Returning to grandma’s yard: Inside Mamik Guest House in Nork, Yerevan

2026-02-17 - 19:35

In February 2020, ethnographer Vanuhi Simonyan and former bank employee Shogher Hakobyan co-organized a festival dedicated to Barekendan, once one of Armenia’s most popular carnival-style celebrations. After nearly a month of intensive work, they realized their shared values could carry them far beyond a single project. The duo visited more than 10 houses about 150 kilometers from the capital but did not find one they both loved. Meanwhile, Shogher was organizing informational tours in Yerevan. One tour led her to Old Nork, a distinctive old-Yerevan-style district that sits within the city but feels like another world. Nork is one of Yerevan’s oldest preserved neighborhoods, with architectural features dating to the late 19th century. “At the age of 35, I first came to Nork and fell in love with it,” Shogher recalled. “Despite being so close to central Yerevan, Nork feels like a small village with its own character: people who live by strong community values, beautiful houses built in folk architectural style, gardens and narrow, winding streets full of color.” While walking through Nork, Shogher noticed an old, half-ruined door. There was something mysterious about it. Inside was a small yard cluttered with construction materials. Despite the renovation mess, she immediately felt the house’s positive energy. It turned out to be the owner’s ancestral home, which he was renovating to rent out. Shogher immediately told Vanuhi, and they agreed to lease it once renovations were complete. The house dates to the 1880s and has two floors. Like many homes in Nork, it features a vaulted cellar roof — a sign that its original owners were engaged in winemaking. Mamik — meaning “grandmother,” the senior mother of the family line — opened as a guest house in 2021. Since then, it has worked with thousands of children annually. Over five years, the team has hosted more than 15,000 children, along with thousands of tourists and young visitors, sharing elements of Armenian national culture. That focus remains Mamik’s defining strength. Click to view slideshow. “By coming here, people connect with the culture of their ancestors and rediscover their childhood, as if they are visiting their grandmother’s home. That is the foundation of our idea,” Vanuhi told the Weekly. Most guests are schoolchildren, though tourists also come eager to experience Armenian traditions. “After every group, I feel fulfilled knowing that 20 more people discovered and loved our culture — that we planted the seeds of Armenian identity in 20 more hearts,” Vanuhi said. Some guests are so moved by the environment that they choose to hold their wedding there. “We’ve built very warm relationships with couples who held their ritual weddings at our place, and with a Russian girl who lived with us for several months,” Shogher explained. Despite Armenia’s expanding business environment, small enterprises face persistent challenges. Shogher said tax administration is one of the biggest obstacles, growing more complicated each year. Small businesses also generate small incomes, making it difficult to invest significantly — which, in turn, affects their ability to accommodate larger numbers of visitors. In June 2024, the women were forced to leave the house where their journey began. For two months, they searched for a new space that could reflect Mamik’s vision. Eventually, they found one and began renovating from scratch. “Since our activity is quite specific, finding a suitable space wasn’t easy,” Vanuhi said. “We needed a house where we could recreate the atmosphere of a traditional home, and it absolutely had to have a garden.” Shogher manages business operations, while Vanuhi, in many ways, embodies Mamik herself. Each time they host a group, she appears in traditional Armenian attire and invites guests to participate. The programs are structured so that everyone takes part; there is no passive audience. “We all perform the rituals and games together. We all become children again, sincere and spontaneous,” Vanuhi stated. “When mothers hesitate or feel shy, I ‘threaten’ them with aging early, saying, ‘Play and sing so you stay young and beautiful like a grandmother. That’s the secret of Mamik’s youth!'” The cook, who has worked with Mamik for four years, is from Nork. Another employee is a compatriot forcibly displaced from Artsakh, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than two years. The guest house has also collaborated with other local residents. In its early years, the founders built community ties through meetings, event invitations and simple hospitality. “A guest house like ours unites people around national culture, inspires love for tradition, becomes a space where people with shared values meet and proudly present our culture to foreign guests,” Shogher said. The first Mamik Guest House in Nork “Through Mamik’s popularity, Nork has also become more well-known,” Vanuhi added. “More than 20,000 guests have discovered and loved Nork through Mamik. The first house we rented was registered as a cultural monument.” She also noted that several directors have discovered Nork through the guest house: “During these five years, two films and dozens of music videos have been shot at Mamik.” Mamik is small, but its impact is outsized. It brings a vibrant warmth to Nork — a preserved oasis in Yerevan where neighbors play nardi (backgammon), drink coffee together and children play outside. In Nork, you glimpse the version of Yerevan that still feels this cozy and communal. Visit once, and you want to return again and again. To learn more about Mamik Guest House, follow its Facebook page at @mamikguesthouse. All photos are courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted.