Friday, September 19, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
40 days of Musadagh
On the way to Echmiadzin, on the right you can easily notice an orange severe eagle-like building. It is Musaler memorial and museum. Musaler is an Armenian village situated in the marz of Armavir. This small village is a symbol of Armenian will to survive, a firmness of national spirit.
Musaler was situated on the Mediterranean coast, on the territory of historical Armenia, in today’s Turkey by the Syrian border. The event that has come to symbolize the people of Musa Ler with its unique Armenian culture, history and language unfolded during the bloody year of 1915 when Turkish plan of ethnic cleansing of Armenians was started. Armenians have been announced to leave their homeland, but Musaler population ignored deportation edict issued by Young Turk regime and chose to resist against Turkish troops and decided to climb the mountain and organize self-defense. The 4300 inhabitants of Musa Ler for 53 days repelled onslaughts by Turkish armies. They were starving without food and water, they were out in the rain for days and in order to warm themselves and not to lose the presence of mind and courage they were dancing to the music of zurna and drum. And Musaler resisted and the death was weak against the immortal heroes of Musaler. They noticed warships in the sea and French sailors sighted a banner the Armenians had tied to a tree on the mountain emblazoned with the words: “Christians in Distress: Rescue.” French and British naval ships evacuated 4,200 people from Musa Ler to Port Said in Egypt. The Armenians were allowed to return after World War First to their homeland in the newly formed Syria, but in 1939 Musa Dagh Armenians abandoned their villages for second and final time, when Turkey annexed the region. Many of them were resettled in Lebanon, in the village Aynchar, and many others settled in Armenia, in the village of Musa Ler.
This historical event later inspired Franz Werfel to write his novel “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh”. This book became an instant bestseller for all times. In Europe many Jews read it as a warning about their fate. During the Holocaust years, copies of the novel have been circulated from hand to hand among the ghetto's defenders as a source of inspiration and a call to arms against Nazis. This book is teaching how to be vigilant.
This event heartened not only Armenian filmmakers, who left unforgettable instants for large audience, but also Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the Hollywood film company, which together with Sylvester Stallone announced plans for the production of a movie version of the novel. “The movie would be an epic about the complete destruction of a civilization”, Stallone said, adding that the Turks have been killing that subject for many years.
The people of Musa Ler, wherever they are in the world, always remember their history, culture and language. Every year on the anniversary of the heroic stance on the mountain, descendants of the Musa Ler pay tribute to the fallen and celebrate the victory every year on the third Sunday of September. Only once a year one can see forty cauldrons boiling Harisa, a traditional food of Musadaghians. People are up all night until sunrise, preparing this delicious meal made from wheat and red meat under beating of drums.
Harissa has an historical past. It was served both on festive and funeral occasions and for this very reason it is cooked from the meat of a lamb sacrificed with a priest’s blessing.
Only to 14 natives of Musaler are honored to cook harisa and it is handed down from father to son.
During the preparation of national meal all night long Musalerians are gathering around the fire, beat the drums, and sing traditional songs and dance. Even the elderly residents of village for a moment forget their diseases, throw away their walking sticks, straighten their backs and began to dance.
Musaler was situated on the Mediterranean coast, on the territory of historical Armenia, in today’s Turkey by the Syrian border. The event that has come to symbolize the people of Musa Ler with its unique Armenian culture, history and language unfolded during the bloody year of 1915 when Turkish plan of ethnic cleansing of Armenians was started. Armenians have been announced to leave their homeland, but Musaler population ignored deportation edict issued by Young Turk regime and chose to resist against Turkish troops and decided to climb the mountain and organize self-defense. The 4300 inhabitants of Musa Ler for 53 days repelled onslaughts by Turkish armies. They were starving without food and water, they were out in the rain for days and in order to warm themselves and not to lose the presence of mind and courage they were dancing to the music of zurna and drum. And Musaler resisted and the death was weak against the immortal heroes of Musaler. They noticed warships in the sea and French sailors sighted a banner the Armenians had tied to a tree on the mountain emblazoned with the words: “Christians in Distress: Rescue.” French and British naval ships evacuated 4,200 people from Musa Ler to Port Said in Egypt. The Armenians were allowed to return after World War First to their homeland in the newly formed Syria, but in 1939 Musa Dagh Armenians abandoned their villages for second and final time, when Turkey annexed the region. Many of them were resettled in Lebanon, in the village Aynchar, and many others settled in Armenia, in the village of Musa Ler.
