Yerevan or Erivan, the largest city in Armenia and its capital is one of the oldest-inhabited cities in the world. Situated on the banks of the Hrazdan River, Yerevan has been the capital of Armenia since 1918.  The history of the city dates back to the 8th century BC with the construction of the fortress in Erebuni. Ancient Armenian scholars suggest that the city’s name might have originated when Noah saw the city and landed on Mount Ararat. He is said to have exclaimed “Yerevats!” (which literally mean “it appeared!”) in Armenian.

Yerevan has a number of places of interest and The Armenian Genocide Memorial is one among them. Located on top of a hill,it stands as a memorial to the people who died during the Armenian genocide. It also is the home for a number of paintings by renowned Armenian-French artist Jean Jansem. The Cascade, that is located on the hillside offers some stunning views of the city and Mt.Ararat and also has a number of beautiful fountains. The Matenadaran houses ancient manuscripts and has the largest collection of manuscripts in the world. The ruins of the Erebuni fortress that are almost 3000 years old are also worth visiting.

(Image courtesy of  Rita Willaert )