The Yerevan Metro

The Yerevan Metro
page 2 of 5
posted on 27/10/08

(Sound Sample - The Market)

We begin our journey as I used to begin each day when I used to take the metro, at Sasuntsi Davit station. This metro stop also doubles as the cities train station, although I've never heard of anyone taking a train to get anywhere. Like the metro, the train station is larger and more grandiose than its the amount of its usage would suggest. I never saw a train come or go. They might ship things by train, although I know that most everything imported into the country comes by truck form the Georgian or Iranian borders. I often saw army men near the station, so I assumed that they might take it as part of their service. Every young Armenian man has two years of Army service that they must complete.

This is a statue of Sasuntsi Davit, who the metro station is named after, and is also the name of the street I lived off of. This statue is one of the better known ones in Yerevan, and even though the station isn't very central the statue is the symbol they use on all the metro tokens. He is an epic hero whose story was passed down in oral traditions for hundred of years until it was written down in 1873. In the legend, sometime around the 8th century, he used his gigantic strength to drive Arab invaders out of Armenia. According to Armeniapedia.org:

"The warrior-like figure of Davit Sasuntsi astride his faithful steed Dzhalali embodies the freedom-loving aspirations of the Armenian people over many centuries. His hands hold his sword of lighting, ever ready to repel invaders; water flows from the bowl above the pedestal, signifying that when the cup of the people's patience overflows, there is no quarter for oppressors and enslavers."

Right by the station is a produce market that I used to walk by every day.

You can see all the wives and mothers out shopping for the days produce. Most of the produce is grown in-country since importing anything is very expensive and there are some great fruits and vegetables that can grow in the flatland to the south-east of Yerevan. When I first got here in September, there were lots of grapes, cucumbers, tomatoes, the tail end of the legendary Armenian apricots, and a fruit called rose hips. The good fruit now are apples, pomeganates and there are starting to be some persimmons.

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