Garni Beyond the Temple
You may have noticed that whenever we have guests from abroad, we always take them to Garni. I don’t know why it always turns out this way. They take photos in every corner of the temple, and at the end they buy dry gata — even though the seller, swearing by the neighbor’s children and the only family pet rabbit, had promised that it was the freshest gata in the area… Anyway, our guests are happy, we are happy, and we feel that we have successfully completed our “mission.” Now we wait for next year, for the same guests, and maybe once again — Garni?
The direction is Garni. This time, we say no to the usual Garni trip… We forget about King Tiridates I, Emperor Nero, and all the information found on Wikipedia.
The minibus leaves from the beginning of a narrow street on the right side of the Mercedes car showroom. There is no fixed schedule. You pay 250 AMD, and when the bus is full, it leaves. This happens every 20 minutes.
The minibus was moving at a speed of about 5 km/h. I could have simply gotten off and walked alongside the road to reach Garni. I found the tourist information center — a responsible and welcoming team. They were genuinely surprised when they learned that I had decided to explore Garni without visiting the temple.
I am standing in front of the “Garni Ishkhanots” restaurant. A delicious fish menu, homemade compote, and pickles are waiting here. The compote is so good that they prepare 7,000–8,000 jars every year for their customers. They have a unique approach: you would never imagine that they might serve you another type of fish or a different compote. Do you know why? Because everything is prepared right in front of your eyes.
After asking many questions about the fish and exploring the place with curiosity, I was taken to the fish farm. I arrived at the exact moment when a brown trout had entered the small pool where the baby trout were kept. If we had not removed it, by morning there would have been no live fish left. I played with the fish, my mind switched off, and I started looking at life more positively. It was a complete therapy.
I reached 33/1 Mashtots Street, the home of Gevorg Piliposyan. His grandfather, a carpenter and sculptor with many years of experience, transformed wood into works of art. I learned that cleaner and more precise work can be created with hardwood, and that wood, just like a person, has its own character — you have to give it time to get to know you.
Grandfather Gevorg creates various items, from souvenirs to jewelry boxes. By the way, the entire family is connected with art, and when you visit them, you will definitely have a cultural day. Oh, and one more thing: you will be welcomed by little cheerful Masha. Don’t be fooled by her appearance — she is a real lion: brave, a hunter, and loyal.
The discovery of the day was “Noyan Aygi,” where I spent the entire day. A wonderful place where guests can participate in different workshops: vodka distillation, woodworking, pottery, carpet weaving, and dried fruit making — although in my case, it was mostly dried fruit tasting.
In the same place, you can see 13th–14th century wine jars (karas), which were discovered right in this area. Watching the workshops is free, while participation costs 1,000 AMD.
I decided that it was finally time to discover my hidden talent, which had remained well hidden until now 🙂 After trying all the workshops mentioned above, I realized that I was born for carpet weaving. If woodworking did not work out for me at all, this one immediately felt natural.
By the way, the craftsmen were extremely kind and had exceptional patience.
Before returning to Yerevan, I walked around Garni and asked local residents where one should go. They all unanimously gave the same answer: Garni Temple and the Symphony of Stones.
At the end of the day, I found myself standing in front of Garni Temple — with a piece of gata in my hand.
