Armenia is a country that doesn't reveal itself immediately. Between the Caucasus Mountains and the vast plains of Anatolia, dramatic landscapes meet a history deeply etched into the rock. Monasteries and churches stand alone in barren valleys, ancient paths wind through gorges and across high plateaus, and time and again one encounters traces of a millennia-old culture.

On a ten-day photographic journey, I tried to get closer to this country through my camera. From Yerevan and the view of Mount Ararat, the journey led via Khor Virap, Noravank, and Goris to Tatev, Lake Sevan, and into the mountainous regions of the north.

My aim wasn't to document Armenia as comprehensively as possible. I was interested in the contrasts: the vastness and narrowness of the gorges, the hard stone and the soft light, the monumental monasteries and the small traces of everyday life. People, landscapes, and places all became part of my photographic narrative.

Many of these places carry their own legends and stories. Some have been passed down through the centuries, others simply seem to live on in the walls, rocks, and landscapes. Perhaps it is precisely this combination of landscape, history, and myth that defines the unique character of Armenia.

These images are my personal approach to a fascinating country – a journey between stone and landscape, history and present, reality and legend.