Armenia

Armenia is one of the ancient centres of world civilisation and has been inhabited since the early Stone Age.  Ancient Armenia was one of the largest states in the near east and was often pitted against Rome and Persia.  Architecture, theatre, art and literature were already at their peak before 301 AD when Armenia formally adopted Christianity, the first country in the world to do so.  In 2001 the country celebrated 1,700 years of Christianity. 
 
In 405 AD the legendary Armenian thinker Mesrop Mashtots created the Armenian alphabet (Armenian is one of the world’s oldest living languages) which is still in use today and thus began a golden age of cultural excellence which influenced the world. 
  
The country is located at the intersection of important trade routes and has always possessed rich natural resources and an advanced culture, which has made it the target for Roman, Persian, Arab, Mongolian and Turkish invaders.  In the 16th and 17th centuries, the country was divided between the Turks and the Persians and this signalled the start of the grimmest period in Armenian history, culminating in 1915, during the First World War, in a genocide organised by the Turkish government in western Armenia.  It is estimated that 1.5 million Armenians were massacred by the Turks. 
 
In 1922, along with neighbouring Georgia and Azerbaijan, Armenia became part of the USSR which afforded the country protection and stability until the break up of the Union in 1991, at which time Armenia gained independence. 
 
The Armenian economy is still primitive, but enormous strides are being made by a very capable and intelligent people.  It will not be long before the country once more dominates the area culturally and economically. 
 
Since prehistoric times, it is for architecture that Armenians have been famous and it is the remains of  countless temples, churches, cities and fortresses as well as its physical beauty that make this small country such a magnet for the visitor.