Author: Badalian Vardan

Soccerway
Oct 13 2013

FIFA World Cup Qualifying Preview: Italy v Armenia
13 October 2013

Armenia play their final FIFA World Cup qualifier with a chance of
making the play-offs, but face a tough trip to Group B winners Italy.

Vardan Minasyan’s side are fifth in the pool but trail second-placed
Bulgaria by just one point, meaning they could still finish
immediately behind Cesare Prandelli’s men.

The scenario is unlikely as it would require Bulgaria and the Czech
Republic to draw – with Denmark also failing to beat bottom-placed
Malta – while they win in Naples to secure one of the eight best
runners-up spots.

Armenia have been inconsistent throughout their qualifying campaign,
winning four but losing five of their nine fixtures, but a 2-1 home
victory over Bulgaria on Friday ensured they kept their hopes of
reaching Brazil 2014 alive.

Spartak Moscow forward Yura Movsisyan is likely to lead the line for Armenia.

The 26-year-old has three goals in qualifying so far, and will look to
provide the attacking threat in Tuesday’s fixture, while Borussia
Dortmund playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also likely to start.

Italy, who won the 2006 World Cup, have enjoyed a comfortable campaign
in Group B, winning six and drawing three of their nine games to
secure automatic qualification.

Milan striker Mario Balotelli – who missed the 2-2 draw with Denmark
on Friday – has remained with the squad despite suffering from
gastroenteritis.

Meanwhile, Southampton forward Pablo Daniel Osvaldo is likely to once
again start up front and will look to add to the goal he scored
against Morten Olsen’s outfit.

Italy are looking for a second qualification win over Armenia, after
triumphing 3-1 in the away encounter in October 2012.

Goals from Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi and Osvaldo were enough for
them to claim maximum points in Yerevan.

Nora Armani about her festival and Armenian roots – Exclusive interview

OCTOBER 13, 22:16

French-Armenian actress Nora Armani is a founder of the only festival
of socially relevant films in New York. She told about her festival
and her roles in an exclusive interview with NEWS.am Style.

Nora, please tell a little about the new project you are working at.
What the Rated SR Socially Relevant Film Festival New York is about?
How did you come up with the idea and what are the goals of the
festival?

Rated SR – Socially Relevant Film Festival New York is the project I
am currently working on. I am the Founding Artistic Director of this
festival.

RATED SR is a festival and film lab that aims to satisfy a market need
concentrating on everyday positive human stories while offering a
financially viable alternative to the proliferation of violence &
crime in today’s movie industry.The downstate-upstate New York event
provides filmmakers & festival attendees with the best of both worlds:
the buzz of Manhattan (New York City)& the rural setting of upstate
New York.

The Grand Prize of the festival is a Free week-long all-encompassing
release in New York of the winning film at the Quad Cinema. This would
give the film a first step towards an eventual Oscar qualification.

Our mission is to support filmmakers who deal with socially relevant
content by creating a platform that encourages them to produce SR
films overshadowed in the marketplace.

The goal of the Festival is to make SR films a reliable and marketable
brand of motion pictures. Rated SR Films are entertaining,
enlightening, uplifting but most of all artistically appealing.The
idea has been with me for a while, and it became manifested when I
found the right time and the right elements with which to launch it.
The proliferation of violence in our society is appalling, and I
personally lost two very dear people to me, namely my uncle Hagop and
my cousin Vania Exerjian a number of years ago in Egypt as a result of
a violent hate crime. This festival is homage to their memory in
addition to all the socially relevant human stories that need to be
told.

Are you playing in movie at the moment? If yes, what is it about?

Yes, In fact I just finished shooting a new film last week called: The
Last Show. I play the character of Eve, a modern woman, whose daughter
is torn between an artist she loves and a rich banker she feels she
must marry for security. My character is advising her to make the
right choice, based on her own experiences but also shocked to find
out that the artist she her daughter loves is none other than the
cousin. This is the 6th film I am doing since I started shooting my
own film Moving Stories last February that premiered at the Cannes
Film Festival in May 2012. It was seen at the Golden Apricot Film
Festival in July 2013.

Can we see `On The Couch With Nora Armani’ performance at any stage?
Did you stage it in Armenia?

