Continuing The Scientific Tradition - July 2001 by Armenian International Magazine

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Departments

Gover Story

I I

20 Science in Armenia Despite Economic 0bstacles, Armenia Moves Forward in Various Scientilic Spheres

From the Editor Letters

12 AIM View Notebook Ouote Unquote I Where Are They Now? Did You Know?

14 15 16 17

Postscript Birthdays & Anniversailes I Bytes on File

Focus

18 Telling the Story

of Another

Armenians on US Public Television, Again

Connections The lmpossible Dream

Cilician Sea-Faring Tradition is Revived

Arts 64 The Elibekians: A Dynasty Books

66 Three Apples Fell lrom a Tree 70 Amenia: A Historical Atlas 72 0n the Shell Reading, Viewing and Listening Suggestions

Destlnallons I Pull-0ut Section 29 Armenian Venice Check out the Armenian Pavilion atthe Venice Biennale and lind outaboutthe Armenian presence in Venice and the lsland of San Lazaro. Travel north from Armenia to Georgia. Find out about hotels and restaurants in

74 Other People's Mail 75 How I Got This Shot 76 Underexposed

Yerevan, and read a first-timers impressions ol Yerevan. Also see where you should be this fall

Essay

John's Tips for Travellers

Connections Growing Up in the Mountains

Yezidi Kurds Live the Free Lile

Cover design by Patrick Azadian photo by Mkhitat Khachatrian

Armenian International Magazine Volume 12, lssue Six

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What Goes Around Comes Around

EditoFPublisher

Salpi Haroulinian Ghazallan Senior Edilor

John Huohos Arl Direclor

Glendale California is so far away from the real world. At least AIM's world. There is

Patlicl Amdian,

U muctr more to cover in the Middie East, in Europe, in Canada and Australia, than we manage to with our limited resources. And, quite honestly, sometimes we intentionally keep a distance from our communities in order to give us the ability to be clear-headed and objective about our very small world. It's tough to live up to 'clear-headed and objective' in all cases, let alone in our situation, where anyone can pick up the phone and call our mothers, spouses or friends to complain about what we've done, or worse, try to pressure to have us do something else. Oh well... the benefits of a small community. But, the truth is, the stories of the last few months - container living, vaccine development, life in border villages, and here in this issue, scientists searching for ways to do science - have led us to human beings who have opened their precious worlds to us, and you. It's what makes the AIM experience so rewarding.

PADA

Assistant Editor

Hrair Safiis Sa*issian Editor al Large

Parlk llazarian Associate Editors

A. H. Alorandrian, Yerevan Tony Halpin, l-ondon Conlribuling Edilo6

[[allhow Karanian, R0nald Crig0r Suny, Taline Voskerilchian Contributing Witers

Chrislophsr Atamian, Paul Chad0riian, Folix Corley, Krislen Kidd

Associate Publisher

Tsni Melidonian Subscriptions Manager

The scientists who were interviewed for this cover story - in Armenia, in Germany, in Northern California, in New York, in Southern California, in Mrginia, in Massachusetts were all more than eager to shun the attention and point to the other players on their team. They, the scientists and their patrons, are clearly passionate about what they do, and committed to making the rest of the world understand.

Ssla l(hodanian Advertising Manager

Fimi ilekhitarian Marketing Manager

Anahid Der vailanian Administralive Assistanl

Ester l(eshishyan lntern

Ghrislina Shhinyan Accounling Services

B6dig Araradian, CPA Legal Services

Shahsn Hairapslian, Allolnoy al LaH Yerovan EurEau 67 Koghbalsi Street, No.

Phone 533699 E-mail aimarm@arminco.com Cooldinator

Anahit ilaiirossian Editorial Assislant

Sona Daniolian Assistants

ilarine Arushanian, Anna Gsvortian Advertising Manager

Gohar Sahalian Ysnvan; Susan Patlo, London; Edil Belalan, Los An00lss; Janet Samurlian, Prlm SpilnF; lrail( ilall$lan, Rhod! lslard; Gloroe 8ounoillan, Lole xoundaklian, llru Y0*; ilyriam GaumE, Parir; 0l!go f€nmamuldan, Uruoual; ltlooEd Moondlan, Wasilngton, DC C0ntribulorsr Arlashss Emin,

ilkiilal l(hachatrian, zewr lGachllian, Bouton Manoasarian, Amenia; AntoiM Agoudllan, Armln0h Johlnnos, Fmne; l(adns fumrn, Erlc llararian, Ara oshagan, Galil0mia; Garo Lachinian, ilalrachuscth; Hary XoundaUian, il6w YodG Bsrge Ara Zo[ian, Rhodc lsland. Pholographersr

And except for a few press releases in community newspapers, those who have been working to make ANSEF and CANDLE and CRD happen (if you're wondering what all these acronyms mean, just tum to the cover story and the stories are all there, for the layman to understand) have been doing so persistently, successfully, but very quietly. AIM is pleased to be able to amplify their efforts, and the efforts of all those whose work has such huge signfficance beyond itself. 'What goes around comes around'is so true. A strong AIM can only help strengthen the valuable goings-on in the Armenian world and allow networking so that those with the resources can link up with those who have the time and the know-how The result is nation-building. As the 10th anniversary of Armenia's independence approaches, AIM is proud to be a part of an active Diaspora.

Editor Emerilus

Charlos llazarian

lnt0malional Subscriptions and Adva]llsln0 Ropresentaliyss

tuC!il|n.

C0legio Mekhilarista, Vitrey del Pino 3511 (1426) Buenos Aires, Phone 5411 Va@i lskenderian, 1 48 Koola Ave E6t Killara NSW 2071 Phone 02.9251 2882 All.ed Mafiarian, P0 Box 370 8atris Par* NSW 21 50, Phone 029897 1 846: Vahe Kiteb P 0 8or 250, Pod Melhlm€, Viclo,ia 3207, Phone 03 971 3 1 21 3

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Wrilo to AlMl We welcome all communimti0n. AlthoL0h we read all letters and submissions, we are unable to acknowledge ev;rylhing we receive due lo hmited stalling and r€sourm. Lefles l0 the Ediror roy be edited lor publicalion.

AmGnian lnternalional Magazine Founded in 1990

Founding Editor Uadan Oslanian Founding Publisher michael llahabsl 207 South Brand Boulevard, Suite 203 Glendale, Calilornia 91204 USA Phone 818 246 7979 Fax 818 246 0088 E-mail aimagazine@aol.com

AIM JULY

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was,

'I saw this house in my dreams last night.'

A really moving moment. Almost every man in the village said he would work for free building the houses. I met the three girls yesterday in Ptghavan (Editor's Note, AIM June 2001.) Also the girl on the cover (AIM, May 2001) was there. I gave her a copy

yesterday! This is why I love my work. It means something not so much to govemments or statistical surveys, but to individuals. It means something to people with faces, families and names all ending in'ian'.

terday, knowing that the Norwegian Refugee Council's housing project in Ptghavan would be profiled. Little did I know that the work that we do would so colorfully and poignantly portray the situation there. Thank you! You took the time to travel all that way, to lis-

ten to them, and to put their plight onto paper. Not many do. Rghavan is only one of

We in the Norwegian Refugee Council want to show that we can make a difference in our own small way. Tim Staight N o rw e gian Refugee C o uncil Yerevan, Armenin Family By Family, House By House Enclosed is a $5,0fi) check for the housing project of the Norwegian Refugee Council

("Playing God with a Budget," AIM, May

away

2001). My family would like to make this donation in lieu if a wedding gift to Nadine Kharabian and Shai Cohen, who will be married on July 7th, in Toronto, Canada. Thanks for bringing the story of the

from Yerevan. They are places like Ptghavan, a stone's

"Containers" to the public conscience, and hope this donation will change a family's life

throw from the Georgian border, or Daranak squeezed between Lake Sevan and the border with Azerbaijan, or Saravan perched on the border between the provinces of Syunik and Vayots Dsor in the south. The resilience of these people in such difficult circumstances never ceases to amaze me, but what choice do they really have? They have not chosen to live as they do, it was thrust upon them. They would survive, somehow, without the help of organizations like ours and donors like your readers can be. But it would mean children living without hope for the future, and old folks dying without digrity. We were in Ptghavan yesterday to give out the certificates to those 22 families who are to get new houses (yes, it ended up at22.) There were tears all around as I announced

and perspective.

several small villages we on our staff call 'the forgotten places' and we get a special pleasure out of working there. These villages are forgotten because they are small, they have

no political power, and they are far

each name.

A really special situation. The man

with the mental problems was there. We visited him afterwards to explain the floor plan of his home-to-be. His surprised comment

Name withheld upon request

Irvine, Califumia This much appreciated gifiwill allow us to contsruct a new home for anArmenian refugee fwnily who for thepast l0yean or morehns lived in a rusty, leaky container or dilapidated pub-

lic building. I personally would like to reach one of the borderline cases. I have one particular family in mind. In the village of Debedavan along the Georgian border, a wi.dow lives in the musty, damp basdment of the old activity center with her three children. Because this family lives as poorly as it dou, with direct threat to the health of the children, I would like to reach them. cannot promise that it will be precisely this family, but it is this type of famtly that NRC would like to include with your donation. I will do my best to present the family with their housing certificate on luly 7th, so that a

AIM JULY

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Yerevan,Armenia

ofthe mag-

azine to keep. She was thrilled. And Ivan, whose wife 'stole 40 years of his [ife,' collapsed on the day we handed out the certificates, and was rushed to the hospital. We called today to check, He is doing fine. Just got a bit excited, it seems. A11 in all, it was a great day in Ptghavan

HelpingThose IVho Help I picked up the latest issue of AIM yes-

bridge between a new farnily in Canada and a family starting from scratch in Armenia can be built on that day. Tim Straight N o rw e gian Refugee C ouncil

More Chutrhes Hellq ftstly ongratulations on a very interesting magazine. I wait with great anticipation for each issue to come out. I am a 23-year-old from Sydney Australia, and I have been reading tle magazine since 1995, and I love every issue.

I would like to point out that on the map showing the number of Armeniari churches (Cover Story March 2001) you had listed only two churches in Australia. I know of at least five Armenian churches in Sydney, at least one in Melbourne, and I am not sure if there are any in the other major cities, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane. Again well done for a very worthy magazine, keep up the great work, RazmigAbdalian Sydney, Australia

More than Christians

I discovered AIM two years ago. I say 'discovered'because it felt like a discovery in a sense that never before, and not since, have I seen any Armenian publication that is so diverse, independent and interesting. I enjoy reading each issue because I flnd the views of the writers, and the topics that are covered to be unique and refreshing. I also give away oopies

to those who want to know about our nation and our people. But recent$ I have seen an overload of information on everything related to Ctristianity and the 1700th anniversary. Although your March isue, dedicated to this topic,was appro priate, I have since been sick ofreading every single thing that is 1700. It almost seems like our communities would be sitting around shooing flies if it weren't for this occasion. I also wonder what Armenia and Armenians will be doing next year. Will there be a void in our Iives because it is not the 1700th anniversary? Will we celebrate the 1701st anniversary? Will the economy in Armenia take a plunge? Will people have nothing to do and nowhere to go? I hope not. I hope you can keep things in perspective starting now, and cover the diverse issues you have always covered. I hope thepages of AIM, aswell asthe lives of Arrnenians, are not blank, once2002 comes around. Simon Sagherian

Encino,Califumia

Ihe Fourth l\4illennium Sociely is an independently tunded and administered public char;ty committed t0 the dissemination 0t inlormation 10r the purpose ol developing an informed public. Underpinning all 0ur work is the lirm convicllon that the vitality

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society in Armenia and democralic institutions in the Diaspora. The Fou(h lrlillennium Society publishes Armenian lnternati0nal Magazine in lts effort 10 conlribute t0 the national dialogue. The directors are grateful t0 the Benelactors, Trustees, Patrons and Friends of the Fourth Millennium Society who are committed t0 the well-being, growth and development of Armenians and Armenia through the promoti0n of open discussion and the kee flow of information among individuals and

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The Sky's the Limit The capabilities (and the needs) of Armenia's scientific community are immense Today, science in Armenia continues to survive - sometimes under nearly impossible conditions. However, whether it will persist and persevere into the next decade depends largely on the number and quality of new graduates who stay in Armenia to study and explore everything from galaxies to microbes. Through such investigations, science does more than provide new products. It tells us, in ways other disciplines can't, who we are and what we mean. Armenian science has understood this through the centuries and has a rich tradition of contributing to the overall understanding of the universe, the advancement of technology, and the improvement of quality of life. But science also crosses borders. It both benefits from and feeds real international collaboration, serving as a constant reminder that there are universal questions about the human condition, and the answers are universal, too. Thus, it's very feasible for Armenia's young scientists to practice their trade elsewhere. As a result, today, the best and the brightest are in fact being offered international positions and the future of Armenia's scientific tradition is threatened. Indeed, there is a brain drain. Yet, there is no sense in talking about Armenia's brain drain unless the Diaspora is prepared to take specific steps to curb this outflow The Armenian National Science and Education Fund (ANSEF) has begun to do just that (see page 26.) In its first year of operation, this aspiring 'National Science Foundation for Armenians' has bestowed small grants to 22 teams of scientists in support of their international-caliber research in subjects ranging from fiber optics to starbursts to nanostructure carbides. At least 1,000 people directly or indirectly benefit from this funding. That is, the population of Armenia has not decreased by 1,000 as a result of ANSEF's initial steps. ANSEF is also making possible the support of other distinct and unique projects such as the Cosmic Ray Division (see page 23,) of the Physics Institute. The Diaspora can do many things to help science and scientists in Armenia. It can donate funds so that the number of those whose work is encouraged, and whose residence in Armenia is guaranteed, grows. The Diaspora can also leverage its presence to receive founda-

tion or government funding to support scientific inquiry in Armenia. This last is a winning strategy that those involved in the CANDLE project have chosen to follow (see page 21.) The approach is simple. All those elected officials who want or need

Armenian dollars to get elected also want or need to do something for the Armenian community - if for no other reason than that, they are then able to come back to the community for more support. Saying 'Genocide is bad, and the Armenian Republic is good' gets old after a while. On the other hand, financing specific Armeniarelated projects, with hugely positive regional implications, is very speciflc and very effectual. So, the Diaspora community in general, and the scientific community in particular, should (and certainly can) secure additional funding to increase the number and size of grants. They can also encourage the establishment of internal peer review systems so that the sparse government funds, which are available, go to viable and timely projects, which are supervised by scientists who have international recognition and who produce internationally competitive results. Armenia is not the US, where huge military and security considerations drive scientiflc research and development. In the best of times, Armenian science will need international funding, and that requires procedures and standards for selection of projects and monitoring of scientific output. ANSEF is well on the way to doing the above: collecting funds and setting up application, selection and reporting procedures. But for this process, and for the funds themselves to have a significant impact on Armenia's scientific community, more money is needed. More needs to be collected, and more dispersed.

Armenia, as a part of the Soviet empire, benefited from the empire's aspirations. Research centers were set up that could not be duplicated today. Yet the infrastructure for those institutions needs improvement and upgrading. Those world class scientists who were prevented from attending international conferences because of Soviet politics and paranoia, are now prevented because of limited finances.

The good news is that, according to Armenia's Minister of Education, there are twice as many students applying to departments of science (particularly mathematics, computer sciences and physics) this year, than last. The other good news is that they will need places to work - to support themselves and their families, and also to keep Armenia on the map as a place that nurtures inquiring minds. The rest of the good news is that for a Diaspora looking for new ways to interact with a new homeland, here is a marvelous chalr lenge. And the stars are the limit.

tunities for your product and company. AIM 207 Soulh Brand Boulevard, Suite 203 Glendale, California 91204 USA. 1.888.SEll0.AlM

AIM JULY

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1.81 8.246.0088

Fax. AlMagazine@aol.com

Apples Still Fall from Heaven Enormous opportunities to keep telling the stories that matter Tuiks continue to parse words and look for ways not to call a Genocide, genocide. At the same time, Armenian-American writers are popping up like mushrooms on the publishing scene with eloquent, poetic dramatizations of - what else - Genocide. It was an enormously weighty and consequential event in the life of both nations, and the grandchildren of the survivors are now the eloquent storytellers. The newest raconteur is Micheline Aharonian Marcom, whose flrst book, Three Apples Fell From Heaven (see page 66) has been firmly and warmly received by the literary community. Now, the challenge is in the reader's court. In the last decade, there were less than a half dozen accounts of Genocide memories published by major publishing houses in the US: one by Carol Edgarian, another by Nancy Kricorian. Plus Peter Balakian's memoirs. In the first half of 2001 alone, there are already two novels on major bookstore shelves. Two good novels. But the publishing industry has become ever so competitive. Publishers

don't often take chances on new writers or exotic, out-of-the-way topics. Unless of course the writing is good. Really really good.

That's the wonderful thing about a free press. You can't buy your way into a publishing house. A work either excels or it doesn't. It either is compelling and universal, or it's not. No one had to pay a penny to get two reputable publishers - Putnam and DK Publishing - to shout the Genocide from the rooftops this year. But there is a time to pay the piper. Those books have to sell, and in large numbers, for publishers to realize that investing in such exotic, sometimes controversial topics - such as the Armenian Genocide of 1915 - is not a losing proposition. Adam Bagdasarian's Forgotten Firehas garnered 13 awards and has already sold about 10,000 copies. This is more than respectable. Marcom's book, too, is selling well and the Armenian Genocide is on its way to becoming an accessible, universal, relevant topic. Such a huge gain for such a small price. If Armenians are serious about Genocide recognition, they will promote these books, purchase every copy printed, and clear the path for other grandchildren waiting to tell their grandparents' stories. The world is obviously ready to listen. The storytellers are needed. And three apples are waiting to fall from heaven: one for the storyteller, one for the one who asked for the story and one for the listener. r

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NOTEBOOK

Il I don't think I deserve to be called legendary. But I wish that... you had not singled me out for my politics. Since you did, you made some mistakes. I never supported the lRA. I always advocated a number of the political aims ol the lrish and campaigned lor their human righh, which include political righh. Likewise, I did and do advocate these righh lor the Palestinians, the Armenians, Kurds and all other persecuted peoples, including the Jewish f*gpl3d;l*

in a letter to the Edltor

tlTurtey's continuing relusal to open its border with Armenia could be successlully challenged by Yerevan alter it secures membership in the World Trade 0rganization. WTO rules prohibit member states lrom imposing economic blockades on each other and require them to guarantee lree transit ol cargoes through their territory.

-Peter Narey senior consultant at VWO

IlThe main question today is not whether lslam can adapt to democracy but whether Turkish democracy can manage to accommodate the modern world's wealth ol beliels and ideologies - including political ,t,rTj,rJr,r,

Vanity Fair, May 2001

just one, one who along with his wile and brcther had pleaded lor Dr. Kevortian to help him escape the unceasing pain he'd endured lor so long. Today, the pathologist known as Dr. Death sih in a six-by-ten-foot cell in a Michigan prison serving the 10 to 25 year senlence levied on him. Why do I raise all ol this again now? Because ol the apparent irony: McUeigh and Youk, both ol them wanting to die, and by the same means. But Thomas Youk's killer did what he did out of compassion, unlike McUeigh who killed out of bitterness. Meanwhile, Timothy McUeigh has been allowed to make statemenh to repoilers since his conviction. Jack Kevofiian has been silenced since his. r, Wallace 60 Minutes, in a letter to the New York Beview of Books, July 5, 2001

Turkish lslamist, in The Economist

llWhen Timothy McUeigh is put to dealh, as he has asked, his demise will come through a needle inseiled into his body - a needle that will carry the same thrce chemicals

(l Since the Gold War ended, the Western public grants

that Dr. Jack Kevoilrian injected into Thomas Youk, as he too had asked more than two years ago. Painless death, sanitized. Death administered by the state l0r one, mercy death for the other. McUeigh killed 168 people, Kevorkian

real assistance to Russia come to a grand total ol about $5 billion (equivalent to the total US loreign aid to lsrael and Egypt in a single year), most of which has been spent on Western consultants.l!

,,,r##,:iff'l$1

TheAntist If Karabakh has a single symbol, it's the statue I atthe edge ofStepanikeri ofthe village gandI mother-grandfather, papik and tatik, looming large and as strong as theirmountains. The statue is famous, but its sculptor relatively unknown. Sarkis Baghdasarian, a Karabakh-bom artist, had to get permision from the Azerbaijani govemment to embark on the project and, indeed,

received an official commission to create the piece. The official opening was in autumn 1!)67, in Khruschev's days, when hope of seH-determination for Karabakhwas limited to a few offrcial letters sent from Stepanakert to Moscow Baghdasarian died last month, at the age of 77, in Yerevan. Among his other works are the statues of Avetik Isahakian, the witer, and David

Beg,the AIM JULY

2OO1

LSthcenturyhero.

