Armenia is an ancient and picturesque country, attractive for tourism by its unique nature with colorful mountains, transparent lakes Sevan and Arpi, ancient monuments of history and culture. But, in addition, it is famous for its abundant orchards and vineyards, amazing national cuisine and heady drinks. Having tasted all the delights of staying in this wonderful country, you will certainly want to keep something for yourself and share with your family not only exciting memories, but also gifts that remind you of this fertile land. We will advise what to bring from Armenia, what to choose memorable souvenirs, so that for many years they will warm your soul with the warmth of Armenian hospitality and please your close circle.
Table games
Board games are very popular. They amaze with an abundance of assortment and skill of execution. Chess and backgammon made both by the factory and by the golden hands of craftsmen will become real works of decorative and applied art, which will be a great gift for lovers of board games. The manufacture of chess pieces, carved from wood, is brought to perfection.
Many types of chess sets will allow you to find a middle ground in terms of price and artistic performance of the pieces. Backgammon will amaze you with an even greater variety - boards, divided into 2 halves, with wood carvings outside and inside, depicting various national ornaments. Backgammon made with silkscreen looks like a real work of art. Accessories for backgammon are no less interesting: dice made of 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. Rejuvenating and antibacterial creams with garlic and serum, cream-milk for the face, cleansing and moisturizing the skin, will appeal to women.
Noteworthy are inexpensive and high-quality shampoos "Narin-E" for normal and oily hair, after which dandruff disappears and the hair is perfectly styled. The abundance of oils will not leave you indifferent. Rose oil with a rejuvenating effect is an excellent aphrodisiac, almond oil is an excellent remedy for inflammation and skin burns.
Hair care and anti-cellulite massage are recommended with apricot oil. An effective means for lifting is a mixture of oils from pomegranates, apricots and almonds, as well as from apricot, almond and pomegranate seeds. You will be offered many options for medicinal soaps made with the addition of red sapphire powder, a large amount of vegetable and essential oils, cocoa butter and herbal extracts.
Nairian is also an equally popular brand. They have their own production and laboratory located in the village of Aragyukh. The company creates all of its products by hand and uses only high quality essential oils and plant extracts.
Books
If in your environment there are bibliophiles and lovers of reading on traditional paper media, then a book will be the best gift for them. The 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, its natural palette will certainly arouse interest.
Armenians are a poetic nation, therefore a lot of poetry is published in the country, including in Russian. The series “Library of Armenian Classics” is beautifully designed. Colorful publications introduce the art and culture of the country. These are albums - catalogs of works by Armenian artists, books about artists. It is also useful to buy a Russian-Armenian phrasebook for communication. Beautifully illustrated fairy tales, including those in Russian, will be a good gift for children.
Wood products
The tree is especially honored by Armenian craftsmen who know how to create a real work of art from it. In souvenir shops and markets you will find a huge range of wood products. Wooden dishes will attract attention - decorative plates decorated with national motives, flower and fruit vases, jugs, cups, many types of cutting boards. Let's 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 present. Women should pay attention to skillfully made wooden jewelry: combs, bracelets, beads, hair bands, earrings with national ornaments and a beautiful pattern. For men, wooden coasters for a bottle of wine or cognac, wine barrels will become a popular gift. Almost all products are handcrafted and affordable.
Leather products
If you want to bring a leather jacket, skirt, gloves or wallet, you will be disappointed with their poor assortment and high price, since these products are mainly brought from abroad. The fact is that the country is not engaged in the production of thin and soft leather. The material for clothes and accessories is a rather rough leather that stands out with a beautiful texture.
You will like bags for women and men of a wide variety of colors and models, clutches, travel bags, purses made of rough leather, belts, backpacks and accessories. They look decent and don't wear out over the years. Stylish leather bracelets can be found for women. If you want to buy a branded bag, then visit the Yera Bags bag shop 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 multi-colored inserts, appliqués and patterns.
Ceramics
Pottery is a traditional craft known far beyond the borders of the country. Pottery is made from red clay, then covered with glaze and decorated with traditional ornaments. Despite the fact that ceramic items are quite fragile, you still cannot resist buying some little thing for yourself and as a gift, looking at a huge selection of dishes and home accessories.