I am not doing On the Couch with Nora Armani at this time, as I am
busy doing films and also my new show with Cellist David Bakamjian,
Evocations of Armenia, that we recently performed in Washington, D.C.
The show is part of 100 concerts in commemoration of the Armenian
Genocide and will be seen in a number of cities during 2014.

This does not mean that I will not pickup On the Couch with Nora
Armani again some time later. I performed in in the Armenian version
in Kapan, Armenia, at the new Theatre there, (unique event since the
show is written in English and I also do it in French for primarily a
non-Armenian audience) But in Kapan, I did it in Armenian in my own
translation.

You have a lot of international awards. What is for you significance
of the Yerevan Theatre Festival award?

It is very important to be appreciated by one’s own family, friends,
and in this case compatriots and country. For that reason, it means a
lot to me, alongside all the International awards. Usually it is very
difficult to impress the people that are the closest to us, our
family, our close friends, as they always look at us as the person
they have known a long time ago, and find it hard to accept the
achievements and developments and the journey we often chart with a
lot of hard work and perseverance. And sometimes, they want to
minimize all that out of sheer insecurity on their own part. But when
close people acknowledge and accept our successes and appreciate what
we do, it not only reflects on their genuineness, it created a really
special feeling. That is why I cherish that award very dearly.

Nora, you are one of few celebrities who, despite not being raised in
Armenia, are still followers of the Armenian spirit and have Armenian
soul. Isn’t it hard to be live outside Armenia but still be a part of
it?

It comes from my family, my upbringing, and my early schooling in
Egypt. We grew up in an Armenian environment in our schools, our
churches, and our cultural clubs. That is something that stays with
you throughout your life. Plus I was lucky enough to visit Armenia as
a child, when I was 12 years old, and attend Summer Campin
Hangavanduring the then Soviet era. This experience had a strong
imprint on my mind and soul as a child and of course the result was
that I have always been very aware and sensitive to things Armenian.

Where are your ancestors coming from? You wanted to write a book about
your ancestors who survived the genocide. Did you fulfill the idea? I
read that your last name `Armani’ came from your mother’s name-
Armine. Is this true? Why have not you keep your last name?

My ancestors come for Kaiseri (Kessaria) and from Istanbul. I have not
written the book yet, though I am working on it. The venture is a long
one and I am not sure when it can be finished. Yes, indeed, when I had
the misfortune of losing my mother young, I wanted to do homage to her
and take on her name to continue the journey for us both as she
herself was an artist. Her name was Armineh and she played the violin.
So I changed my stage name to Nora Armani. My family name is
Ekserjian.

Your husband is Armenian. Is your family maintaining any Armenian traditions?

Yes. We do speak Armenian at home, and I like cooking Armenian
traditional dishes, only these days I do not have much time. But
fortunately there are shops that sell these foods, and we can buy them
ready made. We also like to listen to Armenian music, Opera, read
poetry, and history. My husband likes to read history books and he
knows Armenian history (as well as other histories, Roman, Egyptian,
very well).

When you come to Armenia (you are an Armenian, but you still do not
live in this country) you are probably looking at the country through
the eyes of a foreigner. What are advantages and disadvantages of
modern Armenia?

Modern Armenia is a child compared to many countries of the world and
it is still learning to walk, talk and behave like an adult in
society. We have to be patient with our child… I have witnessed the
birth of this child, as I was there in January 1991, and then again in
September of 1991, in 1992, 1993. Then there was a big gap, as I was
running around the world taking care of my own work and career. I came
back in 2007 after 14 years of absence, and noticed a youthful
Armenia, with many new changes, but that still needed to mature and
develop to become a full-fledged adult. Then I came back regularly in
2008 to direct my adaptation of Saroyan’s `Papa You’re Crazy’ for the
stage on the occasion of Saroyan’s centenary, then again at the end of
2008 to discuss theatre projects with the Ministry of Culture, and
Hakob Ghazanchyan, then again in 2010 to perform, in 2011 to do a
workshop with the National Theatre and Cinema Institute in Yerevan and
in Shushi. I have been observing Armenia all this time, and trying to
understand it.

Right now Armenia is passing through a difficult youth where a lot of
identity definition and social issues are being tackled. There is also
much corruption and nepotism going on, and this is a hard blow to the
natural development of the country, because proportionately it is much
higher than in any of the other `mature’ country. Our leadership needs
to consider thinking in terms of what is good for future generations
and what would be a good legacy to leave behind increasingly. And to
be less concerned about their own personal and immediate needs. There
is a certain prevailing irresponsible and selfish approach where more
emphasis is put on the immediate instead of working towards building a
lasting infrastructure laying the foundations of our country that
could possibly outlive several generations.