SPEG!A1 IIIYITATION

www.Armon lo Dlorporo..om I nvlter y ot to yruutt yo ut,4r nznh, -bared, on,thi* rite,. Sulruit 5oo word,r t*at dzrcriboyout orja.uizttitru (or7roje*) i* ,,4 r nzaia,. 9 t*z.,soyro dtro d*aik abo ut ytrTo te, n, an/, b u$ fo! ril4/, */*fu e*. .Aho yonTo couta* infornafbru in, ordtt to a,lloot uterertel, infuitfual,r b li,n/c uy witlvyow ail,yo* fojut Th*, unrll,r tu,llnitt www. tbna^L

ArmenIoDIorpot

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farih*atu a*bo hibifua^L

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uatbru. Oato bare dr,uilnfut, arorfury ruowco idl/4tifuatitt1,,

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tlris sito. Joitr,tltoyoce,ss. ?taruyoou

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"*rmznb"-Oiz,ryora

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comrnsitwA ta,sk wunzlaa<utt,

of tfuso an/, m.oro wt//,ta*pFlare on,

sa7.

www.ArmentcDlorporo.ccrn ha.s humar, htttory, oFtnbA d)tcu,rsbn, lroof, tultyt businzrs an^d, comn*tciz.L tnformatwru about ,,4rwztth,, yoy*ti,ow fgouu for Chulc

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ArmeniaDiaspora

NOTEBOOK

Ihe We$t Gomlnelnonatg$ bum the firlt n.don l,n the .dopt Chrlstlanlty u ttt tbtc $ltdon ln 301 AD. Thc Amml,an Church, atrblhhcd tn th. fist c!trluty by dldpler of Jcru CMrt, h{ a.rv.d Itr p.opl. Ior dm@t tso mllhmlumr.

Armotr

rcrld

Th! io

firt

lnown Affiâ&#x201A;Źnlrn Imtgrrnt

C.n.d.

UArmantc

r at{ k prmla pay, du m6dc I cmbnrs

cMrtlsnl.mr (om. rGtldon d'6ht, m 301 apr J.-C. ttrblic ru coun du prouda rtM! pr 16 dbdpl$ dc Jatu., l'tdlc rrmantdnc mre @n ninbttn drpuia Prit dc ddx mlllandlB. L. prcntE tnmlgnnt rmanian ,'6t ahbll I Fort Hqpc, cn Onhrlo, cn 1887, D'rutu rcnt .n.ult vmur. pout lr PluPrrt !t d.. atudLntt

ln l08Z follor thcm

Im.[

flahg lltrlk

D.! ol latu. Ciradt Po,,

lott d',ilitalon Po.lt. Ctnalla

A acond uvc, thb llma mrirly wor ln th. flnt f.w d.sd$ of thG 1900t I unctloncd mrucr, Thb 8r6p lncl Boyr, rboul 1$ orphmt whom th? A of CrMd! bought to llvr on r llm t Thc

,lmcnhn ffinunlty hs

t oM

lnd bullt ttr llnt chur.h tn St, C.th& (St. GtaSory tha l[utrtlnaio! AtmrnL. CrnrdLn Amml$t now nsmbq ov thoughoui ih. mlrot dd6 of Crmdl ou cultunl trp.rtsy, thcy hrvc cxc.ll th. rrtr, tndld@l prcfrslom md s

eb/C.r..r..r0.1ft e.h. he l.ffi tu X.d tffi dk &/fl i-, k adh l@ N tu 6 Mr.t a W M t M a6 lq*h : k ,,*ts,4. hbtw*nhr{d.frtuNrfiM/ mfr i/^ffilrilthrl /l lo.rd/i 16 'fu.diffi

19t 200 cou8volsrEi }aor he 1700th anniversary of Armenia's acceptance of Christianity is an important date, not just for Armenia and Armenians. After all, much of Westem civilization traces its values and civilization to the Judaeo-Christian tradition of official Christendom. Rome officially acrepted Christianity as a state religion years after Armenia. The Vatican, which carries the legacy of the Holy Roman Empire, was the fint country to issue 1700th annivenary starnps (above) on March

22,2N1, using manuscript illuminations to adorn a series of three stamps at values of.12N,1500 and 2000 Liras. The second country to do so was Canada (top), on May 16,2001, through the urgings and persistence of Member of Parliament Sarkis

Assadourian. The 47-cent stamp was designed by Debbie Adams, using two elements: a khachkar and an illuminated St.

AIM JULY

Gregory.

2OO1

,r, r .-

NOTEBOOK

Melkonian $tate

he AGBU Melkonian Educational Institute, one of the oldest continuously-functioning institutions in the Diaspora, is 75 years old this year (see AIM May-June 1996). In April of this year, under the high patronage of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, the school celebrated its diamond jubilee with much deserved pomp and circumstance. The four-day festivities were attended by officials from the governments of Cyprus and Armenia, as well as members of the Melkonian family and alumni from around the world. To mark the occasion, the government of Cyprus named a nearby street "Melkonian." It also pledged approximately 100,000 Cyprus Pounds (around $150,000) to the school to create a hightech classroom and upgrade the school's sports facilities. Melkonian was established as an orphanage in lD6 by brothers Krikor and Garabed Melkonian "to avenge" the suffering of their people. The school was later entrusted to the Armenian General Benevolent Union, which gradually transformed it into one of the most reputable educational establishments in the Diaspora. During the following decades, Melkonian alumni spread throughout the Armenian communities, often serving as teachers, editors and com-

munity leaders. Today, the school has a student body of 250, from over 20 countries. A modern dormitory was built a few years ago to accommodate more than 300 students. The school has launched a massive campaign to attract deserving students from around the world, to mold them into "Melkoniantsis," a title its alumni carry with pride. As the motto

of the school newspaper boldly proclaims, "Being a Melkoniantsi

lived."

cannot be explained, it can only be lived."

-Asbed Pogharian

AIM JULY

2OO1

Focus ol

fie Montr

IelllnU the $tony ol Anothen Armenians on US Public Television, Again BY HRAIR SARKIS SARKISSIAN

jhs Amtenians, A Story of Sumival, has been purchased ! and scheduled for broadcast by public television stations a across the US. IS predecesor, the how-longArmmian Ameicans, hit the US public television circuit last year with great success. Produced by independent producer Andrew Goldberg of Two Cats Productions, and ftrlly funded by the Manoogian Simone Foundation, Armenian Americans told the story of this 1O0-year-old community through interviews with more than 25 celebrities including Mike C,onnors,

Andre Agassi, Alex Yemenidjian, Andrea Martin

and

Vartan Gregorian. Public television was happy. and often used the documentary as part of its fundraising drives, viewers reacted positively and Armenians were thrilled with the exposure. Most of them. Some in the community had their own lists of who should have appeared, others criticized the film because it was produced by a non-Armenian. None of which affected Goldberg, 33, who pitched his idea for another documentary that would tell the larger story of Armenian survival, to the same audience: public television viewers. The Manoogian Simone Foundation

funded this production as well. Louise Manoogian Simone, president of the AGBU, has frequently said that Armenians ought to promote Armenian issues and the Armenian heritage with the masses, and not continue to talk to each other, as has so long been the case. The Armeniaru allots ftrlly one-third of its time to develop ing Armenian history from pre-Urartian days through the early 20th century, with use of still photos, some rarely-seen Armenian and non-Armenian manuscripts, and commentary and analysis by well-known historians. "This is not a commercial for Armenians," says Goldberg. "This is not to convince people to go to Armenia, or to settle the dispute over the Genocide," he adds. Rather, Goldberg saw the history of the Armenian people as a fascinating one that could be told to a market that is interested in and has a need for such programming. And the broadcasters agreed. Also, public television stations across the countrypicked up the film because, in accordance with their regulations, the film was not funded by a group (which would have an agenda to pursue) and was neither directed nor seen by the sponsor. Indeed, Simone did not see the film until after it was sold to the fint station.

Nanated by actress Olympia Dukakis, who donated her time because she felt itimportant to tell thisstory the film covers Armenia's acceptance of Christianity, the Genocide, Soviet Photos, left: Cover of the videolape, The hnenians: A Slory ot Suruival. Opposite page, top: Actrcss 0lympia Duka[is recording

the nanation of the lilm. Bottom: 0n location, interviewing writer Philllp Marcden. Photos by Andrew Goldberg. 18

AIM JULY

2OO1

tocus ol

fie

Monilt

"We had been doing a great deal of fiavel-

Armenia, the Diaspora and today's Armenia and Armenians.

ing for this film. Asociate Producer Shant

There were 65 venions of the script, and the project took a year to complete. And as a result of the deals sigred this month, The Armenians will be aired in many major US markets beginning in early August. Thinking this film will be ideal for the History Channel, Goldberg tried to approach them. "They said no thank you, and the pitch was shut down before it ever developed," he says.

Petrossian went to Detroit, I went to Boston. Shant, Zack kvy, our chief cameraman and I went to I-ondon and Newcasfle, Shant, Jacob

Craycroft, the main editor, and

touristy,

Atmenians, Iirks and Azerbaijanis "The Armenian community was wonderfttl in terms of helping. Every person we asked, helped," says Goldberg. "They were so willing to donate theirtime and money and goods and services," he adds. But when telling a 3,0fi)year-old story in 60 minutes, more ends up left

out, than included. "One lady told me that I should not include any scenes of how poor Armenians are in Yerevanbecause itwill deter people from visiting Armenia," says Goldberg. The Turks and Azerbaijanis had their own agenda. "They got in our way every chance they had. Azerbaijan did not want me to come into

their country thinking I would them," he adds. Halfuay thtough the film, Goldberg explains that he tried to talk to Tirkish govemment officials about the Genocide, but theyrefused to come on camera unles they had nine minutes of unintemrpted, unedited time. "The whole film is only 60 minutes. I muld not give them that much time," he sap. Goldberg didnt call the Turkish govemment "to get their side of the story on the Genocide. I called the Tilrkish Embassy to ask them why they are so committed to provingthat the Genocide did not happen." But he got no results.

"There is simply no room for denial or revisionism in this film. It is important to tell the history but it cannot be told for the Armeniars,

went to

Armenia. But one of the most interesting was my trip to Turkey with Armen Aroyan, who has led many groups through the country. Acmmpanying us was a blonde, female cameraman, just so we would appear more

" Goldberg explains.

But they arrived in Eastern Anatolia a few

montls after New York Tima writer

Steven

Kinzer had been there, to a Kurdish village near Lake Goljuk, where, just as

for the Turks, for the Azerbaijanis. It has to be told objectively. I am a fihnmaker, a documentarian and a historian. I didnt make this film with an eye to make any particular group happy," Goldberg explains. "Armenian history is very politicized, and I didn't want this to be a forum for that," says

Goldberg. "It was important in presenting history through people whose political agendas did not cloud their telling of history." "If I had only talked to Armenian historians, it would have appeared biased. I tried very hard to be as objective as I could, and chose people to help me walk in the middle of the road," he adds. Among those chosen are Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Elie Wiesel, as well as other

prominent non-Armenian historians. The Armenian names include professon Ronald Nina Garsoian and George Boumoutian, writer and poet Peter Balakian, and AIM Editor Satpi Haroutinian Ghazarian. Balakian, a$hor of Black Dog of Fate, e!s, "Goldbergwas meticulous in pursuing the documents and the people he felt he needed to

Suny,

make a good fiIm." In the proces, he came across some angry Turkish soldien.

lrslie

Davis

had said in S/aughterhouse Provirce, the Kurds had told l(inzer, "Yes, this is one of the villages

where Armenians were killed years ago, and people were told to keep quiet about it." Goldberg, his Kurdish driver, and Aroyan decided to go find those same people with whom Kinzer had spoken. After all, they had experienced incredible hospitality at other Kurdish villages. "But at this village which was the only Kwdish village on the lake, we were immediately told to get out. The leaden kept saying just get out, and wouldn't tell us why." "We left, went towards the lake, and were immediately surrounded by six Turkish sol-

diers, each one with a machine gun bigger than the other's. They accused us oftaking pictures of the village. We explained thatwe hadn't. They didnt believe us. They made us follow them to their base, where the commander apologized and told us that another American journalist had gone to that village and written lies, and he didn't want that experience repeat-

I kept telling him I'm a tourist "When we returned I told Kinzer the story and he said he had hoped that no one in that village suffered as a result of the conversation they'd had with him, but that he wasn't @rtain," Goldberg concludes the story. Goldberg hopes it is these intricacies that audienoes will begin to mntemplate as theyleam about the mmplex storyof Armeniansurvival.

ed. Of coune,

Public television hopes to gain a new audience by attracting Armenian-Americans. AndArmenians hope to be better under-

stood.

$H0IU DlrE$ ilm ilME$ 2001 (As of publication date) KCET - August 3 at 9pm

KVPT Fresno - August 5 atTpm and 10pm KOCE Los Angeles - August 7, 19 at SPm WTVS Detroit - August 5 at 7pm

WGBH Boston - August 11 at 6pm WMHT Albany - August t6 at 7:30pm AIM JULY

2OO1

,i-

*.".:

Meaningful

Research and

I -i

{ i __,"t 1". t,

BY SALPI HABOUTINIAN GHAZARIAN

* i

cience is one of Armenia's most promising

D l,tff

;'..h'\\

"h.

Experimentation In Armenia Today

tl* ,q

& g +

ilff1x?'J.;ff tT,:,"3lll'n'n'''

University) boasts Armenias top four off icials among its graduates. lt also claims thousands *

"a'-\i{

of top-notch scientists who continue to work in their chosen f ields today even when scientif ic discovery does not appear to be top on most peoples list of priority activities for Armenia Yerevan State

iversity s science departments,

too continue to produce graduate students

the natural and physical sciences, many of whom are snapped up by foreign institutions for short (and sometimes not-so-short) stays

Armenias scientif ic tradition has been

strong Anania Shirakatsi seventh century mathematician and screntist discovered causal relations among the movement of heavenly bodies their distance from the earth, and events on earth. Shirakatsis mathematics textbook covering arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy is among the oldest in the world His

research affected the development of science in

all of Byzantium, and was in turn inf luenced by those developments lVlkhitar Heratsi, the 12th century philosopher-physician was the founder of classical Armenian medicine. The medieval scientific tradition continued to the Sovietdays when a disproportionate number of Armenian scientists headed the Soviet

Unions top facilities. Armenias chemists, physicians, engineers and physicists scored successes for the USSR and for Armenia Astronomers Viktor

Hambaftsumian and Benik Markarian discovered heavenly bodies which today bear their names However haltingly however hesitantly, however surprisingly that tradition continues today Even with unstable infrastructures and inconsistent

funding sources, there are success stories Anania Shirakatsi's basalt statue (by sculplor G. Badalian) stands in tront ol the Malenadaran,

Armenia's deposilory of manuscripts, logether with those ol lhe creator ol the Armenian alphabet, Mesrop Mashtols, and Gregory ol Narek, the medieval mystic poet. Photo by Mkhitar Khachatrian.

Goum Stony

EAilffi Bnings M0ne fian liUhl tr:#r?iffi:u,.?i[1'B;i:I** the debate rages over whether pure Fscience even meritsi place on Armenia\ L.orr"n, Iist of priorities. astronomers and mathematicians continue their research, and as a result, information technology, chemistry and astronomy continue to record a growth. And, it is in the flelds of accelerator physics, applied physics and cosmic ray research that

Fven

Armenian scientists are looking

make

their place in the world. Anahid Yeremian, 47, ts a physicist at Stanford University. Vasilii TMganov,40, bom in Kirovabad, Azerbaijan, is an Armenian physicist at the Yerevan Physics Institute' Professor Alex Abashian has retired from teaching physics at the Mrginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. These three physicists are part of a team led by Jirair Hovnanian, bent on developing, financing and constructing a Crnter for the Advancement of Natural Discoveries using Light Emission, in

for the non-profit organization is CANDLE (www.candle.am). And they are convinced that CANDLE will provide more than light to Armenia. The story which is as much about political power as it is about scientific potential, began in 1999 when Hovnanian, one of the New Jersey clan of construction magnates, went to church one Sunday. Also attending church that Sunday was Yeremian, whose family lives in Philadelphia, not too far from Hovnanian's Mt. t aurel, New Jersey home. Yeremian had just retumed from Amrenia viaFrance.In Paris, she had detvered 50 copies of a proposal asking that UNESCO consider Armenia as the site for a project called SESAME: Synchrotron light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East.

Armenia. The acronym

Germany had a used slmchrotron it wanted to give away. I-INESCO wanted the synchrotron to go to a Middle Eastem country so that scientists in the region would have cause to cooperate and collaborate, and thus add some tentative steps toward Middle East peace. Armenia is in the Middle East, and it has the scientific capacity to maintain and utilize the synchrotron, and so it responded to the Request for Proposals.

"Armenia was the only country with a real proposal for a $50 million project; other

countries just had pieces of paper," Yeremian remembers. However, she quickly realized that Jordan

really wanted this machine and UNESCO really wanted to give it to them. She had been working with Armenian physicists long

to know that they excelled in

the technical expertise necessary to maintain and utilize such an instrument. But her challenge was to muster political clout to convince

enough

LINESCO. So, on Sunday, afterchurch, with a hard mpy of the propoeal in hand - "I alwaln carried one around with me" - she approached Hovnanian.

"someone had said to her Hovnanian is

politically connected, so talk

him,"

Hovnanian himself recalls. "He read it and asked that I make up two charts, comparing what Armenia brings to the table, and what others bring. So, very objectively, good or bad, I put it all in," Yeremian explains.

"I figured all I had to do is write

letter to

a couple of congressmen," Hovnanian says. "But when I read all the correspondence back and forth, I saw that the decision had

site, Hovnanian had gone

to Senator Mitch

McConnell and asked that $15 million of the US appropriations for Armenia be earmarked for

the SESAME Project or an equivalent That was the clincher.

"In my mind," Hovnanian says, "I f,gured if SESAME doesn't work, we'll still be able to fall back on these funds to develop a similar project in Armenia." Wth that mnfidence, following a SESAME meeting in Armenia in November 20([, the decision was made that Armenia would back away from the campaigr to secure SESAME. "I volunteered that since Arab countries were very hospitable to our parents and grandparents during this last century, we would demonstrate our gratitude by agreeing that the German machine would goto Jordan,withthe understanding that we will build a bigger machine in Armenia," Hovnanian concludes. In an interesting trrist, also present at the SESAME meeting in Armenia was Califomia businessman Roger Strauch, whose father had taught at the Yerevan Physics Institute decades ago. The Armenian govemment was

immdiately

*We went to President Kochatiarl

already been made, in favor of Jordan. "Still, I asked my representative, Congessman Frank Pallone to write a letter to the State Department, and the UN Secretary General, asking them to consider the facts

supportive.

before making a decision. We got back

andTMganov, the projectb technical director. Hovnanian's contingency planning made all the ffierence. Today, the US govemment has allocated $500,000 to allow for the fint step. Abashian explains, "First, there must be a

stock answer: Since the US is not a member of UNESCO, we cant do anything, it said. Pretty soon, it became obvious that there were several problems. Getting the machine would eat up a lot of political capital, and the Armenian scientists had found out that the German machine that was being given away

was a first generation synchrotron, while Armenia's scientists believed that to be competitive, they would need a third generation machine," Hovnanian explains.

And the conclusion? "Well,"

saYS

o'I said, OK, we would Hovnanian grinning, generation synchrotron." build our own third

Hovnanianwas able to sayyes tosuch ahuge

proposition - the whole project will take five years and $50 million - because even while Hovnanian and Yeremian were pushing for UNESCO to choose Armenia as the SESAME AIM JULY

2OO1

asked for his blessing and asked for land on whictr

to build this fucility. He immediate$ agreed to give us six to eight hectares," sap Hovnaniarl who was accompanied by Yeremian, Abashian

- basically a very detailed blueprint, that will go to the US Department of Energy, which will ask for a

conceptual design report

technical review by experts to see that indeed everything has been thought about, costed out and on firm footing." Then, the funds will be released for construction. And that's when the real scientific collaboration will begin. There are only 45 such facilities around the world, and not all are the newest generation. There are none within 2,000 km. (1300 miles)

closest is in Germany. theworldwho want to from all over Scientists use a synchrotron light source research labo-

of Armenia. The

Gouen Stor.y

ratory must wait for available time. What is CAIIDLE? CANDLE will be a 3 GeV (Giga electron Volt) synchrotron light source research laboratory in Yerevan where scientists from the international community can come to conduct valuable investigations in the fields of protein crystallography, biochemistry medicine, environmental science, physics, chemistry and a variety of other fields. The centerpiece of the laboratory is the synchrotron machine, which consists of an electron accelerator, storage ring and light beam lines. The electrons are accelerated from essentially rest mass up to almost the speed of light using the linear accelerator and the booster ring. Then they are injected into the storage ring where, as the electrons go round and round, they emit photons from the Ultra Violet to hard X-ray region in the spectrum. The light is captured in beam lines tangential to the storage ring. What this means for the lay man is that by

following the interaction of this light with their samples, scientists determine the shape, size, composition, bonding forces, stresses and other properties of whatever they are studying - from biological tissues to materials.

"As

these facilities become available,"

explains Abashian, "scientists

will naturally

migrate to tlrese machines and ask to be given time to do their research; the hlstorical reoord shoun

exponential growth

in is

usage. As the need increases, more beam lines can be added and the ability to reqpond to user-needs can be enhanced."

One of the most important services that CANDLE will offer to respond to user needs

ofskilled scientists who can conduct experiments and carry out complicated data analysis for institutions which may not have the necessary synchrotron user experience to conduct the experiments themselves. These is a team

might include pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies or medical faciliwill also have the option of viewing and transferring their data via the Internet, thus minimizing travel costs and time. This proces is usefr.rl to the researcher, and ties. Users

very desirable for Armeniab scientific communlty

Scientists from as far away as Brazil and Germany have already expressed an interest in

wanting

come

to Armenia to

conduct

research, and that too is highly advantageous.

