Public Disclosure Authorized

Tatev's New Road in Leads to Economic Revival

Vigen Sargsyan, Senior Communications Officer in the Armenia World Bank Office, offers this story. Photo Gallery The road to monastery winds through a spectacular gorge with rocky slopes and lush forests. It once connected several villages, but became so dilapidated that it was known not as the most beautiful pass in Armenia, but as the most dangerous one. Today, the road is rebuilt, and high hopes are

Public Disclosure Authorized pinned on the revival it could bring.

"For over thirty years this road was in a desperate shape, some sections were simply impassable," says Smbat Yeremayn, Shinuayr, village elder. "Now we are proud of the Related Links road we have, it's like elsewhere in the civilized world." The World Bank in Armenia Tatev, a 9th century monastery, is an architectural Lifeline Roads Improvement Project masterpiece, a landmark, and a tourist attraction. The new Lifeline Roads Improvement Project AF road is luring tourists from Armenia and beyond once again, and starting to benefit these isolated communities. Lifeline Roads Improvement Project Second AF "We plan to build a small market, Bringing Roads to Life where farmers can sell their produce. Lifeline Roads Improvement Project:

Public Disclosure Authorized Some people have started bed-and- Results breakfasts, and they confidently take out micro-loans to do it. But the most Improving the Lives of People Event important thing for me is that the attitudes of people have changed, few people think of emigrating now. They plan to stay in their homeland instead," says Yeremayn. Smbat Yeremayn One of the main goals of the Tatev Revival Project, which upgraded the road and other infrastructure here, was to connect the area's heritage with today's development. It brought together private and public partners, including international ones, around a common endeavor.

As a result, the , the longest aerial tramway in the world, spanning the Vorotan River Gorge, was built and is already a major attraction for tourists. The government, with World Bank support, rebuilt a 24.6 km section of the road that runs underneath the tram.

Public Disclosure Authorized Hamlet Vanyan, a villager in Shinuayr has noticed the effect. "People started renovating their houses; there are taxi services; before, they would drop us off somewhere on the main road. As for me, I drive, so I am saving a lot now on Hamlet Vanyan fuel and car maintenance."

Hatsatun means bakery, where lavash is baked: Armenian bread made of very thin dough. Visitors to this area who want to get a feel for village life can visit a number of newly opened bakeries, shops and souvenir kiosks near Shinuayr's main road.

"We've been open a year, just like the Tatev road," says Nora Barseghyan, a lavash baker. "Nine of us are employed here in this bakery. A year ago, we were baking up to 300 lavash a day, now the average is up to 700. Tourists Nora Barseghyan greatly enjoy freshly baked lavash."

Almost every villager mentions the road provides an easy connection to nearby places and to services. "I come from , the regional center, and it takes me 15 minutes to get here now, instead of the hour-long commute of the past. Nice and easy. I didn't expect that the new road would increase the number of patients visiting our modest facility. You see how many medical cards I have on my desk since this morning? We are happy to serve patients also from the neighboring villages, like Khot, Harzhis, Tatev, ," says Nora Ivanyan, Head of the Shinuayr Primary Healthcare Center. Nora Ivanyan Halidzor, a community of 900, is the other village in the gorge with a rehabilitated road, including a section linking the village road to the school, repaved by unanimous request of the community.

"We all know it was an additional burden for this program, but it is quite critical for the community, as this is about the safety of our kids. I have worked in this school for 7 years, and I travel from neighboring Shinuayr. I've never crossed this distance with the dignity I do now. In harsh winter weather, the roads would simply be blocked, and the school closed. But not anymore," says Lilit Harutunyan, teacher at Halidzor Secondary School.

The roads linking villages to highways are often called lifeline , Lilit Harutunyan as they are vital for communities located dozens of kilometers away from urban centers. The World Bank-supported project has ended geographic and economic isolation of rural communities. It has fixed almost 300 kilometers of roads in over 80 communities in Armenia, and created thousands of short-term jobs.