Armenian Culture

Day 2,582, 09:58 • Published in Armenia Armenia • by Arevik Garabed
From ancient times, Armenians have cherished their artistic traditions, which reflect a unique culture and landscape. Aspects of everyday life are expressed in the most artistic fashion, in needlework, embellishments, carvings and design.
Architecture.

Architecture is one of the most interesting art forms in Armenia, and it is developed over the last 4500 years in the territory of Armenian Highland. The greatest achievement of Armenian architecture is generally agreed to be its medieval churches, which influenced Western church architecture. Sculpting is everywhere – in nearly every city, town, and village in Armenia.



Music

Armenians love music, and they have been creating exquisite compositions for centuries. Armenian music along with indigenous African music may be one of the oldest continuously used musical systems in the world. The music of Armenia has been constantly evolving throughout its history, incorporating new dimensions while retaining the core of its own specific sound. Sharakans are traditional Armenian liturgical songs, which are experiencing a revival today. Distinctive musical instruments are used to play Armenian folk songs. Sayat Nova, Komitas, and Aram Khachaturian are among Armenia’s best-known musicians and composers. Contemporary music comes in the forms of jazz and pop.



Literature

Literature has always played a vital role in Armenia’s cultural and national identity. Before the Armenian alphabet was developed in the 5th century, Armenian tales were passed down by oral tradition and written in foreign languages. Armenian manuscripts, beautifully illuminated with miniatures, combine Armenia’s literary and illustrative traditions. Christian culture and the invention of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots, so thoroughly expressive of the language that it has withstood the centuries without any essential changes, gave new stimuli to the development of unique cultural traditions. There is no better place to view this literary and artistic history than Yerevan’s unique Matenadaran (Institute of Ancient Manuscripts), which houses an extraordinary collection of 14,000 complete manuscripts, fragments and miniatures. The oldest parchments date back to the fifth and sixth centuries. The majority of manuscripts are research works of ancient scholars on theology, astronomy, astrology, alchemy, geography, history, medicine, poetry and music.



Painting

Art in Armenia can be said to have begun over 12,000 years ago, when the first pictogram were carved on boulders at the top of the Geghama and Vardenis mountain ranges by ancestral Armenians. Early Christian art begins with the decoration of 4th century churches, often built over Pagan temples. Early frescoes, carved motifs and decorations adorned church walls, many surviving to this day. While magnificent palaces and castles, impregnable fortresses, churches and monasteries, entire cities like Artashat, ‘the Cartage of the East’—succumbed to invasions and earthquakes, one of the greatest miracles of preservation thrives on parchment and paper, in Armenian miniatures. Armenian painting blossomed in the 19th century. Artists from that period, such as the portrait painter Hakob Hovnatanian and the seascape artist Ivan Aivazovsky, continue to enjoy international reputation. In the 20th century, Martiros Saryan captured nature’s essence in a new light, and Arshile Gorky greatly influenced a generation of young American artists in New York, while Carzou and Jansem found fame and fortune painting in France. A visit to Saryan Park will bring you in touch with today’s Armenian artists.



Dance

Traditional Armenian dance is an age-old art form. At first it appears that Armenian dance is like Greek, but that is deception. The intricate hand gestures used by dancers (especially female dancers) carry a specific lexicon of meaning, telling stories of love, betrayal, conflict and triumph. Male dances are quite athletic, and the more gifted and daring dancers (and the young guys trotting their athletic prowess), try to dazzle spectators with fancy footwork and deep lunges during the dance.



Carpet Weaving

The Caucasus region and Armenia in particular have been cited by scholars as the place where rug and carpet weaving originated. Armenians continue this tradition, and one can find many shops specializing in fine new and old rugs and carpets. Carpet making is not only a fine art, but Kilim weaving, for example, is applied to clothing items, bags, and home furnishings.



Cuisine

It is said that Armenians express their love in their kitchens, and anyone who has dined in Armenia will agree. Armenian food is more than sustenance; it is an art form, a menagerie of scents and tastes borrowed from East and West, blending fresh vegetables and fruits, meats, fish and dairy with mountain herbs to create a unique cuisine. Closest perhaps to Mediterranean dishes Armenian food is one of the healthiest you’ll eat.



Armenia is often referred to as an open air museum. Tourists find over 4,000 historical monuments throughout Armenia, covering various periods of the country’s history from prehistoric to Hellenistic times, and from the early to medieval Christian era. The Armenians created their masterpieces during rare periods of peace and relative prosperity over the centuries. Within Yerevan alone there are more than 40 fine arts museums and galleries.