Armenia is an ancient and picturesque country, attractive for tourism by its unique nature with colorful mountains, transparent lakes Sevan and Arpi, ancient historical and cultural monuments. But, in addition, it is famous for its abundant fruit orchards and vineyards, stunning national cuisine and intoxicating drinks.
Having tasted all the delights of staying in this wonderful country, you will definitely want to keep something for yourself as a souvenir and share with your family not only exciting memories, but also gifts that remind you of this fertile land. We will advise you on what to bring from Armenia, what memorable souvenirs to choose, so that for many years they will warm your soul with the warmth of Armenian hospitality and delight your close surroundings.
Table games
Board games are very popular. They amaze with the abundance of assortment and skill of execution. Real works of decorative and applied art, which will be a great gift for lovers of board games, will be chess and backgammon, made both by the factory method and by the golden hands of craftsmen.
The production of chess pieces carved from wood has been brought to perfection. Many types of chess sets will allow you to find the golden mean in terms of price and artistic performance of pieces. Backgammon boards, divided into 2 halves, with wood carvings on the outside and inside, depicting a variety of national ornaments, will amaze you with an even greater variety.
Backgammon made by silkscreen printing looks like a real work of art. No less interesting are backgammon accessories: dice made from a billiard ball, ivory, as well as gold and silver.
Cosmetics
Natural cosmetics are made with extracts of herbs that grow in ecologically clean mountain areas and healing oils of vegetable and fruit crops. A well-known cosmetic brand is “Narin-E” cosmetics. Anti-aging and antibacterial creams with garlic and serum, cream-milk for the face, cleansing and moisturizing the skin, will appeal to women.
Inexpensive and high-quality shampoos “Narin-E” for normal and oily hair deserve attention, after which dandruff disappears, and the hair fits perfectly. The abundance of oils will not leave you indifferent. Rose oil with a rejuvenating effect is a wonderful aphrodisiac, almond oil is an excellent remedy for inflammation and skin burns.
With apricot oil, hair care and anti-cellulite massage are recommended. A mixture of pomegranate, apricot and almond oils, as well as apricot, almond and pomegranate seeds, is recognized as an effective lifting agent. You will also be offered many options for therapeutic soaps made with the addition of red sapphire powder, a large amount of vegetable and essential oils, cocoa butter and plant extracts.
Another equally popular brand is Nairian. They have their own production facility and laboratory located in the village of Araguh. The company creates all its products by hand and uses only high-quality essential oils and plant extracts.
Books
If you are surrounded by bibliophiles and lovers of reading on traditional paper media, then the best gift for them will be a book. Historical events that took place in the country are covered in books on the history of Armenia. On the shelves of bookstores you will find biographical works about political and public figures, a selection dedicated to the Armenian Genocide.
A series of historical novels is of great interest. Colorfully designed publications about the wonders of Armenia and its natural palette will certainly arouse interest. Armenians are a poetic nation, so a lot of poetry is published in the country, including in Russian.
The “Library of Armenian Classics” series is beautifully designed. Colorful publications introduce you to the country’s art and culture. These are albums – catalogues of works by Armenian artists, books about artists.
Wood products
The tree is held in high esteem by Armenian craftsmen, who are able to create a real work of art out of it. In souvenir shops and markets you will find a huge range of wood products. Wooden dishes – decorative plates decorated with national motifs, floral and fruit vases, jugs, cups, many types of cutting boards-will attract your attention.
We will move on from dishes to souvenirs and see a collection of figurines depicting the heroes of Armenian legends, table and wall clocks, carved paintings and wooden panels. Wooden models of churches and cultural monuments will be a great gift.
Women should pay attention to elaborately made wooden jewelry: combs, bracelets, beads, headbands for hair, earrings with a national ornament and a beautiful pattern. For men, a popular gift will be wooden stands for a bottle of wine or cognac, wine barrels. Almost all products are handmade and affordable.
Leather goods
If you want to bring a leather jacket, skirt, gloves or purse, you will be disappointed by their poor assortment and high price, as these products are mostly imported from abroad. The fact is that the country is not engaged in the development of thin and soft skin. The material for clothing and accessories is rather rough, distinguished by a beautiful texture of leather.
