The Last of the Argonauts

ARMAVIR province is the home of Ejmiatsin, and also the Sardarapat Memorial complex, built to commemorate the eponymous batlle of 1918, where an important victory saved the Armenian nation.

Below: Some of the many storks nesting in the village of Taronik, near Metsamor.

Metsamor

Ejmiatsin, home of the Armenian Apostolic Church, has a history stretching back to the conversion of the Armenian nation to Christianity. Only half an hour from Yerevan, the town, also known as Vagharshapat, has several other churches of immense hisorical value, such as Surb Hripseme and Surb Gayane.

The power station in the distance at Metsamor, seen here from Yerevan. In the wake of the 1988 earthquake at Spitak, this nuclear reactor was shut down, but reopened with Russian supervision in 1995. The International Atomic Energy Agency have recently stated that there is adequate safety for the plant to continue operating for the immediate future.