Yervant1 Posted October 29, 2014 Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 09:50 29/10/2014 » ANALYSISStrangely, Turkey did not publicize correcting signpost of Armenian ChurchBy Harut SassounianTheCaliforniaCourier.comI just learned that the Turkish government has quietly corrected the signpost near the historic Holy Cross Church (Sourp Khach) on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van, by indicating its “Armenian” origin.For decades, Turkish authorities systematically concealed the true identity of thousands of Armenian churches and monuments so no one would remember that Armenians lived for thousands of years in lands presently occupied by the Republic of Turkey. By not disclosing the traces of Armenian civilization, Turkish officials calculated that there would be no need to explain the disappearance of Armenians — another manifestation of Turkish denialism.Back in 2007, the Turkish government held an elaborate opening ceremony after renovating the 10th Century Holy Cross Church. While some Armenians naively participated in this Turkish propaganda exercise, I wrote several critical editorials pointing out that Turkish officials did not permit Armenian church services (except once a year), and refused to allow a cross displayed on its dome. Instead, the Sourp Khach Church was officially designated as a museum and placed under the administration of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and not under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul. Since then, a cross has been placed on the Church dome.One issue that I failed to mention back in 2007 was the inscription on the signpost leading to the Church. The original signpost made no reference to Armenians either in English or in Turkish. Below is the heading and first words of the previous inscription, written in English:“Akdamar Island & Monumental Museum. Fee 5 TL [Turkish Liras]. Akdamar Island and Church. Akdamar Church was built by the monks of architects Manuel between 915-921 by the order of Vaspurakan King Gagik I….”Last week, during a chance encounter in a Glendale Armenian bookstore, Senem Cevik, Assistant Professor at Ankara University, showed me two different photos of the Holy Cross Church signpost. The first, taken by her a year ago, showed the foregoing inscription. The second, taken by one of her colleagues last month, displayed the new inscription that refers to the building as an Armenian Church:“Akhdamar Armenian Church of the Holy Cross. The Church was built by monk/architect Manuel between 915 and 921, by the order of Gagik I, King of Vaspurakan. Built at the form of a four-leaf clover and under the plan of a cruciform, the church was covered by a dome from inside and by a pyramidal cone from outside. The church has two gates, one at the southern and another at the western side. During subsequent periods, the Chapel of Zacharias I, a jamatun and a bell tower were added to the church and the Chapel of Saint Stephanos was built separately. Built in the name of the Holy Cross, the church has been transformed into a monastery in 1131. On the stone reliefs of the façade of the church, religious scenes taken from the Old and New Testament, palace life, hunting scenes as well as human and animal figures are depicted. These depictions are important as they distinguish the church from similar ones. There are various wall paintings representing descriptions taken from the Bible on the inner side of the church’s walls.”This new inscription clearly designates Holy Cross, both in English and Turkish, as an Armenian Church. However, there is still a problem. While the church’s name is correctly written in English as Akhtamar, in the Turkish language inscription it is referred to by its Turkified name, Akdamar.I can only speculate as to why the Turkish government did not make a public announcement regarding the revised inscription of the Sourp Khach Church signpost. Here are some possible reasons:– Oversight by low-level Turkish officials who did not realize the P.R. value of publicizing the change.– Reluctance of high-ranking officials to draw attention to the change, fearing that they would appear ridiculous taking credit for something so obvious that should have been done long time ago.– Concerns by Turkish officials that making public the revised text would impress the outside world, while triggering criticism at home for catering to Armenians.– Preoccupation of newly-elected Turkish leaders with other urgent matters. They may yet make an announcement at a later date.It is equally puzzling that no one on the Armenian side, including the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, has made any mention of the revised inscription reflecting the Armenian origin of Holy Cross Church.One hopes that this single rectification of the Akhtamar Church signpost would be a prelude to similar recognition of Armenian cultural heritage in museums, churches, and monuments all across Turkey, including the City of Ani. Source: Panorama.am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpa Posted October 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2014 Please Mr. Sassounian, it is not AKHtamar/ԱԽԹԱՄԱՐ, it is AGHtamat ԱՂԹԱՄԱՐ as in Haght yev Amar/Amur. The KH in the name is from Toumanians pun, word play, barakhagh AKH-TAMAR, just as in Yerevan we dont know what the Latin X is. Is it KH or GH as XAXOX? