Biophysicist Lilit from Kashatagh, Artsakh, and her husband, Mohammed Mukarmea, decided to start their life together in Dilijan one year ago.
Before the war, the couple noticed that Dilijan has a similar vibe as Artsakh, so they decided to purchase a home there and create a small guest house for tourists.
The old greenhouse in the backyard is what prompted the family to name their guest house “Jermatun.”
“The name of the guest house mostly came from the pretty greenhouse in the backyard, but it also came from the idea of creating a warm atmosphere for guests here. Our goal is to create an area where people can be one with nature. We came up with every detail here over the course of one year,” Lilit said.
Read also
The family atmosphere at Jermatun can be felt as soon as one enters the gates of the guest house.
As soon as guests light the fire in the fireplace, they are given berry tea and jam that are made from fruits grown in the greenhouse.
Besides the greenhouse, the family created an irrigation system that waters the plants in the garden.
“We did not choose this place by accident. Dilijan’s nature is very similar to the nature in Artsakh’s Kashatagh region. There are mountains and nature almost everywhere in Kashatagh. One year ago, when I came to Dilijan with my husband, we immediately had the desire to buy a house here, and when we saw the greenhouse in the backyard here, we immediately felt as though we were home,” Lilit shared.
Although Mohammed is not ethnically Armenian, he moved to Armenia four years ago due to his work. During that time, he learned Armenian, and he told us about the plans he has in Dilijan in Armenian.
“As soon as we visited Dilijan, we immediately understood that this is where we want to live, where we want to have a home, and where we want to live comfortably. It took a lot of work over the past year to have the house we imagined, but this is only the beginning. We have many plans that we want to implement in Dilijan.”
Lilit showed us the winter greenhouse and said that this was the first time they tried to grow berries, and the results did not disappoint them. “We were able to gather 30 kilograms of raspberries from the greenhouse, which we used to make jam and wine for ourselves and our guests.”
Lilit assured that they have more plans for the spring, and besides the guest house, they are planning on providing their guests with a more active stay.
Lilit said that she does not have the right to be depressed over the loss of her native home, and she brought seeds from important plants with her to Dilijan from Artsakh. “I carefully keep the seeds in the greenhouse so that they can come alive in the spring, which will allow us to have plants from our home in Artsakh here.”
Satenik Hovsepyan
