Communities

Marts

One of the magnificent and colorful communities of Debed canyon is the village of Marts. It is located on the bank of the homonymous river- Marts, near the village of Karinj.

The half-ruined “Surb Nshan” church is located in the central part of Marts. While passing around the village you will enjoy the beautiful samples of cross-stones(khachkars). In particular, there are 5 khachkars with inscriptions on them in the so-called “Tshgnavor” meadow, which means Hermit in Armenian. These khachkars are all lined up and the most prominent of them is the Holy Saviour type khachkar, dating back to the 13th century.

The “Igatak” meadow, where the “Holy Sunday” chapel (made of rough stones) is preserved, is 5 km northeast of the village.

Even though there are no tourist infrastructures in the village, it has all the prerequisites to develop ecotourism. Inspired by the nature of Marts, notable Armenian painter Panos Terlemezyan painted “The bank of the Martz river” – one of his most famous artworks.

What's Nearby

Tsover lake (3.8 km)

Bardzrakash St. Gregory monastery (8.1 km)

Kobayr monastery (25.2 km)

Hovhannes Tumanyan House-Museum (7.8 km)

COAF Smart Center (12.9 km)

Karsnits Mankats Vank Monastery (8․4 km)

Tumanyan

Situated on the right bank of Debed river, at an altitude of 810 meters above sea level, the town of Tumanyan is located about 150 km north of Yerevan, and about 40 km north of Vanadzor, the capital of Lori province of Armenia. The town has a population of over 1700 people (2016 estimate). The climate here is subtropical, with relatively hot summers and mild winters.

Historically, the area of the present-day Tumanyan was part of the Dzorapor canton of the Gugark province of the historic Kingdom of Armenia. The town’s history dates back to 1926, when the village of Dzaghidzor was founded. With the foundation of refractory metals mines and launch of the production of fireproof materials in the 1930s, the village grew rapidly.

Dzaghidzor was granted a status of an urban settlement, and was renamed Tumanyan in 1951, in honor of the renowned poet and writer Hovhannes Tumanyan, a native of the nearby village of Dsegh.

Across the road from Tumanyan, on the left slope of the Debed canyon, the 12th-century monastery of Kobayr is located, famous for its Byzantine-style rich and exquisite frescoes. Another medieval monastery, the Bardzrakash St. Gregory, is located on the slope of Marts gorge, but it’s accessible by foot only. Several khachkars (cross-stones) dating back to the 9th, 13th and 14th centuries are found in the town.

What's Nearby

Kobayr monastery (2.5 km)

Bardzrakash St. Gregory monastery (3 km on foot)

Horomayr monastery (18 km)

Hovhannes Tumanyan House-Museum (18.5 km)

COAF Smart Center (13 km)

Basilica of Odzun (16.5 km)

Debet

Located about 20-25 km northeast of the city of Vanadzor, at an altitude of 1100 meters, the village of Debet was founded in 1857, when several families moved to the area from the village of Marts. Ancestors of some of the villagers relocated to Debed canyon from Artsakh. Others are descendants of refugees from Western Armenia who moved to these areas in 1828-1831.

Traditionally, locals here are engaged in cattle breeding, gardening, agriculture, beekeeping.

The village is home to nine khachkars dated 12th-13th centuries, as well as ruins of a medieval church. Today, Debet is rapidly developing thanks to the activities of the nearby COAF SMART Center launched in 2018. In 2020, a co-living and workation house was opened in the village, the Debed.Life. It’s a shared living concept for digital nomads and location independent professionals, the first of its kind in Armenia. Chamich guesthouse is another new business that was launched in Debet recently, enriching the tourism infrastructure of the region.