Yerevan: Where Mountains Meet Concrete and I Almost Died From the Elevation
yerevan is weird. it's high up, like 990 meters, and the air feels thin even though the temperature says 5°c. i just checked and it's there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the historical background says it's 2776 years old, but i'm not sure i believe that. the city has been around forever, but the data keeps changing.
if you get bored, gyumri (northwest), tbilisi (georgia, ~110 miles north), baku (azerbaijan, ~290 miles east), tabriz (iran, ~175 miles northwest), and erzurum (turkey, ~160 miles west) are just a short drive away. but driving is a nightmare here because the roads are narrow and the drivers are aggressive. someone told me that the highway to baku is the worst in the region, but i haven't tried it yet.
the geography is brutal. mountains everywhere. i was in a canyon by the hrazdan river and it was freezing. the river cuts the city, so you have mountains on three sides. big ararat is visible on clear days, but it's snow-covered and majestic. someone told me that the ararat is forbidden to climb, but the view is free. the city is at 990 meters, and i felt like i was on oxygen. someone told me that the air is thin and the sun is intense, even in winter.
i tried to go to erebuni fortress and the guard asked for 2000 dram (like $4) which is steep for a fort. republic square is huge and full of soviet buildings that look like they're falling apart. the cascade complex is stairs everywhere, which is exhausting. food? nothing special. the raw data says there's no info on cuisine. but i had khorovats (armenian bbq) near the river. it was dry meat and hot bread. someone told me that the real food is in the countryside, but i'm in the city so i'm stuck with mediocre stuff.
safety? the raw data has no advisories. but the city is in a seismically active zone. i felt two small tremors in two days. hope you like that kind of thing.
i'm tired. the city is loud at night with traffic. the air is thin so i'm constantly short of breath. the humidity is 52%, which is decent, but the pressure is high (1021) so it feels heavy.
i saw aerial photos of the city on unsplash. here are two images i liked:
and the map is here:
yerevan is the primate city, with 1.1 million people. it's chaotic, old, and full of contradictions. i almost passed out from the elevation but then i saw a bakery selling fresh lavash and it was worth it. the culture is intense, but the people are friendly even if they stare.
if you come, bring layers. the nights are cold. and bring a mask because the dust from the river is gross. the city is dusty because it's in a plain surrounded by mountains.
overall, it's a mess. beautiful in the photos, but in person it's concrete and pollution. the armenian highland heritage is there, but you have to squint to see it through the smog.
someone told me that the best way to experience yerevan is at sunrise from the cascade, but i was too tired to wake up early. so yeah, yerevan: old, high, dusty, and full of soviet ghosts. hope you like that kind of thing.
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