Category: News

 

 

 

Ara Abrahamyan, President of the Union of Armenians of Russia, will create a new party. He revealed the plans at a press conference at the National Academy of Sciences today.

“A huge team, comprising not only Armenian and Russian, but also foreign specialists is working to elaborate the ideology and platform of the party,” he said.

Abrahamyan added he had discussed the plans of establishing a new party with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

“Why not? The President told me. Create a party, try if you have decided to be helpful to Armenia,” Ara Abrahamyan said.

Iran’s parliament has approved a deal on its nuclear programme agreed with six world powers, the BBC reports.

The deal was passed with 161 votes in favour, 59 against and 13 abstentions, the official IRNA news agency said.

However, parliament insisted that international inspectors would have only limited access to military sites.

The agreement, struck in July, authorises the lifting of sanctions in return for Iran curbing sensitive nuclear activities.

Iran insists that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.

The deal between Iran and the so-called P5+1 – the US, UK, France, China and Russia plus Germany – was reached after 20 months of negotiations.

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.

Photographer Michelle Andonian traveled to Turkey last year to retrace her grandmother’s steps after she was driven from her village during the Armenian Genocide of 1915, reports.

The Turkish government, however, has always denied the genocide, maintaining that the deaths were just an unfortunate consequence of wartime chaos.

The visit to Turkey was a profoundly affecting experience for Andonian. Out of it came a photo exhibition at the College for Creative Studies Center Galleries, up through Oct. 24, and a book — “This Picture I Gift” — just published by Wayne State University Press.

On Sunday, Andonian will participate in “Hope Dies Last” at the Detroit Film Theatre, a multimedia performance with violinist Ida Kavafia commemorating the Armenian Genocide. She talked to  about her trip and the book.

Where did the title for the book and exhibition come from?

I came across a picture postcard of my grandmother and aunt while going through my grandmother’s things, and it said that on the back. It’s a literal translation of the Armenian.

She sent it to a relative in Detroit they were coming to live with. I felt it was saying, “Here we are. We’re coming. We’re leaving everything we know behind, but this picture I gift to you.”

What did you take on this project?

My nephew saw that picture in my loft one day, and he asked who it was. I said, “My goodness, that’s your great-grandmother. You don’t know who that is? You don’t know what she went through?”

I realized all that would get lost in the next generation. Fear of losing that history was really the inspiration. And I learned so much about my people I didn’t know. I’m still learning.

When did you go?

July 2014. I was in Turkey and Armenia about a month, though I’d been in Armenia a number of times before.

Did your grandmother die in the genocide?

No, she died in 1987 when I was 28. Her name was Sara. She raised us. We lived next door to her in southwest Detroit. Both my parents worked, so my grandmother took care of us. But she was also the grandmother to the entire neighborhood.

Why did your grandmother and family leave their village?

In 1915, my grandmother’s father —a shepherd — was killed. Murdered. The course of the atrocity went like this: Ottoman Turks would go into the villages, take away all the men, and for the most part, kill them. They deported the women, children and older people who couldn’t fend for themselves.

They said, “It’s a war, you’re going to leave. Pack your stuff on a donkey.” But it was a death march, marching through the desert toward Syria.

How old was your grandmother?

Seven or eight. The family basically walked for three years with no food, no water. You know the migrants today, from Syria to Turkey to Greece to Hungary? It’s basically the same thing. My grandmother remembered stepping over dead bodies. She remembered the smell. Her baby brother died in her mother’s arms. But those who did survive did so because of the kindness of some Turkish and Kurdish families.

Where did they go?

They walked from their village of Iskhan to Homs and Salamiyah, in present-day Syria (over 400 miles). From there they got to Somalia, and finally back to Aleppo in Syria. But I couldn’t go there because of the civil war. Eventually she went back to Turkey in the early 1920s.

How did your grandmother get to America?

She came to the U.S. in 1922 from Istanbul. She came over with her aunt and uncle to Ellis Island, and was promised as a bride to my great-aunt’s cousin.

Did you tell people in Turkey what you were doing?

Not in Turkey. I played it low, with small cameras. I didn’t want to carry a big camera with a long lens and look like a professional photographer.

Are there still Armenians in Turkey?

