Welcome to our guest house!
Since 2019, we have been hosting guests from around the world, organizing catering for tourists, conducting masterclasses, growing, cooking, and selling eco-friendly products!
My name is Ani, and I want to tell you the story of the house where the sun and almonds live, the history of the village that sheltered the stunned refugees from Western Armenia, the history of the family and friendship that made the guesthouse possible.
Ashnak, that gave me the whole range of childhood and juvenility emotions, is mentioned in documents from the 5th century A.D. According to history, at that time our village was a large settlement, in which the royal winter residence and military garrison were located. The history of the village is rooted in the Stone Age. During excavations here weapons of labor were found, which are 15-17 thousand years old. The distance of our village from Yerevan is approx. 67 km (approx. An hour's drive). It’s almost as much to go to us from Zvartnots airport as from Gyumri airport, i.e. 1 hour 10 - 1 hour 30 minutes.
In the 1915-1920s, Ashnak began to be populated by Armenians rescued from genocide. Most of the refugees were from Sasun County, among them was my great-grandfather Avetis. He fled from the village of Pirshenk in Western Armenia in 1915 and settled here. The great-grandmother Epraxia became a faithful guide in his new life. Often, returning to the past in family conversations, grandfather Razmik recalled how his great-grandfather Avetis, working as a grocery store manager, went on a bicycle for groceries. On the first and only bike in the village. The migrants rescued from the genocide brought with them to Ashnak the culture of the province of Turuberan, which was famous for its songs and dances. In 1926, the folk dance group "Sasun" was formed in the village. In 1957 in Moscow it was given a golden medal at the international youth festival. Now the “dance of the Ashnak’s residents" is an exceptional value of the intangible cultural heritage of Armenia. Of course, grandfather Razmik, the son of his great-grandfather Avetis, also danced. He was not at the festival in Moscow but he traveled to many cities and countries with a dance group. Thus, the grandfather founded our dynasty of professional dancers.
Our grandfather built a house in 1965. By then he already was married to grandmother Manik. Baba Manya was a district deputy from our village, carried the life and care of our entire large family, and rumor has it that she baked not only the best lavash in the village but also distributed it to the whole village. We have preserved this tradition, now during the master class, under the strict guidance of my aunt, you will learn all the basics of making real Armenian lavash. To this day, my family lives in this house. Returning to it for me is always returning to childhood. Here time goes slower, here every tree and stone is a fairy tale, which is always with me. The ingenuous beauty of simple things was asked not to change to keep the spirit of this house. Both in the garden and in the house, we have preserved the colors and tastes of the Oganesyan family. I grew up in this house, and when it came to my departure as an adult, I went to Paris to study the development of the economy of world tourism at Sorbonne University.
The velvet revolution in 2018 brought me home, to Armenia. Already here, in 2019, my friend Gayane and I, got down to work on turning my father’s house into Noosh. “Noosh” in Armenian means almonds. Almonds, because the sun and almonds live in our house: there are a lot of almond trees in the garden! In 2019, we received guests from Switzerland, Germany, France, Portugal, Russia, the UAE, and many other countries. The guesthouse’s kitchen worked in full force, meeting guests with Armenian and European dishes. My aunt manages the kitchen, otherwise, the whole family helps each other.
2020 is marked by the overhaul repair of the guest house and the opening of a store where we sell products from our garden. We provide guests with 2 rooms . In the courtyard and outside the house there is the opportunity to settle in a camp. The guest house has all the amenities: shower, bathrooms. All the products we use are exclusively ecological, grown either with us or with our village neighbors. On the territory of the house is a large garden of 28 acres. This year we have expanded and are now selling homemade preserves, dried fruits, teas, compotes, and much more. Here at this link you can see and order products. We also organize master classes and excursions, you can see all the services here. This year our almond house is 55 years old! We are waiting for you with happiness in our hearts, to share the beautiful days with us!
Kevork Chavush House-Museum
Mount Arteni
Fortress Dashtadem
