Controversy Over Building a Café at the Garni Temple

Plans are underway to build a café near the 1st Century BC Garni Temple complex. This has outraged many people in the country. A civil initiative organized a demonstration to protest the building of the café on the site of the historical temple. Citizens and activists went to Garni and brought back bags of construction material to Yerevan and dumped them in front of the Ministry of Culture building. Several villagers from Garni also took part in the demonstration. In an interview with Civilnet one of the participants, Anna Aghlamazyan, stated that this demonstration is to show the Ministry of Culture that they are against the construction of an illegal café and that they are ready to take more drastic measures against the construction.

Environmental activist Mariam Sukhudyan, who was also taking part in the demonstration, wrote on her Facebook page that participants of the initiative, Yeghia Nersisian and Gevorg Safaryan were called to the Kentron Police Station for questioning. However, they were let go several hours later. Criminal charges may be pending.

The news about building a new café near the temple complex became known to the public on December 6 during a Civilnet interview with Vladimir Poghosyan, director of the non-commercial state organization Service for the Protection for Historical Environment and Cultural Museum Reservation. When asked if it was right to open a café near the museum, Mr. Poghosyan noted that this was the decision of the Ministry of Culture. He compared the construction of the new café with an existing one near the History Museum of Armenia in Yerevan.

The new café has even enraged academics such as Hayk Demoyan, director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. On March 2 he wrote the following status on his Facebook page:

A couple of observations about building a café near the historical Garni Temple complex:

How this idea came about and the obstinate defense of it not only amazes and astonishes a person, but also raises dire concerns in regards to our heritage being seriously in danger due to someone’s whim or for a guarantee of his/her income. The café in Garni is not a normal case. Hence that is why we have to put a stop to this by all possible and impossible means.

Here a couple of points on this issue:

a) Any type of building within the property of the ancient complex endangers layers of archeological excavations done or not yet completed. Moreover, I find it wrong that a pool was built near the temple in 2001. This has also damaged those parts of the complex that have yet to be excavated.

b) Even someone who has no understanding of archeology can see that the café will be built only eight meters from the ancient bath complex of Garni and will be four meters higher. This means that if the café is built then the archeological layer of the late Middle Ages of the Neolithic era will be in danger.

c) Those claims that it will help bring more tourists and can secure an income for the complex are not valid. Simple mathematical calculations show that tourists visiting the complex bring in a $1000-1500 income daily which is a fair amount and enough to improve the property. It’s also necessary to move that tasteless, laminated ticket booth from the entrance of the complex.