Yes. There’s a fairly large community, though nothing like it used to be. I stayed with relatives of friends while there. But Armenians are definitely looked down upon.

What particularly affected you?

The ancient city of Ani. It’s this haunting heartbreak, a ruined, medieval Armenian town once known as the Land of 1001 Churches. The earliest inscriptions on the walls are from 1031. It’s literally a stone’s throw from the border of (present-day, independent) Armenia. That’s where I kind of lost it, I have to say. To see something so incredibly beautiful in such a state of ruin, so close to Armenia — the Turks could give it back to us without even a thought. It’d be an easy gift. For the 100th anniversary of the genocide, why not give us Ani?

Did you do all this alone?

No. I traveled with my friend Ani Boghikian Kasparian from Detroit, who’s an Armenian scholar. She teaches the language at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Dearborn. We’d been talking about this for years. She did so much for me. She arranged the guides, she arranged the connections.

What’s takeaway from all this?

Had the Armenian Genocide been validated, and Ottoman Turkey forced to recognize and do something about what happened, maybe it wouldn’t have given a permission slip to other atrocities.

You know what Hitler said when planning the holocaust? “Who today remembers the Armenians?”

The Syrian refugees today are just like the Armenian refugees, forced to leave their monuments and homes and history. It’s the same story. The timeliness of all this is horrifying to me.

Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse has been released by police after being detained for questioning as part of an investigation into a blackmail case, the Daily Mail reports.

Cisse was raided at dawn and arrested in an investigation into a plot to blackmail his former team-mate and France international Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.

The Versailles prosecutor’s office said in a statement that Cisse was released without appearing before a judge.

Cisse is one of four men in custody facing charges that could see them imprisoned by up to five years.

It all relates to a judicial investigation opened in July under the orders of a judge sitting in Versailles, west of Paris. Cisse is said to have been part of a plot to extort money from Valbuena.

The 31-year-old Lyon midfielder was asked for cash in return for the tape not being published, it is alleged.

Iranian First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation, will start a two day visit to Armenia on Wednesday, Tasnim News Agency reports.

Rockers System Of A Down are to receive a special award for raising awareness of the Armenian Genocide, reports. 

The Armenian-American musicians are the recipients of the 2015 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award, a prize named after groundbreaking filmmakers Sergei Parajanov and Mikhail Vartanov, who fought persecution for their work in the Soviet Union.

Serj Tankian’s band launched the Wake Up The Souls Tour earlier this year  to mark 100 years since the Armenian Genocide, in which up to 1.5 million citizens were systematically murdered by the nation’s government.

The tour culminated with the group’s first ever show in the country on the anniversary of the start of the atrocity on 24 April.

“(The) 2015 Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award will honor the Grammy-winning rock band System Of A Down for their virtuous commitment to justice exemplified by their historic 2015 Wake Up the Souls tour,” a statement from the Parajanov-Vartanov Institute reads.

The prize will be handed to the band at a ceremony in Los Angeles on 21 October.

Previous recipients of the award include Hollywood director Martin Scorsese, who accepted the honour in 2014 for his work with The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project on the restoration of Parajanov’s 1969 film The Color of Pomegranates.

Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 crashed as a result of a Russian-made Buk missile, the Dutch Safety Board says, the BBC reports.

The missile hit the front left of the plane causing other parts to break off, it said in a final report into the July 2014 disaster, which killed 298 people.

The report does not say who fired the missile, but says airspace over eastern Ukraine should have been closed.

The plane – flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur – crashed at the height of the conflict between government troops and pro-Russian separatists.

Most of the victims were Dutch – 196, including some with dual nationality. The other passengers and crew were nationals from 10 countries.

 

 

 

Photos by famous Turkish-Armenian photographer Ara Guler will be on display in Tbilisi from October 16. The exhibition is organized by the Georgian National Museum and the Turkish Embassy in Georgia.

The works by Ara Guler, the Photographer of the Century, adorn many museums of the world, private and national collections.

Ara Guler has taken photos of prominent figures like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, William Saroyan, Winston Churchill, Bertrand Russell, Indira Gandhi, Sergei Parajanov and many others.

Guler’s photos will be on display through October 31.