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The Daily Star discovers the secrets of tiny Armenia in Lebanon
16:26, 17 November, 2012
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS: A pink house nestled among the
narrow streets of Burj Hammoud has accumulated piece-by-piece relics
of the country's Armenian heritage. Armenpress reports that this is
how The Daily Star started its article about Burj Hammoud the tiny
Armenia in Lebanon.
`A decrepit but functional loom sits at the end of a narrow workshop
- its worn wooden frame taking a temporary rest after 60 years of
daily work. Armenian-style rugs hang in the dining room alongside
elaborately woven satchels, which Armenian monks filled with salt and
carried on their solitary trips more than 100 years ago. Nearly all
the items - from the hand-embroidered pomegranate on the napkins to
the abstract iron sculpture on the second floor - carry a story of
Armenian heritage, all of which Arpie Mangasarian has memorized.
Mangasarian is the mind behind the pink house, which will open under
the name Badguer at the end of the month as a hub for Armenian
craftsmen and culture.
Badguer will house workshops for traditional trades, showrooms for
budding artisans, galleries for Armenian artists and an enormous
dining room, where local housewives will come to dish up traditional
fare for the public. No other cultural preservation project like
Badguer exists in Burj Hammoud' writes the author of the article
Beckie Strum.
She has also referred to Nazareth Besserkian, who died several years
ago, worked on the loom that now occupies a corner of Badguer since
1959, through the Civil War and up until his very last days weaving
carpets.
Among Armenian traditional crafts are textiles, like weaving, sewing,
shoe cobbling and embroidery, as well as metal work, such as gold and
silver smiths, welding and other related trades. Armenian goldsmiths
have found it particularly hard to transfer the business to their
children as the price of gold in recent years has skyrocketed after
the global recession. Many Armenians have had to close their gold
shops entirely, Mangasarian said.
At the heart of Badguer sits another tradition: Armenian cuisine.
During a short tour through the large pink house, Mangasarian lit up
as she described the future restaurant. She showed off the color
palate of the flatware, the pomegranate she had local ladies embroider
onto the serviettes and the piano she brought in to make the large
dining room feel like a home.
She gleamed as she described the sorry state she bought the house in,
as brand new tiles and chestnut-colored kitchen cabinets line the
walls now ready to serve hungry guests.
The restaurant will have a limited menu each day of specific dishes
made by local ladies from the neighborhood. The second floor will also
be home to the master artisan, who will come from the community or
Armenia for several months and stay in a cozy studio flat and teach
the women how to work on the loom. The second floor has a veranda
where Mangasarian envisioned guests will come to chat and strategized
new ways to uplift the community. A large conference room will also
offer discussions and seminars related to Armenian history and
cultural heritage.
The project itself is Mangasarian's inheritance. Mangasarian purchased
the house and began Badguer with money she inherited from an uncle
living in Australia and homesick for his community in Burj Hammoud.
16:26, 17 November, 2012
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS: A pink house nestled among the
narrow streets of Burj Hammoud has accumulated piece-by-piece relics
of the country's Armenian heritage. Armenpress reports that this is
how The Daily Star started its article about Burj Hammoud the tiny
Armenia in Lebanon.
`A decrepit but functional loom sits at the end of a narrow workshop
- its worn wooden frame taking a temporary rest after 60 years of
daily work. Armenian-style rugs hang in the dining room alongside
elaborately woven satchels, which Armenian monks filled with salt and
carried on their solitary trips more than 100 years ago. Nearly all
the items - from the hand-embroidered pomegranate on the napkins to
the abstract iron sculpture on the second floor - carry a story of
Armenian heritage, all of which Arpie Mangasarian has memorized.
Mangasarian is the mind behind the pink house, which will open under
the name Badguer at the end of the month as a hub for Armenian
craftsmen and culture.
Badguer will house workshops for traditional trades, showrooms for
budding artisans, galleries for Armenian artists and an enormous
dining room, where local housewives will come to dish up traditional
fare for the public. No other cultural preservation project like
Badguer exists in Burj Hammoud' writes the author of the article
Beckie Strum.
She has also referred to Nazareth Besserkian, who died several years
ago, worked on the loom that now occupies a corner of Badguer since
1959, through the Civil War and up until his very last days weaving
carpets.
Among Armenian traditional crafts are textiles, like weaving, sewing,
shoe cobbling and embroidery, as well as metal work, such as gold and
silver smiths, welding and other related trades. Armenian goldsmiths
have found it particularly hard to transfer the business to their
children as the price of gold in recent years has skyrocketed after
the global recession. Many Armenians have had to close their gold
shops entirely, Mangasarian said.
At the heart of Badguer sits another tradition: Armenian cuisine.
During a short tour through the large pink house, Mangasarian lit up
as she described the future restaurant. She showed off the color
palate of the flatware, the pomegranate she had local ladies embroider
onto the serviettes and the piano she brought in to make the large
dining room feel like a home.
She gleamed as she described the sorry state she bought the house in,
as brand new tiles and chestnut-colored kitchen cabinets line the
walls now ready to serve hungry guests.
The restaurant will have a limited menu each day of specific dishes
made by local ladies from the neighborhood. The second floor will also
be home to the master artisan, who will come from the community or
Armenia for several months and stay in a cozy studio flat and teach
the women how to work on the loom. The second floor has a veranda
where Mangasarian envisioned guests will come to chat and strategized
new ways to uplift the community. A large conference room will also
offer discussions and seminars related to Armenian history and
cultural heritage.
The project itself is Mangasarian's inheritance. Mangasarian purchased
the house and began Badguer with money she inherited from an uncle
living in Australia and homesick for his community in Burj Hammoud.