This is my own humble observer’s opinion. The mentality that prevailed
during the Soviet times of grabbing what you can, seems to not have
left many of the people in power. My only hope liesin the youth and
the younger generations, provided they do not despair and leave.

The hope lies in that there is at present a healthy atmosphere of
protests and opposition in Armenia that was not present before. I wish
these concerned individuals and groups much courage and most of all
patience and perseverance. Rome was not built in one day (but it was
destroyed in a relatively short period of time…) It will take time to
build a strong nation and homeland and we should be careful of the
destructive elements that are often ready to destroy everything for
personal gain. Building something everlasting and solid takes time,
energy, effort, patience, and most of all FAITH! I wish everyone
courage, faith and self-confidence. Armenians are a talented people.
There is no reason why Armenia should not become again the great
nation it once was.

Do you have any plans related to Armenia?

Always, but not right now. On the other hand, who knows what might
happen in the near future? I am open to all propositions and would
definitely respond if invited for an interesting project.

I just want to add a word about Rated SR Film Festival. It is a great
platform for all filmmakers who are keen on penetrating the US market.
I urge all young and not so young Armenian filmmakers to submit their
films either through our website: or through
Without a Box the International Festival portal as well as Festhome.
We have short and feature (documentary and fiction) categories.

ARMENIE
Le Danemark va acheter des drones arméniens

Le Danemark va acheter des drones arméniens, a déclaré Karen
Vardanyan, Directeur exécutif de l’Union des entreprises des
technologies de l’information. Il a précisé que l’Arménie va produire
environ 10 drones par mois pour le Danemark. Ils seront utilisés pour
la recherche agricole et des photographies aériennes.

dimanche 13 octobre 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

APRES ARMENIE-BULGARIE (2-1)
Henrikh Mkhitaryan « que les Bulgares regardent les Arméniens et
apprennent un peu de culture ! »

Après la victoire de l’Arménie sur la Bulgarie (2-1) vendredi soir à
Erévan, l’international arménien et milieu du Borussia Dortmund,
Henrikh Mkhitaryan a déclaré « que tout le monde voit que nous n’avons
pas truqué, nous avons joué un jeu propre. Certains pouvaient croire
que c’était un match facile, mais ce ne fut pas le cas, la victoire
fut acquise difficilement. Mais le plus important est que les joueurs
Arméniens ont lutté jusqu’au bout pour réaliser leur pari de victoire
». Et Henrikh Mkhitaryan d’ajouter « que les Bulgare voient où ils
sont venus et comprennent que nous sommes des hommes et non des hommes
dénués des caractéristiques humaines. Qu’ils regardent les Arméniens
et qu’ils apprennent un peu de culture ! Même à 1-1 j’étais convaincu
que nous devions gagner. J’étais certain car je voyais dans les yeux
de nos garçons cette envie de victoire, le feu. Ils désiraient prouver
au peuple qu’après une année où ils n’avaient pas gagné sur leur
terrain en Arménie, ils pouvaient gagner. Je remercie tous nos
supporters qui étaient au stade mais aussi ceux qui étaient devant
leurs écrans de télévision. Cette victoire est celle de notre nation.
Nous partons en Italie avec une très bon moral ».

Rappelons qu’au match-aller en Bulgarie où l’Arménie avait perdu 0-1
dans un match très difficile, les Bulgares avaient provoqué les
Arméniens par des mots très offensifs dirigés contre le peuple
arménien. La victoire de l’Arménie n’est que justice.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 13 octobre 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

TURKISH JOURNALISTS’ ASSOCIATION HEAD SAYS HIS MOTHER WAS ARMENIAN

October 12, 2013 – 11:16 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The head of a journalists’ association in Turkey,
has revealed that his mother was an Armenian, who was left “in front
of an Alevi family’s door” by Armenians during the 1915 Armenian
Genocide in his recently published book, adding that his relatives
had reacted strongly to this revelation, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Ahmet Abakay, a journalist and the head of the Contemporary
Journalists’ Association, told his mother HoÅ~_ana’s story in his
book entitled “HoÅ~_ana’s last words,” (HoÅ~_ana’nın son Sözu) in
which he said that he was told by his mother that she was an Armenian
only weeks before she died.

