Author: Maghakian Mike

A new exhibition at the celebrates more than 2,500 years of Armenian history and culture with a sumptuous display of manuscripts, books, sacred objects and everyday artefacts from the Armenian community that have been handed down through the generations.

 features treasures from the Bodleian’s magnificent Armenian collections alongside items from private and national collections in Armenia, the Netherlands and the UK.

Opening on 23 October, Armenia is the second exhibition to be held in the Bodleian’s newly renovated Weston Library. The Bodleian Library has been collecting Armenian manuscripts and printed books since the seventeenth century, but this is the first time items from the Libraries’ rich Armenian collection have gone on public display in a major exhibition.

Armenia: Masterpieces from an Enduring Culture showcases more than 100 stunning objects that demonstrate the enormous achievements of a nation with a rich, fascinating and often turbulent history. The ‘enduring culture’ in the exhibition’s title refers to the great antiquity of Armenian culture. This landlocked country situated along the route of the Great Silk Road boasts a long history spanning more than two and a half millennia, from its first mention, carved into stone, in the reign of King Darius I (c. 550-486 BCE) to the modern Republic of Armenia and the numerous diaspora communities worldwide. The endurance highlighted in this new exhibition also refers to the suffering and hardship which has befallen the Armenians. 2015 marks the centenary of the genocide perpetrated against the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire by the Young Turk government during World War I.

In their honour, the Bodleian’s Armenia exhibition displays a rich cache of objects spanning more than two thousand years of cultural history: from coins minted in the first century BCE during the reign of King Tigranes II to sumptuously and more modestly decorated manuscripts from the Middle Ages. The diverse range of books, maps, art and artefacts on show reveals a culture that is both religious and secular. The exhibition also features the treasured objects of survivors of the 1915 genocide including traditional Armenian needlework and needlelace items, family photographs and an Armenian family’s century-old tea set.

‘The Bodleian Libraries is honoured to take part in the commemorations for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide by helping to share the history and culture of the Armenian people,’ said Bodley’s Librarian Richard Ovenden. ‘We have collected Armenian books and documents for over 400 years, and the University has taken seriously the study of Armenian culture for a very long time. Through this exhibition, which features items of exceptional beauty, we are able to share with a much broader audience the vibrancy and richness of this ancient culture.’

Highlights of the exhibition:

• A rare and outstandingly beautiful gospel illustrated by Mesrop of Xizan, an Armenian master of the 17th century.
• A venerated holy book on loan from a UK-based Armenian family who have passed down their copy through the generations. The book – known as The Narek – is an 18th century copy of The Book of Lamentation containing mystical prayer poems by Saint Gregory of Narek. This is the most venerated book in Armenian culture after the Bible, and healing powers are ascribed to it. Often called the ‘Saint of the House’, it is believed to protect the family with whom it resides.
• A brightly coloured gospel manuscript featuring a ‘hidden demon’ that has been rubbed out over the centuries by pious readers. Using hyperspectral imaging tools, conservators at the Bodleian have revealed the hidden demon and will display the newly-discovered image alongside the original manuscript.
• A collection of 20 ancient coins from a private collector and benefactor to the exhibition, which tell the story of Armenia’s tumultuous political and economic history.
• The only known copy of the first book printed in Iran, a book of psalms dating from 1638.
• The Bodleian’s oldest Armenian manuscript dating from the 11th century: a copy of John Chrysostom’s Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians.
• Religious artefacts such as a silk altar curtain embroidered with silver thread, a priest’s staff, and a ceremonial brass bowl.
• Personal treasures that have been carefully kept and passed down through generations of Armenian families including a traditional needlework headdress, a woman’s needlelace collar, an Armenian family’s samovar (hot water vessel used to prepare tea), and personal photographs from families affected by the Genocide.

The exhibition will also feature videos of the Oxford Armenian Choir performing in the Weston Library and a short film titled The Blessing by artist Krikor Momdjian.

‘Armenian culture has shaped humanity and given it great gifts, from precious manuscripts, literature and art to religious and secular music,’ said Theo Maarten van Lint, Calouste Gulbenkian Professor of Armenian Studies at the University of Oxford. ‘In this exhibition, we present to the public the historical, artistic and other cultural achievements of a people not often in the focus of the public eye, in an effort to educate, fascinate and create a dialogue between nations and peoples.’