Not only is there a sharing of knowledge and resources among scientists, there is cash flow

into the country as teams come and set up operations for several weeks to several months. There are the political benefits as well. "Russia, as big as it is, doesn't have a comparable machine," notes Hovnanian. " And, we

institution will get into a formal educational it will provide the capability for

role. But,

graduate students at Yerevan State Univenity

(YSU) and in neighboring countries to send theirstudents and young facultyto CANDLE for purposes of actually conducting research. "Come to CANDLE, do the research, take the data back home, analyze, come up with results, publish, use this research towards a graduate degree. So, CANDI

becomes an

integral part of the educational process in all of the sciences - from medicine, to physics, to materials science," says Tsaganov. "These years are science's interdisciplinary yean. As the world studies issues like DNA, it becomes clearer that so many subjects are interPresident Kocharian agrees to donate sir lo eight heclares ol land lor the CANDLE proiect,

ofDNA structure. The otherS0percent still needs to be studied, and Armenia will be at the center ofthis research," he explains. percent

headed by Jirair Hovnanian (left).

are now working on a CANDLE conference with TLrkish participation." "Just as regional economic collaboration is a guarantor of peace, so is regional scientific col-

laboration," notes Armenia's Minister of Foreigr Atrairs, Vartan Oskanian. "That

related. At CANDLE, we won't be tackling natiohal issues, but international ones. For example, today, the world only knows about 20

"Already, we have programs in place at YSU, which will gle our students the education to match today's needs, but our fundamental purpose is to make it possible for

why

our embassies and our ministry have been very supportive of this project from the beginning." This ollaboration doesnt need to wait for the rp and nrnning The process of oon-

aenter to be

stuction

is itself an

opportunityfor oollaboration"

Ukraine, han, Bulgaria and Georgia have

committed

coming and helping,

says

Hovnanian. "All these people in the scientific fleld are Iike brothen and sisten. They come, spend the whole week working with you and they charge you nothing," he laughs.

BuildingCAI\DLE The consffuction is in threeparts:There isthe building, the synchrofon light machine, and the adjacent offioes and labs for scientists' use. Hovnanian, the businessman, is thinking ahead, again. "As parts are built in Armenia for CANDLE, we will also be in a position to supply parts for other machines in other parts of the world."

Finally, there are the social benefits to building CANDLE. There are at least 15-20 Armenian physicists and scientists in various countries who want to participate and work on this project. It provides them a link to Armenia that they wouldnt otherwise have. But more importantly, Tsaganov explains, "Its existence will stimulate the education and

training of scientists in various disciptines at other institutions. We dont anticipate that this

:AIM JULY

2OO1

Goven Etony

those who want to work in science, to do so in Armenia," says Tsaganov. He notes that cur-

rently, almost all graduate science students leave Yerevan to work outside the country "There is no doubt that a modern synchrotron light source in Armenia will do much to curb the brain drain," says Yeremian, who started it all when she heard about a project called SESAME. Hovnanian knows this, and knows that it's going to take much more pushing to flnd the rest of the $35 million necessary to complete this project.

But, he also knows what he has to

do. "Anything you want to make happen, you need politics," he says. As a former head of the

National Association of Home Builden, and head of their political action committee, he has more than a few political mntacts in his rolodex.

Infact, Hovnanian notes, theUS officialswho have wanted to help Armenia through the yean are happy to have such a usefill projectto support. And Pallone and McConnell obviously agree. "I ampleased that I have been able to secure

much needed assistance for Armenia, and in particular, funding relating to a synchrotron light source facility which is used for basic

and applied research in physics, chemisty and biology," McConnell told AIIU. "Within the next few weeks, the Senate will mark-up the FiscalYear 2002 Foreign Operations

Appropriations Bills, and I intend to do all I can

adequate levels of funding for Armenia" said the Senatorwho is a senior mem-

to secure

ber on the Senate Appropriations C-ommittee.

Congressman Pallone, too, addressed similar concerns as he responded to AIM. "The CANDLE project would significantly elevate scientific research in the Caucasus region, and provide another economic spark

to the Armenian

economy. This project

would keep area scientists from having to travel thousands of miles to the nearest comparable facility. "I have no doubt that CANDLE will be a huge boost to the Armenian economy in a couple of years. Until that time, I will continue to work to see that this important project receives critical flnancial support from our gov-

emment through the appropriate process," he adds.

"CANDLE makes me optimistic about our scienffic future," says Tsaganov. He's not alone.

Ihe Futut'c is ln thc $un Armenia's Cosmic Ray Division Goes Where No Man Has Gone Before fl unentlythere are two ffierent approaches I - to monitoring and forecasing the severity ll*a *pua of imminent dhr radiation storms.

qpaoe-based approach is championed

by NASA, and is funded by the US govemment and US tax dollan. The second is a ground-based system to study the same kinds of particles, such as at the Cosmic Ray Dvision (CRD) of the Yerevan Physics Institute, in Armenia- The CRD

depends on donations channeled tlrough the Fund for Armenian Reliefs Armenian National Scienoe and Education Fund (ANSEF). Even though the support bases are incomparably unmatched, the quality of research that

the two produce is not only equal, but also

Fint, there are no other ground-based research câ&#x201A;Źnters working onthis area of cosmicrayresearch. NASAssysab,solutely complementary.

tem to devise these alert systems using satellites is not as reliable, say some scientists, because their stations can't be as big as ground-based stations-on Armenia's Mt. Aragats, each goundbased station covers a square kilometer area. But more importantly, the satellite itself goes on standby when it senses damaging particles approaching, and so it can't alert other satellites. Anahid Yeremian of Stanford Univenity, a specialist

in aocelerator phpics (see accompany-

ingarticle on CANDLE) has beenworkingwith CRD to enhance ttreirintemational mntacts, and has helped wittr proposal writing and submissions. She explains the value of CRDb research. "CRD's research is of both theoretical and

practical interest. The data collected at the rwo high altitude observatories - one at 2,fi)0 meters (ust above the BYurakan Observatory) and a larger one at 3200 meters - is analyzed using sophisticated mathematical methodology and software developed by the CRD'S Ashot Chilingarian," she says.

And this data

has practical, immediate and Satellites, for example, rnplications. commercial their highfunctioningof flawles onthe depend technology systems to be able to gather or dis G

k=::* >;

-5

A.;'t=:.*=" =g'--'

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View ol the GRD station on Aragats. Photo by Mkhitar Khachatrian.

Gouen

Sony

and meeting its overhead. With stations at various elevations around the country, the CRD's

l0Gperson staff includes bulldozer drivers, cooks, guards and other technical support per-

sonnel. [n addition, transportation and repair bills are high. Electricity bills are higher. When Yeremian, a Yerevan-bom scientist went back to Armenia n 1999, after being away for 30 years, she wanted to find colleagues and see what the state of scientific research was. It didn't take her long to meet the staff of CRD and volunteer to help. "I had done a lot of proposal writing for Boeing, for Stanford. So I helped them with

language, with format," she says. "And cRD director Ashot Chilingarian, with ]lerces Gevorkian, and Gagik Gharagyozian in the GBD conlrol room on Aragats. Photo by Mkhitar Khachatrian.

tribute data. "Yet, solar radiation storms caused

by violent explosions on the sun can unleash intense fluxes of charged particles which often advenely affect the normal functioning of satellites by disrupting space-borne electronics, and endangering qpace station crews," Yeremian explains. Depending on their energy, these particles can reach the earth within 10 minutes to several hours after e4plosions on the sun. Professor Chilingarian, 52, CRD Director, says thatwith theirdata and analysis techniques, he can send alerts on the a:rival of the harmful particles from the sun about a half hour before damaging fluxes of particles reach the earth.

This allows sufficient time to shut down the electonics on satellites, take protective measures on gound-based powergrids and warn air-

lines scheduling flights over the poles. Thus, the data from Mt. Aragats is an important piece of the puzle cosmic ray physicists all around the

Parsegh Ganatchian

world are trying to put together. The CRD mnducts this research in partnership with srrch intemational researdr organizations as

NATO and the Intemational Sciene and Ttxlr-

nolory Centeqwith offioesin Mmrr, and flmded by the US,Europe and Japaqto erployscientiswlro ued towork onweapons researdrintlre USSR The CRD's sites have been working unin-

tenupted since 1943, when they were set up by the same Alikhanian Brothen who established the Yerevan Physia kstitute. Their collaborators include scientists in Japan, Switzerland and others from around the world. Their web site h@//crdlx5.yerphi.am is the fint among cosmic ray research stations around the world to broadcast their data online in real time. Chilingarian himself says, "If the CRD didn't exist, and we had to recreate it today, we couldn't." Yet, this example of success-against-all-

odds was having a hard time paying its staff

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said to Edgar

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Daspora is supporting salaries and operational expenses, so that this world+lass @nter can oontinue to seek frmds for specific research projecb

that have universal value." A support group wils also set up, based in the Boston area, headed up byJoe Dagdigian,60, a software engineer.

Since then, through ANSEF (and also through the Armenian Engineers and Scientisb of Americ4 in Glendale, Califomia) donations are being mllected and channeled for tlre CRDb annual $40,ffi in overhead e4penses.

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to explain his enthuiasm about CRD. "The CRD

is one

of the organizations that have the sci-

enffic excellence, intemational recognition and the detemrination !o su@eed."

An4

as evidenoe of

Who $hall leac[ tlte Next

that exoellence, Chilingar-

ianb stadstical metlndology for cwnic ray analysis also being utilized in a field that is called Gene nryressm enatysls (GEA). GEA aims to identiS genes in the hurnan body, wttich are the cause of a variety of cancers and other diseases. Very sophisticated statistical methods are neâ&#x201A;Źssary to identiS canerousing genes in ttre presenoe of thousands of other harmles geneg and the mettr-

Eenenation ol $cientists? ANSEF I-ooks for Answers for the Brain Drain I I

fall 22 scientists from Armeniab various scienffic institutions each received a ast

ods developed by Chilingarian have been found very effective in this anal)rys.This work is carried out in parftre$trb with the Hurtsrnan Can@r

LSr,m

kstitute at Ubh Univenity, in Salt lake City, Utah "It's like looking for a needle in a haptack " says Yeremian. "Just like looking for those few sun particles that indicate something bigger is coming, so is looking for those particular genes in the human body that are at the root of can@rs." There are millions of genes in a body, and Chilingarian is trying to use the same analytic technique to isolate the dangerous gene from the haptack. Tlu lournnl of Bbbgical Systems just accepted his 15-page paper on this topic. Although independence brought with it less government financing for his research facility, it also opened doon. Chilingarian sap this kind of intemational collaboration, publication and dialog was impossible in the Soviet yean. '"This institute was pafi of the largest soviet ministry-t}rc military - andwe didnt even have the riglrt to send articles to foreign publications. Now, of course, everything is mucl easier. And wittr the Intemet, all ohtacles are removd and

Scientists in the Diaspora have not had institutionalized, transparent, professional organizations through which to work with and help

their colleagues in Armenia.

Until now. Until ANSEE The Armenian National Science and Education Fund, established just a few years ago, has a long and ambitious agenda. Spuned by worries about the brain drain caused by Armeniah transition economy, four Armenian-American scientists came together and appealed to Archbishop Khajag Barsamian

of the Armenian Apostolic Church of North America, Eastem Diocese. The Archbishop agreed to help them establish ANSEF and house it under the umbrella of the Diocese's

ship, and fostering and nourishing all aspects

Armenia's scientific and intellectual capabilities, as well as promoting modern scientifig technological and scholarly study in Armenia," sap their mision statement (www.ansef.org). This is not a srnall target h mmt Westem ounties, sciene has berrfited from huge govemment defense budgets. Professor Mihran Agbabiarl Founding Bresident of the American University of Armenia, sap, "In tlre United States and in highly developed ounties of Europe, pure science has its sponson just as art has its patms

The principal benefrciaries are universities and scienoe institutes wtrere rientiss work Tlre scale

and visbitrty of these ryorsorshipn are widely aclaroq[edggd. This is rnt the case in hserdevel-

ountitx

Fund for Armenian Relief.

are

Harut Barsamian is one of the four core members. "One of the fint things we had to do was to expand our group. At first it was just Tavit Najarian, who was elected presi-

pi-

vfuere there are otlrerirnrnediate

orities that are esential for

srvival, or ttte bade,rs

nd qscicns of the ralue

of pure scierre in

fte

personal

dent, Edgar Housepian, Father Krikor

irportang" sap Cltilingarian.

Maksoudian and myself. Today we have 22 directors, and 40-plus founding memben,

welhrc of the ounfiy ftat tlrey gorcrn" Agbabian is a member of ANSEFs board of directon. The board members admit that the debate over whether to fund pure science or applied science projects was a serious consideration in their deliberations. As it turned out, 80 proposals were submitted, of which 40

half of whom contributed $10,000 to jump-

were worthy

our linls have expanded greatly, ties, which are very

gunt to conduct researctr. Their pro posals had been read, reviewed by peen, and selected for funding by fellow scientisb in the US.

start the organization," sap Barsamian. Their goal is clear. "Perpetuating Armeniab tradition of excellence in research and scholar-

as have

Chilingarian is also trying to f,ght another Soviet

relic the lack of cooperation or dialog among national institutior.s. Does the Phlmcs kNiume oopemte with the By:rakan Ohenatory staff, or the university penonnel, for example? Chilingarian sa),s, yes. "I teach Cwnic Ray Astrophysics at the University, and I knowwhat the situation is there. We work with the Byurakan scientists, too, because they study with optical rap what we study with cosmic rap and we study some of the same technical reactions." Fundamentally, though, Chilingarian sap they all share a common worry. It is not their place in intemational scienffic circles. It is not their annual budget. "Our graduate students are leaving the counxry in large numben to work outside. We have to be able to bring research projects into Armenia so that we can keep our young scientists here. We are not preparing enough places forgood, capable students to stay and work here," Chilingarian mncludes.

funding. Unfortunately,

*ffi

Amm Uadanian

Khachalur l{erlmrarian

Coinage ol Armenia During the "Silver Crisis" Phenomenon (11th to 12th centuries) lnstitute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Academy o{ Sciences. Photo by Aiham Dib

Superlocusing and Modulation ol

AIM JULY

2OO1

Surface Polariton Yerevan State University. Photo by Mkhitar Khachatrian

Goven

$ony

ANSEF could only fund 22 of which half were of a more practical nature, and the rest were

entists that ANSEF is supporting, but 22 teams

more theoretical.

Terzian who headed the peer review process. Finally, although some of Armenia's sci-

Harut Barsamian explains the practical reason to support theoretical research.

of scientists," explains Astronomer Yervant entists collaborate with Westem scientific

for many, these

$5,000 grants are

"Science discovers, and engineering invents.

societies,

But engineering cannot invent until the discoveries of science are available. For exam-

flrst-time opportunities to attend conferences and repair or update equipment. And, just as with the NSF model, ANSEF may provide second and third year funding if there is

ple, the science of math made the invention of computers by engineers possible."

demonstrable progress.

Not Just the Money ANSEF directon are unanimous about the influence that this grantmaking process will be having on Armenia's science community. The granting procedure is new to a former

Soviet muntry. "We tried to copy the US National Science Foundation (NSF) model: making funds available to the best researchers,

and judging their work through the peer review process," explains Banamian. "And, we dont disappear once the funds are given. six months, there will be a report submitted

proposals this year," says Barsamian. Will such funding mean that ANSEF can determine the direction that scientists choose

to follow and the projects they elect

research? Najarian, ANSEF president, rejects this possibility. "Let me categorically

explain the project's progress." What is also new is the independence that oomes with the grant It is not the Physics Institute or the University or the Academy of Sciences thatis receivingthe funds, butthe individual scientist. This makes Armenia's science establishment uncomfortable. "In the old days, Moscow funded the institute, and the institute director and party secretary paid salaries. That was it. No accountability," explains Banamian. Yet, ANSEF recognizes the importance of the infrastructure - housing, light, security

and water

Still, $400 a month does not go a long way for a team of two or three or five scientists. Although they acknowledge this, ANSEF has already stretched its resources to the limit. "Last year, if we had the money we could have funded 40 proposals. As it is, by the July 31, 2001, deadline, we are sure to have even more

that the parent institution pro-

vides. So, ANSEF allocates eight percent of each $5,000 grant for the administrative costs incurred by the institution. "And each proposal is not implemented by one individual, but by a team, so it's not 22 sci-

Najarian says their motivation can be explained by a question that board member Edgar Housepian asked at a board meeting: "Who will teach the future generations of Armenians?" The answer, according to Najarian, is to "maximize the impact of our efforts, so that by funding larger numbers of projects at even modest levels we will help retain greater numbers of scientist and scholars at institutions in Armenia."

That is their goal. And their formula is a simple one even non-scientists can understand. Housepian hopes to find 1,000 professionals in the US who will pledge $1,000 each (to be fulfllled within five years) to generate a cash asset of $l million. "It's a small sacrifice to help maintain the reputation and scientific prowess of a country whose main resource is its intellectual product," says

Najarian.

-Additional reporting in Yerevan, by Gayane Abrahamian, Suren Daherian, Ashot Gareginian, and Marianna Grigorian.

state that as a philanthropic organization, ANSEF has no intention of dictating research and scholarship policies for any

institution

group

of individuals in

Armenia. The sustenance of various institutions in Armenia, we believe, is the responsi-

bility of authorities and the

National Academy of Sciences in Armenia. ANSEF does not mold or meddle in the planning of the future direction of scientific research or scholarship in the Republic of Armenia. Accordingly, we hope that our colleagues in Armenia who lead such institutions do not see ANSEF as a threat to their noble endeavon. Rathet we hope they view us as an additional funding source for furthering their objectives," insists Najarian.

ANSEFS first-year grant recipients include the scientists

below, and above:

lrma Vardanian, right, Doctor-

Professor ol Chemical Sciences Reactions of H02/R02/Radicals on Salt Aerosols lmitated Surface; lnstitute of Chemical Physics, Academy of Sciences. Photo by Mkhitar Khachatrian

Aram Saharian Dynamics of

Alam Petrosian

Levon Moumdian

Varya Minasian Master Scientific Worker

lnteraction of L-Argenine

Non-Linear 0ptic Process o1 Fourier

New Approach to Synthesis of Nanostructure Carbides

Higher-Loop String Cosmology and

with Dicarboxilic Acid

Translormation

Yerevan State University.

Department of Physics, Yerevan State University.

and ln{luence olGrain Size on Catalytic Activity ol Transition Metal Carbides lnstitute ol Chemical Physics,

Photo by Aiham Dib

Academy of Sciences. Photo by Mkhihr Kl'achatrian

laton Stabil iation, Department of Theoretical Physics, Yerevan Shte University. Photo by Aiham Dib

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Ilestinations

ArtelnUenezl a The fumenian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale EY HRAIR SARKIS SABKISSIAI{

avash bread, Italian cheeses, pastries, cakes, and walnut candy on strings,

(canied from Yerevan), fresh fruits and vine ripened tomatoes were only the side shows at the opening celebration of the 49th Venice Biennale's Armenian Pavilion, based at the Mekhitarian Congregation's Island of San Lazzaro. The main event,

whidr opened onJune 10, 2001 and will run through November 4, was the Armenian exhibit at the world's oldest Biennale. The Republic of Armenia has participated in this coveted art event for four consecutive Biennales. This modem art exposition which lasts six months, and has been held every two years since 1895, fearures painters, sculptors

and performance artists from around the world. Each counffy has a national committee that defines the scope of the work and chooses the artists to be represented. There

lloulnnnes Margadan Iite: Irusffiion, 2001 0uaFScreen Uideo

are some 53 national pavilions altogether. Twenty-six of them are in the Giardini di Castello, the main area of the Biennale. The other 37 countries are scattered all over Venice and its vicinities, such as thePalazzo Vendramin, which normally serves as the winter quarters of the Venice municipal casino. The Mekhitarian monastery on the island of San l-azzaro is just one of these other sites where the worls of 15 video artists are being exhibited. The artists, Sona

Abgarian, Narin6 fuamian, Mher Azatian, Nora Badalian, Diana Hagobian, Ara Hovsepian, Hamlet Hovsepian, David Kareyan, Tigan Khathatrian, Hovhannes Margarian, Karin6 Matsfian, Tatev Mnatsakian, Samuel Saghatelian, Harutyun Simonian and Arpin6 Tokmajian, will be coming to Venice, for two or three weeks during the course of the exhibition. This year's Armenian participation has been the largest since 1995, when the Republic of Armenia participated with nvo artists, in l99Z with five, and in 1999, with only one.

The process started eight months ago,

in November 2000. "From the outset, I decided that besides the quality of the worh it was very important to take as many artists as possible to Venice, to give them first hand intemational exposure and experience, which most of them so desperately lad<," says Edward Balassanian, a Tehranbom architect, who left New York for Armenia, and has lived there offand on since 1992. Besides various positions at the Armenia Fund, at the Armenian Assembly, and now, at the request of HH Karekin I, as the project manager for the construction of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan, Balassanian is commissioner of this yea/s Armenian Pavilion and its curator, a title previously held by his wife, artist Sonia Balassanian. Following an open invitation for proposals, 27 worls were submitted. "After personal sessions with each one of the artists (with some, several times), we ended up with 15 artists whose worls were taken to Venice," he adds.