You will love women’s and men’s bags of a wide variety of colors and models, clutches, travel bags, purses made of coarse leather, belts, backpacks and accessories. They have a decent appearance and do not wear out for years. For women, you can find stylish leather bracelets.
If you want to buy a branded bag, then visit the Yera Bags store in Yerevan, where you will be surprised by the range of models and their quality. Here you will find a fashionable bag and creative bags made of textured leather with colorful inserts, applications and drawings.
Ceramics
Ceramics is a traditional craft known far beyond the borders of the country. Ceramic products are made from red clay, then covered with glaze and decorated most often with traditional ornaments. Despite the fact that ceramic items are quite fragile, you still can not resist buying something for yourself and as a gift, looking at the huge selection of dishes and accessories for the home.
Ceramic plates, dishes, teapots, jugs, cups, tea sets, cake pans and spice sets are captivating with their originality and skillful execution. Ceramic magnets, frames and small jewelry boxes will delight your family and friends.
Jewelry Products
No woman can resist the abundance of affordable and colorful jewelry made by Armenian jewelers. Passing through the World of Gold jewelry market and souvenir shops, you will see a scattering of jewelry with natural semiprecious stones framed with 925 sterling silver and gold.
Popular gifts here include obsidian rings, carved openwork rings, silver garnet pendants of various shapes and stones, unique shaped earrings, brooches, and bracelets. The range of stones in jewelry framed with precious metals is admirable: purple zircon, hematite, rock crystal, emerald, garnet, carborundum.
Made with grace, they look very beautiful, striking high quality. Large selection of semi-precious stone beads. For those who are interested in unique gold jewelry with precious stones, it is worth visiting special jewelry boutiques.
Carpets
Handmade carpets designed with traditional patterns do not lose their relevance in creating home comfort and warmth. Carpet weaving has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. Here you will find several varieties of carpet products that differ in hairiness, density, ornaments and shades.
Small lambalo carpets with a border of geometric patterns and a plain middle are characterized by a small pile. Carpets of unusual shades of dyes – Shulaveri-will attract your attention. Carpets woven by craftsmen in the Vorchalo area stand out for their silkiness and geometric patterns of unusual shapes.
Arhal carpets are not characterized by dense weaving, they conquer with beautiful plant patterns on the border, with tulips or lilies in the center. Pay attention to the lint – free hand-made carpeting, called-carpet. For a gift, you can take handmade rugs and rugs with national ornaments or Art Nouveau style.
Musical instruments
The best gift for a musician will certainly be a national wind musical instrument-duduk (reed flute). The lyrical sounds of the duduk can not be confused with any sounds made by other wind instruments. They reproduce all the heartache and sorrow of the Armenian people being exterminated by the Turks. Duduk is more than a thousand years old, so many centuries of experience have been accumulated by craftsmen in its manufacture, having tried several types of wood.
The best sounding dudukas are made from apricot wood, which grows in the country. The clearest sound comes out of them. In appearance, duduk presents carved pipes with nine game holes and a double cane. Its sound occurs when two plates vibrate from the air flow. The external design of the duduk can be traditional or with applied ornaments. You can find and choose a national instrument in any souvenir shop.
Jezva
Traditional cezvas are made wherever coffee is drunk, but Armenian is easily distinguished from Indian and Turkish products. Jezvas are made of copper, usually by craftsmen by hand in family workshops that have centuries-old secrets of their production. The copper cezve has its own name – srjep.
It is made of real copper, safe for health, covering the inside with food-grade tin. Occasionally you can find a brass jezva on sale. When made by craftsmen, the inner sheet of copper in 1-2 mm is superimposed on the outer sheet with decor, receiving double-walled dishes at the output.
An important feature of high-quality Armenian dzhezva was the absence of seams that can diverge or oxidize when used. But first of all, you will be attracted by the artistic design of dishes for brewing coffee, generously decorated with chasing, engraving, forged decor elements. Especially striking are the cezvas depicting scenes from local legends and beautiful plant ornaments.
