In Armenia
Chess is a compulsory subject in schools
All students have to take chess as a compulsory subject in school and there are even exams for it
Armenia was the first country to have adopted Christianity as its state religion
97% of the population today are Christians and Armenia has one of the most beautiful churches in the world. The country was converted to Christianity back in 301AD by St Gregory Illuminator and since then, many churches have been built under his name.
Armenia is one of the only mono ethnic countries in the world
97% of the people living in Armenia are Armenians and the remaining small percentage is made up of different ethnic minorities such as the Yazidis, Russians, Ukrainians, Kurds, and more.
The first church in the world was built in Armenia
Holy Etchimiadzin was the first state church built in the world back in the early 4th century. This place is also the headquarter of all the Armenian churches in the world and one of the most visited pilgrimage sites.
Armenia is one of the oldest wine producing country in the world
Armenia is one of the oldest country that has produced wine in the world. It’s attributed to its blessed location of being on the fertile valleys of Mt Ararat where high quality grapes could be grown
The only country that bakes their lavash underground in a tonir
A tonir basically refers to an underground earth oven. Armenians love to eat lavash which is this thin layer of flat chewy bread that’s made from flour, salt and water and baked in a tonir. Lavash can be kept for 1 year without turning bad. So usually the local women will bake the lavash in bulk and then store them to eat slowly for the next few months.
Mt Ararat is sacred also it is the national symbol of Armenia
They believe that the peak of Mt Ararat was where Noah’s ark was found but sadly Mt Ararat is within the territory of Turkey.
The apricot is one of the symbols of Armenia
The orange color on the Armenian flag symbolizes the apricot which is very significant for Armenians, you’ll find dried apricots, fresh apricots, apricot flavored wine, apricot juice etc
Yerevan, the capital, is also known as the “pink city”
Yerevan also called the “pink city” because her buildings were all made of naturally colored volcanic rocks of varying shades of pink.
Armenia has a ‘stork village’
On the way to the Noravank Church there is a village with a row of long wooden poles lined up neatly along the road and there are huge stork’s nests on the top of each pole! It was so amazing ! These storks migrate to Africa every year before the winter arrives and return when it’s spring!
No entrance fee to churches and monasteries
There is a small fee for the entrance of the Garni temple and a few other touristic sites.