Ancient Tomb Discovered In Artsakh

[Siamanto]

An ancient tomb, dating from1000-2000 B.C, has been discovered in the region of Mardakert Artsakh.

 

Une antique tombe datant du Ier ou IIe millénaire avant J.-C. découverte près de Mardakert au Haut Karabagh

ARCHEOLOGIE, samedi 13 novembre 2004-Armenews- Près d’un village dans les environs de Mardakert (République du Haut Karabagh), lors des travaux de construction, fut découvert une tombe antique datant du Ier ou IIe millénaire avant J.-C. Aussitôt arrivés sur les lieux de la découverte, les responsables de la Protection et de l’étude des monuments historiques de la République du Haut Karabagh ont analysé la découverte puis confié au musée de Mardakert. Selon Slava Sarksian, cette découverte est un témoin majeur du passé du Haut Karabagh. Krikor Amirzayan

 

http://www.armenews.com/New/news.asp?id_news=6685

Edited November 13, 2004 by Siamanto

[Stormig]

For a moment I thought it really was just a thumb.

[Siamanto]

For a moment I thought it really was just a thumb.

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Storming,

Thanks! That's was funny!

[Arpa]

Just as we wre pouring our heart an soul out, investing blood sweat and tear to preserve the very last vestige of our legacy, look what is happening on the other side of the border.

 

 

The 10th Century Armenian Church In Turkey As Target For ShootingPractice

 

* From: Assembly of Armenians of Europe

* Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2004 14:03:51 +0400 (AMT)

 

Armenian version and the photo of the church carving are attached.

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

REF: PR/04/11/013

 

Assembly of Armenians of Europe

Contact: Armine Grigoryan

 

THE 10TH CENTURY ARMENIAN CHURCH IN TURKEY AS TARGET FOR SHOOTING PRACTICE

 

Brussels, 11/11/2007 - The correspondent of the Milliyet newspaper

(Turkey) alerts from Van (Eastern Turkey) that the marvelous carvings of

the 10th century church of Akhtamar (Lake Van, Eastern Turkey) are

regularly being used as targets for shooting practice by visitors. The

newspaper published also a photo where one can see the state of carvings

after such visits. The correspondent reports that the church is

protected by a guard in the summer time only during the working hours.

During the rest of the day the visitors entertain themselves by shooting

on the carvings of the Akhtamar Church, and some of them even try to

find some treasure. Pr. Veli Seçkin, professor at the archeology

department of the University of Van says that there are rumors among the

population that there is treasure cached in the island of Akhatamar.

Even the guard of the Church was arrested while he was ~Shunting for

treasure~T.

 

Already in May 2004 the newspaper Zaman alerted that the famous church

of the Holy Cross of the Akhtamar Island in Lake Van was almost in

ruins.

 

The church, which is visited by many foreign tourists, is badly negleted

and close to ruins. The church has been neglected and harmed by treasure

hunters and is at risk of collapsing. Both its foundation and ceiling

have cracks and holes.

 

The City of Van's Culture and Tourism Province Director, Bilal Sonmez,

told Zaman that a project for the preservation of the historical

identity of the church is already being prepared. Sonmez said that the

issue has already been transferred to the Culture and Nature Assets

Council and that the directorate is waiting for a decision.

 

Unfortunately the above-mentioned project for the preservation of the

historical identity of the church was never carried out and the Church

is not protected by UNESCO, since each country decides which are the

monuments to be protected by UNESCO.

 

The Assembly of Armenians of Europe and upon its request many Armenians

all around the world sent alert letters to UNESCO, but they remained

without answer.

 

In order to raise the awareness of the European an exhibition ~SArmenian

Architectural Heritage in South Caucasus and Middle East~T, organized by

the Assembly of Armenians of Europe with the co-operation of the

Research on Armenian Architecture under the patronage of the MEP Jonas

Sjostedt (GUE,NGL, Sweden) took place in the European Parliament,

Brussels at the end of September 2004. The exhibition was composed of 4

parts ~V Armenia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan. The photos in Azerbaijan and

Turkey show clearly the wanton and premeditated vandalism and

destruction of the Armenian Architectural monuments in those countries.

Indeed, such behavior is the direct consequence of the denial of the

Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and which is

not recognized yet by the Republic of Turkey. We believe that such

attitude from the Republic of Turkey aspiring the EU full membership is

not acceptable and should not be tolerated.

 

Hereby we call upon the UNESCO, European Institutions and international

organizations to urge Turkey to stop destroying the Armenian

Architectural monuments which are located in the territory of the actual

Republic of Turley and instead to begin a genuine programme of

protection and preservation of this great cultural heritage that belongs

to the whole of Europe and the world.

 

***

 

Akhtamar Chruch

 

The Church of Holly Cross, the Akhtamar Church is situated in Lake Van,

Eastern Turkey. The Church was built during the reign of King Gakik I of

the Vaspurakan Dynasty during the years 915 - 921 B.C. This is one of

the finest jewels of Armenian architecture. In its design and conception

of volumes and surfaces, this sanctuary is an intellectually original

variation of the cruciform and central cupola'd churches of the high

Middle Ages. The church has a four leaved clover plan with a domed

center, and it is built from red colored cut tufa stone. All the

interior walls and even the cupola are covered with beautiful frescoes,

the best of which is the one painted on the high altar wall representing

the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, sitting on a white donkey.

