Author: Arsine Chaltikian

Syrian-Armenian legislator honored by Culture Ministry

Armenian scouts held a ceremonial march in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Sunday to express their gratitude to members of the country’s legislature—the People’s Assembly—for its adoption of a resolution last month recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

The scouts performed the Syrian national anthem and through chants and slogans, expressed the community’s appreciation to the members of parliament, reported the SANA news agency.

Speaker of the People’s Assembly Hamouda Sabbagh hosted a reception for the scouts, during which he pointed out to the symbolism and the importance of their ceremonial march, which coincided with the anniversary of the Syrian revolution on March 8.

Sabbagh reaffirmed that the People’s Assembly’s decision to recognize and condemn the Armenian genocide came in its correct historical context because “this heinous crime must be condemned by all measures.”

The parliament speaker said that the unanimous decision by the People’s Assembly was significant because it is one of the rare instances of a unanimous consent by the legislature, reinforcing the notion that those who do not recognize the Armenian Genocide must be considered an accomplice to the crime.

The head of the Syrian-Armenian Parliamentary Friendship Society in the People’s Assembly, Dr. Nora Arissian, emphasized the importance of the scouts’ march and the _expression_ of the gratitude to the Syrian parliament.

As part of Syria’s March 8 celebrations Arissian, who is one of two Armenian lawmakers representing the Armenian community, received an award by Syria’s Culture Ministry for her contribution in developing the Syrian culture.

Syria’s Culture MinisterMohammad al-Ahmad presented the award to Arissian during the kick off of a cultural festival at the Opera House in Damascus.

BY MATTHEW KARANIAN

Editor’s Note: Adapted from “The Armenian Highland,” the world’s first historical guide to the ancient Armenian homeland, by Matthew Karanian (Stone Garden Press, 2019). Available from booksellers and online.

I dreamt of Ani last night.

I was walking along a street in Yerevan when I stopped a child and asked her for directions. “Vonce guhnam Ani?” – “How do you get to Ani?”

She stretched her arm northward. “It’s that way,” she said, responding in English to a question I had put to her in Armenian.

The girl’s response sent me walking on a journey of one hundred miles. When I stopped, I was on the bank of the Akhurian River, in the shadow of the ancient Armenian capital.

If I had been awake, this hike might have taken a couple of days. But I was dreaming. The hike took just a moment.

I waded waist deep through the shallow waters of the river and when I had reached the other side I looked up and saw Ani’s thousand-and-one churches sprawled out before me. I climbed the stairs that had been carved into the steep hillside, past the Monastery of the Virgins, through a stone archway.

Dozens of donkeys and horses and people and priests jostled me as I made my way through the city. Merchants called out to me from both sides of the road and offered spools of silk and jars of spice.

I exchanged a coin for a cup of sev soorj, thick Armenian coffee, as the crowd parted and went silent. A procession of Armenian clergy passed, their black robes adorned only with the volcanic dust that coated the city.

I struggled to hear the hymn that they were singing—nay—whispering. And as I did, they disappeared into the Cathedral of Ani.

I stood alone on the path. I drank my soorj. I walked back to the river.

On a sandy outcrop nearby, a group of women washed clothes and laughed. I took a photograph. And then another. But the women didn’t appear in my pictures.

All I captured was the empty river and the silent cliffs.

I splashed about. The sun went behind a hill. Ani returned to its slumber.

And while Ani slept, I waded to the other side of the river and I walked back to Yerevan, Armenia’s other capital.

BALTIMORE, Md.—The National Museum of Armenian Ethnography and the History of the Liberation Struggle (Araks, Armenia) has announced that the 18th Century “Jeweled Gun of Sultan Mahmud I” – a stunning artifact held in the collection of Baltimore’s The Walters Art Museum – was recently given a new label that now attributes its remarkable jewelling to the Armenian, Hovhannes Agha Duzian.

