-Good morning, we are impatiently waiting for our next trip in your country. Where will we go today?
-Good morning, I am very happy that you like our country. Today we will go to Gyumri. Have you heard about Gyumri?
-Oh, I have heard many times the name of the city Gyumri but it’s a pity that I know little about it. I only know that on December 7 in 1988 there was a terrible earthquake there and many people lost their lives in the ruins.
-Yes, you are right. But there are many good things that you should know about Gyumri, and even that big disaster couldn’t change the character of the cheerfulpeople in Gyumri. For example, they say that the first music school and theater were founded in Gyumri. The first opera was performed here. It was the Opera Almast by Alexandr Spendiaryan. The famous poets Avetic Isahakyan, Hovhannes Shiraz, actor Mher Mkrtchyan and other well-known artists, sportsmen were born in Gyumri.
-Yes, I think that Armenians are very talented people. How can we reach there?
-We will go there by train. Last year a high-speed train began working, and it usually takes an hour and a half to get there.
-Oh, it’s good. I didn’t know about it.
-So we are already in Gyumri. At first, I want to tell you that Gyumri had other names many years ago. It was called Kumairi, Alexandrapol, Leninakan, and when Armenia gained its independence the city was renamed Gyumri. Gyumri is the second-largest city in Armenia. It is about 120 km. to the North West of Yerevan.
-Are there any historical monuments here?
Yes, surely there are. Now we are in the center of Gyumri. This is Saint Mary Church. It was built in the 19thcentury. The church was greatly damaged by the 1988 earthquake. Now it has been reconstructed.
-What else is Gyumri famous for?
-Gyumri has always been the city of poets, artists and handicraft workmen.
-Which Home-Museum can we go to?
-We can go to the Dzitoghtsyan Museum of National Architecture․The museum exhibits the elements of the daily urban life of Gyumri.
– Yes, that will be very interesting for me. Oh, I can see the monument to Charles Aznavour here. Was he born here or were his ancestors from Gyumri?
– No, he was not born in Gyumri and neither were his ancestors from here. Gyumri is simply grateful toCharles Aznavour for his great aid to the city after the terrible earthquake. Charles Aznavour was the founderof the Foundation Aznavour to Armenia.
There are still families in Gyumri who live in small metal cottages. We hope that in the near future all the families will move to new comfortable flats, and the city of Gyumri will no longer be considered a disaster area.
impatiently – անհամբերությամբ
it’s a pity – ափսոս
ruins – փլատակներ
even – նույնիսկ
disaster – աղետ
cheerful – կայտառ, կենսուրախ
character – բնավորություն
talented – տաղանդավոր
it takes an hour and a half to get there
gain – ստանալ, նվաճել
to be damaged – վնասվել
to be grateful to – երախտապարտ լինել
founder – հիմնադիր
foundation – հիմնադրամ
Անժելա Շամոյան 