This historical event later inspired Franz Werfel to write his novel “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh”. This book became an instant bestseller for all times. In Europe many Jews read it as a warning about their fate. During the Holocaust years, copies of the novel have been circulated from hand to hand among the ghetto's defenders as a source of inspiration and a call to arms against Nazis. This book is teaching how to be vigilant.This event heartened not only Armenian filmmakers, who left unforgettable instants for large audience, but also Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the Hollywood film company, which together with Sylvester Stallone announced plans for the production of a movie version of the novel. “The movie would be an epic about the complete destruction of a civilization”, Stallone said, adding that the Turks have been killing that subject for many years.
The people of Musa Ler, wherever they are in the world, always remember their history, culture and language. Every year on the anniversary of the heroic stance on the mountain, descendants of the Musa Ler pay tribute to the fallen and celebrate the victory every year on the third Sunday of September. Only once a year one can see forty cauldrons boiling Harisa, a traditional food of Musadaghians. People are up all night until sunrise, preparing this delicious meal made from wheat and red meat under beating of drums.
Harissa has an historical past. It was served both on festive and funeral occasions and for this very reason it is cooked from the meat of a lamb sacrificed with a priest’s blessing.
Only to 14 natives of Musaler are honored to cook harisa and it is handed down from father to son.
During the preparation of national meal all night long Musalerians are gathering around the fire, beat the drums, and sing traditional songs and dance. Even the elderly residents of village for a moment forget their diseases, throw away their walking sticks, straighten their backs and began to dance.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
"Akhtala" Monastery surpassed European Renaissance
Akhtala (from turkish “white glade”) is a 10th century fortified monastic complex located in the 
Akhtala monastery is one of a few orthodox monasteries in
From the ancient times silver and non-ferrous metals were extracted from this region Georgian king Herakles took Greeks here for works from
In 1887-1889 French archeologist engineer and geologist Jacque de Morgan, discovered rectangular stone sepulchers near Akhtala, dating back to the 8th century, with valuable cultural items made of clay, bronze and iron. A crypt from III millennia B.C. was found here, when people had been burring in sitting position. “This region is of special interest in the study of the origins of metals. Older than Europe and
The monastery of Akhtala is not only a harmonious synthesis of Armenian, Georgian and Byzantine cultures, but it is also a kind of thermometer to measure historical and cultural situation of the time.
It is supposed that Kyurikids founded the fortress and the
The walls of St. Astvatsatsin church are covered with the beautiful, well-conserved frescoes, and only the face of Holy Virgin had been damaged by Tamerlane hordes. Next to the fortress there is a rock named for Tamerlane and probably one of his wives is buried beneath that rock.
The frescoes are painted in XIII century right after conversion of church into Chalcedonic. And if the colorings are drawn them near Byzantine mural paintings, the themes of frescoes are quite Armenian. People of the village are telling that once the bright and vivid colors of frescoes had been distracting the visitors from the mass and the priest, infuriated, ordered to cover them by lime.
The Greeks call the monastery “Meramani”. September 20-21 are the days of pilgrimage and many Armenians, Greeks and Georgians come together at this sacred place.
Akhtala monastery with its architecture, picturesque landscape, breathtaking frescoes and mysterious legends inspired “Pasolini” of Armenian cinematography Sergey Paradjanov, who filmed some scenes of “The color of pomegranate” exactly on this place.
So, Akhtala monastery testifies once again that Armenian people have been creating the values exceeding the limits of national. Akhtala with its architecture, carvings and frescoes is one more vivid reflection of Armenian art.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
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