The sidestreets of Dilijan and the revival of traditions

Houses built in a traditional, old style dating back to the XIX century can be found not only on Sharambeyan Street. Traditional houses in the so-called "Dilijan style" are characterized by open balconies and verandas with slender skillfully crafted wooden columns and architraves, as well as roofs covered with red tiles, harmoniously fit into the landscape of the city. Moreover, in addition to the aesthetic effect, these houses with openwork balconies and magnificent wood carvings have a unique cultural significance in Armenia, where the main architectural material is stone, not wood.

Such houses are preserved in the old quarter of Dilijan, Papanino. It should be noted that the Papanino area before Dilijan acquired the city status was a Molokan settlement, which also influenced the architectural style of local buildings.

Samples of folk architecture can also be found on Myasnikyan, Kalinin, and Lermontov Streets ("qarami qucha"). Unfortunately, many houses aren’t preserved or are in a dilapidated state. The preserved houses have been reconstructed into studios, souvenir shops, and authentic restaurants. Moreover, there was a tendency to revive the ancient building traditions. When building new houses or restoring the old ones, local traditions of wooden architecture are taken into account. If you pay attention to the new bus stops in the city, you’ll notice that all of them are also made of wood.