Scholarly interest in Armenian culture at the University of Oxford dates back at least 400 years, when the first Armenian texts entered the newly founded Bodleian Library through benefactions from Archbishop Laud (1573-1645). This year, the University commemorates the 50th anniversary of the establishment of an endowed Chair in Armenian Studies: the Calouste Gulbenkian Professorship. The current holder of the Professorship, Professor Theo Maarten van Lint, curated the exhibition with Robin Meyer, Lector in Latin and Greek Languages at the University of Oxford. The exhibition is the first major exhibition in the UK of Armenian materials in almost 15 years.

Armenia: Masterpieces from an Enduring Culture follows Marks of Genius, the inaugural exhibition at the Bodleian’s new Weston Library, which opened to the public in March 2015. The Armenia exhibition runs until 28 February 2016 and a programme of talks and events will be held over the course of the exhibition. Admission to the exhibition is free and booking is not required.

The Bodleian Libraries is grateful to Mr Raffy Manoukian for his generous support of the exhibition.

The exhibition is accompanied by a 276-page catalogue, Armenia: Masterpieces from an Enduring Culture, edited by the exhibition’s curators Theo Maarten van Lint and Robin Meyer (Bodleian Library Publishing, 2015). The publication was produced with the generous support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and The Hakop Kevorkian Fund.

Hillary Clinton has discussed Kanye West’s aspiration of becoming US President in 2020, suggesting that he “might want to wait” as she would be looking to run for reelection if she succeeds in 2016, according to .

The rapper while accepting a prize at this year’s MTV VMAs. West insists he is serious about the bid and that he has been considering it since 2010.

Speaking on an episode of Buzzfeed‘s Another Round podcast, Clinton said: “I’ve told Kanye that I think he might want to wait. Cause I’ll be running for reelection.”

The Democratic candidate also said she’d be open to giving West a political role: “I might want to give him some additional experience so he’s got, on all the other things he’s done on his resume, he’s got some kind of envoy role or something he could point to… I would not rule out anybody for Vice President”.

The Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire 90 times at the line of contact with Karabakh forces 90 times overnight.

He rival fired more than 700 shots from weapons of different caliber (including 82mm mortars) in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep control of the situation at the line of contact and confidently continue with their military duty.

President Serzh Sargsyan took part today in the festive events to celebrate the 2700th anniversary of Etchmiadzin. First, Armenia’s president visited Vazgen Sargsyan Square located next to Saint Hripsime Church where he attended the opening of the Monument to Vazgen Sargsyan and placed flowers at the monument to Sparapet, President’s Press Office reported.

Afterwards, the president visited the building site of the town’s sports complex, participated in its groundbreaking ceremony and then familiarized himself with the sports school construction and territory improvement projects.

As part of the events to mark the 2700th anniversary of Etchmiadzin, Serzh Sargsyan also visited newly-renovated Art School after Yeghishe Tadevosyan. The president familiarized himself with the works done at the educational institution to provide 300 pupils with necessary learning conditions. Armenia’s president then paid tribute to the memory of the heroes of the Artsakh Liberation War and placed flowers at the monument to the heroes.

In company of town dwellers, numerous guests, and Honorary Citizens of Etchmiadzin, President Serzh Sargsyan took part in the solemn gathering at the municipality’s conference hall devoted to the 2700th anniversary of Etchmiadzin.

The Zaman daily’s Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanli, a journalist who has been at the helm of Turkey’s best-selling daily for 14 years, has resigned from his post over “unlawful pressure” on him and the media in general, Today’s Zaman reports.  

Dumanlı released a statement on Monday to announce that he sees he cannot perform his job as the editor-in-chief of the Zaman daily due to recent pressure on him and the media.

“I think I have been unable to sufficiently and efficiently contribute to the Zaman daily, where I have been serving since 2001, and that my health does not allow this either. For this reason, I resign from the post of editor-in-chief, which I have sincerely tried to maintain as much as I could,” Dumanlı said.

Police raided the Zaman office on Dec. 14, 2014 and detained Dumanli and several other journalists, including STV network executive Hidayet Karaca, scriptwriters and producers, as part of a government-initiated media crackdown.

The charges against Dumanli were based on one news report and two columns about an al-Qaeda-linked Turkish group, which he says he has never heard of. The columns were written by two other columnists, one of whom is critical of Zaman and quit writing for the paper last year.