Ilestinatlons

The medium, Video Art, was dictated by circumstances. Because the space in Venice is extremely expensive, Balassanian asked the artists to reproduce their installations

video art. "The artists took up the clallenge in good faith, and came up with very interesting results," he says. The next assignment was to cut the duration of the worls to three minutes each, in order to give all the artists equal opportunity to show, and to be seen. The worls in the pavilion are projected through four digitalvideo disc @VD) players and four video projectors, one after the other, in a dark room, Some are on one screen, some on two, and one on three screens. In another room, artists visiting from Armenia present worla related to their video art. "Some are installations, some performances, etc. rVe call the entire concept 'work-in-progress,' and we intend to continue developing the works beyond the closing of the Biennale," says Balassanian. In addition to the 15 artiss from Armenia, other Armenian artists were featured elsewhere in the Biennale. Atom Egoyan (who was part of the Armenian pavilion in 1997) represents Canada with a film, painter Andreas Karayan's works are shown in the Cypriot Pavilion, and Milan's Yervant Gianikian's worls are in the Italian Pavilion. Not being in the Giardini di Castello drastically limits the number of visitors to the Armenian Pavilion. Still, visitors number in the thousands. "Neither the Center for Study and Documentation of Armenian Culture whidr was our site in 1995 and 1999 nor St.Lazzaro Island which is where we are this year (and in 1997, too) are easily accessible. If we were at the Giardini di Castello, where most national pavilions are, we would have thousands and thousands of visitors," said Balassanian. But renting as

llarutiun Simonlan

Iftle:

Play,

al arena. ACCEA sought an invitation for

2llll

Armenia to the Biennale exacdy for this purpose. Ii7hen the invitation finally came,

0uaFSseen Uideo

Yeghia Kilaghbian, is very committed to everything fiom Armenia," says Balassanian.

Armenia's involvement in the Biennale began in 1993, when Sonia Balassanian began to lobby for Armenia's involvement. It took the organizers a while to determine whether Armenia's art was of the caliber they sought. Meanwhile, in 1995, the Balassanians founded the non-profit organization, Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (ACCEA) in Yerevan and New York (accea@netsys.am). One of ACCEAs missions has been to present contemporary Armenian art on the intemation-

the first representation in 1995 consisted of two Diasporans @alassanian herself and Atom Egoyan) and three artiss from Armenia. Armenia's Ministry of Culture empowered ACCM as the organizer. "A state is not only recognized by its diplomatic presence and its involvement in the resolution of intemational conflicts. lVhat is also important is intemational presence in the cultural arena, from fine arts to performing arts, to religion, sports, etc. Participation in the Venice Biennale is one such sigpificant presence,' says Balassanian. a

The invitation does not come with budget allotment. Nor is this a cheap

sudl a space costs somewhere betrreen US $50,000 and $150,000 for the six months. Officially, the Giardini di Castello is declared filled and closed, but there is always a possibility of getting in. Balassanian says there is a pledge from a benefactor and the possibility to secure a space in the Giardini to build a permanent pavilion for the Republic of Armenia. "But it requires a lot of politicking between the Govemments of Armenia and Italy. If we can pull this ofi it

will be

a major achievement for Armenia,"

he adds.

"The Mekhitarians have hoisted the Armenian tri<olor for the duration of the Biennale. "They have been very hospitable and friendly. The new Abbot General,

Left to right loan Agalanlan Quinn, Ghairman ol tto Armenian Paulllon Gouncil, Edward Balassanlan, Ghlet Curator ol tte Uenice Biennale and, tattor llarouliun Bezdlllan ol Uenic,e's Mekhltarlan Congregation. Photo by ladr Quinn.

ArM DESTTNATTONS TULY

2001

Ibstfinlions

endeavor. The budget, because ofthe large number of artist participans, was set at US $60,000. "I thinh when everphing is done

of raising funds to realize the project. So far they have succeeded. Past chairpenons of these councils have been Garo Beylerian,

and completed, we will be a bit below budget' says Balassanian. Each country must dlocate - or raise - its own funds. And for four consecutive Biennales, the Armenians have. With the help of the Armenian Daspora. "For the past six yea$, the Armenian Pavilion has been an outstanding orample

Alice Kirikian and Nina Hovnanian, in 1995, and Ani Boyajian n l9%.

of the Daspora aking part in the fulfillment ofArmenian statehood,o notes Balassanian. For each Biennale, a new internationd council is created in the United Sates, called the Armenian Pavilion Council (APC) and they ake on the task

thar lzrtan UnUted,2ml

Joan Agajanian Qrinn, chairperson 1999 and 2001, has been appointed by Roland Sharoyan, Armenia's

ofAPC in

Minister of Culrure, as Honorary Commissioner of this yeafs Armenian Pavilion. "I always feel that people can talk to each other through culture, without the political baggage,' says Qrinn, who has been on the Califomia Arts Commission for 15 years, and the Beverly Hills Fine Ars Commission for eight years. "The idea of having Armenian artists involved in something intemational is my motivation. I would like to get them involved in other

Uldm

Entance

tlrs lCand ol San lazzan.

Biennales as well. Suc-h as the Cuban and Turkish Bienndes," she adds. Qrinn, an art collector and host of her own cable television showJoan Qrinn Profiles, has been part of the fundraising team for several years. Just as the Biennale akes Armenian art oubide the Armenian world, Qrinn's fundraising effors extended beyond the Armenian community. Qdnn, together with architea Ronald Altoon, cochaired an event held at the famous Sotheby's auction house, in Beverly Hills, with architea Frank Gehry as guest speaker. The event helped pro duce funding for the maintenance of the pavilion and for artis6' fiansporation. Qdnn, who recendy retumed from the opening ceremonies in Venice, says the experiences of the artists are as important as the experiences of the visitors. One of the artists, Hamlet Hovsepian, who is from the village of Ashnak, and had never been out of Armenia before, had it in his head that he would go to Florence. "He did-

n't

speak a word

of Italian or English, but

he had brought with him a list of drurches he wanted to see. He asked someone to write the names of the churches in Latin characters, he got on a train and went." It is the same with the other artists, and the organizers. It is not talent alone that has brought them this far. But determina-

tion AIM JULY

2OO1

well.

Ilestinations

UenezlaArmena BY SATPI HAROUTINIAI{ GHAZARIAil

I PHOTOS BY HRAIR HAWK KHAICHERIAN

I listorical, rfumsnlans

emotional and spiritual linla berween landlo&ed and Venice - the Qreen of the Sea, is surprisingly

I la..p and varied.

The first Armenian appearance in Venice is traced to the constnrction of trro Armenian churches by Armenian Exarch Nenes Patrich in the mid-sixth century. A century later, another Armenian exarch in Ravenna built a churdr in Torcello. Although there are traces of an Armenian presence and influence in Venice prior to the l2th century it wasn't until the establishment of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia that those relations bloomed. Venice was the special ally of the small, but active litde Armenian kingdom, which lay on the trade routes heading to the Far East. Enrico Danolo, the Duke of Venice, received privileged status for Venice, from the Armenian kingdom in 1201. In retum, a few decades later, Armenians were willed their own "Armenian House" by Duke D6

ArM DESTTNATIONS JULY 2001

Ilestinations

Marco Dsiani, for use by all traders and travelers. The St.John the Baptist Churdr and Monastery in Venice's Castello district, belonging to Armenian clerics, is first cited in 1348. The Holy Cross Church, which still stands today, is 6rst referred to nearly a century later. The much-restored and renovated church stands today on a street appropriately called Calle dei Armeni. The most recent renovation was completed in 1982, and today, under the care of the Mekhitarian fathers, the Armenian rites in the Armenian language are performed at Holy Cross - and not at any of the other several dozen Armenian churches which existed throughout Italy. Even with the collapse of the Cilician Kingdom in the l4th century the Armenian presence in Venice did not disappear. It was even on the increase due to active Armenian merdrants from Persia's Jugha region. And this presence was not simply commercial. The fint Armenian printed book was published in Venice n 1512. And 19 Armenian printen followed until the Mekhiarians established their own special and highlyreputed printing house

1789.

The Mourad-Raphaelian school, which officially closed a few years ago, was last housed in a large, multi-story omate Venetian mansion willed to them by the Shahrimanians of NorJugha.

tte Holy Gross Churdr in Uenice. Erterior ol the Holy Gross Ghumfi and the Amenaan House, near Ure brldge, wlridr abo used to be called Amsnlan Brldge, until tte 16Ur century. 0pposite page, top:lnterlor ol Mourad [aphaellan Sdrool, wlridl, until ib c-lmlng just a tow years ago, was thc oldest running Armenian day sdrool in the wodd. Ihe sc{rool's last site was a large, multi-storyr, omate Uenetian mansion willed t0 them by the Shahrimanians ol llor lugha. 0pposite page, bottom: Erterior ol t[e ilourad Baphaelian Sc{rool whic{ is right on one ol llsnice's canals. Top:lnterior ol Right:

ArM DESTINATIONS JULY

2001

Ilestinatons

THE ISTAND OF

LMZARO I lthough the Biennale is a good reason Il to visit venice in the nextieveral flr.on*r, a mp ro rrus unusuiu clry is a trip worth taking anytime. Even when Venice is sad, the melancloly mixes with exhilaration, and the visitor feels enlivened. The Armenian presence in Venice dates from the Middle Ages. But the Melihitarian Congregation, Venice's primary Armenian component, dates from the early 18th century when they established their order on

the island of Sanl-azzaro. Since then, visitors of all kinds have come to the island of SanLazzaro. Some, like Lord Byron, came to study (or so he said), and are remembered with a plaque at the entrance to the monastery grounds. Others, like the 35,000 who visit each year, come in search of culturd roots. The Meldritarian Monastery complex is comprised of the church, which was built circa 1400, the gallery an ardreological museum and a library with more than 5000 manuscripts and 150,000 bools in Armenian

pillac ol St. Thoodorc and St Mart ln t[e small square stand lor the lriendshlp ot Amenlans and lhnstans.

Iop: The

fte De$inations Cmer: Medloual gnfflt: The columns of tie St. Marlr's Gathedral tear hundreG ol lnscrlptons le{t by Atmenlan taderc and pilgdms orcr lhe ceffirriss.

Abom and on

and other languages. Only one of the Vaporettos (the motorboats that serve as minibuses) take you to the Armenian island. Not all guidebools tell you that. But iust say 'Armenian' to any ticlet seller and thdll point you to Vaporetto No. 20 ftomZaccaia Station at St. Marla Square, which has a simple litde Armenian sign alongside the usual ltalian notices.

Even the demise of Venice as a world power was not enough to affect relations between the two peoples. On the contrary Armenian merchants provided the economic support that this city-state direly needed. In fact, during the difficult years of the mid-l7th century during the war with Crete, Armenian trade was the only source of income for Venice. This badrground is necessary in order to undersand whyAbbot Mel,rhitar and his 16 monls were so generously bestowed with the island of San Lazzaro, even after the passage of a Venetian law, which forbade the establishment of new religious orders within Venice. This context is also necessary to fully appreciate all the traces ofArmenians still exant in Venice, centuries after the last Armenians left. Today, Venice continues to be home to the Mekhiarian Congregation, and the Armenian Studies Institute in Milan as well as countless monuments to the passage ofArmenians th-ugh this legendary city.

ArM DESTINATIONS JULY 2oo1

The 20-minute boat ride

fare is the

same as any other ride - arrives at the island and a few minutes later, a sixty-something Father Vertanes greets tourists. Inside the

cool, manicured (and deserted) courtyard, just past the statue of Abbot Mekhitar Bedrosian of Sepastia, for whom the congregation is named, the tour begins. But not before a young acolyte rushes in, sets up a table, and begins to sell tickets. It's 10,000 Lira (about $4.5) per person and

Ilestinatlons

"with the same doctrine, same beliefs, as other Christian churcJres, but answering to a different authority." A visitor is apt to think he isn't just speaking about the administrative independence of the Mekhitarian order from the Catholicosates of Ejmiatsin or Antelias. There is also the Mekhitarian calling, whicJr for 300 yea$ - they are celebrating their own 300th anniversary this year - has been

to nurtue Armenian culture and language. That too is their'authority' and their mission. After all, how many Armenian drurches are there in the world where the altar painting depicts of Sts. Sahag and Mesrop the catholicos and monk who are credited with the creation of the Armenian alphabet? There are paintings hanging throughout the monastery - from the masters to the not so masterful - and manuscripts and bools to rival many exclusive collections. Children are enthralled by the mummy, approximately 3000-3500 years old, which rests in the museum. Adults ask to see Byron's room. Many windows are sealed ofi "because the well worth the price. It's also possible to spend several more dollars at the boolstore. The publishing and printing tradition was, until recendy, very strong at this monastery and some of the most important historic and literary worla of the last century were published here. Many are still in print. In addition, there are the more recently published beautiful coffee table bools and gift items available for purchase, as well.

sciously in three languages, "Like me." And this rotund, Friar-Tuck-like cleric waits for the laughs. He explains that San Lazzaro used to be a leper colony before Abbot Mekhitar arrived and built the monastery and the church. "The Armenian church is not Orthodox, it's not Coptic, it's not Catholic," says this Mekhitarian monlg "It's Armenian Apostolic," and continues,

Father Vertanes tets started with a stop inside the churcJr. "This is an Armenian ChurcJr," he says, seemingly stating the obvious, but he goes on, "There is nothing Armenian about it. Italians built it, yet the liturry is in Armenian, all the saints are Armenian,o and he goes on to identify a

few of them.

Of course, Armenian history and drurch history are inextricable, so before long, Father Vertanes is talking of Haik, the original Armenian patriarch. "He was tall, blond, and had blue eyes," he says, pausing conTop:Iln manusuipb depmitory oI San lazzaro, otlicially oponed in the presence 0t Gatholic0s Uaskon I, ls one ol the ddest manuscript dcpositories with more than 5,lll!0 doeumenb. Right The San Lazzaro lsland, uery close to tte island ol lldo, has become tte symbol of Amonlan prusonce ln llenice. ln ib courtyard standr a 13th century ['iac{kar, a gift from the Bepubllc ol Armenla to the prouince oI Uenetto, in momory ol the excefiond relation' shlp shared by Armenians and lhnetians through tte centuries.

AIM DESTINATIONS JULY

2OO1

water rose to a one-meter level (three feet) one year," he explained. The monastery looks just as it has in past years, although last summer, a historic meeting took place during which the rwo Mekhitarian orders (in Vienna and in Venice) decided to merge. Abbot Yeghia Kilaghbian was elected to resolve the drdlenges facing the several dozen monks in the 21st century.

Yeneuan Hotols

t Rostaumts

Tufenkl anHerltage EYroHil

HUGHES I

YEREVAN ARMENTA

a Yerevan hillside where a canopy of stars above meets a carpet of city lights below, Armenia's newest hotel is a throwback to a time when God's lights out-shone man's. James Tufenkian, whose import/export company has revived rug making in Armenia, has applied his tdent for tradition-laced desigp to the budding hotel industry. InJuly, the fint Tufenkian Heritage Hotel opened in the Nork region of Yerevan - 14 rooms in a restored mansion refurbished, Tufenkian said "to revive 19th century preindustrial Armenian life." Between this year and 2003, Tufenkian plans to open six more hotels throughout the country, all with the theme of an Armenia that hardly survives the common trend to Westemize. "I'm trying to do things that are good business and are good for the country," Tirfenkian said, during a break from his New York offices and his Nepal offices, to his Yerevan offices where he was opening the new hotel and a new showroom for the carpet business. 'Because of the Genocide, we've lost the culture our grandparents told us about. !il?hat we've got now is a 20th century Soviet environment." The goal of the new hotels, Tufenkian said, is to "combine village life with comfort' for tourists who want to 'explore Armenia &om the village." With that theme in mind, guests at Heritage Hotels will also have chances to participate in village craftmaking and tours of area historical sites. From the doorknobs to the menu, the new hotel is a hand<rafted museum of Armenian artirtry. Each room has a different layout, different carpets (from the Tufenkian collection of course) and will be accessorized by such items as afghans, lamp fixtures, ceramics, textiles, all available for purchase and all made in Armenia. The new hotel dtain is aimed at the upscale adventure/culture traveler, who, Tufenkian said "doesn't want to be in some Disneyworld environment, but wants to be in something real." Room rates for the new hotel range from $135 to $225 per night, and includes round-the-clock food service. The 25 employee staffincludes a chef who will take special requests from guests in the momings and prepare the requested meals in the evenings (for an additional charge). There is a grill in the courtyard for preparing khorovats with a tonir beside it where guests can watch their bread being baked in the old style. For all its old-Armenian charm, the Nork property is designed with modem comfort in mind as well, including roundthedock hot and cold water in all-marble bathrooms. All rooms have showers and some include bathtubs. The 14 rooms (with double beds covered in 300-count cotton sheets) include a large fint-floor room that has a fireplace, and can be converted to a suite. A smaller house on the grounds is being considered for a health club and sauna, with a small pool just outside. Unlike other major Yerwan hotels, the new one is not near Republic Square. It is about a lGminute ride from the center, up

a steep hill over cobbled brick sneets. Tufenkian plans to convert an old Russian Army jeep into transport for regularly+cheduled trips between the hotel and the city center. Other Tufenkian Heritage Hotels include two complexes near lake Sevan - one, a 3O-room lurury hotel and another, a 4Groom budget ($15-30 per night) unit. In building a series of hotels that are unlike anything that presendy exists, Tirfenkian is aware of the risk of his enterprise. *I suppose I'm operating somewhat on the 'build it and they will come'idea," he said. "I always follow my gut.And with this project, I'm not even 98 percent sure ofits success. I'm lfi) percent sure that this one will be a winner." The entrepreneur/designer is hopeful that his hotel idea will, by its success, discourage the "HowardJohnson" concept of hotels that litter I7estem roadsides.

"Armenians are always looking for a model to follow," Tufenkian said. "I'm hoping we'll be successful enough that this will be the

pattem for future development."

AIM DESTTNATIONS JULY 2001

With British Airways, it's never been easier to get to Yerevan. Our service operates three times every week and with all the connections from North America to London Heathrow, there's never been more choice either. For full details, contact your local travel agent, visit our website at wwwbritishairways.com or call us on l-800-AIRWAYS. Services operated by the independent carrier Brirish Mediterrancan Airways Ltd.

BRITISH

O'**A

@wser ARIIIENIAN NATIONAL SCIENCE AND EDUCATION FUND Established ln 1998 under the ausplces of FAR - Fund for Armenlan Rellef

ouE Mtsstou The

Armenlan Natlonal Sclence and Ectucatton Fund will provide

financial and other material resources to support scientific research, advanced technology development and scholarly work

in the Republic of

Armenia. The primary objective is to contribute to the general improve-

ment of Armenia's quality of life by supporting research essential to the economic, social, scientific and cultural development of the country and its academic

and research institutions.

OUR CALLTO

ARM'!

of Armenia's academics? Who better than scientists and living in the worldwide Diaspora? We are confident that by pooling

Who will raise their voices in support intellectuals

of Armenian

descent

we can help protect and improve the most precious nationalasset: the endangered enterprise of science and scholarship in Armenia in the new millennium.

our

resources

OUR 5UCCE55 TO DATE ln January

of 2001 ANSEF awarded 22

research grants to screntrsts in Armenia from

the National Academy

Science, the Yerevan State t)niversity, th.e State Engineering lJniversity, the Medical University and other

research institutions. The grants were se/ected from a pool of

of $1 10,000 was granted at $5,000 each for the year 2001

82 proposals submitted to enSef . A btal

For more information on research, grant recipients and the scientific institutions

visit the ANSEF web site, www.ansef .org

Yes, I want to contribute to

ANSEF!

For more information about ANSEF please contact

5EF

For stocks and other non-cash donations, or for establishing special endowment funds, please call ANSEE ANSEF is a US tax exempt non-profit 501(C)(3) charity. Tax

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Yeneuan Hotels & Bestamants

LoGalEate fles E[ IIRAIR SARIOS SARIISSIAX I PMMS

iIffilTAR IilIAGIAINNil

YEREVAN ARMTNIA

OI.D YEBEUA]I

both appetizers and entrees, and share.

2314 Tumanian Street

Arman, one of the waiters, is both fiendly, and flexible with guests'requests. Your ordering fashion may not make sense to him, but he continues to smile, and deliven. One item not to be missed on the menu is the Vanapour (Van Soup - Yogurg leritil, garlic and onion) It is excellent. For enfides, the various grilled meat items are good. There are a couple of fish dishes, and the one

Old Yerevan has one ofthe most authentic Armenian atrnospheres in town. k has been in business for one year, and is ov,rned and operated by locals. The waitresses and waiters are all in Armenian costumes and are fiendly, helpfirl and offer a wonderfirl service, with a smile a concept not yet undentood by most service profesionals in the city. One floor down from the sfreet level entrance is the quiet dinning room, while one floor up, is where the nighdy entertainment takes place, and the ables are alwaln fulI. In addition to a seven piece traditional Armenian band, whidr includes the kanon, there is a singer, dancen, and an asmounkogh. The music is old Armenian and very well performed. The singer is orcellenL The menu has a European section, but the majority of the items are Armenian. Atthough the dishes are not offered as family-style, it is best to order a variety of items,

we tried, was overcooked. Old Yerevan also has an extensive alcoholic beverage lisg but a limited desert list. Prices are reasonable: Appetizers are around 400 and 2000 Drams

(JS$.75 to $4) and entrees range between 800 and 4000 Drams (US $1.50 to $S.) The food is good, but Old Yerevan's srengths are its friendly staff the live nighdy music variety, the deco4 and the unpretentious atrnosphere. Please note, it is not unusual for the waiters to ask you to dance. It is a true Armenian experience not to b,e mised.

