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...
1500 year old Armenian Karas was confiscated during military operations in Eastern Turkey
Turkish media is recently reporting on how the Turkish military has stumbled upon a 1.500 year-old Karas during anti-Kurdish operations in historic Western Armenia. The discovery was reportedly made at a house of a Kurdish PKK member. The military operations are therefore labeled “anti-terror operations” in Turkish media. Daily Sabah reports: Gendarmerie forces carrying out...
Yerevan turns 2799, Congratulation!
Yerevan is the capital and the largest city in the Republic of Armenia and one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. Today marks the 2799th anniversary of the foundation of the capital city of Erebuni-Yerevan. Celebrations in its honor will be held in the capitol with music, dances life performances and various other cultural activities. Founded by the...
The Milk Revolution: How people from the Armenian Plateau brought milk to Europe
The Armenian Highlands was an important center of early human technological and agricultural inventions. Situated at the crossroads between Europe, Middle East and Asia it served as a geographic conduit for the spread of technology and genetics into Europe during the Neolithic revolution when humans first abandoned hunting and gathering and started to settle down....
Levon Aronian beats Magnus Carlsen in “the game of the millennium”
The Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, worlds number 1 ranked chess player lost in his fourth game when he played against the Armenian Levon Aronian (ranked 6th) in the Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger, Norway. With a brilliant set up Aronian lured Carlsen into a trap by sacrificing his own pieces to force a mistake from...
PreGomesh Jewelry by Sirusho – REVIEW
So if you didn’t know already Sirusho, the very talented Armenian singer, has her own ethnic Armenian jewelry line “PreGomesh” named after her hit song by the same name which recently has passed 6 million views on YouTube (see HERE). Ever since she released her PreGomesh video I’ve been a huge admirer of her traditional...
Armenia – The Cradle of Wine
Wine is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the world and has a fascinating ancient history that goes back to the dawn of civilization some 10,000 years ago. Once considered the beverage of the Gods worshiped and praised in many cultures by priests, poets and scholars alike. The Armenian Highlands played an important role in the history of 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...
Paintings of Armenian Life by Jean Baptiste Vanmour (1671 – 1737)
Jean Baptiste Vanmour was a Flemish-French painter, remembered for his detailed portrayal of life in the Ottoman Empire during the Tulip Era and the rule of Sultan Ahmed III. As such he has also captured Armenian life within the Ottoman empire of the era in some of his paintings bellow: Armenian Wedding by Jean Baptiste Vanmour (1720...
Illustrations from Daredevils of Sassoun by Yervand Kochar 1939
These beautiful illustrations were created by Yervand Kochar in 1939 for the Armenian national epic “Daredevils of Sassoun“. Yervand Kochar was a prominent sculptor and artist of the twentieth century. He gained fame and recognition in Paris when he settled there in 1923 and invented a genre called “Painting in Space” (click the bar...
