակատարությանը:

⛰Երկու դարավոր մշակույթներ միավորվելու են անմոռանալի միջոցառման շրջանակներում:

🎶 Ժողովրդական երաժշտություն, ավանդական պարեր, ազգային տարազներ:

👨🏻‍🍳Հայաստանի և Վրաստանի խոհարարական արվեստ:

🇦🇲🇬🇪Երկու ժողովուրդների ժառանգությունը և համատեղ պատմությունը ուրախ, ընտանեկան մթնոլորտում:

🎪Եթե Դուք գնահատում եք մշակութային ժառանգությունը, այս փառատոնը Ձեզ համար է:
Վայելեք փառատոնը ձեր ընտանիքի և ընկերների հետ:

📌Փառատոնին աջակցելու, ձեր արտադրանքը ներկայացնելու, վաճառքի տաղավար ունենալու համար լրացրեք կարճ հայտը: 👇🏼

https://armtf.am/armenian-georgian-cultural-culinary-festival-mimino/

03/06/2025

David Anhaght, also known as David the Invincible, was one of Armenia’s greatest thinkers—a philosopher who lived in the 5th century and left a lasting mark on Armenian intellectual tradition. He studied in Alexandria, one of the world's leading centers of learning at the time, and brought back with him a deep understanding of Greek philosophy. What made David truly “invincible” wasn’t strength or fame, but the sharpness of his mind and the clarity of his thought. He wrote commentaries on Aristotle and other classical philosophers, helping to shape the way Armenians thought about logic, ethics, and the nature of the soul. Even today, though only some of his works remain, his legacy lives on as a reminder of how powerful and timeless the pursuit of knowledge can be. David wasn’t just a scholar—he was a symbol of how wisdom can endure through the ages.

02/06/2025

Asatour Sarafian (Oscar H. Banker ) 🇦🇲was the developer of the first practical automatic transmission in cars and buses and inventor of the first versatile needleless inoculation gun along with 300 other patents.

“When I see something doesn’t work quite right, I try to see what I can do to make it work a little better.” (Oscar Banker “Dreams and Wars of an American Inventor”.)

“I have been called a genius in my time. There is no such thing! Genius is sweat, stubbornness, preoccupation with detail, refusal to quit! That is genius.”

01/06/2025

Tigran Yervanduni was the son and heir of Yervand I Sakavakyats. Tigran reigned in 560-535 BC.

He was a hunting companion to the founder of Achaemenid Persia Cyrus the Great. Tigran was the one to kill the king of Media Azhdahak. During his reign, the territory of Armenia also spread throughout the Armenian Highlands in a 400 thousand square kilometer area.

Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi mentions Tigran as the wisest, bravest, and the most powerful of the Armenian kings.
The Armenians had two famous kings named Tigran – one was the son of Yervand Sakavakyats, while the other was the grandson of Artashes I and reigned in 95-55 BC. The former is known as Tigran I the Great and the latter as Tigran II the Great.

According to a legend, Tigran Yervanduni was a brave archer, and no one was able to beat him in accuracy. His hunting companion Cyrus knew he was unable to defeat Tigran while he was sober. And so he decided to first intoxicate him and only then enter into competition with him.

On the plain at the foot of Mount Zarasp on the border between Armenia and Persia, many people gathered for the archery competition. Here were not only the Armenian and Persian warriors but also famous princes, noble women, and girls from the two countries.

An hour before the start of the competition, the herald claimed that this was the first competition in the world that even the gods themselves would admire.

Before entering the arena, the archers had to drink ten glasses of wine in front of everyone, and only after that would they be allowed to pick up a bow and arrow. And as you could guess, after taking nearly a dozen glasses of wine, it was hardly possible to see anything.

The audience was most interested in Cyrus and Tigran among all the contenders.

Commander Cyrus first entered the arena. Everyone saw him drinking ten glasses of wine and then staggering toward the shooting range. But unbeknownst to everyone, Cyrus took anti-intoxication herbs out of his pocket and began to consume them. The herbs had been given to Cyrus by Persian doctors.
Cyrus was not aware, however, that the Armenian doctors had given Tigran similar herbs and that the Armenian king came to the shooting range quite sober, having had time to consume the herbs in advance.

Finally, the competition began. Wooden plates soared into the sky. Out of every four plates, Cyrus hit two on average. Tigran hit all his shots.

After the competition, Cyrus and Tigran approached and clapped each other on the shoulder. Accepting his defeat and realizing that he was unable to outwit Tigran Yervanduni, Cyrus said:

“No, wine cannot defeat men like you and me. No matter how much we drink, we will not get drunk. And I will miss four out of two, but you will not.”

03/02/2024

Armenian Kings🇦🇲🗽

22/01/2024

Ամբողջ աշխարհի կողմէ գործածուող բժշկական MRI նկարահանող սարքի գիւտարարը հայ մըն է՝ Ռայմոնտ Տամատեան: Անոր այս գիւտը բժշկութեան ոլորտի համար կատարուած մեծագոյն բարիքներէն մէկն է:

Տամատեան Հայոց Ցեղասպանութենէն ազատուած գաղթական ընտանիքի մը զաւակն էր:

*****

The inventor of medical Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), used worldwide, is Armenian, Raymond Damadian. His invention is one of the greatest advancements in the field of medicine.

Damadian was the child of an immigrant family that escaped the Armenian Genocide.

20/01/2024

Artificial intelligence generated the ruined medieval Armenian city of Ani (Western Armenia).