,1I' PUB & RESTAURAI{I 62 Derian Street For a good Khngali (Georgian variation of the traditional Armenian Manti)JNJ Pub

& Restaurant is the place. JNJ, at 62 Deian Street, is a very basic, modest small restaurant, more appropriate for lunch or early dinner. There is no entertainment and the waitresses are not the most friendly, but go here for a good meal. You'll find the portions to be very large, yet the prices incredibly low. Order Spas, a yogurt, mullet, and cilantro soup, to start, and share an order

ofl(hngali (ten large pieces ofdough, filled with ground meat, herbs, spices, and steamed) among at least three people. OUR UIII.AEE

5 Sayat Nova Street

Our Village may be one of the very few appropriately named establishments in Yerevan. It delivers what it promises right from the beginning. This underground restaurant is an authentically decorated whole in the wall, with a few tables and a couple of separate private areas for small ArM DESTTNATIONS JULY 2001

Yeneuan

llotels & Restaunants

of the private sections. Do not miss the green beans the mushroom salad, and the cheese platter, on the appetizer menu. The grilled meats, including the pork chops are wonderful entrdes. Prices are very reasonable. A good meal, with wine and vodka will be about 5000 Drams ($9), not including tip. reserve one

with

eggs,

CA]ES

parties of five to eight. With stone walls, arches, rugs and accessories, Our Village brings the center of the city what you might expect to find in a hospitable stranger's house in one of the villages. The owners are locals, the food Armenian, and everytling one the menu is excellent. The atmosPhere is extremely cozy, the stafffriendly, with a smile. Depending on the size of your group, or your mood, both the small general area of tables and the private sections are fine, but you might need to call in advance to

There is a caf(. at almost every comer, and many more in parls all over Yerevan. They all look the same, with a small kiosk where the food and drinks are prepared, and tables with red Coca-Cola umbrellas. If you are staying for a while, it is worth trying different ones. If not, do not miss two of the more righdully popular ones. Cockadoo (pronounced gagadoo) is at the base of the Cascade, with a large fountain pool and many ables.Just north of the Opera House, Kocladoo is a large caft with a friendly staff. This cafi also serves waffn entrees both during lunch and dinner. They have good salads, and the pork cutlet, served with French fries is excellent. Speakers throughout the caf€ play mostly American music of such artists as the Whitney Houston, Sade, the Back Sreet Boys, and sometimes even Tupac Shakur. Another caf6 is Melody at the comer of Toumanian and Mashdots. This is more central and the set-up is a litde more upscale, but does not offer full meals. The faces are not as friendly, but the clientele may be a bit more interesting than the others.

Go cleck it out. You'll

see.

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Georgian soldier, wearing a red beret

and an expressionless face, stood sent y. H. adjusted the grip on his Kalishnikov rifle and he trained his eyes on the bus that had just squeaked to a halt. The soldier sigrraled for trro of his comrades to climb aboard the bus and collect the passports of each of the passengers.

They studied the documents. And then one of them called over to the bus driver.

"Bring us the American," he said. The bus had stopped at the intemational border berween Armenia and Georgia. But this might as well have been the middle of nowhere. I looked around the sunounding countyside, while the Georgian border guarrds studied my papers. I was the American they had summoned offthe bus, and as the seconds

D16

TEtLtSt CE0RC|A

dragged on, I was already planning my escapâ&#x201A;Ź. If I was detained here, and if the bus left

without me, where could I run? I scanned the hills in eadr direction. Nowhere. There were no fences, no walls, no barbed wire, and no guard towers. Except for a single wooden marker along the side of the road, covered with a fresh coat of red and white paint, there was no indication of precisely where Armenia

ended and Georgia began. The soldien were stem-faced, and they began to interrogate me. \tr7hat was my "purpose" in going to Georgia? Where would I live? Vho would I visit? I had questions of my own. Qrestions like, "!tr7hy am I the only one who had to get offthe bus?" and '"U(thy is that soldier lathering his face with soap and shaving at

AIM DESTINATIONS JULY 2001

his desk at one o'clod< in the aftemoon?" After about L5 minutes, they broke down in laughter at some of my improbable responses, and told me to get back on the bus. I hadn't even needed to pay a bribe. Enty to the country was a bargain. The bus fare from Yerevan was a bargain,

too. It had been only $7, compared with round trip airfare that would have cost $125. This trip was costing a lot less than

I had expected. However, the trip was also proving to be less comfortable than I had hoped. I had anived at the Yerwan bus station early, figuring fd find a good seat on the bus. There were 44 seats. But all23 passengers were sitting, jammed together,

in the

middle. Full-bodied women, carrying bulging bags of who-knows-what, were

lliscouefing Geoqia

squished up next to each other. Cigarette smoke clogged the air. I had been sitting alone, but I was soon ioined by a woman who was carrying a burlap bag with a chid<en in it. So I dranged seats. This was when I became acquainted with Viktor, the bus driver. 'Move," he demanded. The bus was about to depart. There were more than 20 empty seats on the bus. But he wanted me to sit next to the fat lady with the chi&en because this is the seat assignment that the ticket seller had arbitrarily given me. "This is not your seat," he said. "Move

to your proper seat."

*No," I told him. "I'm not moving." The driver persisted. So did I. Unfortunately for me, however, the bargaining position of the driver was stronger, and this became evident to me after I found

myself standing alone in the parking lot. Vartan, the only passenger who didn't think I was nuts, mediated the dispute between me and the driver, and I was allowed to retum to my seat. Next to the lady with the chi&en. Part of the ded, as it was presented to me by Vartan, was that I would have to keep quiet for the rest of the trip. It had

seemed like a good deal at the time' What I didn't know was that we would

soon make three annoyingly lenghy and unscheduled stops so that the driver could look at the cabbage heads and potatoes that were for sale on the side of the road' I had to sit quiedy during eacJr stop. In a village outside Stepanavan, the driver stopped again. He hopped out and bought two loaves of bread from a sidewalk vendor. The bread was fresh-from-the-oven, and it smelled great. I wished that I had some. We had been in the bus for about four hours, and I was hrr.rgy. Five miles later, we stopped for a fifth time. And again, the driver made no announcement or exPlanation. There was a shad<, a barbecue sund, and nothing else. For the driver, it was lunch time. The passengers began to straggle out of the bus after they deduced that we would

be here for a while. There was nothing for sale besides cubes of pork. No vegetables. No soda or coffee. No candy or cigarettes. Not even a slice of bread. Ah! The wisdom of the bus driver. He already had his bread.

The driver ate.

paced.

The rest of the passengers iust milled about

AIM DESTINATIONS JULY

2OOI

or threw foodtcraps to the wild dogs. I didnt I felt like a hitdr-hiker. part of the deal. I kept quiet. But I kept my Later, at the border crossing on the Armenian-Georgian frontier, I leamed from Vartan that all my patience during the potato stops and at the khorwats stand had saved me from a great deal of trouble. It seems that when the Georgian border guards were intenogating me, the other pas iet g..s had become annoyed. Vartan told me that there were fervent complaints that I was delaying everyone. Even the driver was impatient. "We don't have time for this," he said. Vartan silenced the comPlaints. "No time? What about Your Potatoes?" Vartan said to the driver. feel like a passenger.

The driver kept quiet. It would be 10 hours before we reached Tbilisi, a joumey that would have taken five

houn by

car.

The slow pace of the bus permitted us to linger over the meadows, the high mountains, and the rich farmland of southem Georgia, and to appreciate why Georgians are so fond of their land. On the road to Tbilisi, we caught a glimpse of how close, and also how fat Armenia and Georgia areThe villages we passed were difficult to distinguish from the ones in northem

lliscovering Georyia

Armenia. The architecture of the churches was similar to that of the Armenian churches. The road signs, written in Georgian, appeared to have been written in Armenian. Armenia and Georgia share a border, they share a religious and cultural history and they even share a political past. Many Armenian-Americans therefore choose to travel to Georgia each year, to

help put what they know about Armenia into perspective, and to give them a frame of reference. After all, one cannot meaningfully compare tiny Armenia with, say, Russia, or Ulaaine. Georgia's population of 4.5 million is roughly comparable to Armenia's estimated tlree million residents. But Georgia's popu-

lation includes half a million ethnic Armenians, which gives eadr ethnic group

parity in the region's population. Georgia's land area is roughly equal to West Virginia's. Modemday Armenia, whidr is smalle4 is doserin size to Maryland. Eadr country has been struggling to develop democratic institutions and a free market economy, since 1991. And each nation is burdened with poor energy resources and with sigpificant tlueats to is political sability. Each country boasts a strong and ancient orthodox Christian heritage, each of which a

D18

developed independendy from the influof Rome. And, unlike the other newcomers to this region, Georgians and Armenians have each inhabited this part of the world since time immemorial. ence

But, unlike Armenia, which is roughly 96 percent Armenian and which has the world's most homogenous population, the Republic of Georgia is a cosmopolitan mix of many nationalities and religions. Georgia, some say, is a miniature empire. Because of all this, many visiton to Armenia feel that they cannot miss a side

nip to Georgia. Most visitors to Georgia start their journey in Tbilisi, which the locals consider to be not just the capital of Georgia, but also the capital of all the Caucasus. (For a comprehensive English language history of

Georgia, you might want to read Tbe Makingof the Georgian Natioa, by Ronald

Grigor Suny.) Central Tbilisi, unlike Yerevan, was built before the Russian revolution. Most of its buildings reflect the grandeur of this age, and many of its narrow streets suggest a European, rather than a Soviet, legacy. The city was in turmoil iust a few yea$ ago, when rival factions battled for contol of the country. The forces ofEduard Shevardnadze

AIM DESTTNATTONS JULY 2001

prevailed and his stewaridship has restored some of the order, at least in the Tbilisi region. Shevarrdnadze has suwived assassination

attemps and miliary coups. It is no surprise then, that police line the city's avenues whenever Shwardnadze navels in Tbilisi. The city's main street, Rustaveli Prospek, is a fashionable avenue of trendy shops and restaurants. Here you'll find diners selling kltngali, which Ioola like a cross between Ialian ravioli and Chinese won

ton, but which is made with bee[ and without tomato sauce. And you'll find the favorite of many Georgians, khmhapai, which is a c-heese pie that is-sometimessimilar to the Armenian boereg. Rustaveli has night clubs, street vendors, and a couple of modest hotels. The nearby old city boasts the most history however.

There, you will find the synagogue of Tbilisi's centuriesold Jewish community, a couple of mosques, Russian orthodox and Georgian orthodox churches, and Surb Gevorg, the Armenian Apostolic church. The narrow, cobble stone streets have barely changed in centuries. You'll also find the Turkish sulfur baths, and the neighborhood that was once before the Russian revolution the Armenian quarter. When the private homes

lliscouedng Georgia

of the wealthy were nationalized by the Soviets in 1917, the Armenians who lived in the mansions of this neighborhood were evicted. Todan one can still see the name plates of the original Armenian owners on many foyers and entranceways. Today, the largest community of Armenians in Tbilisi can be found in the Avlobari neighborhood, located across the river from the historic district. Expect to hear Armenian spoken on the street here, and to find Armenian foods sold in the shops. To locate the neighborhood, just searcJr

out the statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali, Georgia's legendary leader. This fifth century king helped consolidate Georgia's drurch and today, a massive statue of him on horseback honors his legary.

His monument, which overloola the old

city, is as well known to Georgians as the statue of Mother Georgia, which towers over Tbilisi from a distant hilltop. The posi-

tion of King Gorgasali's statue also makes him appear to be guarding the entrance to the Armenian Qrarter. But the Armenian Qrarter isn't the only place in Tbilisi where you'll hear Armenian spoken. Many Georgians speak the language, simply because they have grown up hearing it from their friends and neighbors.

And you'll have difficulty avoiding

Hoteloffen rooms beginning at about $250

Armenians, as well as the Armenian language, ifyou go anywhere by taxi cab in Tbilisi. It seems like just about all the cabbies are Armenian. Itr7hat this means for an ArmenianAmerican visitor from the US, is that an interesting guided tour ofTbilisi, complete with a rundown of the best ban, the locations of the theaters, and a survey of the newest restaurants, is always just a $2 cab fare away.

per night. The accommodations are luxurious,

Getting There To get to Georgia, take either of the daily buses that depart fiom Yerevan at 8 a.m. and at 10 a.m. from the bus station located on the Ejmiatsin Road, near the winery. The scheduled travel time is six hours, but the ticket seller will quicJdy ad<nowledge that

city, offering rates as low as $40, but generally in the $75 to $150 range. Most of them include brealdast. For a good value where the rooms are quiet and the innkeeper is exceptionally friendly, try the Kol|hi Guest House, on

but the location requires a two-mile cab or bus ride into town. The new five star Marriott Hotel, on Rustaveli Prospek, is located cenrally. But the rates are even higher. The Muza Hotel offers a bare bones room on noisy but convenient Kostava Street, overlooking the Philharmonic, for approximately $50, breakfast included. Most baths are shared. Numerous other guest houses are scattered

the trip always takes at least eight hours. Fare is $7 each way. AII seats are assigned. Private can are also available, usually for less than $150 each way. This can be economical with a full car load, but it can dso be dangerous. There are stories about drivers from Tbilisi who engage in banditry on the desolate

road between Yerevan and Tbilisi.

Shanidze Street, in the Vake section

The four star Sheraton Metechi Palace

AIM DESTINATIONS JULY

2OO1

town. Rates start at $40. I also liked the but pricey $100 rooms of the Ateni Guest House, which is also in the desirable Vake section of Tbilisi. large

Uisa Requinmerb

If you're traveling on a US Passport, you will need a visa. You'll pay about $40, plus to facilitate your application, at the Georgian Embassy in Yerevan. Or you can get the visa in your home country. I a small 'fee'

toâ&#x201A;Źitq

throughout the

Yeneuan lliany

The People's Republic of

Breuan Seen by

BY IIRAIB SARIOS SABIOSSIA]I

Mp,*:;,itffiIl,ffiTrt*: Airport It's 5:30 am and we are sitting in the airplane. The doors are open, the cool wind is blowing, dogs are running on the runway following rhe catering people around, and the few passengers left on the plane, due to depart in a few land at Yerevan's Zvarrros

minutes, are checJ<ing each other out, talking to the stewardesses. There are about 35 passengers left after dropping offthose whose destination was Tbilisi. No new passengers have come aboard.

We are about 10 minutes from landing, and I see a mountain. Nope, I don't think that is fuarat, unless it has changed since the last photos I have seen. Someone says this is Mount Aragats. It's huge, white and -ighty. The best thing about this British Med flight is that it comes into Yerevan in the moming: perfect for the fint timer. I made

Thirty-Something First:Timer

realize that there are magnificent sights outside Yerevan, but I figure that there are

magnificent sights in almost every country. ttr7hat makes this country different (for me) are not the churches or the khatchkars, or the fields and the mountains.

It is the people. And I'm going to spend time with them. I rent an apartment. This is cheaper than stayrng in a hotel. You can get a studio or an apartment with several rooms for less than $200 a month. (More if you want water all the time.) They also rent by the day, or the week. Very flexible. No formalities. No policies. Go through Menua Tours, Noah.com or someone you already know, for such accommodations. Stay as close to the center ofYerevan as possible so you can enjoy the nighdife, evening walks, the public spaces. You can also pick up a mobile phone from Menua Tours for the duration

sure that I sat on the right side of the plane, since two of the three people I asked said that's where you want to sit to see Mt. Ararat when the plane lands. All three were correct. It 6rst appears on the right, then the plane tums and fuarat, absolutely beautiful, appears again. There are no words to describe this. And I won't attempt to. I have been picked up by a minibus and taken to the MP lounge. As I walk through the metal detector, it goes off But, no one hears it, or if they do, no one comes to check my bags. So, I proceed. While waiting for my bags and paperworlg trvo birds fly into the room. This doesn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary to the people here, who I am guessing are employees

just a wild guess though, because, just like me, they are sitting down, drinking coffee and smoking. And like me, they are amused by the birds. Welcome to Armenia. There are several ways to visit Armenia. ArM DESTTNATTONS JULY

2001

of your stay. Highly practical. Seriously consider paymg more for an apartrnent that has a water tank. The homes get water twice a day, moming and evening. I did not know this, and my apartment did not have a tanlq but was assured I would have water from 5:00 to 9:30, turice a day. The fint evening I arrived home at 9:10 pm, ready for a shower. But, too late. Fint Lesson: 9:30 does not mean 9:30. The water was already cut off This must be where 'Armenian Time' comes in. Taxis are plentiful and cheap. Or, call a car service (these door-todoor taxis on call) and make a deal to only use them throughout your stay, and you will get a better price. And once you do so, every driver in that office will know who you are within the first 24 hours. They will know where you live and where the last driver dropped you off, This is very important, since you

Yeneuan lliany

will never be able to explain. The driven are very pay your

helpful and informative. You can bill at the end ofyour stay, but do

tip the driven each time. Ifyou grve them too mudr, they will get offended. A couple of hundred Drams (or 50 cents) is reasonable. The people here are not the beggars you have heard about. They are very proud and hard working. They are loohng for work, not a handout. Speaking of money, there are many exclange places in town, and they have pretty much the same rates. Also, there are about five ATMs in the city, where you can get cash both in US Dollars and Drams. The excJrange rate is about 550 Drams to a $1, which makes pretty mudr everytling extremely cheap. But don't flaunt your money and make a point of commenting on inexPensive prices. Those who are lud<y enough to have good jobs barely make $200 a month. Chances are you will know other tourists who are also in town. Call them and enjoy sharing experiences, but make sure you don't spend all your time with them. Leave time to explore the city and its people on your own' A friend tells me he is going dancing at Relax, the most'in'place in Yerevan. Relax is one of the very few clubs, maybe even the only one, where you can just walk in and hang out. At the others, you will be escorted to a table, and seated. The waiter will open a check for you and you will pay the bill at the end of the night. If there are no tables available, then the place is full. You will have to wait. A bit Soviet, we think. But

the logic is, "If people just walk in and stand around, some guys might end up standing next to another guy's 'girl.'Then, they might start talking to her and drecking her out, and before you know it, there is a fight." It's a security measure, says another. Although this sounds a bit archaic, they tell me that at Relax, where this is not done, fights do break out occasionally. In any case, it is around 2 am, we are at Relax, and we are hungry. We sit at a booth, by choice, and the waiter brings the menu in Russian only. My friends translate the entire menu, and we make our choices. The waiter retums, and we start to order. But none of the items on the menu are available. Except two. Of course, those are the two we order, and they taste fine. They have coffee. Do they have dessert? "What would you like for dessert?" he asla. But I've leamed a bit about the system already, so I as( "What do you have?" They have one kind ofcake. "That is exacdy what I would like," I say. The music at Relax is upbeat, the space is small, but clean. And there are plenty of mirrors. Yes, mirrors in clubs are essential. Most people dance with themselves in the mirrors. Lools a bit like country westem linedancing. My curiosity propels me to ask why.'Women feel uncomfortable dancing with men they don't know, which, in tum, leaves men without dancing partners." But they all like to dance, and they all do. With themselves. The music is mosdy Russian Pop, some American, Armenian, fuabic and Greek. Not bad.

AIM DESTINATIONS JULY

2001

Ufe is simple here, but real. Very real. lbo real for some - both locals and visitors. It has nothing to do with the dream Armenia. This is a real place, with real people who have gone through a lot, and are still going through more of the same, and a lot more of new changes. The people are what make Yerevan different from other countries. They don't have the material, to be materialistic.

They have themselves, and most are lovely people. They are genuine, even the bad ones. It is a genuine Glendale, but with reason behind it. They are Armenians, after all. They can pronounce my name without butdrering it, or asking me to rePeat it five times. That is worth a lot. If you are one of those who have leamed about Armenia all of your life, heard stories

from your grandparents, seen Pictures of friends'visits, read about it, heard about it, speak Armenian, listen to Armenian music, just remember, this is still a foreigrr country with a familiar language. That's all' Be sure not to bring your romantic images, and nationalistic notions and expectations with you. They won't confiscate them at the airport, but they should. Also, this being your first trip to mother Armenia, do not expect halfthe population to be at the airport, with open arms, happy that you finally made it to your motherland. In fact, no one cares.Just as no Parisian cares when you go to Paris, nothing is different here. You are just another tourist. Some may not even think you are a real Armenian if you are not a native. No Problem.

Placos m Eo.

Iiln0s to $ee.

DON'T MISS OUT Ethnic restivat

fosilual ol lrandatos

Litursy ar 10 a m

',f['Tf,il:il',ffii',,

A literary festival dedicated to

Mesrop iilashtots and St. Grigor Narekatsi,

with participation by acclaimed Armenian and European scholars and writers.

