Armenian History
Explore important periods, kingdoms, people, battles and events, from the fortresses of Urartu to the First Republic.
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Clear and accessible articles about Armenian historical events, famous writers, important literary works, and cultural heritage.
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Armenian Writers
Learn about the lives and works of Armenia's most influential writers, and how their books shaped the language we read today.
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Literary Works
Read summaries, historical context, characters and key ideas from the works that Armenian students meet in every classroom.
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Armenian Cuisine
Discover Armenian dishes through history, family life, celebrations and diaspora tradition, from lavash and dolma to harissa and ghapama.
View CuisinePlaces
Monasteries, fortresses, museums and landscapes in Armenia, explained through their history, not as stops on an itinerary. The collection begins with Khor Virap below Mount Ararat.
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History
Tigran the Great
The Artaxiad king who expanded Armenia into the strongest state of the Near East, founded Tigranocerta, and met the Roman legions of Lucullus and Pompey.
10 min read
History
Mesrop Mashtots and the Armenian Alphabet
Around 405 the scholar and monk Mesrop Mashtots created an alphabet that gave Armenian its own written voice and reshaped the nation's culture.
9 min read
History
The Battle of Avarayr (451)
In 451 Armenian forces under Vardan Mamikonian faced what the sources describe as a far larger Persian army to defend their faith, losing the battle but winning religious freedom.
8 min read
Writers
Hovhannes Tumanyan
The village-born poet whose ballads, fairy tales and quiet moral authority earned him the title Poet of All Armenians.
8 min read
Writers
Yeghishe Charents
A restless modernist poet whose bold experiments and fierce love of Armenia made him the defining literary voice of his generation.
7 min read
Works
Anush
Hovhannes Tumanyan's mountain love poem follows two young villagers destroyed by pride, custom and the harsh code of honour.
8 min read
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Popular Writers
Hovhannes Tumanyan
1869–1923
Often called the poet of all Armenians, Tumanyan turned village life, folk tales and legends into poetry that is still read in every Armenian classroom.
Read the biographyYeghishe Charents
1897–1937
The defining voice of twentieth-century Armenian poetry, who combined modernist experiment with an intense attachment to his homeland.
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Raffi
1835–1888
The founder of the Armenian historical novel, whose books shaped how a whole generation understood its own past and future.
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Avetik Isahakyan
1875–1957
A lyric poet of exile and longing whose songs entered Armenian popular memory, admired abroad by writers including Alexander Blok.
Read the biographyFrom the Armenian Kitchen
Armenian CuisineBread
Lavash
The thin flatbread baked on the wall of a clay tonir. UNESCO listed it in 2014 for how Armenians make, share and use it, and listed it again in 2016 for five other countries.
7 min readRead the article
Armenian CuisineMain dishes
Dolma
Vine leaves and hollowed vegetables filled with rice, herbs and often meat. The dish is made across the whole region, which is exactly why this section does not name a single owner for it.
7 min readRead the article
Armenian CuisineMeat dishes
Khorovats
Meat grilled over open embers, and the gathering built around it: who lights the fire, who tends it, and how it differs from the communal meal of a madagh.
6 min readRead the article
Armenian CuisineCeremonial dishes
Harissa
Wheat and meat stirred together for hours until they become one. The dish appears in a tenth-century Baghdadi cookbook, and Armenians cook it every September to commemorate the Musa Dagh resistance.
7 min readRead the article
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Explore Armenian history and literature through clear articles created for Armenian families, students, and teachers around the world.