“My mother told me about her story 13 years ago and soon after, she
died. I could write this only 10 years later, because I hesitated. I
hardly wrote it, bursting into tears when writing all of the chapters
and I was stuck. I did not imagine that it could get that sentimental
for me to write it. My mother was left at some people’s door like an
innocent kitten and that idea filled me with grief,” Abakay told the
HDN, adding that his mother was one of the Armenian babies left to
the Turkish families during the Genocide.

Abakay said his mother HoÅ~_ana told him her story, which she kept
secret for her entire 82-year-long life, with one condition; that he
should not tell it to anyone as long as she was alive.

“My mother made me promise not to tell her story to my wife, daughter
or her sisters, as long as she was alive. I told this issue to my
inner circle after I lost my mother, to learn whether there are other
secrets that we are not told. But my sister told me not to reveal this
on the grounds that I am a journalist and she recalled what happened to
Hrant Dink [Armenian-Turkish journalist murdered by a gunman in broad
daylight in 2007 in Istanbul]. A majority of my relatives could not
accept their [new] identity,” Abakay said. Some relatives denied the
story, while others claimed that his mother was too old to be aware
of what she was saying. Abakay said he received fierce reactions from
some of his family members over his revelation in his book.

“My uncle’s children told me ‘how dare you call our aunt Armenian
and insult our family’s honor. You will remove the Armenian part from
your book, otherwise we will pull it off the shelves,'” said Abakay.

Abakay said his mother used to talk about one of her sisters left with
Armenians in the past, but she had never talked about it in detail.

Later on he learnt that she was from the southeastern province of
Erzurum’s AÅ~_kale district. “I want to research my identity but I
doubt whether I can go any further. Now, I am content that I have
received my identity back.”

ARF-D MP SPEAKS OF TERMINATION OF POLITICAL ACTIVITIES

21:16 11.10.13

Vahan Hovhannisyan, a Bureau member, Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D), and ARF-D parliamentary group
member, shares Heritage parliamentary group member Alexander
Arzumanyan’s opinion that Hovhannisyan’s leaving Armenia’s Parliament
will be a great loss to it, but a great acquisition for Armenian
diplomacy.

“But I am not going to leave. Diplomatic activities are an integral
component of political activities. So it is our society that is making
me engage in politics. I myself do not seek it at all,” Hovhannisyan
told Tert.am.

With respect to Aramais Grigoryan’s appointment as Ararat governor,
he said: “Do not even think it is kind of coalition. I can assure you
it is not one and the same thing. We are just seeking the threats to
our country.”

Armenian News – Tert.am

MANIFESTATION ET CONTRE-MANIFESTATION DEVANT PAK SHUKA

ARMENIE

Des activistes civils qui protestaient contre la renovation illegale
d’un marche d’Erevan appartenant au magnat pro-gouvernemental Samvel
Alexanyan ont organise une action près de ce qui est connu comme le
marche Pak Shuka.

Sur le site, cependant, ils ont ete accueillis par ceux qui pretendent
etre les beneficiaires des activites d’Alexanyan.

Des policiers ont ete deployes pour eviter des affrontements entre les
participants de la manifestation et ceux de la contre-manifestation.

Les deux camps s’accusent mutuellement d’etre antipatriotique et ”
servir les interets de leurs patrons “.

Pak Shuka, qui a ouvert ses portes aux visiteurs après une fermeture
de près de deux ans tandis que la renovation controversee etait en
cours, a ete officiellement rouvert mercredi.

Les activistes civils affirment qu’Alexanyan a engage des ” distorsions
architecturales ” du bâtiment historique et ont peur qu’il finira
par etre transforme en l’un des nombreux supermarches de la chaîne
detenue par le magnat.

L’homme d’affaires prospère et ses partisans, quant a eux, insistent
sur le fait qu’ils ont sauve le bâtiment qui tombait en ruine après
des annees de negligence.

samedi 12 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

YEREVAN MARKS 2795TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS FOUNDING

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Oct 11 2013

11 October 2013 – 11:40am
The Armenian capital of Yerevan is marking the 2795th anniversary
of its founding . Celebrations will take place over 2 days, starting
at the square near the Erebuni National Park, where the monument of
Argishti I of Urartu stands.