Sponsored by St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church

August 5,2001, 11am to 8pm

l0 to 20, 2lXll

0gtober

Republic of Armenia

Festival Park

.170Ofund.am

Racine, Wisconsin

262.639,0531

Gontomponry lmonlan Samnd Pan'lrmonlan Eamos

lrt

Irio presentation featurlng a video by Sonia

2000 athletes from 40 countries to compete in football, basketball, volleyball, track

and Hlm

Balassanian, films by

Atom Egoyan and Krikor Momdiian on the quest for identity.

l{oYembsr 3, 2001 to

and field, tennis, table tennis, chess and swimming. Festivities and concerts planned,

August 18 to 26, 2001

ilarch 3,2002

Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal

Vazgen Sargisian Republh Stadium

Leiden,

Ihe

Netherlands

www.lakenhal,nl

Yerevan, Armenia www.armeniadiaspora.com

tumenlan llMne Ono World

lostlual 2001

lllttrry of llomltas

Liturgical oratorio featuring muslclans affiliated with Boston's leading symphony

Weekend of cultural dance, music and food of the many ethnic groups in New York

orchestras, the Chorus Pro Musica, and soloists from the Metropolitan and Paris

September 8, llam to 0pm; September 0, 12 to 6pm, 2001

0puas. Sponsored by the Friends of Armenian Culture Society,

l{ouember 4, 2001

Vartan Armenian Cathedral New York City, NY

Symphony Hall

www.armenianchurch.org

Boston, Massachusetts donnadaniels@ mediaone,net

Contemporary lrmenlan Artsts and the

luollls

Logacl ol lllumlnated llanuscrlpb

- l]hrry

Goos

$mphony

Featuring Vahe Berberian, Emil Kazaz, Sahak Pogossian,

Charity gala concert featuring works by Gomidas, Yekmalian, and

Vachag Ier-Sarkissian, Seroon Yeretzian

Tschilingirian performed by the Vienna Philharmonic 0rchestra

SeptemberlS to 0etober 20,20Ol

lanuary 5,2002 Vienna, Austria

Glendale Brand Library and Gallery

r49

Glendale, California

171 2879279

www.library.ci,glendale.ca us

GonoraUons ol Gonoddo

lrmenlan Gospels ol Eladzor 60 unbound pages of the

Conference on the four genocides of the 20th Century:

Gladzor Gospels, one of the ma$erpieces of 14th century

Armenian, the Holocaust, the Balkans, and Rwanda,

Armenian illumination. Lectures, gallery talks, concerts and a "Family Festivall'

lanuary 28 lo 21,2OO2

September 11 to 0ecember 2,2001

lnstitute of Contemporary History and Wiener Library

J. Paul Getty Museum,

London, UK

Los Angeles, Califomia

www.wienerlibrary,co.uk

www,getty.edu

AIM DESTTNATTONS JULY 200r

D23

Yezidi Kurds Live the Free Life BY MARK GBIGORIAN

I PHOTOS BY ROUBEN MANGASARIAN I YEREVAN

wo-year old Said-Agha Khaloyan does not speak yet. However, he knows that when his father and uncles shepherd the sheep from the pasture, he should take a rod and help the elden. Said-Agha is a Yezidi Kurd, Iiving together with his family of 19 people, high in the mountains, all in one large tent. Yezidi is a religious group of Kurdish origin. The Kurds in Armenia are mostly Yezidis. According to Amarike Sardar, the editorin-chief of Ria Taza, Kurdish tribes started to actively migrate to Eastem Armenia after the Russian-Turkish war in 1878. Their number increased after World War L TMay, the Kurds are the biggest national minority in Armenia, counting, according to Sardar, about,t0,000. Their main occupation is cattle breeding and agriculture. Besides herding sheep, they grow wheat, barley, potatoes. The Kurds live in more than 20 villages on the mountainsides of Aragats and in Yerevan.

The Khaloyans, as well as many other Kurdish families in Armenia, each spring herd flocks of sheep to the pastures, and each autumn bring them back to winter in the lowlands. The pastures are situated at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters (9,000 ft.) where

ARMENIA

one can find patches of snow up to the middle of the sunmer. I(haloyans have accustomed to this halfnomad life. Said-Agha's grandfather, Avet, 64, used to work for some time at a fumiture factory in Yerevan, in the 190s. Then life forced him to retum to the ancient trade of their nation: herding. "Each year, on April 10, we take the sheep to the mountains and we remain there until October 1G15. Then we are back to thevillage, and the following April we and the sheep move to the mountains again," saln Avet. They were doing that 300 years ago, they are doing the same in the new millennium. The sheep belong to the "owner." SaidAgha's older relatives avoid speaking about him. They just mention the village where he lives. But they are happy with him. He pays $40 per month to the shepherds, and $30 to the milkers. This sum is enough for the winter, since in the summer, when they are on the mountain pastures, they do not spend money. The owner also collects the agreed-upon products that the Yezidis roduce: sheep cheese, clabber, cow cheese and curd. When

he comes up to the mountains, he brings bread, of which there is never enough here.

AIM JULY

2OO1

Said-Agha has a special position in the family. His father Telman said that in the future, Said will become the head of their clan. Thus, the title "Agha" is added to his name. There is an eye drawn in the middle of

his forehead - perhaps to keep evil spirits away? His grandmother Kubar,56, dismisses it by saying the children drew it when they were playing. However, a special attitude is noticeable towards the boy. The elders tried to keep him away from journalists, and the second time a group visits the camp, the boy is not there. Said-Agha will begin talking, soon. He will talk Kurdish, That's what his family speals although the elders know Armenian. Most likely, Said will learn to read and write in Armenian, later in school, and he will also leam the multiplication tables. He will need

five or six school years to gain this knowledge. After that, he will leave, probably with relief, and escape the Armenian children who often tease and offend little Yezidis. "Here in the mountains I feel better, than down in the village," says Mrav, 14, Said's cousin. "I love this free life: no one touches you, and you are on your own." Mrav looks

like an L1-year-old, but he is an adult memberof the family, responsible for herding 100lambs.

Every creature here knows his, her or its task. Human beings are superior, no matter how old or big they are. The sheep, cows and dogs, quite consciously help the people. When the sheep are brought in for milking, the rams and those sheep which will not be milked, are set aside about 200 meters (600 ft.) away from the camp. The remaining stand humbly in a long line, slowly advancing to the milking yard. Ose,6, and Trna,7, help the elders. They push aside the cows, which quietly obey them.

The procedure of milking is rather com-

plicated and requires harmonious work among several persons. After the sheep are moved to the yard, either Said's father or one of his uncles sits on a stone in the middle of the narrow pass to the yard. The women sit on both sides of the pass, and set buckets in holes dug in front of them. The sheep are driven to the pass. The man, bending his hands at the elbows, holds two sheep by their

In the meantime, the women milk them. Each sheep gives about one glass of milk per day. After milking, the women boil the milk

necks.

AIM JULY

2OO1

Gonnections

and make curd. Cheese is made from this curd and sold at market. The remains of curd are given to the dogs. But the dogs do not hurry to eat it. The lead-dog must eat flrst. It is a white, three-year-old with a bell on his neck. "Recently, thanks to him, we saved a lamb from the wolves," Jamal, Said's uncle says.

"They attacked at night, when everyone slept. We woke up because that bell rung out when the dog chased the wolves away." The Khaloyan family lives in surprising harmony with the surrounding world. Here people enjoy trro "invertions" of civilization: a kerosene lamp and a manual separator to separate milk from cream. And they do not produce the integral component of everyday modem life: garbage. The dogs eat all leftovers, and the humans do not use paper or cellophane.

Here, time too flows differently, than in the fussy urban world. Khaloyans want to know what happens below. They are interested in the latest developments connected with Kurds and the PKK, though they do not consider themselves different. "We are Yezidis, not Kurds," they say. "The Kurds are

Muslims, while our belief is different." Kubar intenupts, "We worship the cross, Christmas, New Year's, Easter, the Epiphany." This sentence ends all religious talk. The Yezidis'reli-

gion includes elements of sun-worship, Zoroastranism and Christianity and is tightly closed to outsiders. Armenia is probably the only country in the world, where Muslim Kurds and Yezidis are opposed to each other, and even consider themselves different nations. Armenia is very welcoming and tolerant of its Yezidi and Kurdish minority, and this agitates the Turkish republic to the west. "We believe that the Kurds deserve to have a state," says Avet, "but we will not leave our Armenia. We were bom here, and this country is ours. Armenians are closer to us than the Kurds." They call their language Yezidi, though they confess that it is the same as Kurdish. When the time comes, Said-Agha, as a citizen of Armenia, will be drafted. His uncle Jamal liked military service. He even captured two Azeris. "I was at the post, when I saw

AIM JULY

2OO1

two people coming at me. I thought, "What shall I do," and then shouted, "Drop!" They

lay on their

stomachs,

threw their

Kalashnikov guns away, and then our soldiers came and took them." Jamal was awarded with an extraordinary leave and a book. "It was a beautiful, big book. But I presented it to the regiment. You know, I have problems reading these letters." Said-Agha watches as the older children jump around, shouting Kochari and pretend-

ing that they are dancing this Armenian dance. When it gets dark, he looks over the

lights of Yerevan, which are clearly visible from his camp high in the mountains. Who knows what this little boy, with a third eye drawn on his forehead, this child who will become the head of his family, is

thinking?

0pposite page, top: Said-Agha is expected to

be the head ol his lamily one day. Bottom: Surrounded by his lamily. This page, below: The uuomen ol the exlended lamily work together.

tt tlEmtrym

4,800 50 mErER lor I4E,E00

ril

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will also receive the Hotel Le Meridien study-analysis. For information contact

ISUZ

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Ancient Sriep Replica Meticulously handcrafted of clay in traditional Armenian style. Will give your coffee a velvety old world flavor. $20.00

$alt & Pepper $hakers This pair of clay dispensers, resembling Karabakh's symbolic grandmother and grandfather, are hand made. No two are exactly alike $20.00

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Mantino$ $anian

18801e72

lnhabited by fantastic personages and exotic animals, the poetic charm of these works lies not only in their quality, but in the melodic structure

oltheir composition. A moving world of beauty and mystery unfolds before us. Sarian sought a concise expression, stressing the harmonious unity of nature and mankind while using elements ol Armenian culture. He has produced more than three thousand artworks including paintings, graphics, and theatre design. They all display te artists devoltion to age-old Armenian

traditions and an ideological zest for life.

Above, left to right.

lale. tgoq Ihe lfing and llls llaughter. Fainy lale. Fainy By

tgo+

Martiros Sarian

Custom Framed Postcards Frame size 1B X 9.5'. Limited Edition.

$65.00 Left, top to bottom.

By the $ea. $phinx. rgos By the lUell. Hot llay. tsos By

Martiros Sarian

Custom Framed Postcards Frame size 10 X 14.5'. Limited Edition.

$65.00 10% ol the proceeds lrom the sale ol these lramed cards will be donated to the Martiros Sarian Museum in Yerevan.

Gno$$ Pendant Hung from an lS" suede cord, this stylish 2 3/4" bronze cross is made in Armenia. Embellished

with beautiful, varying colored stones. Each cross comes

in its own hand

made wooden box.

$29.00

Wall ol $ilence The Unspoken Fate of the Armenians Produced and directed by Dorothee Forma

An unprecedented documentary on the Armenian Genocide. The film presents the lives and scholarship of two historians Turkish Scholar Taner Akqam and Armenian professor Vahakn Dadrian. "Turkey can never become a democracy if it does not face its history," says Akgam, "We have to research violence in our past in order to understand our present. Contemporary Turks are not guilty, but they have a responsibility toward history."

Video Documentary

54 Minutes. VHS or NTSC (please specily if you need PAL). $25.00

Available exclusively through AlM,

The Gycle ol

lile

Songs for the Soul Perlormed by Parik Nazarian Each of these songs is a page ol life, a mirror of a time, a link

to our history. These bittersweet pieces sung with the occasional accompaniment of duduk, dhol and shvi, depict the disparity

Knan

Musical Relics ol Anmenia

Armenian Folk Music ol Anatolia

Voice ol

Forgotten compositions and arrangements

Dedicated to the 1700th Anniversary oi the

of regional Anatolia. Wedding songs, love songs, and songs with a social messages rich in ashugh and sharagan tradilions. 0ne CD, accompanied by a 27-page

proclamation of Christianity as the national religion of Armenia Music presented from various genres that give an idea of urban musical lile and the historical events of those times. Hayrik

Hayrik Mouradian

of birth and death, the pain of loss and the joy of birth, love and joy and war and vengeance. ln these songs, the beauty

bookletwith Armenian text, English and

Mouradian, an inspirer and advisor of Armenian

French translations and related photos.

of love is symbolized by the seed of a pomegranate, the vigor of life by a blade ol wheat.

$15.00

lolk song art, brings to life songs that may have been lost to oblivion. Songs that emanate from the Iile of ordinary people, their toil, thoughts, and leel-

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Thslruo$$lHellrBilm Cilician Sea-Faring Tiadition is Revived BY

ToitY HALPTN I PHoToS

BY VoVA GULIAN

his is the story of an impossible dream and where such dreams may lead. In 1985, Karen Balayan formed the Ayas Sea Investigations Club in Armenia with a group offriends who had already spent several vacations diving and swimming together on the Black Sea coast in neighboring Georgia. An odd enough club, perhaps, for a landlocked country. But Balayan, who had a fascination with the sea and a love of model ships, had an even more eccentric idea. He wanted to revive Armenia's ancient sea-faring tradition by building a replica sail-

ing ship from the time of the Cilician Kingdom in the 13th century. Then he wanted to sail it along Armenia's historic trade routes through the Mediterranean and out to the Atlantic Ocean.

I LoNDoN

ENGLAND

That dream has sustained him through 16 years of turmoil and hardship as, fittingly, modem Armenia struggled to emerge from the collapse of yet another empire. And now he hopes the dream is less than six months from becoming reality. The club's name derives fromthe medieval port of Ayas in Cilicia and the sailing vessel

now under construction was in use between the 11th and 15th centuries. Balayan spent years researching the design and composition

of the craft, using ancient manuscripts held both in Armenia and abroad. "Cilicia was the only period when we had a rich sea history. I decided very early on that we should prepare a real Armenian ship and then sail it," he said. Balayan's 20-strong team comes from all walks of life in Yerevan, and includes a doc-

AIM JULY

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tor, a journalist, and an administrator with the Armenian Chamber Orchestra. He him-

self has worked with the Pyunic Sports Organization for Disabled, teaching them to sail and molding a team, which competed in the Paralympic Games in 1996 and again in Sydney last year. Work on the 19-meter (60 ft.) historic cTaft started in 1990. The chaos then engulfing the Soviet Union in its death throes had an early impact on the project by delaying the delivery of oak timber from Russia. But, gradually,

through determination and hard work, the ship began to take shape. "During the hard years, we stopped any signiflcant work and only continued with symbolic things just to satisfy ounelves that we were doing something. We stopped formaybe three yean because

Gonnections

of the economic crisis," Balayan said. Normal work - in evenings and weekends resumed in 1996. During this time, the team completed the frame of the vessel, and has now started on the hull, with pine planking delivered from Russia. The sails, the largest of which is 100 quare meten (1,00 q. ft.), are coming from Russia tm, thanks to an Armenian connection They were madetoBalayanbqpecificationswithhelp fromthe omrnanden of a ship in lGliningrad used to frain studens from RusiabN4adtime Institute. TtE drief bm8uain-the sailorin charge of rigging anchon and cable

-it

tums out, is Mamikon tlakopiarL a

member of the Sea Investigations club.

"He offered to order these sails for

through their ship, and for five sails we paid $700 which is very cheap. They were happy to help us, the guys there all consider it a gesture towards the project," Balayan said. A local cable factory in Yerevan came to the rescue in the preparation of nails for the planking. Balayan and his Ayas team scavenge for old copper wire, which they deliver to the factory. This is then recycled into wire for Ayas'blacksmith to fashion into mpper nails, just as the original ship-builden would have done. "We do our research to make sure that everything we do is historically accurate. We found docu-

ments both in the Matenadaran in Yerevan and in neighboring countries like Syria, which explain how the ships were built at that time," said Balayan. "Cilicia was not separate from its surroundings, the ships in use were part of a generalized ship-building system." It isnt just the ship that is historically accurate. Different members of the club have undertaken investigations into the Cilician Kingdom's trade routes and its connections with the rest of the world. These stretched north to the Black Sea and Crimea and west along the Meditenanean around to Northern Europe as far as Amsterdam. Map-makers in that port city also produced sea-charts. Balayan travelled to the British Library in London to study one specimen dating from 1695, along with maps produced in Spain and Pornrgal, to help his team plan the route of their expedition. Other documents held in the Mekhitarian Library in Venice have also been consulted, the research trips paid with sponsonhip from the Soros Foundation. They aim to make other details of the nine-month voyage as authentic as possible. The ship's cook will be using recipes from the time, while members of the crew will wear clothes similar to those sailors wore more than 600 years ago. The boat will be guided only

with navigational devices from the period too.

"We want to keep everything like

medieval boat, to feel as closely as possible how they felt in those times," Balayan said. When it is completed, hopefully next spring, and after testing in Lake Sevan, the vesel will be transported by trailer to Batumi. The team would prefer to travel through Eastem Turkey to the Black Sea because the

roads are better, but the closed border remains a political

and logistical

- obstacle.

The ship will follow a route around the Black Sea and along the Mediterranean, vis-

iting every important harbor with historic

to Cilicia. Along the way, the crew intends to act as ambassadors for Armenia. "The flrst sailor, Noah, came to

connections

Armenia and we are just continuing the tradition," Balayan said. "This will be the first

to sail since the Cilician Kingdom and it's very exciting that after 16 years, passing through very hard times, we

Armenian ship

could be just a few months away from achieving our goal. We want to have exhibitions in different places that we visit, it's a chance to

promote Armenia both historically and as a modern business partner." To do all this, however, the team must raise another $25,000 to complete the ship and

fund their voyage. They estimate the project has cost $60,000 already, largely in donated materials and time. Even so, despite the eco-

nomic hard times, they raised $10,000 for materials and work they could not get for free. Now the future of the project- and the realization of their dream - hinges on finding sponsors willing to provide the remaining funds in retum for advertising exposure along the way.

The voyage will be taken in two stages with the ship spending the winter in the Mediterranean before the crew retums to complete the leg to Amsterdam. "This was also the case in medieval times because there were only a few navigable months each year. We want

keep tradition there too," Balayan explained. From Amsterdam, they hope to steer the craft round to St. Petersburg in time to rep-

resent Armenia

at a major international

show of replica boats in 2003. An enthusiast's twinkle in his eyes, Balayan said: "A lot of people thought we were crazy, but we have believed from the beginning that we will sail and we are waiting for the moment when we can show that this is reality. "We have never lost hope that it would succeed, to achieve

something you must believe in it every second of the day. This is very important now when people think everything is impossible." His is a romantic vision, fired by love and will against overwhelming odds. r

sheer

AIM JULY

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Ihe Eli[eklans: I l|yna$ty By DAirrA IGRAKACHTAN I MoNTRAL CANADA ulture is often a family affair. The talents and skills required to produce miniatures, carpets, architecture, khachkars and other distinctive forms of expression have been passed through generations in particular families. Armenia's art history also contains such dynasties the Hovnatanians, the Bajbeuk-Melikians, the Khounountz family and, the Elibekians. Vagharshag Elibekian stood at the head of this artistic

family tree. Bom in 1910 in Tbilisi, Georgia, his works represent a poetic spirit within Armenian culture and folklore. A stage director by profession, he started to paint at the age of 60. "Though small in size, each painting is a storybook, a record of time and place, action, tradition, lifestyle and cultural narration of narve and sometimes comical pictorial essays. They present his nostalgic

memory of horses with carriages, humble village life, panoramic wilderness, and the integrity of the inhabitants of Tbilisi," says Seeroon Yeretzian, an artist, and owner of

Roslin Art Gallery in Glendale, California. Tbilisi's cosmopolitan spirit of that time pervades his paintings. Vagharshag passed his artistic legacy down to his sons Henry and Robert, both of whom were born in Tbilisi. 64

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Ants

Vagharshag passed away in 1994. Henry Elibekian,65. was known as a painter sculptoq desigrer and gaphic arls miuter in the 1%0s. Currently his work consists of vast creations, very modem. abstract, and rebellious in style. "Henry Elibekianl paintingp are riddles wrapped in mystery inside an enigma. They are sometimes bold. sometimes melancholic mediations that transcend the optical subjectivity. He expresses an intense drama of emotion and confidence obvious to knowledgeable viewerc." says

Yeretzian. Henry Elibekian,

resident of

Armenia, has avoided confining himself to a speffic genre, preferring always to seek out new me:rns of expression.

The works of Robert Elibekian.5tS, contain a sharp sense of fantasy. His perfected characten with their "theatrical appearance" and isolation from everyday life are indeed different from the old masters. "Roberl Elibekian is one of the few male artists who has gasped the scent and mystery of women. who are not erotic and sex objects, who demand love and respect and seem to have become alt before they were ever painted. They are the stimuliand dominant force of his paintings," says Yeretzian.

His son. Areg. the third generation of Elibekian artists. was born in Yerevan in 1970. grew up sunounded by the paintings of the three family giants, and was encouraged by,his father to paint and create. "Areg Elibekian'.s paintings bear the spirit and fragrances. in sophisticated colors, of Paris, the city of light. a metropolis of cafes. theaters of life on the sidewalks and old bridges, and European hiskrry." says Yeretzian. Although Areg. who now lives in Canada, is the youngest of the Elibekian

Dynasty. he is equally appreciated and has formed his own niche in the arl world. Robert now hopes his grandchildren will continue the artistic line and proudly proclaims that his granddaughtet Mariam. who is 10, already paints excellent pieces. Henry Robert and Areg show and sell their works around the world. and most recently, in Montreal. Vagharshag's works are no longer lbr sale. According to Yeretzian, "The art of this dynasty, whose work can be tbund in museums and galleries throughout the world, is the synthesis of eastern and westem

afi."

0pposite page, top: Henry Elibekian,

"Composition" 1997, Mixed Media on Paper 10"

x27"

Elibekian, Le Marais 1999, Oil on Canvas 21"X28 This page, top Vagharshag Elibekian Ihis page right: Roberl Elibekian, Melody 1997, Oil on Canvas 20" X24" Opposite page, bottom Areg

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Hourrs

UnnB$fAl[Bd ry reconum

Micheline Aharonian Marcom writes the Genocide BY SAtPt HAR0UTTI{IAN GHAZARIAN

LoS ANGELES CAL|F0RN|A

a plane to Germany on her way to

the

Intemational Book Festival, she called from there telling me she loved the book and was going to sell

it."

