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13 Aug 2009
The publishers of Armenia’s first commercial travel guide
reached a milestone in August with the news that they have sold
20,000 Armenia-subject books since the company’s founding in 1999.
The publisher, Stone Garden Productions, specializes in Armenia books
and photography, and has released titles such as “The Stone Garden
Guide: Armenia and Karabagh” (2006); “Edge of Time: Traveling in
Armenia and Karabagh” (2001) and “Out of Stone (1999).”
The 20,000-book milestone happens to coincide with the company’s ten-
year anniversary. Author-photographers Robert Kurkjian, PhD and
Matthew Karanian, Esq., founded Stone Garden Productions in 1999
after they had each lived and worked in Armenia for five years.
Bedros Safarian, the company’s business manager, says that he’s
thrilled with the achievement, and is excited about future projects.
“The Armenia market is very small, and to have sold 20,000 copies to
the community is an outstanding achievement.”
Sales are not limited to the Armenian-American community, however.
According to Karanian, the company’s co-founder, non-Armenians
throughout the world have purchased their books. “We’ve shipped books
to every continent except Antarctica,” says Karanian.
And their Armenia titles have been promoted on an array of media
ranging from Rick Steves on National Public Radio to publications
such as CNN Traveller, Geographical, and Photo District News. Their
Armenia photographs have been exhibited at prominent venues including
at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco, at Los Angeles City
Hall and at private galleries in New York, and Washington, DC.
Kurkjian and Karanian got their start with the hard cover art
photography book “Out of Stone.” The art book retailed for $55 in
1999, and the after-market price for a good used copy has today
quadrupled to more than $200. The author-photographers launched Stone
Garden Productions as a publishing company that would be dedicated to
portraying Armenian subjects that a larger commercial publisher might
not consider.
In 2001, Stone Garden Productions became the first publisher to
release a stand-alone commercial travel guide to Armenia and
Karabagh. The current version of the travel guide, “The Stone Garden
Guide: Armenia and Karabagh,” is a best selling title and winner of
three national book awards. It is one of the only guides to strongly
promote environmental conservation.
Stone Garden Productions plans to publish a new art photography book
on Armenia and Karabagh, in addition to its numerous ongoing
photography projects. To learn more about the company, visit
www.StoneGardenProductions.com. To purchase a postpaid copy of their
latest travel guide to Armenia, send $24.95 to Stone Garden
Productions, PO Box 7758; Northridge, CA 91327. Postage is free to
addresses in the US. Shipping outside the US is $10. 11 Aug 2009
www.panorama.am, Aug. 12
"Musicians for peace" first international music festival will be launched in Sevan, Armenia, on August 28 . The organizer of the festival is "Forsh and friends" company with the support of Ministries of Economy, Transport and Communication, Diaspora.
Mekhak Apresyan of the Ministry of Economy told the reporters that they hope the festival would become traditional contributing to the development of tourism in Armenia. Besides, it was mentioned that the mission of the festival is to contribute to the development of cultural values.
According to Forsh, the founder of the company, about 75 bands and singers from Armenia, Georgia, England are going to attend the festival. He said that the mission of the festival is to improve the cooperation between local and international organizations and bands. 11 Aug 2009
www.armradio.am, August 12
The program of the first Yerevan-based ReAnimania international animation film festival has been publicized. Animation reels will fight for victory in the following categories: "Best Short Film," "Best feature film," Best Graduation Film"," Best TV series", "Audience Award", " RA ministry of culture Award", "Children’s Special notice".
Premiere of the following films will be held: “WALTZ WITH BASHIR” by Israeli director Ari Folman, "SITA SINGS THE BLUES" by the U.S. director Nina Paley , "IDIOTS AND ANGLES” by U.S. director Bill Plympton, “PERSEPOLIS" by French directors Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud.
The first Yerevan ReAnimania international animation film festival will be held in October. 150 reels from 24 countries have already applied to take part in ReAnimania. 09 Aug 2009
Nick Redmayne, CNN Traveller
A former Soviet republic such as Armenia may not seem the most obvious place to seek out culinary innovation. However, as large-scale heavy industry collapsed with the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a legacy of modest transport infrastructure and low-intensity agricultural techniques combined to increase the local flavour of the country's cuisine and to create a nascent organic food revolution.
Traveling outside Yerevan, beyond the grandeur of Republic Square and the insubstantial suburbs of Soviet-style apartment blocks, the evidence is clear to see, in the valleys below Mount Ararat, cherries and apricots ripen while watermelons grow fat and vines lie intent on concentrating sunshine.
Elsewhere, the ethnic Russian villagers of Fioletovo grow potatoes, cabbages and cucumbers while bearded men steering horse-drawn harrows prepare the land for planting.