Ceramic plates, dishes, teapots, jugs, cups, tea sets, cake holders and sets for spices conquer with their originality and skillful execution. Ceramic magnets, frames and small boxes can please your family and friends. To decorate the interior, original souvenirs will be decorative dishes with paintings, a variety of ceramic figurines, animal figurines and small installations with scenes from ancient myths and legends. A ceramic ashtray will be an interesting gift for men.
Jewelry
No woman can resist the abundance of affordable and colorful jewelry made by Armenian jewelers. Walking through the World of Gold jewelry market and souvenir shops, you will see a scattering of jewelry with natural semi-precious stones, framed with 925 sterling silver and gold. Rings with obsidian, carved openwork rings, silver pendants in the form of pomegranates of various shapes and stones, earrings with unique shapes, brooches, bracelets are considered popular gifts here.
The assortment of stones in jewelry framed with precious metals amazes: purple zircon, hematite, rock crystal, emerald, garnet, carborundum. Executed with grace, they look very beautiful and amaze with their high quality. Large selection of beads from semi-precious stones. For those who are interested in unique gold jewelry with precious stones, it is worth visiting the special jewelry boutiques.
Carpets
Handmade designer carpets with traditional patterns do not lose their relevance in creating home comfort and warmth. The weaving of carpets has been passed down here for centuries from generation to generation. Here you will find several varieties of carpets, differing in hairiness, density, ornaments and shades. Small carpets - lambalo with a border of geometric patterns and a monochromatic center are characterized by a small pile.
Carpets of unusual shades of dyes - Shulaveri - will attract attention. The carpets woven by craftsmen in the Vorchalo area are distinguished by their silky texture and geometric patterns of unusual shapes. Arhalo carpets are not characterized by dense weaving, they conquer with beautiful floral patterns on the border, with tulips or lilies in the center. Pay attention to the hand-woven lint-free carpets 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 - a duduk (reed flute). The lyrical sounds of duduk cannot be confused with any sounds made by other wind instruments. They reproduce all the emotional pain and sorrow of the Armenian people, exterminated by the Turks. The age of the duduk is more than a thousand years, so the centuries-old experience has been accumulated by craftsmen in its manufacture, having tried several types of wood.
The best sounding duduks are made from apricot wood that grows in the country. The purest sound comes out of them. The duduk looks like carved tubes with nine playing holes and a double cane. Its sound occurs when two plates vibrate from a stream of air. The external design of the duduk can be traditional or with an applied ornament. You can find and choose a national instrument in any souvenir shop.
Cezva
Traditional cezves are made wherever coffee is drunk, but Armenian is easy to distinguish from Indian and Turkish products. Cezves here are made from copper, usually by craftsmen by hand in family workshops with age-old secrets of their production. The copper cezve has its own name - srjep. It is made from real copper, safe for health, and coated with food-grade tin inside. Rarely you can find brass cezve on sale.
When made by craftsmen, an inner copper sheet of 1-2 mm is superimposed on an outer sheet with a decor, resulting in double-walled dishes. An important feature of a high-quality Armenian cezve is the absence of seams that can disperse or oxidize when used. But first of all, you will be attracted by the artistic design of the dishes for making coffee, lavishly decorated with chasing, engraving, and forged decorative elements. Particularly striking are the cezves depicting scenes from local legends and beautiful floral ornaments.
Dagger
A dagger serving as a cold weapon and an attribute of every Armenian man will become an original souvenir for a man. This country is famous for the manufacture of highly artistic and quality edged weapons - daggers, sabers and daggers that have been flourishing here for many centuries. Daggers are made here from a special alloy of metals that is distinguished by its strength. Hereditary masters, making a dagger, saber or dagger, put a piece of their soul into them and therefore they delight with their decoration.
Their authenticity is expressed by the decoration with stones, fancy carvings, inlaid with all kinds of decorative materials. A wide variety of types and decorations of daggers, sold only at craftsmen's fairs and bazaars, even complicates the choice. When buying such souvenirs, you need to know that it is allowed to export a dagger from the country to Russia, having declared it without fail.
Clothes and footwear
Many travelers believe that it is not worth buying locally made clothes and shoes. It differs little from the Russian one, but it is more expensive. If you pay attention to authentic clothes, then in every souvenir shop you can find national costumes called - taraz. They can be purchased as 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 patterns.