And she did, just two days later. It's since

in Italy, Germany, England, Holland as well, and most recently, Israel.

been sold

She's working on France and Spain. "The story is compelling," she says, seem-

ingly still amazed that such powerful subject matter can be so deceivingly accessible. "When I first started, I thought I was going to write about my mother's mother, but other stories kept creeping in. And we experienced some strange moments along the way."

Marcom's husband, David,

a software

engineer, had lived in Istanbul, Turkey for a year, and had many good Turkish friends. "They're a very warm, educated group. We were sitting around talking, and one of the women looked like my mother. She was from Anatolia. I said that's the region my grandmother is from. She survived the Genocide. As soon as I said that, it was as if a chasm opened between us," Marcom remembers, drawing a deep pit in the air with her hands.

was 26 years old at the time. The

TUrkish woman was the same age. "She said so many things that I knew were wrong. You know, the usual stuff: Civil War, many Turkish people died. And at that point, all I knew was the story of my grandmother.

or me, fiction is closer to the truth than history is," says Micheline Aharonian Marcom, holding her eight-month old son and qpeaking about her new bmk, Three Apples Fell From Heaven. This flrst novel is published by the

respected international publishing house, Putnam, as a book of literary fiction, under their Riverhead Books imprint, with a title that befits a book of folk tales. Yet Marcom's Three Apples is both and neither.

It is more literary, less conventional, than most fiction. Yet, it feels true and real in a way that non-fiction can't. And if folk tales are people stories, these are very real goneinside-their-head stories of the people who

were the victims and the survivors of the Armenian Genocide. It is powerful in its non-narrative, nonchronological simplicity. And it is passionate and gutsy. And it is only a first novel.

"I had heard that a good novel takes flve years to write. Yet, I had only been writing flve, six months, when I was being told, send it to an editor. "I was in graduate school at Mills College, working toward a Master's in Fine Arts. One of my writing professors, Ginu Kamani, suggested I send the book to her agent and it turned out the agent was Sandra Dijkstra (she also represents such prominent writers as Amy Tan, author of. The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter's Daughter.) Sandy read it on

AIM JULY

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"I felt a tremendous amount of shame. Their propaganda is very sticky and powerful,"

she explains.

Marcom is very animated as she tells the story of her own awakening. "That was a big moment for me; I was working in education, and working with kids who were questioning their own origins. So I began to dig into events that seemed to erase my whole family's history. I took a class in family genealogy. I interviewed my great aunt who didn't want to talk about her experiences," she says. Finally, she started out wdting about her grandmother. But it wound up being much more. "I read everything I could get my hands on, all the

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survivor memoin. And they were very compelling. I especially remember John Minassian's

Many Hills Yet n Climb, because he wrote with much pathos, and no hate." Although she wrote in Berkeley, away from the Armenian communiry she was not isolated from other writers. "I was in a very competitive writing class, with Maxine Hong Kingston (The Woman Warrbr, Chinamen) teaching. I hadjust written a chapter about a baby who suddenly started to talk in my head. And that's Dickran. The chapter came out almost exactly as it is now." She read Dickran out loud in class. "When I was done, there was dead silence. And for the first time, Kingston spoke before letting the other students speak, and she was very complimentary. That's when I realized how powerful the story was. After that, I let come what came," Marcom remembers. What came are the stories that survivors find hardest to tell. "As I read the memoirs, I kept noticing what had been left out. In just a few sentences, Minassian described leaving his father behind, beneath a tree. "From my grandmother's story had inherited only five sentences. I had to imagine what was happening to people, what was left unsaid, what was too hard to say. I was interested in what wasn't spoken about, in what lay behind the sentences. The silenced, censored, shameful." The result is

trying to give voice to the voiceless, she says. "There's a line in Walt Whitman's Song of Mysef, about howls unrestrained by decorum.

"That's what I wanted to do. Genocide is not a pretty thing. I wanted to be as honest about that as I could," says Marcom, now 33. The result, though not pretty, is certainly beautiful. And compelling. It keep6 the reader engagedlong after the book has been put down. "Itwas importanttome to do the subject justioe, and not sort of make it entertaining. Some people may hate the book. It's not anti-Turkish, itb not the party line. It's much more complex." The characters themselves - children, servant girls, officials - are complex. The character of Leslie Davis is fictionalized, and somewhat representative of the ambiguous

Ihnec Apples Fell Inom Heauen Riverhead Books, Putnam, 2001 ISBN

-57322-186-4

lexcGr[ll coming in through a trapdoor in the ceiling. Eyaa, brothers! the visitor would exclaim, and my father

Dickran Whose Name Went Unrecorded

would open the hatch in the ceiling to admit him.

I was born in 915 on the Anatolian plateau, beneath la ubiquitous sky whose iridescent blue was like world through I fine veil covering my 1

lace

eyes. I saw the

The men would then sit 0n the cushions and smoke from the water pipe while my mother, my little-

mama, our Mairig, heated the water with coffee and sugar and served it in delicate demitasses.

the openings and around the edges of the scalloped

There is no news about the Dardanelles, Gaspar

filet. I remember seeing the reaching branches and

reported that winter morning. The fighting continues.

green leaves of the oak tree like hands in prayer, the grooves in the brown-gray tree bark like empty rivers, and the drifting of woolly cloud shapes like prehis-

Garo Hoogasian says he has heard that the soldiers

toric beasts, I didn't know what to call these blue-

was affectionately called, then lifted his head and exhaled a blue smoke. Have you any suggestions

edged pictures before my eyes, but I saw them clearly in the hours before my death. This I know: I was born Dickran, second child and

Iirst son to Mariam and Hovsep, the son ol Boghos, in the Armenian village of Bozmashen. I was conceived six months before my fathers conscription into

have no shoes.

Basturmajee-Gaspar, meat-curer-Gaspar

Digin Hampartzoum, he asked my nene, for a very bad chest cold? Arpine is sick again.

A bit of hollyhock llower boiled into a tea, my nene responded and rose from her seated position t0

the armed forces, when he left our home at night with

go io the storeroom. When she returned she ofiered our visitor a small bundle of dried llowers and her

his wrists bound behind his back, secured by a tether

best wishes lor his wife.

to his brothq my Amo Vahram. ln the light oJ the kerosene lamp, my lather noticed that the ropes the gendarmes tied them with were already stained with blood. He asked the gendarmes politely as they pulled his arms high behind his back, Effendi, is it necessary

to tie the arms of men who will serve in the Great 0ttoman Army and defend the Empire? Shut your mouth! they said, as if they had answered the question belore and then pushed my lather and uncle through the jront door and into the night. We did not hear lrom

or see them again (actually, I never uw them at all). But like all the families in our village we heard the

uid, to be sip@ slottttly. 0n this day of my conception, the family stayed

Tell lpr five cups a day, Nene

indoors all day because of the tenible cold outside. By

five o'clock, Mairig had already unearthed a head of cabbage lrom the storeroom lloor and made dolma which she served with pilaf. My old nene yelled out after she had tasted her portion: As usual, this requires m0re salt, Daughter-by-maniage. Mairig said nothing,

as is our custom. After the meal, the men began their card games; Mairig continued the weaving ol that winter's kilim, and my nene spun wool at the spinning wheel.

rumors about the lake, and in the weeks after all ol the

Everyone was gathered in a circle around the tonnir,

men between the ages of sixteen and lorty{ive had been conscripted, we thought the feral dogs looked fatter. The birds of prey stayed out on the plains and

some with their leet tucked tightly under the red and

let the mice in the village run freely.

was conceived months earlier, in December,

black and cream woolen blankets to keep warm. My sister Arsinee dozed lightly next to Mairig. Soon Nene began to tell stories of the djinn and then ol the heroic

when the snow had piled up past the mud brick walls

Ieats of Dickran{he-Great-King-of-Kings, and Mairig brought out the dried golden raisins and spread them

the Western involvement with

to our tiled rooftops. lt was the season when the neigh-

atop the blanket.

Armenians in Thrkey, during the worst days of the atrocities. Marcom, a Caifomia native, is not done telling these stories. She is working on another novel now, about an orphan in Lebanon. That too, will be a true story. Not history.

bors did their visiting by walking lrom roof to roof and

nature

"We have Tirrkish history right? And that's not truth," she

says.

Eat hokees, Nene said to Arsinee, you can still taste

(tA

Turkish soldier saw the rows 0l babies settled around the tree and thought of his wile who wanted another child. He miraculously t00k pity upon mc and picked me up and carried me to his uillage and named me Ali. I became a g00d Muslim boy and I honored my lather and I recited passages lrom the 0ur'an better than any boy in the village.

AIM JULY

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ing was boundles and finally it pulled me from Mairig's womb. I turned and I was pressed into the noise and light and streams ol cold air at dawn in the open plains, And I discovered skin, mouth, teat, and the blue veil of this earth, and eventually urine and bowels.

The sky lay lightly and heavily upon all of us, it altered its shades with the course ol the sun as we walked toward the Der-el-Zor: I saw blue like an iris

Irom light to dark. After my delivery my mother strapped me to her breast with a long swath ol undyed

wool turned dark brown from the constant dust of the caravans, and she continued walking. She walked with the other women and children and old men ol our

village. Bozmashen and twenty other Armenian villages were included in that particular caravan. We had been temporarily deported lrom our homes and relo-

cated into the Der-el-Zor desert. We would return, assured the Turkish town crier who had gone from

vil-

lage to village in the month of June announcing our

departure dates. Take only what you will need, he yelled on each street corner, the rest you can leave in your dwellings until your homecoming. We are doing this for your safety, he affirmed.

Most residents of Bozmashen had never in their lives traveled more than twenty miles beyond the perimeter of the village. As the women packed the bundles and filled the knapsacks, as they prepared the

lamilies to leave the places where the clans had

- during the time when history was still coupled in verse and ttas a troubadours bread and butter

lormed

they comforted one another with small hopes: will find our men in Arabia, they said. When the wagons were loaded and the bundles Perhaps we

secured, the small children jumped up and down with

delight, thinking that this thing called exile would be a great adventure.

Later on the open plains, the road stretched out

in front of us with the walking herds of villagers the hundreds of Anatolian Armenian clans and it stretched behind us in ribbons of littered and broken bodies, mostly the old, the inlirm and the very young. As the days passed, the piles behind us

seemed larger than the dusty figures in front of us.

Our nene stayed back in one of those body mounds. The abandoned voices followed us as we climbed up and down the mountains, skirting the local towns and the sources of running water at the gendarmes' insistence.

Ma-Ma, the voices said, do you have a cup ol water and some bread?

summer in these fruits. At nine o'clock the {amily retired to their sleeping pallets. Mairig slept facing the wall in the lar corner of

our two-room house (in the other room the sheep, goats and chickens slept). Just as Mairig was falling into sleep, picturing the house where she had been

room, he did what was accepted and expected and Mairig did the ume. As Mairig stared at the wall before her which she could barely make out rn the late night

With each subsequent day Mairig found it harder and harder to hold herself upright. And when her milk finally dried up, it is true that I cried lor days. Some.

darkness of the house, she felt a bead of sweat from her

times Mairig passed me to Arsinee, who held me close

husbands brow fall onto her exposed nape.

and cuddled me for a little while. Baby Dickran, you will be strong like Hayrig, she'd

raised, and just as she was beginning to run towards

I came

the cool brook with her girlhood friends, my father began lifting her shift lrom behind. He lifted it quietly. And then, over the light snoring ol Nene across the

ol walking

to my brief consciousness with the rhythm

it awakened me. Mairig walked lor weeks

and I could feel the rhythm of our days like a constant pull of tides, although I never knew the tides; the walk-

AIM JULY

2OO1

will play together under the night sky. We will count the stars together. And we'll never again eat say. And we

grass for our dinner. ln the third week after my birth, a group of Kurdish

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villagers descended upon us and stole the last of our possessions so that there was no cloth left to swaddle me and l, like Mairig and Arsinee, was naked beneath

the sun. Soon all of our skin changed from pink to darkest brown and then finally to the olive green thal came off in sheaves. Keep moving! our guards yelled, The constant sound of their whips slapping the hot air and bodies was like the sound of unbaked bread when it smacks against the cooking stone. ln the open plains there are lew trees. When Mairig

finally stumbled upon one, she stopped and she kissed me 0n my neck. And there underneath the oak tree I lay quietly, like a good boy, where my Mairig left me. I did not scream and carry on like the other babies and young

children lying next to me. My thirst for life was quieted by the matestic oak and the cloud shapes I could make out through the veil ol blue lace that covered me.

A Turkish soldier saw the rows of babies settled tln tree and thought of his wile who wanted

around

another child. He miraculously took pity upon me and picked me up and canied me to his village and named me Ali. I becanre a good Muslim boy and I honored my father and I recited pasages from the Ouian better than any boy in the village. I grsnr to be quite

hll and I loved

the taste of

dried nisins on mytongue. At night lwas sometimes disturbed by dreams of a greenblack face covered in tears. ln the morning

luid

my prayers fervently.

No, it was not like that. lt was a Kurdish woman whose own son had died from the infections that the miles oI dead bodies brought to her village. And she took pity on the little Armenian boy, Dickran, whose name she never would have known. And she wrapped

me in colorful wool swaddling clothes and bounced me on her knobby knees. And although I never learned

to read or write, I became an experl tanner and I made beautilul skins lor twenty villages. When my wife bore our first son, I was the proudest man in the vilayet. But if I tell you another story, you will understand:

ol us to safeguard beneath the Iew and bedraggled trees. The trees in the plains were There were too many

full of babies and old lathers and old ladies whose mothers and daughters and nieces and wives and four-year-old sons had left them there, We stretched for miles across the deserted plains. lf aeroplanes had flown above us they would have marveled at the

human sculpture we made with our thousands oI bones and bodies becoming bones, with our skin and

the lat underneath that melted in the midday sun like soft clay. The vultures swooping in among us and the wolves feeding themselves and their sucklings lrom us, added their hungry delight to the tableau. There were no thoughts in my mind, no language then to think it out, and no paper or fountain pen to write it down. The holy books and the holy houses had been burned. So I looked at the stars and I reached lor them

through the night blue coverlet with my small hands until I could touch the stars and then the heavenly bodies. That was how I was miracled into

heaven. r

Bodrs

finln$illa: MonB [[an lllslonlcal Atla$

Armenia is Set in the Context of Regional and World History BY SALPI HARoUTtlilAil GHAZARIAT{

J I

LoS ANGELES CAL|F0RN|A

here are times when the word awesome is in fact the right word to describe a creation. In this case, the word fits the new Armmia

A Historical Atkts by hofessor Robert Hewsen - perfertly. A Iist of the titles of the 278 full+olormaps inthis 17"x11.",10Ib.340-page tome means covering everyaspect of Armenian ancient andmodem history.

Here is a briei selective listing: Prehistoric Armenia, the Nairi of Erebuni, Armenia according to Genesis, the route of Xenophon, the empire of Tigranes the Great, Artaxiad Armenia, Armenia as known to the Romans, The citadel of Ani, Southwestern Armenia in the Anacid Period, Northeastem Armenia in the A$acid period, Ptolemy's map according ,., modern cartography, Roman itineraries through Armenia, l

states, the fortress

Armenian principalities

to the

in the fourth century, Byzantine

Armenia, the Armenians and the Byzantine empire, the city ,.,i of Dvin, the Arab domination: the Abbasid period, the .: monastery of Sanahin, the city of Ani, the isle of Akhtamar, the kingdom of Vaspurakan, the kingdom of Siwnik, the ,.; Cilician principalities, the fortress-capital of Sis, Armenia ',,,r, under Tirkoman domination - and all this in the fust third of the book only. Then there is Armenia in the early Ottoman- Safuvid period, the Russian expansion into Caucasi4 Amrenia on the eve of World War I, the various regions of Ottoman Turkey, the fint Armenian Republic, and a

.',

100 other pre-World War

I maps. Another 50 maps cover the Soviet and current period. Besides the typical geographic and political contexts, there are various sociological and social contexts for these maps, including the probable ethnic distribution in early Armenia, the development of the Armenian episcopal sees, the Armenian Diaspora in Renaissance Italy, the spread of Armenian printing, and Soviet Armeniat Economy. And beyond Armenia, an atlas of this type is by necessity also an atlas ofthe region. Thus, the ancient Georgian kingdoms, the kingdom of Caucasian or Caspian Albania, Russian reform in Tianscaucasia, the Russo-Ottoman treaties, the ethnolinguistic situation in Caucasia, the Karabakh war, and Chechnya are all included here. The bibliography of this book is 25 pages alone. The map index is

another 20 pages.

Hewsen, whoee frtherwas named Hewsenian andcame toAmerica from Sqrn4 Ttrkey, is a professor of Russian and Blzantine history at Rowan University in New Jersey. The idea of producing a serious historical atlas of Armenia was first raised at a meeting of the Suren Fesjian Publications Committee of the Armenian Center at Columbia Univenity in 1982. Subsequent

AIM JULY

2OO1

Boolrs

funding was provided by the Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund, the Armenian Center at Columbia University and Hewsen's own Rowan University. By any measure then, this book has been a long time coming. Hewsen is first to admit, that's been a good thing. "The many, many delays in producing this atlas all worked to our advantage. If this had been done on schedule, and appeared in 1990, we would have completely missed the Armenian Republic," he notes. Hewsen explains, at length, how the advent of computer cartography both delayed and enhanced the work. "Once I realized that it doesn't matter if the number of maps increases, the page costs remain the same, then the number of maps did increase." The dfficulties were not in getting hold of maps so much as verifying their accurary. "A lot of Armenian history and historical geography is controversial; and, there is a lot of information which we simply dont have. Much of what we do have is sketchy, contradictory. Often, what

But

dates accompany text that, if standing alone, would amount to a detailed Armenian history. As it is, it is not just a geography and history of Armenia, but of Armenians. The Diaspora section includes maps of all countries with Armenian communities, and the histories of those communities. "The only regret I have," says Hewsen, "is that I wasn't able to include the US Census figures for Armenians in each state." That's how extensive the demographic, sociological and social coverage is. The information included in the maps and the text provide as global a picture of Armenian life as can be imagined. "Forestry was the most important industry of Adana," reads one section. "The trees, covering abott 1',212,954 aces, included pines, fim, oaks, cypress, birch, walnut, cedar and olive trees." Another section entifled, "The Armenian Impact on Byzantium" begins, "If Armenia was strongly influenced by Byzantium, Byzantium was influenced by Armenia in return, and to paraphrase Toumanoff, Armenia gave more than it received. Apart from the Armenians living directly under imperial rule, a continuous stream of Armenians entered the empire for one reason or another over a period of several centuries: adventurers, scholars, clerics, refugees, and a large numbers of commonpeople. These immigrants early distinguished themselves in three environments: the army, the administration and the general PoPulation."

This is not the first Armenian historical

IA Atlas

;htr el

atlas.

Indeed, Hewsen's introduction painstakingly lists and acknowledges the contributions and studies of several dozen geographers, cartographers and historians in and out of Armenia. Still, the combination of mmputertechnology and deliberate human care and fastidiousness make this a work that will be the standard against which others are The

lewsen

judged. I

nnps wtrich appar on the cover of the Historical Atlas are: CiU ol Van, c. 1600, lrom a drawing in

Top left:The

tlro Topkapi Museum, lstanbul. This is the second time this map has been published, the lint being a t0udst guide published in Tud<ey in the 1990s' Top right: Ihe Gity of Yerevan, c. 1990. Yerevan is depicted here as it was al the end ol the Soyiet period. The map identilies governmenl

tulldings, inslitutes and educational institulions, hotels, teslauranls, cales, histolical sites, museums, chulches, thealers, cine' mas, monuments, stalues, plofessional clubs, sports clubs, schools, libraries and ruins. Since the establishment ol the new Armenian republic, a number ol changes have taken Place. ManY streeb and plazas have been renamed and new

in$itutions and amenities have been

is done in Yerevan (and in Baku, Tbilisi and Ankara) is done for nationalistic reasons. So, as it became clear that many maps mntradict each other, I continually researched. I researched at the Univenity of Tirbingen when I was in Germany, at the Univenity of Chicago each time I taught there," Hewsen explains. The results are obvious.

Maps with copious annotations, minute markings with places and

Roman military

unib,

added to the city. Bottom, left: Armenia in the lourth Gentury. This map identilies shrines destroyed by St. Gregory, bases ol important Jewish communities, fumenian and

Penian royal camps, Ioyal lands in Amenia, plincipalities in Armenia' lands ceded to Rome, lands tetroceded to Percia, lands annexed by Bome, and more. Bottom right Map ot Armenia and Caucasia in the Peutinger Table, a lourth century AD schematic map ol the world depicting its main trade routes.

AIM JULY

2OO1

ile $hell BffiU, trlouhf

aNd

Us@

gumorUonr

This Months Featured Reading

Rita $oulahian Kuyumiian

lrcheology ol MailnG$: Itomftar, PonFait oI ar lpmenian lcon Gomidas lnstitute Books 0-9535191-7-1

h:l,ku

Soulahian Kuyumjian, a practicing psychiatrist, began writing Archeology of Madness, she meant to treat it solely as a psychological study. The project, hoilever, proved too much for a case-study and became rather a psycho-biograptry o1 the Komitas, the legendary composer. From his creative conflicts with Ejmiatsin to sold-out concerts to his eventual departure from the priesthood, this work delves into unfamiliar aspects of Komitas'life. A professor at McGill University in Montreal, Suluhian Kuyumjian contributes greatly to two important fields with this book - on the one hand, to the literature of psychosis, and on the other hand to that of Armenian culture and history.

llennlk EItan, Yenuad !(oclnn Tigran Mets Publishing House ggg30-52-13-2

Qest known for his epic statue, David of llSasun, which stands in Yerevan's railway station and has become a symbol of the Armenian people, the name Yervand Kochar is still unknown to far too many Diasporans. This sculptor who fashioned the statue of David as well as numerous other monuments in Yerevan also had his works exhibited alongside the likes of Picasso and Matisse.