By the monastery of Sanahin women make lavash-flat-bread-using flour from their wheat, pickle their own peppers and distil fiery peach vodka to be dispensed to the unwary. Towards the ancient Silk Road, upland summer villages see cattle roam buttercup-filled pastures, overseen by spry, sick-wielding old ladies intent on maximizing dairy production by means of smart thwacks on bovine backsides.
Here, inside the earthen-floored dwellings, homemade butter, creamy matsun yogurt and salty panir cheese are offered freely to visitors. None of this foodie industry is contrived for tourists-there are precious few of them anyway: it's just how life is in rural Armenia and how it has been for centuries, irrespective of politics.
Identifying the intrinsic value of Armenia's national cuisine may not be rocket science, but it appears that a background in astrophysics my help. Former professional astronomical photographer Sergey Gabrielloyan has established a delightful al fresco restaurant amidst of grove of cherry trees close to Armenia's only Greco Roman temple at Garni, 32 kilometers from Yerevan. 'I couldn't afford to buy a new place so we decided to turn our garden into a tourist space. All the food we offer comes from nearby villages and farms. It's local and it's organic', he says.
I watched as dough was rolled flat and then deftly affixed to the inside of a searingly hot tonir (ground oven) to make crispy lavash. A procession of dishes appeared on the table; eetch (bulgur, wheat), aveluk (horse sorrel), zharitarats (aubergine slices) and smokey humus-like mutabal (aubergine dip), together with a multitude of herb-rich salads.
All this before the main course of grilled khorovats (unmarinated kababs) of grass-fed beef and freestyle, if not free-range, lamb. Over glasses of vodka Gabrielloyan affirmed his entrepreneurial spirit: 'We shouldn't count on the government. We should take responsibility. Visitors pay about $ 12 for a meal with wine here and if all the pieces of the jigsaw fit together then the tourism potential is there'.
Preserving the integrity of organic Armenian food in a hotel environment is the next step and at the Avan Dzoraget retreat on the Debed River, chef Paschik Petrosyan is happy to share his knowledge.
'Almost all our fresh ingredients are from within 25 kilometers. Why not? We don't advertise cookery classes but we regularly invite those interested into the kitchen'.
Pachik supervised my preparation of dolma, excavating fresh tomatoes and aubergine and stuffing them with a mixture of rice and minced lamb. On an adjacent table another chef prepared gata (sweet bread) while a colleague accompanied her endeavours by singing a lilting melody. 04 Aug 2009
www.caps.am, Aug. 5
Continuing initiatives aimed at improving tourism education in Armenia, the USAID/CAPS Project successfully completed its second consecutive Summer School of Tourism Studies, held in partnership with the American University of Armenia Extension Program and the RA Ministry of Economy. The interactive course, which ran from July 9-31, addressed CAPS major workforce development goals - improving the quality of tourism and hospitality education, promoting greater cooperation and understanding between academia and the private sector, enriching the knowledge of tourism students and equipping them with practical demand-driven skills, which will lead to their improved employability.
The course involved Bachelor and Master degree students from eight leading educational institutions, which offer specializations in Tourism – the European Regional Institute of Information and Communication Technologies in Armenia.
The graduates received their certificates of participation at an official ceremony held on Friday, July 31 at the American University of Armenia. The event was hosted by the Head of the Tourism and Regional Development Department of the RA Ministry of Economy, Mekhak Apresyan, CAPS Chief of Party, Artak Ghazaryan, as well as representatives of the American University of Armenia, National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia, RA Ministry of Education and the senior administration of participating educational institutions and colleges.
CAPS believes that the participants will put the knowledge they have gained during the summer classes into practice with the same enthusiasm they showed during the studies and will contribute to a more competitive tourism industry in Armenia. 03 Aug 2009
www.armenpress.am, Aug. 4
"Yerevan in Photos" exhibition will open August 5 in Yerevan history museum. According to the source about 200 photos picturing Yerevan from the late 19th century till the first half of the 20th will be presented.
The exhibition is being held for the first time: the photos of Yerevan kept in the museum have never been presented completely.
The museum is planning to conduct "Yerevan's Urban Issues" exhibition in December which will present photos, maps, plans, personal things of outstanding architects, miniature of North Avenue. 02 Aug 2009
www.armenpress.am, Aug. 3
The Conductor of the Al. Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet National Academic Theatre Harutyun Arzumanyan will participate in the 10th international music festival after Duke Aquaviva which will be held in the Italian Abruzzo region August 8-30.
About 150 musicians from 25 countries of the world will participate in the festival. The Armenian conductor will present works of Schubert, Mozart and Elgar.
H. Arzumanyan is the first prize-winner of the 5th international competition of conductors, laureate of Fiderberg international contest.
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