Yerevan will also host an international conference of mayors of
capital cities of the Council of Europe to discuss management and
improvement of living conditions of their inhabitants and service
companies. Officials will arrive from 30 cities of 17 states.

AZERBAIJAN LEADER TRIUMPHANT BUT OSCE SAYS POLL FLAWED

Agence France Presse
October 10, 2013 Thursday 11:58 PM GMT

BAKU, Oct 10 2013

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev Thursday secured a crushing election
victory that saw his family prolong its decades-long rule but the US,
EU and OSCE lent weight to opposition accusations of foul play.

Final results saw Aliyev sweep to a third term with 84.6 percent at
Wednesday’s vote in the tightly-managed ex-Soviet state, while his
main opponent Jamil Hasanli was way down on 5.5 percent in second
place, the electoral commission said.

Aliyev lauded the poll as a “triumph for democracy” in a televised
address, pledging over the next five years to crack down on rampant
corruption that critics claim his rule has fostered.

“The fact that this vote was free and transparent is another important
step towards democracy,” Aliyev added.

However the United States said it was “disturbed” that the elections
failed to meet international norms.

“We repeatedly called on the government of Azerbaijan to ensure a
free and fair electoral process, and we regret that this election fell
short of international standards,” State Department deputy spokeswoman
Marie Harf said.

Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) agreed the vote was “seriously flawed” and showed how far
Azerbaijan was from meeting it commitments on democracy.

Observer mission head Tana de Zulueta said candidates did not have
a “level playing field” and that the vote count was “assessed in
overwhelmingly negative terms, with 58 per cent of observed polling
stations assessed as bad or very bad”.

“The people of Azerbaijan deserve better,” de Zulueta said at a
press conference.

The conference later broke up in disarray as pro-government journalists
harangued the observers for alleged bias, heckled and wrestled the
microphone away from other reporters.

The deputy chairman of the ruling New Azerbaijan party Ali Akhmedov
also dismissed the observers’ report which he said was “biased and
not objective”.

“This report is a sign of disrespect to the Azerbaijani people,”
he added.

In Brussels, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton and the bloc’s
Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule noted the “serious problems”
highlighted by the OSCE and insisted, in a statement, that they
“need to be addressed in order for Azerbaijan to fully meet its
international commitments”.

The 51-year-old Aliyev came to power in a disputed 2003 vote after
the death of his powerful father Heydar, a former KGB officer and
Communist-era boss who ruled the ex-Soviet nation of 9.5 million
people for the preceding 10 years.

He was re-elected in 2008 with 89 percent of the vote in a poll
called neither free nor fair by Western observers and pushed through
a referendum a year later that allowed him to run this time round.

Some 72 percent of Azerbaijan’s roughly five million registered voters
cast their ballots, the central electoral commission said.

‘We will fight these falsifications’

Main challenger Hasanli pledged to challenge the result in court,
alleging a string of violations, including voters being bussed round
to cast ballots at multiple polling stations, ballot-stuffing and
observers being barred from monitoring the vote.

“We will use all legal means to fight these falsifications,” Hasanli
said at a press conference Thursday.

Authorities in Baku gave the opposition permission to hold a rally at
a location outside the city centre for two hours on Saturday afternoon.

“We are sure that with the strength of the people and strength of
the youth, we will prevail,” Hasanli said.

Fuelled by billions of petrodollars, living standards in the mainly
Muslim nation have soared in the past decade, with Azerbaijan becoming
an increasingly important energy supplier to Europe and an ally
of NATO.

As well as being relatively unchallenged at home, Aliyev has enjoyed
warm relations with Washington and Moscow. Russian President Vladimir
Putin was among the first to congratulate him.

Normally fragmented, Azerbaijan’s weakened opposition — much of
which boycotted the 2008 poll — in May seemed primed for a genuine
challenge after rallying around a single candidate.

Hasanli caused a stir in televised debates by accusing the president
and his family of massive corruption, but struggled to get his message
heard in a stifling pre-election atmosphere.

Rights groups accused the authorities of an intense clampdown on
dissent ahead of the poll, including the jailing of scores of critics.