A total of 12 people have been killed after a public bus rammed into a bus stop in the Dikimevi neighborhood of Ankara, according to initial reports, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

The public bus rammed into people waiting at the bus stop near the central Dikimevi metro station when the unidentified driver lost control of the wheel.

The bus, which also struck several parked cars, finally came to a stop after 60 meters.

Ankara Gov. Mehmet Kılıçlar said eight people were wounded in the incident.

The main road where the incident occurred was closed to traffic in the aftermath of the mishap.

Firefighters are continuing to pull dead bodies from under the bus.

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France), together with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, held a meeting on 24 September with the Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian, and a separate meeting on 25 September with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov.  They also met jointly with the two Foreign Ministers to discuss the immediate need to reduce tensions along the Line of Contact and international border, to advance negotiations on a lasting settlement, and to implement confidence-building measures.  The Ministers agreed to continue preparations with the Co-Chairs on the next presidential summit, which is expected to be held before the end of this year.

The Co-Chairs called for the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to accept an OSCE mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations.  Without such a mechanism, the sides will continue to blame each other for initiating deadly attacks on the Line of Contact and Armenia-Azerbaijan border.  Armenia has agreed to discuss the details of the mechanism, and we urged Azerbaijan to do the same.

The Co-Chairs condemned in strong terms the use of artillery that caused additional casualties in the last twenty-four hours. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. An escalation of violence is not in the interest of Azerbaijanis or Armenians, or a negotiated settlement.

The Co-Chairs encouraged the sides to implement people-to-people programs to build trust between societies affected by the conflict.

Assembly of Armenians of Europe has issued an appeal to the European Institutions connected with the situation in Turkey:

The news about the bloodshed that is taking place in Turkey are disturbing. There is no doubt that the riots organized in dozens of cities by the Turkish mob, the murders and the violent acts are organized and led by one and single center.

Dozens of people were murdered, many of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) offices were burned and looted.  Many commercial houses and shops belonging to members of the ethnic or religious minorities in Turkey had the same fate. There is a serious danger that these acts of  hooliganism directed against simple citizens who belong to these minorities will  become massive as it was the case back in 1955 with the pogroms of 6-7 September of that year.

Having in mind all these,

We appeal to the European Institutions to take immediately all the possible measures in order to protect the lives of the innocent citizens that are in danger.

We remind that in Turkey the notorious  301 article of the Constitution is still in force. Based on racial discrimination, this article is justifying any act committed against the life and the property of members of various minorities.

Any procrastination might be fatal.

Russian billionaire German Sterligov will return from Nagorno Karabakh to Moscow Thursday. As a proof he showed the air tickets to journalists at a press confidence in Shushi Monday, the Russian News Service reports.

The businessman revealed the cause of his departure from Russia. Sterligov said he had long been receiving threats. In June, when media reports suggested he could be interrogated on the case of the Combat Organization of Russian Nationalists (BORN). He once again denied any part in the activity of the organization.

Sterligov explained that the only man he knows from BORN is Ilya Goryachev. The leader of the organizations asked money to open a pro-Patriarch magazine, but the businessman refused.

Sterligov also told that he initially wanted to leave for Belarus, but decided to stay in Karabakh. He voiced his admiration for the hospitality and kindness of the people there.

Sterligov hopes to return to Karabakh after answering the questions of the law-enforcement bodies in order to establish a farm and a fashion house, according to Life News.

The Queen may have to move out of Buckingham Palace to allow maintenance work costing £150m to be carried out, the BBC reports.

It is one option being considered by the royal household, which says the palace needs new plumbing and wiring and has not been decorated since 1952.

It comes as the Crown Estate, which owns property on behalf of the Queen, returned record profits of £285m to the taxpayer last year – up 6.7%.

Public funding of the Queen is expected to rise by £2m next year – to £42.8m.

The monarch is paid 15% of the Crown Estate’s profits by the government under the Sovereign Grant formula launched in 2011.

Last year, the Queen received £37.9m from the grant – of which she spent £35.7m. That figure will increase to £40.05m this year, and is expected to rise to £42.8m next year.

It comes as the Crown Estate’s annual results show its capital value is at a historic high of £11.5 billion – up 16.1%.