The Silk Road 2012

I am a total sucker for anything with Silk Road on it. Maybe it is the exotic adventure. Maybe it is just--let's face it, I have a problem--the FABRIC.

About ten years ago the Smithsonian's Summer Festival was The Silk Road and I ate it up. The food, the music, the fabrics, the crafts. Never thought I would get close. But this week, I actually was on part of the Silk Road that went through Armenia. It took extra dram, but I was not going to miss the only surviving caravanseri in Armenia if I could help it. In my mind's eye I see silks and beads and spices making their way from east to west.

The caravanseri were places where travelers on the road would stop to rest and feed their animals and make trades. Sort of camel truck stops. Not everyone went the whole road from China to the Mediterranean. Some people just worked part of the road or were distributors for others.

Lavash rolled around Lori cheese--delish!

The caravanseri were built in mountain passes. This means regardless of the direction you were heading, to reach one you had to travel endless switchbacks to get there. The  one we saw and where we ate a nice Armenian lunch of very fresh lavash and Lori cheese, was in the Selim pass. We were heading south from Lake Sevan. On that part of the road we also saw two of the five or six remaining original bridges from the Silk Road era. They are arched stone bridges that span mountain streams. And they are still looking good after about 900 years.

12th C camel truck stop

The caravanseri at Selim Pass dates from the 12th C. Made of stone blocks, it consists of two rooms. The only light is admitted from the sky through open holes in the roof or from the only door. Animals were housed along the sides (they had their own skylights) and the animal quarters were separated from the other travelers by the feeding tanks and troughs.

Imagine bedding down here

Traders and their goods would rest in the center. Fires could be built to cook food and create heat, with the skylights providing an escape for the inevitable effluents of all kinds. No bath or toilet facilities. Lucky to have water and food and enough warmth to keep warm overnight.

Looking south - the day ahead from Selim Pass

It is hard to imagine they would stay only one night. This travel was rough and very slow. My experience involved paved roads and well-engineered switchbacks. Imagine trying to coax your tired oxen or donkeys or camels around one more ess curve before dinner.

Bottled gas pump along the road

Today, the roads of Armenia are not completely unlike the old days. Travelers stop along the way, to spend the night, get refreshment before the next leg of the journey, or refuel. 

Refueling takes time because the automatic propane gas (used in most cars along with gasoline) is limited to 250 pounds of pressure. So it takes several minutes to fill up. I found it necessary to get to the edge of the "gas station" once I  noticed that no one put out their cigarettes during this process. Maybe the problem is not the same as it would be with gasoline, but I wasn't taking chances.

Caravanseri 2012

Today our very own caravanseri provided a lovely late lunch on short notice--barbecued lamb, potatoes, fresh trout grilled, the ubiquitous and delicious "spring salad" (tomatoes, cukes, herbs, and lemon and olive oil), lavash, and two kinds of homemade cheese. For three people, about $25. Cooked to order. And then on to the next stop.