About

I’m Jeni. I live on the Silk Road.

Jeni Lori is my journal about Armenia and the Silk Road, written in English from Vanadzor, in the Lori region of northern Armenia. Every place on this site is a place I have been to, and every photograph is my own.

Lives in	Vanadzor, Lori region, Armenia
Writes about	Yerevan, Lori, Shirak, Tavush
Languages	English, Russian, learning Armenian
Contact	hello@jenilori.com

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From the Volga to Lori

I was born in Yaroslavl, a city on the Volga. My childhood was spent in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan. That is where my Uzbek family roots are, and where the Silk Road became part of my life long before I knew its name.

I finished school in the Far North of Russia and later lived in Moscow. I spent a year in Canada, lived in Vietnam and crossed Russia overland from the Far East. Along the way I studied classical piano, ran my own clothing brand, and worked as a guide-interpreter, taking visitors through museums in English.

Then I moved to Armenia. It isn’t a trip for me. It’s home, and I plan to stay.

I have always been interested in the cultures of different peoples around the world. Now I want to share the culture and history of my own roots with the world, in words and in pictures.

Why Armenia, and why the Silk Road

Armenia has stood on the roads between East and West for centuries. Its merchants carried silk from Persia to Europe and to Russia. Its famous red dye, made from a tiny insect of the Ararat valley, coloured silk, carpets and manuscripts.

My own life has followed the same road, from the Volga to the Fergana Valley to the mountains of Lori. So this journal begins in Armenia, where I live, and will follow the road further east in time.

What you’ll find here

• Armenia: guides to Yerevan, Lori, Shirak and Tavush, written from trips I made myself.
• Food: Armenian recipes, markets and the seasonal table.
• Culture: museums, theatre, opera, music and crafts.
• My Silk Road: personal essays about the cultures that shaped me.

Why you can trust what I write

• I live in Armenia full time, in Vanadzor.
• I have been to every place I write about, and I update my guides when things change.
• Every photograph on this site is mine, taken on those trips.
• I worked as a guide-interpreter, giving museum tours in English.
• I grew up with classical piano, which is why music and theatre have their own place here.
• I’m learning Armenian, because a country is easier to understand in its own language.

The name

Jeni is me. Lori is the region of northern Armenia where I live, green and foggy, full of monasteries and stone villages. Together they make Jeni Lori.

Jeni

Last updated: November 2026