When I first came to Armenia, one of my new colleagues told me she was from a town called Ashtarak, right outside of Yerevan. She invited me to visit her family’s home. An opportunity to meet with a local family? Wonderful! I am in!
We finally made it to Ashtarak yesterday. It was probably one of the coldest days of the winter so far. The sign said -9C. I know the Canadians will see that temperature and laugh, but that’s pretty cold for this ex-Montrealer! Anyway, I took the #88 marshrutka to my friend’s side of town. From there, we took a taxi to the neighboring town of Ashtarak.
I can’t describe Ashtarak as either a city or a village. It’s really a quaint and quiet town that is home to about 20,000 people. It is the administrative center of Aragatsotn Marz (Aragatsotn Province) and is located at about 15-20 km from Yerevan, right off the highway to everywhere. It seems the road passing through the town takes you to Lori Marz (Lori Province in northern Armenia), through Tiblisi, and even all the way up to Moscow.
Ashtarak is built around a magnificent gorge. Part of the town’s history can be told through its churches. Once upon a time, there were three sisters who were all in love with the same man – Prince Sargis. When they found out they had feelings for the same man, the two oldest sisters committed suicide by jumping into the gorge in order to give their youngest sibling a chance at love. But when the younger sister found out why her older sisters had taken their lives, she killed herself as well. Each sister wore a different colored dress: red, white and apricot. Three churches were built in honor of the sisters, each one named after the different color of dress: Garmeravor (reddish), Spitakavor (whitish) and Tziranavor (apricot-colored). Today, only the Garmeravor church survives. The white and apricot are either in ruins or disrepair.
As for Prince Sargis, he became a hermit after hearing about the suicides. There is now a church named Sourp Sargis (Saint Sargis). Sourp Sargis is said to be the one lovers pray to. As such, many couples wishing to get married, but whose families oppose the union, often come and pray at Sourp Sargis Church.
When we arrived, I saw a couple of boys walking up the side of the road with their sleds. It was truly a picturesque street. We pulled up in front of my friend’s childhood home, a large stone building, where her mother and aunt still reside. We went through a gate and walked into the ground floor. It reminded me a lot of the home I had visited in a village near Armavir on my last trip. We climbed up the stairs into the living room. I couldn’t help but notice how cold it was. In fact, steam was coming out of my mouth when I spoke. There was no heat.
I met my friend’s mom, and we exchanged wishes for the New Year. She then took us into another room, which had a gas fireplace and was much warmer. Nevertheless, they kindly gave me a wool vest to help keep me warm. It was nice.
The table was set, and it was time to eat (of course). They told me they were preparing keufte (ground beef). The smell was so good. I was getting hungry! When she brought out the keufte, I was intrigued. It was steaming, and it looked like it had been boiled. Sure enough, that’s how it had been cooked.
I followed their lead and spread butter on the meat and sprinkled a little black pepper. It was delicious and very unique! It seems there are different varieties of boiled keufte across the various provinces. The beef for this one is mixed with egg and vodka, among other things. This was Asktarak-style keufte. They told me the meat was beaten, I suppose to improve the quality and tenderness.
She also brought out some turkey and blinchigs. Both were also delicious. But the keufte was something really different for me. As a bonus, the lavash (Armenian flat bread) was the best I have ever had. It was homemade. I had had homemade lavash before. But this one tasted outstanding. It was so soft and had such flavor!
My friend gave me tour of the home. It was an older home that needed repair. But walking through it, I could see its beauty. I could just visualize parties with children playing and adults eating, drinking and laughing. There was a magnificent veranda that reminded me a bit of Charleston homes since it seemed to run alongside the entire 2nd floor. Of course, it is probably more user-friendly when the weather is warmer.
On the main floor, there was a formal living room and dining room, the kitchen, the room where we were sitting, and 2 other bedrooms. One of the bedrooms had this wonderful small wood-burning stove. Later in the day, we lit a fire and sat around its intense heat. It was so hot and cozy.
I was told there was a top floor as well, but that it was empty. The downstairs appeared empty as well, except for the bathroom. It was very cold downstairs, and when I had to use the facilities, my friend told me to wait until she got some water. At first, I thought maybe it was to wash my hands. But I then realized it was to flush. I’ve had to do this before in Armenia!
To wash our hands, we warmed up some water and poured it over our hands in the sink. It reminded me of my aunt in Split, Croatia who didn’t have hot water in the kitchen, so she boiled water every day to do the dishes. In fact, I thought a lot about our family in Croatia while I was in Ashtarak. My friend’s dad had apparently built the house himself years earlier. I couldn’t help but remember my grandmother’s brother in Šolta, who also built his home with his bare hands. When I visited in 2004, the home in Croatia still had a dirt floor for a living room, because it wasn’t completed! Both homes certainly had a lot of character. I can’t imagine the stories they would tell if they could speak.
After lunch, my friend and I went to visit the churches (it’s what you do when you come to Armenia) and the old bridge. The first Church was Sourp Sargis. This was the lovers’ church. It was a tiny little church overlooking the magnificent gorge. The view was incredible, especially since the air was filled with a slight fog from the cold. From there, we could see the Garmeravor, Spitakavor and Tziranavor churches. We could also see the old bridge going across the river below.
Next, we drove down a narrow mountain road and over the old bridge itself since it is still in use. It’s a neat design because the arches are three different sizes. I am so used to seeing equal sized arches on this type of bridge. Next to the bridge is the water mill they used to crush wheat.
The view here was incredible. If you stand next to the bridge and look all the way up, you see Sourp Sargis church. The bridge is essentially built over the river at the bottom of the gorge. The river was rolling healthily and steadily and much of the grass on the sides had turned into icicles. The best part was that it was relatively garbage-free! I was so impressed. After seeing all that garbage in Aghveran on my last trip, I was so happy to find a spot of such natural beauty.
Our next stop was Garmeravor (reddish) Church, which I believe was built somewhere in the 5-7th centuries. This church was named for the sister who wore the red dress on the day of her death. The thing that makes this church so different is that it had a red barrel tile dome. I hadn’t seen any red barrel tiles in Armenia. So it had a little European flair. Like Sourp Sargis, this church was very small. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we couldn’t go inside.
Our next stop was Sourp Marianeh church. This was a much “younger” church than Garmeravor. Much of the building was in disrepair and closed off. I noticed that it was longer than most Armenian churches. It would have been interesting to see the entire thing.
As for Tziranavor and Spitakavor churches, we didn’t see those because they are apparently in ruins. Instead, we returned to my friend’s mother’s home for dessert.
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