The Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia has authorised the Royal Mint to strike a limited number of commemorative silver Proof coins for 1994. Armenia occupies the north-eastern part of the Armenian Highlands, at the centre of which lies the Ararat Valley, considered since ancient times to be the economical, political and cultural cradle of Armenia. Largely a rocky and mountainous country, Armenia according to legend was the last to come when God was distributing land, thus the saying "Armenians produce bread from stones". However, Armenia boasts a wealth of flora, with a rich and plentiful variety of appetising fruits, perhaps the most widely popular being the apricot. Cultivated in Armenia since ancient times, the Armenian apricot was taken to Greece by Alexander the Great and is now a favourite throughout Europe. The branch and fruit of the apricot are portrayed on the reverse of this splendid silver coin, with the name of the fruit in Armenian and English appearing in the centre and in Latin bordering the rim. Both obverse and reverse designs are by Hirachia Aslanian, a well known local artist.