Known for ages, Akhtala is a small settlement in one of the beautiful, forested corners of Lori. Its magnificent monuments—both natural and historical—make it one of the most remarkable sites of interest in Armenia.
Founded in 2016, the Nurik Center is one of the most important cultural hubs of Akhtala. As a tourism center, Nurik offers visitors the opportunity to prepare national dishes, weave carpets with the help of local masters, taste freshly baked gata and other distinctive Armenian dishes, and enjoy views of the sublime 13th-century Akhtala monastic complex, unfolding from the center’s windows.
Rug-weaving and carpet-weaving, both traditional female crafts, were common domestic occupations in Lori, as in other Armenian regions. During a carpet-weaving class in the Nurik Center, artisans will present some of their personal stories, which connect to the achievements and challenges of the center’s initiatives, as well as ways to overcome them. Handicraft allows women to tell their stories in the language of materials.
In the villages of Lori, women who have mastered carpet-weaving are eager to share their skills with visitors in order to help rejuvenate this traditional craft. These women have preserved with great care not only the rugs and carpets they themselves have made, but also those woven by their mothers and grandmothers.
The traditions of Armenian women's handicrafts often pass from mother to daughter and daughter-in-law by word of mouth. In the process, women create combinations of colors and patterns, about which you may learn more at the Nurik Center.
You may also multiply these impressions at the Nurik Center by participating in a cooking class to prepare traditional dishes or in a guided tour of the Akhtala monastic complex, one of the most remarkable Armenian architectural monuments, which is located near the center.
Meet your host
The Nurik Center is a community and tourism development center established by the Armenian Young Women’s Association to promote the social and economic development of the Lori region and to provide places of work for women and people with disabilities.