From men's hats you will see many dads made of fur, knitted and fabric, as well as hats in the shape 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 hardly anyone will wear them every day in Russia. If you nevertheless decide to surprise someone with such a colorful souvenir, then go to the shops and markets to compare prices.
Dried fruits
Many exquisite types and varieties of fruits are grown under the blessed sun. The greatest benefits of fresh fruits are preserved by natural dried fruits produced here in large quantities. They are in high demand both in the country and abroad. The absence of sugar in them and great taste make them indispensable 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 dogwoods.
Sun-dried melons and watermelons have excellent taste. A large number of fruit and vegetable sweets in the form of strawberry, currant and pumpkin candied fruits, eggplant chips will please you and your loved ones. Assorted dried fruits, artistically decorated in the form of plates and hearts, will be a wonderful gift. Importantly, Armenian dried fruits are not processed in any way to extend their shelf life.
Preserves and jams
From the numerous fruits and vegetables that the Armenian land is rich in, unusually tasty jams, preserves and confitures are made, delighting with traditional, magnificent and exotic tastes. Russian tourists are interested in unusual jams made from white mulberry, rose petals, walnuts, figs and peaches. You can even try pumpkin, eggplant and squash preserves here. Traditional jam made of apricots, quince, plum, dogwood, blackberry, pear also has a wonderful taste.
On the shelves of grocery stores and markets there is a large selection of unusually tasty jams: strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, from feijoa, apricot-raspberry, sea buckthorn, prepared according to traditional old "home" recipes. The prices for jams and jams will pleasantly surprise you, and your family, friends and guests will be able to enjoy their wonderful taste if you take them with you when you leave the country.
Compotes and syrups
The abundance of fruits and berries that Transcaucasia is famous for, necessitates their processing and long-term storage. One way that serves this purpose is canned fruit and berry compotes. They are prepared from dense ripe fruits that retain their presentation, excellent taste and are sold in a glass container with a capacity of 1 liter. On store shelves, you will see a wide range of such products: from cherry plum, apricots, peaches, dogwood, blackthorn, plum - pitted and pitted.
Good for health are compotes from sea buckthorn, grapes and feijoa, berry compotes - from strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, black mulberries. Compotes are popular - an assortment of a mixture 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 the fruit. Compotes and syrups can be a wonderful dessert and a pantry of vitamins for your loved ones.
Arishta
Arishta is the name given to traditional Armenian homemade noodles in the form of thin long strips or strands. Such noodles are made in Turkey (qesme), 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. Flour, salt and water are the basis for making arishta. For sweet arishta, sugar is added instead of salt. This versatile flour product is used to prepare any dishes - first, second and desserts.
A traditional wedding dish among Armenians is a wedding soup with arishta noodles. The national soup of Kharmashi 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 come home, use recipes from the Internet to cook a dish and treat your friends. Arishta is sold in transparent packages of 400 grams and 1 kilogram.
Natural honey
The beneficial and healing properties of honey containing pollen, a set of useful vitamins and microelements 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 2000m, thick Armenian honey in its composition and biologically active substances surpasses Argentinean and Chinese beekeeping products, which are considered the best in the world.
The selection of high quality sweets here is great and the price will pleasantly surprise you. It is not easy to navigate in the numerous varieties of honey, we will give only samples that have been tested by high demand from buyers: natural flower BIO honey Tamara, honey with honeycomb Aragats, natural flower honey Aragats, honey with walnuts and Aparan mountain honey. The sweetness is sold in glass jars of 320 grams and 500 grams. Homemade tea with Armenian honey will be a pleasant memory of the trip.
Mulberry doshab
During your vacation, you will come across many plantations of mulberry trees (mulberries), the fruits of which are very tasty, but too tender - unsuitable for transportation. They are processed immediately after being harvested into preserves, jams, compotes, halva, churchkhela. A valuable and useful product made from mulberries is considered to be a healing drink - mulberry doshab. It is a mulberry syrup made without sugar by boiling the juice until it thickens.
Mulberry doshab is a dark product with an oily sheen, completely natural, healthy and tasty. In its consistency, it is similar to honey, it 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. Children will certainly like this healthy sweet syrup, it does not cause allergies, saturating the body with useful microelements and vitamins.