Dagger
An original souvenir for a man will be a dagger, which serves as a cold weapon and an attribute of every Armenian man. This country is famous for the production of highly artistic and high-quality edged weapons-daggers, sabers and dirks that have flourished here for many centuries. Daggers here are made from a special alloy of metals, characterized by strength.
Hereditary masters, making a dagger, saber or dirk, put a piece of their soul into them and therefore they delight with their artistic design. Their authenticity is expressed by decorating with stones, fancy carvings, inlaid with all kinds of decorative materials.
The wide variety of types and decorations of daggers, sold only at craft fairs and bazaars, even makes it difficult to choose. When buying such souvenirs, you need to know that it is allowed to export a dagger from the country to Russia, without fail declaring it.
Clothing and footwear
Many travelers believe that buying locally made clothing and shoes is not worth it. It doesn’t differ much from the Russian version, but it costs more. If you pay attention to authentic clothing, then in every souvenir shop you can find national costumes called – taraz.
They can be purchased in a complete set for men and women and its individual elements. A large selection of national shirts, women’s dresses and shirts – halavas, men’s vests with national ornaments. Among men’s hats, you will see a lot of papas made of fur, knitted and fabric, as well as hats in the form of a cylinder.
Women’s hats are sold in the form of tall cones and turrets, decorated with embroidery, ribbons with coins, stones and patterns. Such clothes are expensive, and it is unlikely that anyone will wear them on a daily basis in Russia. If you still decide to surprise someone with such a colorful souvenir, then walk around the shops and markets to compare prices.
Dried fruits
Under the fertile sun, many exquisite types and varieties of fruits are grown. The greatest benefit of fresh fruits is preserved by natural dried fruits produced here in large quantities. They are in high demand both at home and abroad. The absence of sugar in them and the excellent taste make them essential vitamin and healthy sweets.
In the assortment of Armenian dried fruits you will find many varieties of raisins, dried apricots, dried peaches and pears, figs, prunes and dogwood. Dried melons and watermelons have excellent taste qualities. A large number of fruit and vegetable sweets in the form of strawberry, currant and pumpkin candied fruits, eggplant chips will appeal to you and your loved ones.
A wonderful gift will be assorted dried fruits, artistically decorated in the form of plates and hearts. What is important, Armenian dried fruits are not processed in any way to extend the shelf life.
Jams and preserves
From the numerous fruits and vegetables that the Armenian land is rich in, extremely delicious jams, jams and jams are made, which delight with traditional magnificent and exotic tastes. The Russian tourist is very interested in unusual jams made from white mulberries, rose petals, walnuts, figs, and peaches. Here you can even try pumpkin, eggplant and zucchini jam.
Traditional jam made from apricots, quinces, plums, dogwood, blackberries, and pears also has a wonderful taste. On the shelves of grocery stores and markets there is a large selection of extremely delicious jams: strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, feijoa, apricot-raspberry, sea buckthorn, prepared according to traditional old “home” recipes.
The prices of jams and jams will pleasantly surprise you, and their excellent taste will be enjoyed by your family, friends and guests, if you take them with you when leaving the country.
Compotes and syrups
The abundance of fruits and berries that Transcaucasia is famous for makes it necessary to process them and store them for a long time. One of the ways that serves this purpose is canned fruit and berry compotes. They are prepared from dense ripe fruits that retain their marketable appearance and excellent taste and are sold in 1l glass containers.
On the shelves of stores you will see an extensive range of such products: cherry plums, apricots, peaches, dogwood, blackthorn, plums – with or without seeds. Compotes of sea buckthorn, grapes and feijoa are good for health, while berry compotes are made from strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and black mulberries.
Compotes are popular – assorted mixes of apricots and cherries. On the basis of the juices of the listed fruits and berries and sugar, a large number of syrups are produced here, preserving the aroma and taste of fruits. Compotes and syrups can be a wonderful dessert and a storehouse of vitamins for your loved ones.
Arishta
Arishta is a traditional Armenian homemade noodles in the form of thin long strips or threads. Such noodles are made in Turkey (kesma), Azerbaijan (erishte), and the historical roots of this product go back to Persia. Unlike Turkish and Azerbaijani noodles, Armenians do not add milk to arishta.
