Have you experienced a walk from the Armenian church “Surp Kevork” in The Old Plovdiv, through the house “Hindlian” of the rich Armenian merchant and donor Stepan Hindlian? Have you talked to an Armenian goldsmith about his craft? Have you drunk ethereal aged Armenian cognacs? Do you know the story of the Armenian diaspora in Plovdiv? Have you tried the most delicious Armenian dishes such as sahtorats, havgite dolma, haydari, baba ganush, and sampug? We have put all of this together in an exciting and exclusive city tour named “Тhe Armenian gems of Plovdiv”! We did it, because we live in Plovdiv – the city where many different ethnic groups have been living side by side peacefully for centuries.
Among the oldest ethnic communities is that of the Armenians, who settled in the Bulgarian lands in the V century. After the proclamation of an independent Armenian church in the middle of the 17th century in Plovdiv, an Armenian neighborhood was formed around the Surp Kevork church. It is from this temple that our walk begins. In his yard is the so-called khachkar monument, donated by the Armenian community on the eve of the 90th anniversary of the extermination of the Armenian people. The temple is part of a whole complex, uniting a church, a school and a cultural center.
The first Armenian school in the city was opened in 1828. New large groups of Armenians settled in Plovdiv from Turkey after the pogroms of 1897, 1901 and especially 1915-1916. Plovdiv Armenians actively participated in the socio-political life of the city, in the development of trade and crafts, in the creation of industrial enterprises. Today in Plovdiv live about 6500 Armenians – about 1/3 of all who live in Bulgaria. After a talk in which we will tell you in more detail the history of the Armenians in Plovdiv, we will visit one of the most beautiful houses in the Old Town – that of the Armenian merchant and benefactor Stepan Hindlian, built in the period 1835-1940. -the richly decorated house, with beautiful furniture and a marble fountain, which still sprays rose water in the hall on the second floor.
We will go to the studio of one of the old master goldsmiths in Plovdiv, and as it is clear the Armenians are one of the best in the goldsmith’s trade. With another of the Armenians from Plovdiv in the artistic district “Kapana” we will try aged Armenian cognacs. The drink is traditional, made from specific grape varieties grown in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and bottled in Armenia. The “Plovdiv in Armenian” tour ends with a culinary tasting of various seasonal Armenian specialties. Favorite dishes are lean sarma with raisins and ashura anush abur, prepared from wheat, raisins, and rose water. Delicious appetizers are sahtorats, minced beef patties, piazza beans, baked cheese, and yellow cheese with tomatoes. The famous Yerevan meatballs are served on mashed potatoes. One of the crowning dishes is “Masis” – a wonderful pancake stuffed with chicken, mushrooms, pickles, and spices.
