InternationalDilijan vistas and impressions
Published: Friday January 23, 2009 in Living in Armenia
A panoramic view of Dilijan. Maria Titizian
Dilijan, Armenia -
On an icy street high in the mountains of Armenia, a little girl, no more than 10 years old, is returning home from school. She is walking in strident steps on the icy sidewalk in her red woolen cap and brown coat. As she gets nearer, her large dark eyes, their lids drooping from the weight of an abundance of equally dark eyelashes flutter up toward me and we catch each other's gaze. Her cheeks are red from the dry bitter cold and a long thick braid someone has carefully braided is swung around her shoulder, tied with a bright orange elastic band.
In her hand is a tattered, hard-cover book, its colors faded. I look down and see that it is the Armenian translation of Le Petit Prince. Written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in 1943, the Little Prince, although a children's book, would come to be considered a treatise on human nature. That is probably why it has been translated into 180 languages and has sold over 80 million copies. Here in this remote town, in this little country that the world chooses to ignore, a little girl returning home from school is carrying a literary classic, read by millions of other people, translated into her native language, confident, unwavering, and completely oblivious to the world around her. She is the epitome of beauty. As she walks away and turns down the narrow street leading to her house, she glances back at me and her Armenian eyes twinkle.
As my friends and I carefully walk around patches of ice, we approach the city center of Dilijan, a quaint resort town in northern Armenia. A tourist destination, Dilijan has come to be known as one of the cultural centers of the country because of its rich history. As most villages and towns across the country are at the precipice of extinction, losing not only their people but any hope for future development, Dilijan seemed relatively vibrant and active. A native of the city tells us that at one time, Dilijan had about 25,000 residents but today, those numbers have dwindled down to 5,000. However, the latest census figures put the number at about 13,000. Armenia's government has announced that in order to encourage equal and balanced development throughout the republic, they have initiated plans to transform Dilijan into a national and regional banking center - although one is hard-pressed to understand how that can be done when an Internet connection in most places is still a problem. With all its natural beauty and splendor, its rich artistic history, reinventing Dilijan as the cultural heart of the country seems more appropriate.
Those of us who choose to make Armenia our home made the decision based on our upbringing, our particular understanding of homeland, and the desire to accept a challenge. As much as we try to integrate and become part of the mainstream here in Armenia, we have a peculiar ability to stand out in a crowd. Whether it comes from the way we dress, the way we style our hair, or the way we carry ourselves, we always manage to invite the curious stares of the locals, especially in the towns and villages outside of Yerevan. But as walked along the streets of Dilijan a few days ago, hardly a person gave us a second glance. Everybody was busy going about their business and three curious-looking women with cameras in their hands didn't even invite a second look. It was finally liberating to walk around without feeling uncomfortable. We were finally inconspicuous! And in Dilijan of all places. So we happily took pictures and spoke perhaps a little too loudly, but we either finally fit in or they had finally gotten used to us.
With our newfound freedom, we walked for the better part of the day and came upon a newly renovated school on the main square, beside Dilijan's city hall. Special attention had been given to the courtyard and playground. Adjacent to the school was the public library, which was also under renovation. But the most eye-catching addition to the city was a fence which ran about 300 meters the length of a winding road that hugged the mountain in the heart of the city. It was constructed of tufa, basalt, and wrought iron, boasting sculptures carved out of tufa, and new lamp posts As my friends and I walked by the fence, we were so taken by its construction and aesthetic appeal that we took an inordinate number of photos. The city, which at times appears unkempt, with little thought going into garbage disposal, had seemed to have constructed something truly beautiful, adding to the charm and allure of the city.
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Haghartsin, the 13th-century monastery located in Dilijan, is one of the most beautiful church complexes in Armenia. There is the St. Astvatsatsin Church, the St. Astvatsatsin Gavit (gavit is the narthex, which is the entrance or lobby located at the end of the nave of the church), St. Gregory Church, St. Gregory Gavit, St. Stepanos Church, the refectory, and a host of khachkars (stone crosses).
We had come to Dilijan for a weekend away from the city, some rest, clean air, and sightseeing. The taxi that was negotiating the narrow road leading into the Haghartsin complex could no longer traverse the ice-covered roads and slid backward and came to a clumsy stop. We decided we would walk the rest of the way. Just before reaching the main grounds, we found two small chapels and rows of beautifully carved khachkars.