The basis of cooking arishta is flour, salt and water. For sweet arishta, sugar is added instead of salt. From this universal flour product, any dishes are prepared here-first, second and desserts. The traditional Armenian wedding dish is wedding soup with arishta noodles. National Harmashi soup is prepared with it, as well as mushroom, lentil soups and even pilaf.
Halva is made from sweet arishta. In stores, you can see two varieties of arishta-for lunch and for dessert, and when you arrive home, you can use recipes from the Internet to prepare a dish and treat your friends. Arishta is sold in transparent packages of 400 grams and 1 kilogram each.
Natural honey
The beneficial and healing properties of honey containing pollen, a set of useful vitamins and trace elements have long been known. Local honey is a product supplied to the market from well-known apiaries and farms in the country. Collected in ecologically clean flowering meadows at an altitude of up to 2000 m, thick Armenian honey in its composition and biologically active substances surpasses the Argentine and Chinese bee products, which are considered the best in the world.
The choice of high-quality sweets here is great, and the price will pleasantly surprise. It is not easy to find your way around the numerous varieties of honey, but here are only samples that have been tested by a great demand of customers: natural flower ORGANIC honey Tamara, honey with Aragats honeycombs, natural flower honey Aragats, honey with walnuts and Aparan mountain honey. Sweets are sold in glass jars of 320 grams and 500 grams. A homemade tea party with Armenian honey will be a pleasant memory of your trip.
Mulberry pub
During your vacation, you will find many stands of mulberry trees( mulberries), the fruits of which are very tasty, but too tender – unsuitable for transportation. They are processed immediately after harvesting for jam, jams, compotes, halva, churchkhela. A valuable and useful product made from mulberry is considered a healing drink-mulberry doshab. It is a mulberry syrup prepared without sugar by boiling the juice until it thickens.
Mulberry doshab is a dark-colored product with an oily sheen, completely natural, healthy and delicious. In its consistency, it is similar to honey, is a high-calorie and sweet syrup with a pleasant aroma. Mulberry doshab is sold in a glass container with a volume of 360 grams and has a shelf life of 2 years. Healthy sweet syrup will certainly appeal to children, it does not cause allergies, saturating the body with useful trace elements and vitamins.
Seasonings and spices
Spices and seasonings are in the arsenal of every housewife. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to purchase the rare flavorful seasonings that the country is famous for. Hypermarkets, stalls, markets and shops offer an abundance of spices for meat, fish and vegetable dishes, made up of several seasonings. The market offers more than 100 different spices and condiments sold by weight. There you can also find gift sets in beautiful glass jars with Armenian ornaments.
Local spices delight with their aroma, and the price is cheaper than in Russia. The most popular spices bought by tourists are saffron, rosemary, saffron, cloves, cardamom, ground cinnamon and sticks, star anise fruit and various mixtures. Many people take home packages of grape leaves for making dalma, sold in plastic bottles with a capacity of 0.5 liters.
Cheeses
The country produces several types of unique cheeses that are rarely found in Russia. The simplest is zhazhik cheese, made from matsun and is a fermented milk product. It is expressed from a cloth bag, adding herbs and spices. It is worth trying cheeses made from goat’s and sheep’s milk, with special starter cultures, maturing in wineskins.
Brine cheeses of the Vats variety are prepared from cow’s milk in special vats, with honey, white wine or syrup added to the brine. If you prefer soft cheeses, pay attention to Lori, made from a mixture of cow’s milk and buffalo. It matures for a month and a half in the film, is characterized by a salty and sharp taste, as well as holes in the cut.
On the road, Chechil cheese, made from milk with rennet, is best suited. It turns out quite hard cheese, woven into braids. Without the addition of preservatives, it remains fresh for a long time, without losing its useful properties. Choosing any of these varieties will be a great treat for your loved ones.
Sweets
The excellent taste of local sweets is known far beyond the borders of the country. Their advantage is not only the amazing taste, but also the absence of various food additives in their preparation. Armenians have learned how to make oriental sweets for long-term storage with nuts and other natural products without preservatives.
