Dsegh

Dsegh sits on a plateau above the Debed gorge and is where Hovhannes Tumanyan was born in 1869, the writer whose poems and folk tales most Armenians can quote. His house is a museum with family belongings and manuscripts, and the village keeps several medieval churches and a group of khachkars nearby. Paths run out from the village to viewpoints over the gorge, which is what makes it more than a literary stop.

What you actually see

• The Tumanyan house museum - the poet's birthplace with family possessions and manuscripts.
• The medieval churches - several small stone churches in and around the village.
• The khachkars - carved cross-stones in the churchyards.
• The gorge viewpoints - paths out to the rim above the Debed.

When to go

May to October is the season. Autumn colour in the Debed gorge is exceptional. The museum closes on some weekdays and in the low season.

Honest expectations

The museum means most to visitors who know the poems; without that it is a modest village house. Roads up from the Debed valley are steep and narrow. Facilities are limited to a guesthouse or two.

Nearby

Alaverdi is below in the gorge, and the Debed canyon monasteries are along the valley.