Wth numerous mlor prints and extensive text in Russian and English,

curator and collec-

tor Henrik Igitian explores the life and

work of an artist who at the height of his career left Paris for Yerevan - an entirely unfamiliar

l[a

Leuoltan, Haya$tan

staples oftradition. song-writer as well as vocalist, l,evonian

E. Apkarian-Russell's small collecI tion is a mixed photo-album of the Armenians of Worcester and their place in America. Along with little bits of general culture and history to familiarize the reader, this work offers varying pieces of the story of Worcester, from Genocide relief posters to sheet music to the steel factory where most Worcester Armenians worked at the turn of the câ&#x201A;Źntury. Though the selec-

[amela

photos is an

llArmenian music and melody with modern stylisms. Alla kvonian's soft, satin voice soars and coasts through original works as well as respected

Arcadia 0-7385-0465-3

(probably dictated by what has been preserved) this collection of 200-plus black and white

Narek.com Records NCR 1402 new singer - a new sincere fusion

Pamela E. lplranian-Russell Anmenlans ol tlrorcGster

tion sometimes seems arbitrary

and became oitically sigrificant to the culture of his nation.

place

performs mostly original works on this album. Among the more notable moments are her modern interpretation of "Hoy Nar', and her classically traditional homage to the armed defenders of Armenia in the song "Sparapet" or General, a not-too-veiled reference to Vazgen Sargsian.

Armenian bit of American history.

lnam lnasslan, Handlul ol $oll Pe-Ko World

his "Handful of Soil" - Aram Anassian's contribution to the continuing construction of Armenian culture - is an unassumingly romantic and sensual expression of Armenianness. Composed mostly of new songs written

AIM JULY

2OO1

by his father Henrik Anassian and bound to become modern classics, Anassian also revisits classics such as "Dle Yaman." In the form of collaboration with modem

Armenian instrumentalist Ara Gevorkian,

Armenian and European instruments combine to create a cavemous yet complete backdrop to Anassian's earthy, rich voice.

lffce ltlauasa]Ulan, lnnenlm l{omen ol the $tago TriA Publishing 0-9675387-0-X

he powerful cover image of this work is a statement in and of itself. From CanadianArmenian sopranos to the Armenian theatrical group of Constantinople, the wealth of images and biographies in this ovenize work make it an important reference in the world of Armenian theater. And its side-by-side Armenian and English text only contributes to its accessibility. The unevennes of some of the individuals covered, the trade-offof

f I

specific infomration for blanket adoration is forgiven because the totality is a one-stop source for hard-to-flnd information about a breed that heretofore was not recogtized as a category.

-BY ARA ARZUMA]{|A]'|

0n the

$hell llnrd Hms b

fimh full-color guide features Armenia's history

Edge ol llme

today's Armenia, background on the language, useful phrases, history of Armenian art as well as extensive lists of museums with addresses and hours. There is useful information about Armenia's passion for sports, its economy and the educational system, Armenia's monuments, tourist spots, different cities and villages are listed with descriptions, directions, area codes, highlights. In addition, there is a great deal of hard-toflnd information about Armenia's govemmental structure. This is no surprise, since Sargsian used to be Armenia's Chief of State Protocol. (He's now Deputy Chief of Mission at the Armenian Embassy in Germany.) This carefully prepared small paperback has been published in English, French, German and

Inavelin0 in lnmenia and lhnabagh Stone Garden Productions 0-9672120-1 -4

soon in Armenian.

lf lf

aranian and Kukiian have been traveling this region for thl past l0 years, as pho-tographers, journalists and tourists. Following their greatly successful Out of Stone, a book of photos of Armenia and Karabakh, their own Stone Garden Productions has just published a 150-page detailed guide to Armenia and Karabakh. The guide features beautiful photographs, maps and plenty

of detailed, instructive information. The five sections of the guide - Essentials, The Land and People, Yerevan Guide, Regional Guide, Journey to Karabakh - are fairly detailed and very easily readable' The book includes not only practical how-tos, but also the geography and history of the region, main attractions, suggestions for trips lasting one, two or more days, and many safety and practical tips.

but is packed with very useful information. There are facts about the region and the countries, history geography, the environment, local customs, entertainment, shopping, internet access, foods and drinks, all sorts of conversion rates, laundry facilities, walking tour of Yerevan, getting there and away of such places as Khor Virap and Geghard Monestaries, and much more. The guide also has details such as emergency medical service contacts, travel agencies and bookstores in each country.

lnmenia:

I GountnY and $G People

Guideboolt

Vera Movsessian 99930-81 2-1 -3

uthored bv Konstantinee Khudaverdian vegtrishe Sargsian. and published by Vera Movsessian (Germany), this 206-page,

llanA

lnmenia Guiile Levon Travel Bureau, lnc.

evon Travel. the well-known travel agency. Lhas published the second edition of its Armenia Guide. This 6|page full-color guide to Armenia is available to first-time and frequent travelers looking for maps and photos, or a brief history of the area, or main sightseeing attractions. There are also sections for Armenia on the Intemet, information on Armenian cuisine, literature and arts. The guide of course also features Irvon Tiavel's own custom travel packages, and various tours. lrvon Tiavel, among the very first Diaspora businesses to open an office in Armenia, even before independence was declared. was established in Beirut, Lebanon, and today has offices in Glendale, Yerevan, Stepanakert and Ttrilisi, Georgia.

ARMENIA AHD

A COUNIR.Y PEOPLE THI

This small fits-in-yourpocket volume is the most recent of all the guides and presents most complete up-to-date information for any tourist.

Geongia, Anmenia & lzenbaiian tlnst Gompnehen$iuc guide to fic $orflf Caucasus Lonely PIanet 0-86442-680-1

authors of this highly detailed South Cuu.urm guide. Neii Wilron. Beth Potter. and David Rowson & Keti Japaridze have each written about a part of the region in which each has lived for an extended time. Published by Lonely Planet in 2000, this 338-page, pocket size guide has few photos

The

-BY HRAIR SARKIS SARKISSIAN AIM JULY

2OO1

0then People's Mail

lhese ane rGal lettors lrom noal pGople, send u$ youFs...

IIIIIIII, Dear

EH.ITUT

The last couple of days, we have spent walking around [,ondon, and have seen it all, I think. We sat at an old cemetery and talked for houn. We also went to an Armenian variety show, which featured the group Hokis, along with a few comedians and musicians. I was surprised, in fact jealous, of how politically in+orrect even the Armenians are here. Imagine that! Saying what you want. What a concept.

Here are a few observations: You can smoke

pretty much everywhere (but it is still bad for you). The weather is beautiful - only when I am here, says V There is more greenery than I imagined London to have. Contrary to popular belief, the food here is real good. Sounds Iike a great vacation, doesn't it? But there was something missing, until, on the way home fromwatching the annualEurovision Song C-ontest (and thinking Armenia should partic-

ipate next year with Nune) we walked past where Diana, the kindergarten teacher, lived before she became a princess. V told me that she was 1/64th fumenian. Thinking this was yet another one of our endless and shameless attempts to Armenianize the world, I laughed. But it tums out that, in fact, Diana had a great-

great-grandmother named Eliza Kewark (Kevorkian) who lived in India and married a Scottish army officer and moved to Great Britain. Years later, Diana's biographer discovered let-

ten in her family in Armenian and made the connection. Apparently, Diana has acknowledged this in the early 80's. Where was I? Where were the Armenians? The onlyparts of Diana's short life that make it somewhat believable that she actually had

some Armenian blood running through her veins are her nose, and the fact that she was driven around in a Mercedes, or at least, died in one.

Next stop: Yerevan. But not today, as planned.

Forty-flve minutes and a 'light refreshments'voucher later, with a big smile and a

list of apologies, I was handed a conflrmed boarding pass for the Wednesday night flight, some cash and a two-nights stay and meals vouchers at a nearby hotel. I was not mad at all and thought my mother would have said something like,'God saw this to be appropriate. Maybe something was going to happen to the plane.' As if the god she so believes in only cares about her son, and couldn,t care less about the few hundred passengers who made it on the flight and are undoubtedly more religious (read: god-fearing) than I. Anyrray, I was happy with the cash (shock!) and I called V to let him know that the glass of water he poured behind the departing cab to insure my retum, worked - but a litfle too well. I am contemplating whether to let him repeat the water-throwing ritual tomorrow or not. After all, I do have to be in school on August 30. Next stop: Yerevan. (Mom's god willing) H.

YEIII,IUSIBI Dear A,

This is my update on my thfud week in Vienna. The course I am taking is taught by the most important hand surgeon in the country. We're in class eight hours a day, seven days a week. TWo-hour lectures include videos, and are followed by a six-hour procedure on a cadaver. Each student is accompanied by an instructor who stays with us during the entire operation. We see something like 40 operations throughout this course. Some operations are very useful, especially when they demonstrate small technical tricks which you collect during an entire pro-

fessional career, but nobody in Armenia would want to share such small bits of very useful knowledge. So I have been named the fastest and most precise surgeon in this course. Which is really good. I have had very fruitful meetings with chiefs of plastic surgery depa(ments and we have some agreements to mllaborate, forsome

AIM JULY

2OO1

instruments to be donated to our hospital. Our last party looked like some intemational party, since most of people in the pro-

gram are from the former Soviet Union. Sometimes,

I really

miss the communication

opportunities with people from Kazakstan, Russia, Ukraine.

And, Yale published a six-page article about my activity in their new issue of yale Medicine. Wow! G. IEIT YllRI(,IETU YllRI(

Dear S, We constantly ask ourselves, if people in Armenia are so poor, if the salaries are so low, if people on pension have not been paid for almost 10 months, or the unemployment flgure is so high, how do they continue living in those conditions? Well, I think the answer is pretty simple. First let's qualify. Living and barely surviving are two totally different things. Let us not

confuse those two with each other, and before continuing, let me remind you of an old (non-vegetarian) joke that I am sure you have heard in the past.

A few hunters (this is a no-no), had gathered and as usual were telling each other outrageous life time experiences/stories (lies). Each one makes it bigger and more unbelievable, until it is Onik's turn. He is the last one, so he has to really stretch it. He tells them of the time that he had to face a hungry lion by himself, he had one bullet left, and the gun gets stuck and does not fire. Everyone is paying attention to see how Onik is going to get out of this one. He continues. "The lion opened its big mouth and ate me." Everyone starts protesting that this was too much, "oh c'mon Onik, how did the lion eat you? You are still living arent you?', Onik's classic answer: "You call this living,,? So, that's my explanation, the Lion ate Armenia.

How lGot this $hot

lloul Ihis Shot Got Me

l=l:

ri:

tlui!-i

Nr.ij [i]

1+ ,ii',ri|'fli

r:rlrl:

lri;

, ,

BY GARO LACHINIAN

hile on assignment in Armenia for the Bttsktn Herukl lasl year, reporter Jules Crittenden and I took a bretrk from our coverage of the political and economic climate in Armenia to sightsceing. We decicled to visit Khor Virap monastery. I some do insisted that wc arrivc bcl'ore davbreak so that I coulcl pholograph the monaste ry with the first rays of sunsl.tine illuminating the l.ristoric site. As the sun skrwlv climbed up ovcr the horizon. the breathtaking. crystal-clear vista of Mount Ararat stole our attention. We quickly climbed up the hill next to the monasterY so I could get some unohstructed photos of the mountain. I set up my tripod and began taking picturcs. Jules kept busv bv monitoring the activity of a nearby Turkish villagc with his binoculars. Suddenl-v. a man clutching a white dove came scampering up the hill. "Aper-jan" (hey brother). make a wish". he said, allout of breath' "l'll release the dove and your wish rvill come true." The symbolism of a bird of peace being freed against a backdrop of Mount Ararat was difficult to isnore. "Why dont you release the

l'll take vour picture." I replied. I quickly positioned myself. adjusted mv camera, and lired off twtl shots as he tossed the hird

dovc. and

heavenward. The dove circlerl around us once. then llew straight toward

the village thc man had come frorn. I thankecl him. gatherecl mv pl-roto gcar, ancl turnccl to heacl back dorvn the hill. "Aper-jan". he said a-uain. runnine alicr us. "Taking carc ol'thesc birds is not chcap."

I thought about what

rvas fair. and offerecl

him

l(XX)

Dram. But

apparentlv he must have made his own wish as he released the dove

that the Ame ricans would give him lots of money. "5000 Dram. Aper" he said. That was about $10.00 - for a 20-sccond flight. I decided that standing next to a majestic holy site and looking out over a glorious panorama of sacred Mount Ararat was not the time to challenge the wish-granting power of a dove' I gave him what he wished for. It was a small price to pay for a priceless memory.

AIM JULY

Garo Lachinian is Photo Editor at Ihe Boston Herald

2OOI

Undenexposed

Potnlenandfilony and has gained greater sanctity and power for the believen. [n the late 17th century when the village

wff1,.#ffxi'trffi::ril +ffil Y

1959, it was destined to become the largest depository of ancient Armenian manuscripts and documents. Thanks to the individuals, groups and organization who have donated works to the Matenadaran, today is holdings

was attacked by neighboring tribes, in order to save the manuscript, the villagen buried it under a tree near an inactive well called Grandfatherb qing: Papi Aghbyur. Later, when the villagen retumed to theirhomes, the gospel was also safely retumed. Thewellbecame active again and the

include more than 17,0ffi manuscripts of which 11,085 are complete and 2,105 are partial. These are just the Armenian language manuscripts. There are another 2,879 in other languages. The famous and well-known Gospel of St. Barsegh is among the relics, books, manuscripb, bibles, documents and other valuables

spotitself became apilgrimage site. The treeis still standing and the well is still running. Thousands of Armenians from cities, towns and villages throughout Iran and as far away as India, have made pilgrimages to see this holy gospel. There are stories about the sick being healed and wishes granted. Tioubadoun have praised it in their songs and people swore by it.

donated to the Matenadaran by those who repatriated to Armenia following World War

II. Popularly know as the Shoorooshkan

Avetaran, it takes its name from the village where it lived for centuries in Northem Iran's Peria region of Isfahan. It was donated by the Tsarookian family who left the village for Tehran in the 1960s taking the gospel with them. In 191, it was transfened to matenadarran with the help of govemment officials. The St. Barsegh illuminated manuscript dates to 1498 and Barsegh, a priest, from the

village of Aspisinak, Kajberuni. With thousands of Armenians, the gospel made the

Another tradition involves the Ghools who

forced journey from Armenia decree

to Iran

Shah Abbas, King of Persia in 1604. It belonged to private owners who turned portion of their houses in to a shrine where people

made their pilgrimages until it was housed in St. Barsegh church in l9(X. Many tales and legends are linked to the St. Barsegh Gospel.

has survived

AIM JULY

2OO1

wan and theft

made a vow and did not cut the hair of their newbom sons for several years until they made a pilgrimage to the repository of the gospel, and held a special ceremony, with offerings and sacrifices. Only then did the child get a haircut.

The St. Barsegh manuscript still draws many pilgrims from Iran to the Matenadaran on a regular basis. It is carefully unwrapped and displayed for each pilgrim for whom it still holds its power and glory. -Photos and Text by Parik Nazarian

Undenexposed

Manu$Gnlptson$ale lf I

eghiazar of Aintab was Catholicos

for l0 years

cenhry. During that time there were issues about the existence ofseveral hierarchical sees and C-atholicos Yeghiazar's involvement in their promotion. Still, Yeghiazar's Iegary includes saving Jerusalem's St. James Convent from the Greels. And, he was responsible for the production of several manuscripts, among them the generously and richly illuminatat the end of the I 7th

ed Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

TMay, that manuscript belongs to Arthur Ketikian. a Yerevan-bom collector. Ketikian, 33, chose the 17fi)th anniversary of the acceptance of Christianity in Armenia to reproduce the manuscript in its entirety. One hundred and sev-

are extant in the original, thus making the task

fint

-Photos by Parik Naarian

now a Montreal resident, has presented the

Armenian men who were killed l5-year civil war in lrbanon. as well

n honor of the

as those

560 pages of the effusively illustrated manuscript

ed reproduction have been printed. Ketikian,

enty copies of this leather-bound, silver decorat-

Men ol Bouni-llalnoud

I during the

will be sent to Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia, Pope John Paul and Alexei tr of Mosmw. All reproduction possible. Each copy will be sold for $1700 and proceeds will go to the Church, via the Armenian Diocese in Canada.

I[e !

copy to Catholicos Karekin II. Other gift mpies

who defended, Bourj-Hamoud, the pre-

dominantly Armenian quarter of Lebanon, a monument, sculpted by 32-yearold artst, Mosig Guloyan, was erected there last month. -Photo by Edward Temirian

AIM JULY

2OO1

BY JOHI.I HUGHES

I t has come to my attention that many of lyou will soon be visiting Yerevan to conI gratulate God on the 17ffith anniversary of his Armenian citizenship. In the spirit of the famous Armenian hospitality, then, allow me towelcomeyou tomycity.

I've put together some tips - very special to - make your visit go smoothly. These are essential. Basic. You'll thank me. Will ! have a language problem in Amenia?

If you are reading this magazine, chances are good that you have some familiarity with the Armenian language. Forget it. Eastem, Western, or mixed, real Armenian, is not a language of words, but of expressions, gestures and body movement that is as much theater as verbal communication. Fingers point, arms flail, eyes bulge. Men lean backward as if speaking with their torsos and women shrug their shoulders like every sentence is an accusation. And, without the beneflt of understanding, I have come to know this: Every conversation is an argument. In preparation for your trip, I recommend a pantomime class. I'm able to survive here because I do my shopping at a market for deaf people. It's a perfect arrangement.

Will I be sale in Yerevan? Yes. As long as you never cross a street.

Armenians are terrible drivers. They use horns instead of brakes and though most aren't going anywhere, they're in a terrible rush to get there. There are no exotic diseases here and, except for the occasional massacre, no danger from gunplay. You might, however, be the victim of a BMW or Mercedes driver, for whom there are no laws.

Do not, under any circumstance, trust pedestrian traffic signals. It is a little-known fact that these infrequently placed devices are a government conspiracy aimed at purging the republic of the easily misled. Trust no one in this matter. Not even the

little green stick flgure on the crosswalk signal.

Familiarize yourself with the following Yerevan exceptions to the international cus-

So if you're asked to give a toast, don't sweat it. It will simply mean that the host has

run out of personal good wishes before he ran out of liquor.

toms concerning traffic signals: Red means: Not much. Yellow means: You survived green. Green means: Make your peace with God.

know?

Besides churches and Ararat, what is thete to see in Yerevan? Construction. It is everywhere. And free.

Again, this is simple: If a person is famous, he or she is Armenian. Just mention any famous person, and flnish by saying "...is Armenian, you know."

And it is drawing great numbers, playing to an all-male crowd.

My unscientific but reliable research

has

What names of famous Armenians should

Example: "I just read about the government trying to dissolve Microsoft. Bill Gates is Armenian, you know..."

found an approximate ratio of flve men watching to one man working. Whether it's digging a ditch or painting a building, if you see a crowd of men, follow their eyes and you'll find somebody working. There seems to be no regulation on who

can participate in this activity, but

does

require that you stand with your hands locked behind you, and you must have an

ls smoking allowed in Yerevan restaulants? Allowed? Smoking is required in Yerevan restaurants. Men smoke. Women smoke. Teenage boys and girls smoke. lIltrasound images have shovrn

Armenian fetuses smoking.

opinion about how the work is being done preferably one that contradicts the method

They smoke in cafes, in restaurants, in stairways, in schools... Policemen, teachers, politicians smoke. Doctors smoke.

engaged by the worker. Sure, unemployment is high in this country. But at least the ones who are working are providing entertainment for those who aren't.

Noah did not land his ark on Ararat because it was the highest peak. He was merely stopping to go into Yerevan for a pack of Marlboros.

I've heard about traditional Armenian leasts. What il I'm asked to give a toast at dinner? Simple. Start naming every relative alive or dead, his or her occupation, military service, names of spouses and children and tell an anecdote about each one. If the toast hasn't lasted at least 15 minutes, repeat everything you just said, because no one was listening, anyway. Then, just as all have raised their glasses,

start talking again until no one is certain when it is acceptable to drink. This confusion is merely part of imbibing foreplay.

have learned this about the famous Armenian toast It is merely a formality. Here, there is no practice of simply sipping a cocktail at will. Either all drink or none drink.

AIM JULY

2OO1

Another little-known piece of history:

Are there souvenirs to buy in Yerevan? There are approximately 1700 different things to buy that say "1700" on them. T-shirts. Posters. Postcards. My favorite (and I am not making this up)

is a bottle of Armenian vodka with a label

that says "commemorating 1700 years of Christianity in Armenia." I'm no Bible scholar, but for my souvenir budget nothing better reflects the reverence of Gregory the Illuminator's conversion than a $2 bottle of hard liquor. More little-known historical data: At that New Testament wedding in Canaan, it was

not wine, but vodka that was made from water in one of the miracles by Jesus. He was Armenian, you know...