Let’s see what sweet delicacies you can bring back from your trip to please your family, colleagues and friends. In the shops you will find black iris, Karabakh and Armenian baklava, Gofre pahlafu, Armenian snickers, khanuma. Everywhere on sale there is an abundance of delicious nut tubes-sujuk idi sharots, made from grape and other juice with nuts.
Local churchkhela differs from the Georgian delicacy by adding cardamom and cloves, a more delicious and tender shell. Pay attention to the delicious Armenian sweetness of alani rolls or assorted dried fruits stuffed with honey, walnuts, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla.
Tea and coffee
The geographical location creates favorable ecological conditions for the growth of grasses. More than 4 thousand plant species grow on mountain slopes and plains. It is not surprising that herbal teas are traditional drinks in every family. Herbal collections are also used for medicinal purposes, offering mixtures of several herbs and plants: for colds, headaches, heart, kidney, stomach and others.
Pay attention to the premium loose tea “Black Thyme” with the addition of herbs and flowers to the black baich tea of Sri Lanka. It has a rich taste and a unique aroma of mountain freshness. Herbal tea “Fragrant mix” with mint, hawthorn, St. John’s wort and lemon balm, collected on the mountainside – an excellent restorative drink with a pleasant taste.
For avid coffee lovers, it will be a revelation that high-quality grain coffee is sold in Armenian shops, markets and supermarkets. If you bring Armenian herbal teas and coffee as a gift from your trip around the country, you will not disappoint your relatives and friends.
Cognac
Cognac, produced in the country for more than 200 years, is one of the best alcoholic beverages in the world. It is produced using French technology, using a special grape variety with vanilla-chocolate flavor, grown in the vineyards of the Ararat River Valley. For better fermentation of the wort, the grapes are harvested unripe and not sweet.
On sale you will find three types of cognac of any brand: ordinary, aged from 3 to 5 years; vintage – aged for more than 6 years and collector’s, aged after 6 years for another 3 years in oak barrels. The best brand of cognac is considered to be “Ararat” cognac, but do not ignore the brandies of the brands: “Armenika”, “Sayat Nova”, “Akhtamari” and “Noy”, known for their excellent taste qualities.
Cognac purchased in Yerevan at the shops of the “Ararat” or “Noy” factories will be cheaper. The Armenian brandy brought from the country will be a good gift for men and a warm memory of traveling around the country.
Wine
Fortified and dessert grape wines have been produced in the country since the 9th-10th centuries. The best is the famous red wine “Areni”, obtained from the grape variety of the same name. It conquers the taste and woody notes thanks to three years of aging in oak barrels. It is worth paying attention to the semi-sweet white wine “Muscat”.
But the special pride of Armenian winemaking is the range and unique taste of fruit and berry wines, the aftertaste of which remains in the memory for a long time. The crystal-clear straw shade of quince wine has an amazing taste. The aroma of a ripe plum stone tempts the wine from prunes. The semisweet pomegranate wine of the Aspet variety with a nutty aftertaste deserves special praise.
The taste spectrum of fruit and berry alcoholic beverages is represented by: dark burgundy blackberry wine with the taste and aroma of berries, pink raspberry wine, white semi-sweet “Etchmiadzin” with citrus flavor and cherry “Getashen”, similar to cahors. Buying wine as a gift is advised at the factory in the village of Areni and in branded stores.
Chacha
Chacha is a traditional strong alcoholic drink, the production of which is famous for the republics of the Caucasus and Transcaucasia. It is often bought by tourists as a gift, which always comes to the place when meeting relatives and friends. Chacha is a grape vodka with a strength of 50 to 80 degrees.
Prepare chacha with a strength of 50-60 degrees and in a home-made way, using pomace of unsorted grapes, distilling them twice on a moonshine distiller. Often, pomegranates, apricots, dogwood and other fruits are added to it. Most often, such alcohol is consumed in its pure form, but it is also used for cocktails, adding fruit juice and ice.
Another pride of Armenians is mulberry, which is a vodka made from mulberry berries with a strength of 80 degrees, made by distilling fermented berries three times a day. You can buy chacha made by the factory method and in beautiful gift bottles in the alcohol department of a grocery store or duty-free.