4 March 2025 - Yerevan to Gyumri, Armenia

The previous night I had requested Sylvia, who was minding the hotel reception, for two favours to facilitate an early start to Gyumri. One, for breakfast at 7 am instead of the normal 9 am and two, see to it that my exit from the hotel car park is not blocked by another vehicle. She had told me that she would do her best.

One of the highlights of the Hotel Tigran Mets in Yerevan is the almost countless number of miniature liquor bottles. There were racks and racks of them in the hotel. I had thought them to be a used liquor bottle collection refilled with coloured water.

I asked Sylvia about them, and she stunned me with her reply. All of them are original, unopened bottles and they belong to the collection of Samson Kachatryan, the famous Armenian boxer, now aged 65. They were gifts from his fans and most of them are autographed. A very unique collection, indeed. Sylvia told me that the collection is an overflow from what he has at home!

The first thing I did after getting ready was to check out the car park; mercifully, my exit was clear. The pleasant, ever-smiling cleaning lady was already up and about doing her chores. I asked if she could tell her colleague to permit me into the dining area, which she did. I was not prepared for the full buffet spread so early. I had the entire range to choose from.

However, so early in the morning I could not feast, but ensured that I tanked up enough for it to last the entire morning. A bull's eye with pancakes, roast potato and sausage were sent on their passage down the gullet with a strong cup of coffee. I thanked the cooperative staff, loaded the luggage in the car and eased out of the hotel car park. As it wasn't yet 8 am, commuter traffic was yet to pick up steam and that helped me smoothly transit out of the city limits.

Once out into the rural area light snow wafted in the air and sidewalks seemed to have received a thin crust of fresh snow. As the road wore on, heavy overnight snow was evident. On a substantial stretch of M1, the highway to Gyumri, one half of the road was closed and the other side was made a double carriageway. However, after a steady 120 km drive, I entered the second largest city in Armenia.

The parked vehicles were covered in snow and not many people were about. I reached the accommodation I had booked in Gyumri. It was not exactly a hotel, nor was it a homestay. It could be characterized as a guesthouse. I spoke to the owner of Major's Home, the guesthouse, and she gave me directions for self-check in and retrieval of the room key. The comfortable room with a kitchenette was neat and clean too.

Prior to leaving India I had booked a city walk tour with 'Guru Walk'. I was scheduled to meet Aram, the tour guide, at the principal square of the city, the Vardanants Square. While strolling to the square I was quite taken in by the old-world charm of some of the fascinating old buildings. However, they looked quite ill kept. Later Aram put meaning into them.

They belonged to wealthy citizens of the city before the Stalinist era. They were taken over and used by the state as interrogation centers, office for the secret police, jails. After independence in 1991 some of the buildings were bought by wealthy individuals and, inexplicably, left to ruins. A few such classical buildings were turned into museums by the municipality, such as the Hovhannes Shiraz (poet) House Museum and the Mher Mkrtchyan (actor) Museum.

The tour with Aram started in the Vardanants Square, which symbolizes the rich history of the city. It is from where four arterial streets of the city radiate from. Gyumri was known by various names in the past. Kumeyri was its traditional name till it was rechristened Alexandropol in honour of the wife of Czar Nicholas I in 1837, when the royal couple visited the city. Between 1924 and 1990 it was called Leninakan in honour of Vladimir Lenin. After independence, the name Gyumri was adopted.

Central to the Vardanants Square is the statue of the Armenian national hero, Vardan Mamikonian, who fought valiantly against the Persians to defend Christian Armenia. Even though the Persians won the battle of Avrayr in 452 AD Armenians were permitted to practice their faith. Later, Vardan was canonized by the church and the Seven Wounds Church has a chapel for St. Vardan. In the historic square, Pope Francis delivered a Holy Mass in 2016.