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yergatuni1 Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 good article on Aghtamar in a way. But instituting these niceties as described by the author does not provide justice for the genocide. A nation was criminally destroyed. The genocide also has effectively endangered the future of Armenians as a people. The only proper way to right the wrong is for the return of those lands to the Armenian people. The acknowledgement of the genocide by Turkey and their supporters (the US and Israel) is just a first step. It can't stand on its own, its really meaningless on its own. The return of those lands is the only just final outcome of that Acknowledgment. The turks will never do it on their own and no one will force them to do it, but that is the only proper true way to address the genocide. We really don't need an apology from anyone, Armenians need the homeland back, as outlined in the Treaty of Sevres. This is the key to the future of the Armenian nation. A tiny landlocked nation effectively owned and controlled by the Russians and local mafia elements is not a viable future for the Armenians still living there nor for the slowly assimilating Armenians living abroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted November 23, 2016 Report Share Posted November 23, 2016 Cross-stones recovered from the bottom of Lake Van14:59, 23 Nov 2016Siranush Ghazanchyan Cross-stones have been recovered from the bottom of Lake Van, Milliyet reports.The FIVA company, which cleans the bottom of the lake, has found two stones with a cross inscribes and two stone blocks and wooden pieces.The company has kept relevant bodies informed, but there has been no response so far. “I think there are more stones like this in the bottom of the lake,” company official Ayhan Disari has said.http://www.armradio.am/en/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Cross-stone-Van.jpeghttp://www.armradio.am/en/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Cross-stone-Van-4.jpeghttp://www.armradio.am/en/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Cross-stone-Van-3.jpeghttp://www.armradio.am/en/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Cross-stone-Van-2.jpeghttp://www.armradio.am/en/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Cross-stone-Van-1.jpeghttp://www.milliyet.com.tr/van-golu-nden-hac-figurlu-taslar-gundem-2349270/http://www.armradio.am/en/2016/11/23/cross-stones-recovered-from-the-bottom-of-lake-van/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted August 4, 2017 Report Share Posted August 4, 2017 Even the dead are insulted in Turkey!!!!!!!!! Why? Because they are Armenians!!!!!!!News.am, ArmeniaAug 3 2017 Armenian member of Turkey parliament condemns building of toilet on Armenian cemetery12:30, 03.08.2017 Garo Paylan, Istanbul Armenian MP of the opposition pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) of Turkey, reflected on the press reports regarding the building of a toilet and a changing room for a public beach at Lake Van, and on an Armenian cemetery. In a statement that is posted on the HDP website, Paylan noted that the said area in Edremit (Artamed) district of Van Province is a historical site where there are Urartian monuments. Also, he recalled that 100 years ago, this place was Khorgom village that was densely populated with Armenians.Garo Paylan condemned the Turkish authorities’ decision to build the aforesaid public beach’s toilet and a changing room on an Armenian cemetery, and demanded that measures be taken to remedy the situation. https://news.am/eng/news/403364.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted August 11, 2017 Report Share Posted August 11, 2017 I hope the Turks do the honourable thing and put the bell at it's proper place at the church.AsbarezAug 10 2017 Iran to Return 629-Year-Old Bell to Akhtamar http://asbarez.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/1029632638.jpgThe 629-year-old bell will be returned to Holy Cross Church in AkhtamarTEHRAN—Iranian officials have said that they will return a 629-year-old bell, which belonged to an Armenian church in Van, to the Holy Cross Church in Akhtamar.The bell was given to St. Mary’s Armenian Church in July of 1377 and was taken to Iran under unknowns circumstances. It has been on display at the Anthropology museum in the north-western city of Urumieh, reported AmedToday.org news agency.“We have begun a policy of returning all historical monuments and artifacts in Iran to their countries of origin in compliance with all necessary legal procedures,” said Mirhadi Kareseyyed-Romiani, Vice-President of the Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Authority.The Iranian official said this policy aims to demonstrate to the world the true nature of Iran as friendly country that prioritizes good neighborly relations and respect for humanity and history.http://asbarez.com/165483/iran-to-return-629-year-old-bell-to-akhtamar/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yervant1 Posted August 11, 2018 Report Share Posted August 11, 2018 Anadolu Agency (AA), Turkey August 9, 2018 Thursday Akdamar Church in eastern Turkey attracts visitors Medieval Armenian church in Turkey's eastern Van province accepted into UNESCO tentative list in 2015 By Cemal Asan VAN, Turkey Akdamar Church, a medieval Armenian church, in Turkey's eastern Van province draws the interest of foreign and domestic visitors. The church, located on Akdamar Island in Lake Van, was built between 915 and 921 A.D. by architect Bishop Manuel, under the supervision of Gagik I Ardzruni, an Armenian king. It was accepted in the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage on April 13, 2015. "Akdamar Church represents a unique accomplishment in Christian architecture, displaying for the first time sculpted imagery on the exterior of a church in such an elaborate profusion," according to the UNESCO website. The church, which was opened as a monument museum in 2007, has been hosting annual international religious ceremonies organized by the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul once a year since 2010. Muzaffer Aktug, Van provincial director of culture and tourism, told Anadolu Agency that the church deserved to be included in the permanent list of UNESCO. "Around 83,000 people visited the island in the first seven months of this year," Aktug said. He added that efforts were underway to get the church on UNESCO's World Heritage list. Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/akdamar-church-in-eastern-turkey-attracts-visitors/1226644 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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