Armenia · on the Silk Road
The Silk Road, from the inside.
I’m Jeni. I live in Lori, in the north of Armenia, and I write about the places, food and culture of a country that has stood on the road between East and West for centuries.
Jeni Lori is an English-language journal about Armenia and the Silk Road. I’m Jeni, and I live in Vanadzor, in the Lori region of northern Armenia. Here you’ll find guides to Yerevan, Lori, Shirak and Tavush, Armenian food and markets, museums, theatre and music, and the threads that tie Armenia to the rest of the old trade road. I have been to every place I write about, and every photograph on this site is mine.
Where to begin
Four ways in
Armenia
Monasteries above the Debed canyon, the pink stone of Yerevan, the black stone of Gyumri, the forests of Tavush. Where to go, when to come and what you will find there.
Food
Lavash from the tonir, the market in every season, recipes written down in home kitchens, and the dishes Armenia shares with the rest of the road.
Culture
Museums, theatre, opera, music, silver and carpets. The arts of a very old country, seen up close.
My Silk Road
Born on the Volga, raised partly in the Fergana Valley, at home in Armenia. Personal stories from the road that runs through my own life.
The red thread
My road runs from the Volga to Lori
I was born in Yaroslavl, on the Volga. I spent my early childhood in Chust, in Uzbekistan’s Fergana Valley, a land of silk. I grew up in the far north of Russia, crossed the country overland, and lived in Canada and in Vietnam. At 49 I made my home in Armenia.
Slavic, Uzbek and Armenian: three cultures shaped my table and the way I see things. Here they meet where they really do meet, in bread, in cloth, in music and in the old roads that once connected them.
Next on the road: Uzbekistan.
For hotels, tour operators and publishers
I photograph and write about Armenia for businesses that want to reach English-speaking travellers. My photographs are also available for licensing. Write to me at hello@jenilori.com.