Travel: Unearthing Armenia's pupulak and coffee house culture

Wandering around Yerevan’s Republic Square, I sighted something unusual — people bending over a water fountain, taking a few gulps of water and walking on in satisfaction. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but when I stopped to buy a bottle of water, the storekeeper directed me towards a pulpulak (Armenian for water fountain) with a parting shot.

“It is free.”

Gingerly I positioned my mouth over the gushing jet of water and drank thirstily. The water was cold and tasted of spring. Satisfied with this find, I walked on towards Northern Avenue. To my delight, there were pulpulaks everywhere. Why, there could be hundreds of them all over the city, I thought to myself. Never have I seen so many free water resources in any city. It could have been for that one reason I fell in love with Armenia right away. I later found out they were all over the country.

This was before I discovered its coffee. Thus, began my love affair with this small, landlocked country considered to be the hotbed of history.

Over days I realised that it was not in Armenia’s monasteries or canyons that I found my traveller’s nirvana, but in its small cups of coffee and water fountains.

Understanding the importance of Pulpulak

The pulpulak is the pride of Armenia. They first appeared in Yerevan in the 1920s and over time and increased popularity, were installed all over the country. The fountains didn’t solely have a mission to supply free water to the residents, but they were also built to honour someone who passed or did something remarkable and celebrate the gift of water.

It is believed that when you bow down over the pulpulaks for a sip of water, you are paying respects to the departed.

In the early days, these one-metre-tall stone memorials were used as meeting points, mainly by romantic couples — who are said to have made many a decision to the accompaniment of soft murmurs of the spring waters.

The capital Yerevan alone claims to have over 1,500 such fountains — so no one goes thirsty. And if one is not good at finding them, an app by the name Pulpulak will serve as a guide to the nearest one. Alternatively, you can bring a water bottle and fill up at every fountain.

I did just that.

Beauty in stone

Several myths and traditions surround the pulpulaks. While some are shaped like ladders, others look like oysters, but they have one thing in common. The water is fresh, clean and cold. You’ll find them in Yerevan or Vanadzor or Gyumri or in remote areas of the country like on the side of the road or along the Kurtan Gorge in Armenia’s Lori region.

But perhaps the prettiest fountain in Yerevan was the Seven Springs in Republic Square. This fountain was built in the 1960s by Spartak Kntekhtsyan who was inspired by the legend of heroes drinking water from seven springs on Mount Ararat to gain strength and courage.

However, a few days later in Vanadzor, the capital of Lori province, I saw the weirdest of them all.

Armenia celebrates water in yet another way. Vardavar, an annual tradition carried over from the period of Paganism, is celebrated in summer (July) when everyone in Armenia splashes water on each other. It is one of the wildest days of the year.

Big stories in small coffee cups

Now that the question of drinking water was addressed, I turned my attention to the second reason to fall in love with Armenia — Soorj. Or to be precise, Haykakan soorj, meaning Armenian Coffee.

In Armenia, coffee is a habit. Mine too. But here my coffee-drinking experience was elevated to nirvanic levels. Whether I was sipping one in a coffee shop or sharing a cup with my host, coffee was the star. In fact, drinking coffee was encouraged.

When boarding a shared taxi from Yerevan to Lake Sevan, the driver encouraged me to get a cup — for the journey. “It will make you appreciate the scenery better.”

It did. When I arrived at Lake Sevan, one of the highest-located lakes in the world (at 1,900m ASL) full of Armenian coffee, I almost believed that the sky had spread itself out on the lake. Such was the beauty of Lake Sevan.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com