The square is surrounded by many significant buildings of three centuries. The Gyumri City Hall, built in 1933, occupies the eastern side of the square. The 19th-century Church of the Holy Saviour, the biggest church in Gyumri, is to the south of the square. The 19th-century Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God, popularly known as the Seven Wounds Church, is to the north and the "October" cinema hall of 1926, on the northern side. Besides, modern glass fronted 21st century building is also seen from the square.

In the quadrangle in front of the Seven Wounds Church is a bullet ridden bronze crucifix from the Turkish border. The Armenian Apostolic Church is unique in that while all churches were closed down and converted as warehouses during the Stalinist era, the Seven Wounds Church was permitted to function as a church. Therefore, all denominations worshipped here at the time, be they Russian or Greek Orthodox or Catholic. The church has retained a mixture of orthodox and catholic reliefs in memory of the persecution. The domes of the church were destroyed during the 1988 earthquake. The fallen domes are preserved in the church courtyard in remembrance of the sad event.

Separated by a road stands the building dubbed as the "Boat house" by the locals considering the shape of the building. It was designed by the first prime minister of the Armenian republic, who was a creative architect by profession. While the building initially served as a government office it is now with the Shirak diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. There are many buildings in the city where iconic Armenian films were shot. Aram showed me clips from those movies; a couple very poignant.

Parked in a street was the classic heads turner of the Soviet times, the Volga Cadillac. Aram told me how people of his father's generation envied those who owned one; it was a symbol of "those who had arrived in life". He pointed to a public water fountain, locally known as "pulpulak", and said that the city is studded by them. The mountain water is pristine and sweet to taste.

A mashurba is the symbol of Gyumri and its statue put up in 2013, stands out. The distinctive cup made of either copper or silver has two chambers. The mashurba helps keep the temperature of the beverage inside it stable. When the beverage is drunk, the peculiar cup makes a gurgling noise, made by the trapped air escaping the cup. It was a traditional custom for a host to present the mashurba to a guest.

Antonio Montalto, an Italian, came to Gyumri as part of humanitarian relief team after the 1988 Spitak earthquake. He so fell in love with the city that he stayed on and made Gyumri his home. He founded the Armenian ceramics school to reignite the art of pottery and ceramics among the local population. The school now is where craftsmen gather from many European countries to hone their pottery skills.

Antonio bought a few decrepit buildings of wealthy Armenians and refurbished them. One such is the Villa Kars, Gyumri’s first boutique hotel. The facade of this former treasure was resurrected, and the inside is an appealing blend of old and new world. The hotel offers 15 boutique rooms. The basement is a virtual museum of ceramic art, plates, cups, tiles, vases, replicas of celebrities, etc.

I walked into a couple of other ceramic stores and studios, where budding artisans learn and hone the skill of pottery making. Many of the pieces almost speak to you. One of them, the Varem Marem Art Studio, makes English alphabet letters that tourists and visitors buy to make a crossword collage of their names on the outer wall of the studio. It is fascinating to know how someone came to ever think of such a creative use of pottery.

The wall is called "Forever In Gyumri" and the emotion behind leaving the name on the wall is that you continue to be in Gyumri. There is also a story as to why the studio is named Varem Marem; it means 'switch on, switch off". The name comes from the legendary film "Tango of our Childhood", which was partially filmed in the building opposite the art studio. The scene of confrontation between a divorced couple gave rise to the unique exchange "Varem Marem". The film was watched by almost every Armenian.

The development of Gyumri, widely regarded as the culture capital of Armenia, was spiked by the ghastly earthquake of 1988 when buildings were flattened, thousands lost their lives and livelihood, and homes were destroyed. While the then President of USSR, of which Armenia was one of the 15 republics, Gorbachev, personally visited the city and pledged help, it never came as the USSR itself collapsed and balkanized.

Besides, costly wars with Azerbaijan, over the disputed Karabak region, drained Armenia of its resources to build the city. More than 1400 families still live in temporary shelters. Many collapsed buildings have been left as it is to generate tourist value.