“The Walters is incredibly fortunate to have this stunning and historic object as one of the highlights of our collection,” said Julia Marciari-Alexander, who is the Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director of the Walters Art Museum.

The 55 inch-long (139.7 cm) gun – crafted in 1733 and bejeweled with countless diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other gemstones – has garnered international scholarly interest and as a result has been the subject of ongoing research. During a week-long exploration of the piece and an intensive study of its archival history, the crucial Armenian contribution to the gun’s manufacture took center stage.

At the request of counsel to the National Museum, Karnig Kerkonian of Kerkonian Dajani LLC, and upon the invitation of Marciari-Alexander, experts Dr. Ashley Dimmig, the Wieler-Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow in Islamic Art at the Walters, and Professor Dr. Levon Chookaszian, the Chair of Armenian Art History and Theory at Yerevan State University, joined Walters’ museum curators and archivists for a meticulous, week-long inspection of the treasured gun on location in Baltimore.

At the conclusion of this collaborative exploration, it was determined that the label of the artifact should be revised to reflect the valuable contribution of the Armenian Christian, Hovhannes Agha Duzian.

Duzian served as the Chief Goldsmith under Sultan Mahmud’s predecessor, Ahmed III, and continued to work in that esteemed position for Mahmud I. It was while serving as the Chief Goldsmith to the Ottoman court that Duzian created the gun’s most striking feature: its astonishingly ornate jeweling.

Dr. Chookaszian remarked that “the artifact itself constitutes a valuable component of the rich and storied history of Armenian art and, indeed, of Armenian civilization,” and commended this collaborative undertaking with the Walters “as an example of a sophisticated, exemplary approach to understanding and uncovering the depth and breadth of the Armenian contribution to the art of the era.”

Marciari-Alexander added that “our staff is honored to have had the opportunity to work closely with Prof. Dr. Chookaszian to restore the attribution of the gun’s remarkable jeweling to Hovhannes Agha Duzian.”

The two museums have also expressed an interest in further collaboration and exchanges. The new label and a full description of the “Jeweled Gun of Sultan Mahmud I” may be found on the Walters Art Museum website.

YEREVAN (Armenpress)—Cuisine is perhaps one of the best ways of reflecting the hospitality and culture of any nation, and Armenia boasts some of the finest traditional cooking in the world.

Derian, a cozy Syrian-Armenian restaurant located in Downtown Yerevan, hosted two very special patrons on February 10. President Armen Sarkissian and King Abdullah II of Jordan dined at the restaurant on the first day of the King’s first-ever visit to Armenia.

In an interview with Armenpress’ Norayr Shoghikyan, Hakob Azelyan, the Syrian-Armenian owner of Derian, reflected on how it felt to host King Abdullah II, and revealed what was on the menu.

“We were informed that the President will be hosting a guest at our restaurant, but we didn’t know who that guest would be. It was kept a secret due to security reasons,” Azelyan said. Hakob and his wife Mirey run the restaurant as a family. On the day of King Abdullah II and President Sarkissian’s visit, the entire Azelyan family took part in the special occasion.

“We were quite anxious in the beginning, but King Abdullah II was warm and welcoming. President Sarkissian introduced us to King Abdullah II, explaining that our family migrated from Syria. After shaking hands with the king, our anxiousness subsided. He created a warm atmosphere,” remarked Mirey.

When asked about the menu, Hakob noted that there was nothing extraordinary served. The dinner comprised of Armenian and Arabic cuisine.

“We served our entire menu. There was nothing unusual. The menu consisted of veal and chicken barbeque, ghaurma, ishli kofte, manti, Armenian cheeses, strained matzoon, olives, tabbouleh, dolma, hummus, and mutabal. We served caramel cake, a fruit assortment, and Arabic kanafeh for dessert,” he said.

Mirey Hamalyan said King Abdullah II thoroughly enjoyed the food and thanked the staff for their hospitality.

The owners of Derian were pleased with their high-profile guests, which also included celebrities Elton John and Michael Caine, as well as government officials.