Civilnet
Far from the monoethnic state Armenia is sometimes accused of being, Armenia contains a rich tapestry within its borders. In the past week, social media had multiple examples of celebrations by different ethnic groups who call Armenia home:
Yazidi New Year
Here's a video from Aknalich where Yazidis, Armenians and Assyrians together celebrated the Yazidi New Year. https://t.co/ZQry7MFmuy
— Svante Lundgren (@SvanteLundgren) April 15, 2021
Assyrian New Year
@etuti_institute in collaboration with Gabbara celebrated the Assyrian New Year 6771 in #Armenia by gathering our youth & children together, playing games, dancing our traditional dances, eating & enjoying our times. #Etuti #Gabbara #AssyrianNewYear6771 pic.twitter.com/eSqoqLPx2u
— Etuti (@etuti_institute) April 18, 2021
Ramadan starts at Yerevan’s Blue Mosque
"Imam of the Blue Mosque in Yerevan Mahmood Movahedifar poses in front of the Blue Mosque at dusk on the first full day of Ramadan on April 14, 2021 in Yerevan, Armenia." (Kiran Ridley/GettyImages) pic.twitter.com/z98p5oHCRA
— Հելեն (@helenluvgood) April 17, 2021
The past week has seen the passing of several leading American-Armenian figures, including Hirair Hovnanian and Set Momjian. Social media saw an outpouring of tributes for beloved academic and Aurora Prize co-founder Vartan Gregorian.
.@TIME Vartan Gregorian was a learned man to be sure, but never a donnish one. He was filled with life, compassion & merriment. He believed in learning & scholarship not because it made you smarter, but because it could make you a better human being. https://t.co/a7OAB0n08B
— Aurora Prize (@auroraprize_) April 19, 2021
NYT article... note Haberman is also his daughter-in-law
Vartan Gregorian, Savior of the New York Public Library, Dies at 87 - The New York Times https://t.co/IB1ynPPniU
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 16, 2021
Vartan Gregorian, brilliant scholar, NY Library President, Brown Univ president, Carnegie Corp President, founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, has died at 87. Few did so much for humanity. RIP, Vartan. https://t.co/oo4hkJ3ACI
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) April 16, 2021
My statement on the passing of Vartan Gregorian: https://t.co/STaqTKfoJx pic.twitter.com/W4O7xyZ0PF
— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) April 16, 2021
Heartbroken by the passing of my friend & hero Vartan Gregorian. Born to Armenian parents in Iran, Vartan ran away to Lebanon at 15 before coming to the US with little English or money. Yet he would go on to “save” the @NYPL, and lead @BrownUniversity and @CarnegieCorp. pic.twitter.com/41cxIUXDpC
— Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) April 16, 2021
Another important tweet from Samantha Power tells it like it is, that Biden’s planned recognition of the genocide on April 24 is of paramount importance. News has been coming fast and furious that Biden will in fact recognize, though Armenians are waiting to hear it to believe it. High hopes were dashed first by President George W. Bush and then President Obama, a huge disappointment which both Power and Obama recently recounted in their respective memoirs.
Telling the truth, and standing up to bullies and genocide deniers, will be of enormous consequence. 1/3https://t.co/8lxJaxfIR7
— Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) April 22, 2021
In this final countdown to April 24, this tweet reminds us that the genocide also consists of events leading up to April 24, and its roots go back nearly a century:
19th of April marks 106 years since the start of the Defense of Van, an event which is used by genocide denialists to justify the "necessity" of the Armenian Genocide. Armenians held out for nearly a month against Turkish and Kurdish forces until being overwhelmed and massacred. pic.twitter.com/IzPpdc1n8L
— ermeni (baby eater)??֎ (@syriahay) April 19, 2021
It also notes this fascinating parallel between the Defense of Van and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which were linked through Franz Werfel’s novel The Forty Days of Musa Dagh:
Adding to the parallels: Yitzhak Zuckerman, one of the leaders of the Warsaw Uprising, stated "it was impossible to understand the Warsaw Ghetto uprising without reading Franz Werfel's 'The Forty Days at Musa Dagh'" written about the Armenian resistance in Musa Ler. https://t.co/nkOhsel22J pic.twitter.com/VmfWr48a7v
— ermeni (baby eater)??֎ (@syriahay) April 19, 2021
In light of the refusal of Azerbaijan to allow UNESCO monitors into the area, we will be keeping an eye on is the new Caucasus Heritage Watch project, which will be using satellite imagery to monitor the state of Armenian cultural heritage in the regions which have come under the control of Azerbaijan as a result of the recent war. The dark track record of the complete annihilation of Armenian sites by Azerbaijan over the past decades, most notably medieval Jugha Cemetery and all the Armenian churches of Nakhichevan:
ALERT: @CaucasusHW reports *possible* threat to 7th c. Armenian church of Vankasar (Agdam, Az). Satellite imagery from 4/16 shows probable heavy equipment in parking area and possible structure across road. Can authorities clarify intent of this equipment? @UNESCO_AZ, @ArmUnesco pic.twitter.com/5RtPlmwEZs
— CaucasusHeritageWatch (@CaucasusHW) April 19, 2021
Satellite imagery showing heavy machinery by a church in an area recaptured by Azerbaijan from Armenian forces is prompting concern that the ancient monument faces “erasure.” https://t.co/0yB6WHkd57
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) April 20, 2021
Speaking of Armenian cultural heritage, it has never been limited to just the Caucasus and Anatolia. Check out Diana Yayloyan’s deep dive into the Armenian traces in Afghanistan:
After the overwhelming interest in the post about the Armenian gravestone found in Pakistan, I looked for more details about the history of the Armenian community in Afghanistan.
— Diana Yayloyan (@Diana_Yayloyan) December 2, 2020
Check the link for Kabul’s mysterious Armenians & their vanished history. https://t.co/cNtYUy1gvu pic.twitter.com/ztZmfqBqA2
Take a journey to the Armenian-Turkish border with Argun Konuk, the latest series of his experiences as a Turk traveling in Armenia. While visiting landmarks along the border he describes the surreal feeling of being right next to his country and yet so far away, at least as long as the border is closed. He finishes off this excursion by being blown away by the magic of Gyumri:
Like Armenians all over the world, it seems his mind is in Tsitsernakaberd this week:
?Tsitsernakaberd | Yerevan, Armenia
— Argun Konuk (@FellowPrimo) April 20, 2021
Yerevan is one of the most beautiful and memorable cities I have been to during my travels. Can't wait to be back!#armenia #yerevan #travel #beautiful pic.twitter.com/QpXBPHiSxI
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