Abagar (from “Abagarus” in honor of the legendary King Augar Ukkama, King of Osroene) is a printed and engraved amulet and prayer book made for Bulgarians and Serbs in the 17th-18th centuries. Abagar contains prayers, apocryphal conspiracies, gospel readings, and the apocryphal message of King Avgar to Jesus Christ. Abagar could be mounted to walls …
“Recently, my wife and I were on a vacation in Arkhyz. Arkhyz is known throughout the world as an excellent ski resort. But we were interested not just in skiing – we wanted to see the ancient Christian temples of this beautiful place. We stayed in the Pavlova Polyana hotel in the village of Solyonoye. …
After Hakob Meghapart’s contribution to the birth of Armenian printing in 1512 in Venice, Abgar Tokhatetsi undertook to further develop Armenian book publishing. This happened in the middle of the same century in the same city. Abgar Dpir (“teacher”) Tokhatetsi was the second Armenian book printer after Hakob Meghapart. He was born around 1520 in …
Medieval Armenian monasteries are an integral element of the Armenian landscape – they are merging with the mountains in such a way that they cannot be distinguished from afar. Position, proportions, color – all fit the local landscape. Vorotnavank located near the town of Sisian, Syunik Province, is one of the creations of Armenian architectonics …
In ancient Armenia, there were 5 kings bearing the name Tigran: 1) Tigran Yervanduni (reigned in 560 BC – 535 BC), the son of Yervand I Sakavakyats. King of Armenia. 2) Tigran I of Armenia (reigned in 115 BC – 95 BC), the son of Artashes I. King of Greater Armenia. 3) Tigran II the …
An interesting study was carried out by Sukias Torosyan and Zaven Ohanyan. They compared the drawings on a khachkar (cross-stone) from Yerznka with ones found on an ancient stele from Portasar (which is over 12,000 years old). On closer inspection, it’s clear that for 12,000 years, almost nothing has changed in the symbolism of the …
Artavazik Church is located in the gorge near the village of Byurakan, Armenia. Built in the 7th century from red and black tuff, the church has a cross-domed construction. The eastern wing is semicircular, while the rest are rectangular. On the northwest side is a small aisle. The west entrance is decorated with a portal …
During excavations of the fortress city of Erebuni in the early 70s, silver bowls with figures of a warrior and a horse were discovered along with a bronze cauldron lid with a small handle in the shape of a flowering pomegranate. According to archaeologists, these finds belong to the era of the Van Kingdom (6th …
Makanakhagh is one of the oldest games of the Armenian people, and it’s quite popular even today. The first mentions of this game date back to the 4th century. One variant of the game is on foot, the other is equestrian. The basic rules for dismounted Makanakhagh (currently more popular) are similar to modern football …
Khoranashat Monastery is located northeast of the village of Chinari in the Tavush Province of Armenia. It was founded by Vanakan Vardapet (archimandrite Vanakan) with the support of the Vahramyan princes in the first half of the 13th century. The monastery complex includes the churches of Surb Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) and Surb Kiraki …
This pair of nameless Siamese twins managed to survive infancy in the 10th century, as evidenced by the records left by several historians of that time. Ten centuries ago, there were only a few adult Siamese twins. In the ancient world, congenital anomalies were considered a bad omen, and children therefore were often allowed to …
Kecharis Monastery is located in the northwestern area of Tsaghkadzor, on the terrace of the slope of the Pambak Range. The monastery features 3 monastery churches, as well as the small Church of the Resurrection standing nearby, surrounded by ancient tombstones. In the 12th-13th centuries, the monastery served as a major spiritual center of Armenia …
When I deciphered the so-called “Urartian” cuneiform in 1959 and read it in the language of the archaic grabar (Classical Armenia), it was the end of the pseudoscientific concept of “Urartu”. It became completely clear that no state such as Urartu had ever existed. Instead, the teachings of the father of Armenian history Movses Khorenatsi …
The British newspaper “The Telegraph” presented 16 of the oldest cities in Europe which have been continuously populated. The list includes the capital of Armenia Yerevan, which is mentioned in the publication as a city founded 30 years before Rome and a city captured by Assyrian rulers, Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuks, Turks, and the …
Almost all the most famous masterpieces of Islamic architecture in Turkey were built by Christian architects, mainly Armenians and Greeks. Today, one can often hear theses in Azerbaijani groups about how evil Armenians destroy mosques. Similarly, Azerbaijanis aim to turn all Muslims against Armenians. But in fairness, it should be noted that in modern Turkey, …
A few people know, but the city of Tarsus in Cilicia was the birthplace of Apostle Paul, one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ. Pictured is the Armenian monastery of St. Paul in Tarsus built in the 12th century in the era of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The monastery was built presumably on …
A number of famous European artists of the 17-19th centuries dedicated numerous paintings to Queen Zenobia of Armenia (1st century AD). Aside from that, she was featured in several operas. For example, composer George Frideric Handel wrote the opera Radamisto where the main characters of the opera were the rulers of Greater Armenia who lived …
The ancient state of Aratta is identified with the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture. According to another point of view, “Aratta” is distorted “Ararat” or “Urartu.” Researchers have also proposed identifying a Sanskrit toponym mentioned in the Mahabharata and other texts with Aratta. In Sumerian literature, Aratta is described as follows: “Wisdom and art ‘descended’ from the country …