The Armenian alphabet is a true masterpiece of its era and knows many secrets. However, there is one in particular that still blows my mind. As some people know the Armenian alphabet was (re)invented in 405 AD by the Armenian linguist and theologian Mesrop Mashtots with the help of the patriarch Sahak Partev and...
How a 5th century history book led to the discovery of a forgotten kingdom
Armenia is so old that its early history only survived in the form of legends and myths. It often reminds me of the following line: And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. ― Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien A...
Tracing the oldest Armenian script
Simple questions rarely have simple answers. That’s certainly true for the following question: “What is the oldest extant example of the Armenian alphabet?” Initially I though it was a fairly straightforward question to ask and a simple google search would provide the answer. Surely there has to be the oldest surviving image of Armenian...
Why Armenians had a constitution before the United States
It is generally considered that the constitution of the United States (created in 1787) is the oldest working constitution in the world. Its contents was directly inspired by the enlightenment movement of its era. In comparison, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen of the French Revolution was created in 1789 and...
Armenian atlas sold for $37,500 at an Auction in New York
This beautiful atlas was created by Hovhannes Amira Dadian from the Armenian Mekhitarist monastery located on the Venetian island of San Lazzaro in 1849. This is the first atlas in the Armenian language and boasts ten hand-colored double-page maps, including one of the solar system. During the Swann Galleries’ biannual auction of Maps & Atlases,...
Old Armenian Bible Covers
Armenia holds some of the worlds oldest illuminated manuscripts. I’ve came across quite a few online and what struck me perhaps the most is that the covers of these manuscripts are absolutely stunning as well as their contents. In this post I would like to share some of the stunning old Bible covers that...
The Last King of Babylon – The Armenian Rebel Arakha
The last independent king of Babylon was an Armenian by the name of Arakha also known as Nebuchadnezzar IV. After the Achaemenid conquest of Babylon in 539 BC, several attempts were made by the Babylonians to rebel against the Persian conquerors. The first attempt was led by Nidintu-Bêl and was violently suppressed by Darius the...
“Luys i Luso” Multimedia Art Project with Tigran Hamasyan
Recently I was made aware of an awesome art project called Luys i Luso featuring the internationally renowned jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan. For the commemoration of the centennial year of the Armenian Genocide, last year Armenia’s musical prodigy Tigran Hamasyan, along with the Yerevan State Choir embarked on a special journey through music and history. They...
A Rich History of Armenians in The Low Countries
The Low Countries is a coastal region in western Europe, consisting especially of the Netherlands and Belgium which historically have often been part of the same domain. The name of the modern country the Netherlands has the same meaning and origin as the term “low countries” due to “nether” meaning “lower”. The region politically...
PeopleOfAr in 2016 – Looking Back and Moving Forward
Dear visitors of PeopleOfAr.com, As a well known cliché goes: “time flies when you’re having fun”, 2015 is over and we find ourselves in the second month of 2016. This means that PeopleOfAr blog exists for over 4 years now and I would like to take the opportunity to look back at some of the past highlights and...