The central park of Gyumri is named Gorky Park, mistakenly thought to be after the Russian writer Maxim Gorky, said Aram. This green and spacious area is adorned with parks and play facilities for children. The park has many statues and monuments. Within it is also The People's House built in 1860 to serve as a platform to enhance the cultural and educational experience for the city residents. The Anish opera was performed here in 1912.

Since 2020, the now modern building houses the TUMO Gyumri. The TUMO Center for Creative Technologies is a free-of-charge educational program that puts teens in charge of their own learning. There are branches of this path breaking educational experience in other cities of Armenia such as Yerevan and Dilijan as well as in many foreign countries.

The Araks Hotel stands at the site of the erstwhile Europe hotel, where Europeans used to stay during their visit to the city. It was destroyed by the 1988 earthquake when 16,000 people died in the city. Local residents still fear the worst and are scared of high rise buildings.

The Lentex brand of textiles is a combination of Leninakan, the erstwhile name of the city, and textile. This industry is one of the mainstays of the local economy. The Abovyan street has a statue of Kirk Kerkorian, the wealthy Armenian-American and erstwhile part-owner of MGM, who is considered to be a national hero of Armenia for his support to rebuilding of Gyumri after the devastating earthquake.

Gyumri is considered to be the "laughter and humor capital" of Armenia. The jokes and anecdotes of local humorists like Jgher Khachik and Poloz Mukuch are widely known by the local citizens. The humourists gave funny names to buildings like Good Morning building. There is also a list of names of people in the city with funny names preceding their original name; truly unique.

Aram took me to a barber shop, a throwback salon, from the Russian era. It seemed to be a favourite with the locals. Each chair is assigned to a specially trained barber. Photographs of hair styles in vogue during the bygone era adorned some of the walls of the salon. It felt as if time had stood still in that space since the 1960s. 

The Holy Saviour Church has had a turbulent history. It was built in the 19th century when the construction lasted more than 40 years. During the Soviet era it was converted to a warehouse and years later it served as a concert hall where classical music was played. This continued until the earthquake of 1988, when the church was so badly damaged that it was considered not possible and appropriate to restore it. It is gratifying that that was proved wrong.

In the place of the ruins arose a magnificent structure, which took 20 years of painstaking work. In front of the restored church are poignant reminders invoking the misery caused by the devastating earthquake. The fallen domes of the church and the touching monument titled “To the Innocent Victims, to the Merciful Hearts.”

A walk through Old Gyumri is a walk through an outdoor museum of 19th century life, when the city was the undisputed capital of Armenian culture in the region. The rich history of the city that was home to tradesmen, merchants and wealthy entrepreneurs come alive through the buildings. A walking tour is the best way to get to know a city and Aram so capably explained each and every aspect. He is himself a teacher, a musician and a tech geek.

Taking tourists for the city walk is a hobby, that fetched him a handy side income. While the walk is supposed to be free, the guide is expected to be tipped the equivalent of about USD 10 per person. From Aram I also learnt that a family of four needs USD 250 to live decently in Gyumri. He mentioned that one will not see blatant poverty and homeless people in Armenia. The love for his country came through quite explicitly in the discussions we had during the walking tour.

Aram recommended a restaurant that fronted the Vardanants Square for traditional Armenian cuisine. I was famished by the time the tour wound up by quarter past two in the afternoon. Lunch consisted of soup, beef and Russian cherry compote.

After resting a while in the room, I went on an evening stroll to the Mother of Armenia statue in Gyumri. It is a female personification of the country. It resembles the one in Yerevan. To its side, atop a hillock, could be seen The Black Fortress which is one of the most historical buildings of the city. The history of the fortress dates back to the reign of Emperor Nicholas I in 1834, when it was thought necessary to protect and defend the important city that belonged to the Russian Empire from Turkish forces. 

I was surprised by the low density of population in Gyumri. I was, of course, comparing it to towns in India. In the 2022 census in Armenia, 112,000 residents were enumerated in Gyumri, of which 55% were women. The entire population of Gyumri can be accommodated in the Narendra Modi stadium in Gujarat, India!