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Metro Canada (Vancouver)
May 4 2011
Turkey to conserve Armenian cathedral, church Share .Email.more
Published: May 04, 2011 7:27 a.m.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey has launched a project to conserve an
ancient Armenian cathedral and a church in what is seen as a gesture
of reconciliation toward neighbouring Armenia.
Turkey and Armenia have been locked in a bitter dispute for decades
over the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in the last years of the
Ottoman Empire, and efforts to normalize relations have been dealt a
setback by the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan is a close Muslim ally of
Turkey's government in Ankara.
Turkey, however, says it is committed to improving ties with Armenia,
and has already restored the 10th century Akdamar church, perched on a
rocky island in Lake Van in eastern Turkey. It has also allowed
once-yearly worship at the site as a gesture to Armenia and its own
ethnic Armenian minority.
Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay said Tuesday the new project was being
launched in partnership with the World Monuments Fund to conserve the
remains of the cathedral and the Church of the Holy Savior in Ani, 25
miles (40 kilometres) from the eastern city of Kars.
Ani was one of the world's great cities in the 10th century, according
to the New-York based fund. Today it stands abandoned, and the
remnants of its celebrated buildings are in a precarious state. The
site, in an earthquake-prone area, has been listed on the World
Monuments Watch, beginning in 1996.
"Ani, which is of global significance, presents particularly
complicated challenges," Gunay said. "We hope that giving new life to
the remains of once-splendid buildings, such as the Ani Cathedral and
church, will bring new economic opportunities to the region."
Gunay did not say whether Turkey would also allow prayers at Ani once
the restoration is complete.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks
around the time of World War I, which they call the first genocide of
the 20th century. Turkey disputes this, saying the death toll has been
inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest as the
Ottoman Empire collapsed.
http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/world/article/850349--turkey-to-conserve-armenian-cathedral-church
From: A. Papazian
May 4 2011
Turkey to conserve Armenian cathedral, church Share .Email.more
Published: May 04, 2011 7:27 a.m.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey has launched a project to conserve an
ancient Armenian cathedral and a church in what is seen as a gesture
of reconciliation toward neighbouring Armenia.
Turkey and Armenia have been locked in a bitter dispute for decades
over the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in the last years of the
Ottoman Empire, and efforts to normalize relations have been dealt a
setback by the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan is a close Muslim ally of
Turkey's government in Ankara.
Turkey, however, says it is committed to improving ties with Armenia,
and has already restored the 10th century Akdamar church, perched on a
rocky island in Lake Van in eastern Turkey. It has also allowed
once-yearly worship at the site as a gesture to Armenia and its own
ethnic Armenian minority.
Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay said Tuesday the new project was being
launched in partnership with the World Monuments Fund to conserve the
remains of the cathedral and the Church of the Holy Savior in Ani, 25
miles (40 kilometres) from the eastern city of Kars.
Ani was one of the world's great cities in the 10th century, according
to the New-York based fund. Today it stands abandoned, and the
remnants of its celebrated buildings are in a precarious state. The
site, in an earthquake-prone area, has been listed on the World
Monuments Watch, beginning in 1996.
"Ani, which is of global significance, presents particularly
complicated challenges," Gunay said. "We hope that giving new life to
the remains of once-splendid buildings, such as the Ani Cathedral and
church, will bring new economic opportunities to the region."
Gunay did not say whether Turkey would also allow prayers at Ani once
the restoration is complete.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks
around the time of World War I, which they call the first genocide of
the 20th century. Turkey disputes this, saying the death toll has been
inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest as the
Ottoman Empire collapsed.
http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/world/article/850349--turkey-to-conserve-armenian-cathedral-church
From: A. Papazian