Condiments and spices
Spices and seasonings are in the arsenal of every housewife. Do not miss the opportunity to purchase rare aromatic spices for which the country is famous. Hypermarkets, shops, markets and shops offer an abundance of spices for meat, fish and vegetable dishes, made up of several spices. On the market, more than 100 different spices and seasonings are 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 and various mixtures. Many bring home packages of grape leaves for making dalma, which are sold in 0.5 liter plastic bottles.
Cheeses
The country produces several types of unique cheeses that are rarely found in Russia. The simplest is considered to be zhazhik cheese, made from matsun and which is a fermented milk product. It is decanted from a tissue bag, adding herbs and spices. It is worth trying cheeses made from goat and sheep milk, with special ferments, ripening in wineskins. Chanakh pickled cheese is prepared from cow's milk in special vats, with honey, white wine or syrup added to the brine. If you prefer delicate cheeses, pay attention to Lori, made from a mixture of cow's milk and buffalo.
It matures for a month and a half in film, is characterized by a salty and spicy taste, as well as holes in the cut. Chechil cheese, made from milk with rennet, is best suited for travel. It turns out a fairly hard cheese, woven into braids. Without the addition of preservatives, it stays fresh for a long time without losing its beneficial 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 their 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 loved ones, colleagues and friends. In shops you will find black iris, Karabakh and Armenian baklava, Gofre baklava, Armenian snickers, khanum. There is an abundance of delicious nut rolls on sale everywhere - sudjuk go sharotz, made from grape and other juice with nuts.
The local churchkhela differs from the Georgian delicacy by the addition of cardamom and cloves, a more delicious and delicate shell. Pay attention to the delicious Armenian sweetness of alani - rolls or assorted dried fruits stuffed with honey, walnut, cinnamon, cloves and vanillin.
Tea and coffee
The geographical position creates favorable ecological conditions for the growth of herbs. More than 4 thousand plant species grow on the mountain slopes and plains. Unsurprisingly, herbal teas are traditional drinks in every family. Herbal preparations 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 quality loose tea "Black Thyme" with the addition of herbs and flowers to black long tea in 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 slope of the mountains, is an excellent fortifying drink with a pleasant taste. For avid coffee lovers, it will be a discovery that high-quality grain coffee is sold in Armenian shops, markets and supermarkets. Bringing Armenian herbal teas and coffee as a gift from a trip around the country, you will not disappoint your relatives and friends.
Cognac
Cognac, produced in the country for over 200 years, is one of the best alcoholic drinks in the world. It is produced according to French technology, using a special variety of grapes with a vanilla-chocolate flavor, grown in the vineyards of the Ararat River valley. For better fermentation of the must, the grapes are harvested unripe and not sweet. On sale you can find three types of cognac of any brand: ordinary, aged from 3 to 5 years; vintage - aged over 6 years and collection, aged after 6 years for another 3 years in oak barrels.
The best brand of cognac is considered to be “Ararat” cognac, but one should not ignore the brands “Armenika”, “Sayat Nova”, “Akhtamari” and “Noy”, known for their excellent taste. Cognac bought in Yerevan in the shops of “Ararat” or “Noy” factories will cost less.The Armenian brandy brought from the country will be a good gift for men and a fond 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 considered the famous red wine "Areni", obtained from the grape variety of the same name. It conquers with its taste and woody notes thanks to its three-year 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 assortment and unique taste of fruit and berry wines, the aftertaste of which remains in the memory for a long time. Stunning straw-like crystal clear quince wine tastes amazing. The aroma of ripe plum pits seduces prune wine. The semi-sweet pomegranate wine of the "Aspet" variety with a nutty aftertaste deserves special praise.
The gustatory spectrum of fruit and berry alcoholic beverages is represented by: dark burgundy blackberry wine with berry flavor and aroma, pink raspberry wine, white semi-sweet Echmiadzin with citrus flavor and cherry Getashen similar to Cahors. It is advised to buy wine for a gift at the factory in the village of Areni and in company 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 that always comes to the place when relatives and friends meet. Chacha is a grape vodka with a strength of 50 to 80 degrees. Chacha is prepared with a strength of 50-60 degrees and at home, using pomace of non-varietal grapes, distilling them twice on a moonshine still.
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 mulberries with a strength of 80 degrees, made by distilling fermented berries three times a day. You can buy factory-made chacha in beautiful gift bottles in the alcoholic section of a grocery store or duty-free.
