Dvin Hotel Plateau and Hrazdan Gorge Panorama

Why is it significant?

You have emerged onto the elevated western plateau of Kond beside the landmark Dvin Hotel complex. Built in 1979 by celebrated Soviet Armenian architects Felix Hakobyan, Ashkharhbekian, and Alexanyan, the original fourteen-story hotel was hailed as a masterpiece of Soviet modernist luxury, boasting…

Key Facts

Open the walk

You have emerged onto the elevated western plateau of Kond beside the landmark Dvin Hotel complex. Built in 1979 by celebrated Soviet Armenian architects Felix Hakobyan, Ashkharhbekian, and Alexanyan, the original fourteen-story hotel was hailed as a masterpiece of Soviet modernist luxury, boasting dramatic cantilevered restaurant terraces and polished travertine facades. Recently reconstructed into a five-star resort, the building commands the western ridge high above the deep canyon of the Hrazdan River.

Step toward the western viewing balustrade to take in the spectacular geological panorama. Below your feet, the volcanic cliffs plunge eighty meters directly into the Hrazdan gorge, where the rushing river has carved its way through layers of dark basalt lava flows over millions of years. Looking across the chasm, you can see the terraced woodlands of Dalma Gardens, the athletic arena of Hrazdan Stadium, and the high plateau of Tsitsernakaberd crowned by its soaring memorial stele.

On clear mornings, this clifftop belvedere offers one of the most stunning views of biblical Mount Ararat in all of Yerevan. The snow-capped volcanic massif rises majestically fifty kilometers to the south across the fertile Ararat plain, its five-thousand-meter peak floating serenely above the morning mists. Armenian folklore tells that Noah's Ark came to rest upon these very slopes after the biblical floodwaters subsided.

The contrast between the rustic earthen lanes of Kond behind you and the sweeping scale of the natural gorge before you is deeply exhilarating. The cool mountain breeze rising from the river below refreshes you as you take in the majestic landscape. From this windy western terrace, the panoramic view of the canyon, Tsitsernakaberd memorial park, and biblical Mount Ararat is truly unforgettable. The fresh mountain air rising from the rushing river below provides an invigorating conclusion to your trek through Kond.

Walk east along Paronyan Street and return to Saryan Park near France Square to complete your walking loop.