Armenian and Caucasus studies at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"

Culture

From ancient times, Armenians have proved their artistic traditions, which reflected their unique culture and landscape. The different aspects of their everyday life are expressed in the most artistic skills such as needlework, embellishments, carvings and design.

Architecture is one of the most interesting forms of art in Armenia, which can be seen in the churches bearing artistic illustrations in frescoes and reliefs. The sculpture is represented everywhere - in nearly every city, town, and village in Armenia.

Armenian people adore music and have been creating exquisite compositions for centuries. The Armenian liturgical songs (sharakans) are being revived nowadays. Among Armenia’s most renowned musicians and composers are Sayat Nova, Komitas, and Aram Khachaturian. Contemporary Armenians listen to jazz and pop as well. There are frequent concert evenings in Yerevan.

The Armenian literature has always had a vital role in country's cultural and national identity. Before the invention of the Armenian alphabet in the 5th century, Armenian tales and epic songs were transmitted orally from generation to generation and written in foreign languages. Armenian manuscripts, beautifully illuminated with miniatures, combine Armenia's literary and illustrative traditions. The Christian culture and the invention of the Armenian alphabet made it possible to see the richness of this unique culture and literature. The best way to see this literary and artistic history is to visit Matenadaran (the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts), which houses an extraordinary collection of 14,000 complete manuscripts, fragments and miniatures. The oldest date back to the fifth and sixth centuries and a huge part of them represent ancient researches on theology, astronomy, astrology, alchemy and other sciences.

Armenian painting developed in the 19th century and some of the artists from that period, such as the portrait painter Hakob Hovnatanian and the seascape artist Ivan Aivazovsky, gained international recognition. The 20th century master painters Martiros Saryan and Arshile Gorky greatly influenced a generation of young artists throughout the world.

Caucasus region and Armenia in particular have been pointed by scholars as the place where rug and carpet weaving originated. This tradition is still alive. You can find in Armenia a lot of beautiful handmade crafts, Armenian gold, precious and semi-precious stones. The obsidian is often used in jewelry and in decoration. The most famous and unique ancient Armenian stone crosses (khachkars) can be found throughout the country, and there are no two which are identical.

Often Armenia is mentioned as an open air museum. One can find there more than 4,000 historical monuments throughout the country. Those are from different periods of the country's history from prehistoric times to the medieval Christian era. The Armenians created their masterpieces during very difficult and perilous times with extremely rare periods of peace and prosperity over the centuries. One can find in Yerevan a large number of fine arts museums and galleries.