The largest and highest lake in the Transcaucasus, Sevan holds a special place in the heart of the land-locked Armenian nation. With its cool azure waters and fresh mountain air, it a popular place to which Armenians escape in the summer when the heat of Yerevan becomes oppressive. It is a popular holiday resort with numerous beaches, hotels, restaurants and sports facilities dotted around the lake. Lake Sevan is famous for its 'ishkan' trout and other freshwater fish.
In recent times Lake Sevan has shrunk due to the tapping of the Razdan river, used for hydroelectricity and irrigation.
Sevan monastery built in 874 on a small peninsula overlooking the lake, is a wonderful example of Armenian architecture and is especially picturesque. In the spring the mountainsides are covered in a carpet of wild flowers.