Because of its novel conception, its high reliefs and frescoes of rare

artistic value.

[Stormig]

The description of the state of the church is a lie and a gross misrepresentation at best. "Close to ruins," "in danger of collapse" - what laughs. It is as sturdy as a stud. One has to ask, is the aim here to deviate attention from the - indeed - badly neglected monuments up in Kars? I can think of nothing else. Why draw attention from the needy and give it elsewhere that would rank last on the list?

[Armat]

The description of the state of the church is a lie and a gross misrepresentation at best. "Close to ruins," "in danger of collapse" - what laughs. It is as sturdy as a stud. One has to ask, is the aim here to deviate attention from the - indeed - badly neglected monuments up in Kars? I can think of nothing else. Why draw attention from the needy and give it elsewhere that would rank last on the list?

style_images/master/snapback.png

How about the shootings.Lie?

[bell-the-cat]

The description of the state of the church is a lie and a gross misrepresentation at best. "Close to ruins," "in danger of collapse" - what laughs. It is as sturdy as a stud. One has to ask, is the aim here to deviate attention from the - indeed - badly neglected monuments up in Kars? I can think of nothing else. Why draw attention from the needy and give it elsewhere that would rank last on the list?

style_images/master/snapback.png

 

Last night, I was about to post that piece of aae propaganda along with a warning notice. Unfortunately I was banned before I could do so.

 

Each year this story about the supposed "ruination" of the Aghtamar church appears in a new guise. Unfortunately now it has taken on a new form since it is now supported by certain Turks and Kurds from Van wanting to obtain money. They, together with Armenian pressure groups wanting to make anti-Turkish propaganda are now unlikely bedfellows, producing and spreading lies like "the marvellous carvings are regularly being used as targets for shooting practice by visitors".

 

The structural integrity of the Holy Cross church on Aghtamar island is not in ANY danger and, given the total lack of stoneworking and architectural restoration skills within Turkey, any proposed "restoration" must be strongly resisted. I have visited Aghtamar almost every year since 1989, I know exactly what has changed there and what has not, and I know what I am talking about.

 

Steve

[bell-the-cat]

The decay and destruction of Artsak's monuments

 

This recent report mentions that ancient tomb, along with other less favourable things.

 

 

Azg/Arm

6 Nov 04

 

Are Monuments of Artsakh Under Control?

 

Slava Sargsian, head of Department of Monument Preservation and Study

of Nagorno Artsax Republic, thinks that the state of the monuments

of Artsakh is far from being satisfactory. The reason is that the

department is not well equipped to take necessary care for the

monuments, according to Sargsian. Difference between Armenian and

Artsakh Departments of Monument Preservation is that in regions of

Artsakh employees of this service are subordinated to the regional

administrations but not to the Department itself. That is the reason

why they fail in carrying for and studying the monuments. It turns out

that the whole territory of Artsakh is supervised only by 3 employees

of the Department. In addition to this, the small sums assigned for

the Department by the state.

 

Slava Sargsian says that there are around 10 thousand historic

monuments in Artsakh, and they need years to register all of them. A

map drawn under his supervision includes only the important

monuments. He confessed that some of the monuments are located in far

sites and they fail to reach them.

 

Time and nature slowly destroys the monuments, and they lose their

original appearance or else disappear. Around 200 monuments were

repaired since 1988. Most of them were repaired by the Artsakh

diocese of the Armenian church. Sargsian complains of the quality of

repair. He thinks that the monuments should not be repaired, partially

because of money shortage and the absence of specialists. Often

repair changes a monument's look alienating it from its historic roots

or even making it into an ultramodern building.

 

If Armenian historic monuments were being eliminated by the Azeris

during the 70 years of Soviet Union, today they are often knocked down

by our hands. Sargsian tells that monuments often get damaged as a

result of road construction works. According to the republic's laws,

workers should inform proper institutions while running into historic

monuments during excavations. Organization carrying out construction

works has to financially support in examination and can continue the

works after scientists go out. It seems that they are unaware of the

law or pretend so. It is easier for them to ruin a monument than to

abort their work and finance researches. But there are still workers

who consider it a duty to inform Department about a discovery. For

instance a coffin dating back to 2-1 centuries B.C. was found lately

in Martuni. Department began excavations, and the coffin went to the

Museum of Martuni.

 

Historic monuments of Artsakh are also an immensely important argument

demonstrating to whom Artsakh belonged historically. Sargsian

complained that we don' t declare of the monuments to the world

whereas Azerbaijan is successfully manipulating with Artsakh's

cultural background.

 

By Kim Gabrielian from Stepanakert

[bell-the-cat]

How about the shootings.Lie?

style_images/master/snapback.png

 

Yes, it is a lie.

 

I have been told that there was an army base on the island from the 1930s till the early 1950s - and the soldiers would pass their idle hours shooting at the carvings. But I don't know if this is true. The bullet holes may have been put there in 1915, when a band of Kurds crossed to the island and murdered all the priests there.