The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia and Karabagh (Paperback)

by Matthew Karanian (Author), Robert Kurkjian (Author), Robert Glenn Ketchum (Foreword) "When Armenia re-established its independence in 1991, it was not particularly concerned about positioning itself as a tourist destination..." (more)
Key Phrases: main road turnoff, left turnoff, right turnoff, Lake Sevan, Abovian Street, Republic Square (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Authoritative and informative, written by authors who have intelligent and observant eyes. Their photos are exquisite, their research is meticulous. -- Yerevan Times (Armenia), September 24, 2004

This is the definitive and off-the-beaten-track experience! -- Outpost Magazine (Canada) July, 2004

This well-researched and illustrated volume is a must for anyone considering a trip to the region. -- Armenian Mirror-Spectator (US), September 10, 2004

Well researched and incredibly informative, this guide is a must for anyone considering a trip to the region. -- Adventure Magazine (UK), July, 2004

Product Description
This book from Stone Garden Guides is unique as the largest and most colorful guidebook available for Armenia and Karabagh. Its 304 pages are filled with 75 vibrant color photographs, and 25 detailed color maps.

This is also the only travel book on Armenia that is truly an "insider’s guide." This is because its authors, Matthew Karanian and Robert Kurkjian, have each lived, worked, and traveled throughout the region for a decade. The text—which is written in a conversational tone that’s easy to read—is also comprehensive and filled with the wisdom of travelers who are as comfortable in Armenia as they are when traveling back home in the US.

Visitors will find that this book is essential gear when traveling throughout Armenia and Karabagh, in the villages as well as in the cities. This guide will help travelers make the best choices when deciding where to go, what to see, and where to eat and sleep.

Short term visitors who don’t speak Armenian will be able to communicate with the assistance of the glossary of phrases. Travelers who have never been to Armenia, and also those who have made a dozen trips, will find the information about the country’s historic sites to be equally fascinating and readable. Nature and conservation are also featured prominently.

The book’s beautiful photography and intriguing background information makes this a book for armchair travelers, too. In addition to being a valuable field guide for seasoned travelers it is also an ideal introduction to the region with lots of intriguing facts and interesting anecdotes about the land and people.

This quality paperback has a durable binding and is a standard 5 x 8 inches to easily fit into your backpack while you’re traveling. Detailed and full color maps, prepared by the American University of Armenia, cover every region of Armenia. Accurate street maps are included for every major city and town. Color tabs make it easy to locate information in any of the book’s ten chapters.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Stone Garden Productions (July 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967212081
• ISBN-13: 978-0967212081
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,191,428 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal!, October 27, 2004

By	Paul Carp (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is tremendous. It has extremely detailed history sections which provide an excellent overview of Armenia and Karabagh. The photos are worthy of being framed. It also provides good cultural explanations for an area that needs much clarification. It is very easy to navigate and has a detailed Armenian language guide for those of us who are Armenian clueless. The Karabagh section is excellent and details the complicated conflict. It's a must buy for a trip to Armenia and Karabagh.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous-- and refreshingly candid, February 5, 2006

By	Tina M "Tina M" (Boston) - See all my reviews

My husband and I took our second trip to Armenia in November, and we used this book extensively. The book was absolutely marvelous! We carried it everywhere and we would have missed out on so so much if we didn't have it.

The photos were wonderful, and helped us decide where to visit. The information was quite comprehensive and the book actually suggested skipping some sites, which I found quite refreshingly candid. The coverage for the far south of the country, near the Iran border, was rather thin. But they made up for it by covering Karabagh very thoroughly (this was our first time in Karabagh). I would definitely recommend it.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy This One!, September 17, 2004

By	Dan Ramsey (Wilmington, Delaware) - See all my reviews

I hadn't planned on buying another Armenia & Karabakh travel book, since I've been to these two wonderful countries before, but as I was leafing through the "Armenia and Karabagh" guide (looking for a particular piece of information), I realized how much knowledge this book contained that was different from other guidebooks, such as the "Lonely Planet: Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan" guide or the "Armenia (with Nagorno Karabagh): The Bradt Travel Guide." So I broke down and bought it! The Nagorno Karabakh section looks very good in this one. Such a wonderful little land, full of ancient Armenian monuments, incredible vistas and truly amazing people.

I really appreciate the perspective of the authors, who have written a text for people who are somewhat environmental-conscious and perhaps looking for some experiences that may be slightly off the beaten path. I particularly like the book's organization, impressive photos and the authors' practical insights. I like it when guidebook authors actually offer opinions and don't just list information that may turn out to be a poor choice. Well done!