Day 1: Continued….

So, slightly less jiggered than i was last night, but by no means back to whatever passes for normal with me…… mainly because i spent too long working on this blog last night when i ought to have been sleeping!!!

Finishing off yesterday, the last pic you saw was of the the rather wonderful Arno Babajanyan Concert Hall in Yerevan which we saw walking from our hotel down to the History Museum of Armenia on Republic Square in Yerevan. The museum was credible but not overwhelming, i enjoyed it but it did not lend itself to photography, so no pics of the exhibits.

What i do have for you is this video of Republic Square which i thought was very grand and well worth a visit for its own sake:

The most interesting exhibits in the museum, i thought, were the dozens of maps of Armenia dating from about the 12th century which demonstrating both the evolution of cartography and the ebb and flow of the fortunes of the country as bits were chopped off by predators and regained and various world powers in the area incorporated it into their empires, but then lost it to other superpowers. You really do have to admire their tenacity and determination in maintaining their identity and dignity as a nation state despite the depredations and genocide committed against them over the years.

Which brings me to the sombre topic of our visit to Museum of the Armenian Genocide….

Wow! I am afraid what we saw does not lend itself to a summary, the country has suffered waves of genocide to the last couple of centuries, mainly at the hands of the Ottoman Empire and the Turks. If you have been vaugely interested in the topic you will know that the Turks have always denied genocide against the Armenians, although many other countries have recognised what happened as being a genocide.

The Museum is full of very graphic images of what took place but – inevitably i suppose, given the scale of the atrocities – does not lend itself to being view as an objective analysis. Margie and i visited Auschwitz in February 2020 and that of course documents an even more extreme example of man’s inhumanity to man. But somehow it does so with a lighter touch but still manages to shock and convey the inhuman nature of what took place.

I am afraid my stomach was not strong enough for the Museum of the Armenian Genocide: but it is certainly an experience i will never forget.

As well as the Museum the site also houses the Armenian Genocide Memorial: that was a complete contrast. Beautifully laid out with an avenue of hundreds of fir trees contributed by Heads of State and others from all around the world it then leads on to a formal memorial with two elements: the central memorial structures consist of a circular area that shelters the eternal flame commemorating all the victims of the Genocide; it stands as the Memorial Sanctuary. The eternal flame is housed under 12 tall, inward-leaning basalt slabs forming a circle. The shape of these walls simulates traditional Armenian khatchkars [a carved, memorial stele usually bearing a cross]. The level of the floor of the Genocide Monument is set at one and a half meters lower than the walkway, forcing you to lower your head as you enter. Separately, the second element is an arrow-shaped stele of granite, 44 meters high, reaches to the sky, intending to symbolize the survival and spiritual rebirth of the Armenian people. Partly split vertically by a deep crevice, this tower aims to symbolize the tragic and violent dispersion of the Armenian people, and at the same time, express the unity of the Armenian people.

I found the whole set up of the memorial profoundly moving: here are a couple of pics for you: