Lake Sevan

Sevan is the largest high-altitude freshwater lake in the Caucasus and is often called the Armenian Sea. Its shores are rich in trees and shrubs, including maples, pines, poplars, wild roses, barberries, and junipers. Oaks and beeches once grew here, but the forests were partly cut down in the 1990s; active restoration is now underway. Sevan is home to unique fish found nowhere else, including Sevan beglu, Sevan khramulya, and trout. Dozens of bird species live around the lake, particularly the Armenian gull, whose population reaches 4,000–5,000 breeding pairs. Resorts and beaches line the shore, offering recreation, water sports, fishing, and views of historic monuments.

A legend says that Lake Sevan once occupied the site of a fertile valley filled with flowering gardens and treasures hidden in caves under the protection of spirits. Greedy foreigners tried to seize them, and water burst from the earth, flooding everything around. The local people cried to the gods, 'May those who disturbed the sleeping waters turn to stone!' The gods heard them: the invaders became rocks, and the valley disappeared forever beneath the water, becoming Lake Sevan.