Aliyev is expected to continue treading a cautious path between
the West and Russia, ensuring that Azerbaijan remains a key energy
alternative for Europe and a US ally while not upsetting its giant
northern neighbour Russia.

A huge issue for his new term will be the festering conflict with
Yerevan over the Armenian-controlled region of Nagorny Karabakh which
Baku had threatened to win back by force.

eg-del/sjw/pvh/jta

FROM THE HISTORY OF ARMENIAN COINS: FIRST KNOWN COIN WITH ARMENIAN INSCRIPTION

The Bagratid dynasty coins haven’t been preserved, which leads to
belief that Bagratid rulers did not mint their own currency.

A royal dynasty of Bagratids formed in Armenia in late 9th century
(885-1045 AD) as the central authority of the Arab Caliphate was
waning. The rulers declared Ani as a new capital city. The period
was marked by flowering of culture, expansion of trade, crafts,
art and architecture in Armenia.

October 11, 2013

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Bagratid dynasty coins haven’t been preserved,
which leads to belief that Bagratid rulers did not mint their own
currency.

However, among the coins preserved there’s a copper coin of King
Kyurike Bagratid II, Lori branch (1048-1089 AD.)

Description of coins

The few King Kurike II coins that have been preserved are truly a
rarity. In their style and design, the cons remind those of Byzantian
rulers of the same period. These are the earliest known coins with
the inscriptions made in Armenian.

The obverse of the coin features an image of Jesus Christ, the reverse
carries a multiline Armenian inscription.

Obverse and reverse of King Kyurike II copper coin

During the rule of the dynasty of the Bagratids, coins of the Arab
Caliphate and Byzantine Empire, as well as coins of local Muslim
dynasties continue circulating in Armenia. Silver dirhem of the Arab
Caliphate was the main monetary unit not only on the territory of
Armenia but the whole region. The coin was accepted on vast territories
beyond the Caliphate’s frontiers. Caliphate’s copper fels were also
in wide circulation.

However, in late 10th century, the dirhems were taken out of
circulation on the Caliphate-ruled territory to be replaced with low
grade silver ones, and later on, with silver-plated copper coins. In
that period, Byzantian gold coin – nomisima – assumes the role of
the basic monetary unit.

Description of coins

Nomisima had a relatively large diameter and was minted on a thin
gold plate. It was often calyciform with high quality gold used in
its minting.

Reverse of gold coin of Byzantine emperor Constantine X

Byzantian silver hexagrams and copper folles were also put in
circulation. While silver Byzantian coins were rather rare, gold and
copper ones were widely circulated on the territory of the Caliphate.

With the weakening of Caliphate’s central authority, certain local
Muslim dynasties increase their presence in Transcaucasia, with the
dynasties’ rulers minting their own coins to stress their independence.

The rulers of Shaddadid dynasty minted low quality silver coins
in 10-11th centuries, with dynasties of Eldiguzid, Zengid, Artuqid
minting copper coins in the same period and later. In the late 12th
early 13th centuries coins of Georgian rulers – Queen Tamara, Queen
Rusudan – enter circulation in northern regions of Armenia.

In mid-13th century, Mongol Tatars invade the whole territory of
Arab Caliphate including Transcaucasia, with the Hulaguid dynasty
rule established. Coins on Mongol rulers came to circulate in Armenia
in late 13th century, with silver dirhem minted in Transcaucasia as
the main currency. Hulaguid dynasty coins minted in Ani, Erzurum,
Akhaltsikhe, Tiflis are among the better known ones.

Description of coins

Mongolian Hulaguid dynasty coins are similar to those of Arab Caliphate
in design: featuring no images they mainly carry inscriptions
in Arabic or Uygur languages – religious sayings, rulers’ titles,
coinage date and location. Some Hulaguid coins carry Christian symbols,
specifically, a picture of a cross.

Observe and reverse of silver dirhems of Hulaguid rulers

Initially, the so-called anonymous dirhems bearing no names of
Mongolian rulers were coined. In late 13th early 14th centuries,
coins carrying the names of Mongolian Khans – Abaqa, Abu Sa’id,
Mahmud Ghazan, Oljeitu – were minted.

The material was prepared in cooperation with Gevorg Mughalyan,
the numismatist of the Central Bank of Armenia.

Viktoria Araratyan / PanARMENIAN.Net, Varo Rafayelyan / PanARMENIAN
Photo