Yerevan?

[Boston Guy]

Does anyone here have any info about Yerevan, Armenia? I'm not just thinking about escorts or gay-related topics. Any info at all about the city, things to see (especially in the evening), safety, or culture and customs would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

BG

[trilingual]

As the capital of an ex-Soviet Republic, Yerevan has the usual government and cultural centers you would expect to find in such a city. Armenia is Christian and conservative; a country with one foot in Europe and the other in the Middle East. It's also a small country, so as far as a gay scene goes it's probably low key and discreet. It's hard to be anonymous in a small country where everyone knows (or is related) to everyone else, so a lot of gay guys don't go to public places; they socialize at private parties.

 

I see occasional posters from Armenia on http://www.gaydar.co.uk You might check it out, and if nobody is online at the moment you can use their search function to see who's listed in Yerevan (alt. spelling Erevan) and e-mail them through gaydar.

 

Armenia, if I recall correctly, was the first country to adopt Christianity, so there are undoubtedly ancient churches and monasteries to see. I've seen Armenian illuminated religious manuscripts and they're absolutely magnificent, although impossible to read (at least by a casual visitor) as they're written in Armenia's unique alphabet. Food is typically Middle Eastern, although as Christians Armenians eat pork and drink alcohol, unlike the more strict Muslim nations like Iran, which it borders. Remember that Armenia isn't a rich country, and it doesn't have good relations with its neighbors Azerbaijan (with which it fought a war a few years back that still isn't settled) and Turkey, which was responsible for the first modern genocide when it killed millions of Armenians at the beginning of the 20th Century, when the whole region was part of the Ottoman Empire. So there are probably considerable tensions, and probably lots of touchy subjects to avoid in casual conversation!