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http://www.keghart.com/
Compiled by Jirair Tutunjian
Dr. Albert Kapikian, of the NIAID Laboratories of Infectious Diseases,
was the first (1972) to isolate the norovirus. The virus, which is
associated with cruises, day-care centres, dormitories and nursing
homes, causes acute gastroenteritis, and illness that causes abdominal
cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.
Father Philip George Caraman (1911-1998) was an Armenian Jesuit
priest who was born and raised in England. He wrote about the heroic
lives of the Jesuit martyrs at the time of Reformation. His "The
Lost Empire" was made into a movie ("The Mission"), starring Robert
De Niro and Jeremy Irons. Caraman revived the top Jesuit periodical
of the United Kingdom and converted Sir Alec Guinness to the Roman
Catholic Church. Caraman was descended from an Armenian family which
had fled Sultan Abdul Hamid II's massacres of Armenians. Two of his
sisters were nuns. Thanks to Caraman's reputation, prominent writers
such as Evelyn Waugh, Muriel Spark, Dame Edith Sitwell, Graham Greene
contributed to his Jesuit magazine.
Prior to being called Urartu (1000-600 BC), Armenia was called
Nairi (1400-1000 BC) and Hayasa-Azzi (1600-1200). The kingdom of
Urartu (Assyrian for Ararat) was succeeded by the Armenian Orontids
(Yervantian) dynasty and the country came to be called Armenia. The
Orontids were followed by the Artaxiad (Ardashesian) dynasty in 190
BC. The Artaxiad reached its peak under King Tigranes (Dikran) II,
before falling under Roman rule.
In 1678 the Armenian leadership secretly conducted a congress
in Etchmiadzin, and decided that Armenia had to be liberated from
Turkish and Persian domination. Because Armenians couldn't achieve
their goal on their own, they sent Israel Ori of Artsakh, son of a
melik (prince), to look for supporters in the west. Ori travelled
for years through Europe, seeking help but couldn't find any state
willing to help achieve the Armenian dream.
When in 1722 Peter the Great of Russia declared war against Persia,
Artsakh and Georgia Armenians helped the Russian forces by rebelling
against the Persians. Tavit Peg commanded the rebellion for six years.
He died on the battlefield. In the first three decades of the 19th
century Russia continued its expansion in the Caucasus at the expense
of Turkey and Persia. As before, the Russian armies found enthusiastic
support among the Armenians who were hoping the liberation of Armenia.
In 1828, at the Treaty of Turkmenchay, Russia took from Persia Yerevan,
its surrounding areas, and Nakhichevan. That same year Russia declared
war on Turkey and took Kars, Akhlakalak, Akhlstkha, Alashkerd, Bayazid,
Erzerum... and reached Trabizond. A year later, due to western pressure
(mostly British), Russia returned the territories to Turkey, keeping
only Akhlakalak and Akhlstkha.
US Ambassador Henry Morgentahu continued trying to intercede with
Enver, Jemal, and Talat on behalf of the Armenians when Turkey launched
its genocide. He even suggested that Armenians might be sent to the
American West. But his efforts proved futile, despite warnings from
the Allied powers that the triumvirate would be held personally
responsible for the Genocide of Armenians.
On his way to China, Marco Polo travelled through Armenia. He even
obtained the autograph of King Hetoum ("Hayton") in 1243. He called
the country Greater Hermenia. In his book, Polo wrote: "This is a
great country. It begins at a city called Arzinga, at which they
weave the best buckrams [fine cloth with lustrous surface, highly
prized in the Middle Ages] in the world. It possesses all the best
baths from natural springs that are anywhere to be found. The people
of the country are Armenians." Polo wrote that the "noblest" city in
Armenia was Arzinga and mentioned that there was a "very good silver
mine" near Paipurth (Baiburt).
In his travel book through Armenia, Marco Polo wrote: "...And you
must know that it is this country of Armenia that the Ark of Noah
exists on top of a certain great mountain on the summit of which snow
is so constant that no one can ascend; for the snow never melts,
and is constantly added by new falls. Below however, the snow does
melt, and runs down producing such rich and abundant herbiage that
in summer cattle are sent to pasture from a long way round about,
and it never fails them. The melting snow also causes a great amount
of mud on the mountain."
According to Russia's Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, Yerevan's
Republic Square is one of the most beautiful squares in the world.
St. Methodius (born 826) and his brother St. Cyril (born 827) were
the greatest religious figures of the thousand-year Byzantium. Born in
Thessaloniki to Armenian military family ("drungarios" in Greek), their
parents were Leon and Maria. The two brothers traveled to the Slav
lands and converted them (including the Russians) to Christianity. The
pair also invented the Slav alphabet, which is named Cyrillic, after
St. Cyril. In 860 St. Cyril was sent by the Byzantium emperor east
of the Caucasus to convert the Khazars. He died in Rome.
Nubar Gulbenkian, son of Calouste, was a famous bon vivant in London
from the '40s to the '60s and the best-known gourmet in the British
capital. He was also famous for his huge eyebrows. He said: "During
Lent I brush my moustache, my eyebrows, and my beard downwards. It's
an oriental religious custom that you must show outward signs of your
sorrow. It is not until Easter morning that they are brushed upwards
again, Sursum Corda!" Nubar was born in the Kadi Keui village near
Istanbul. The Gulbenkians left the Ottoman Empire because of the
Turkish massacres of Armenians prior to 1915.
The 12th century "Datastanagirk" is the first major Armenian written
code of secular law. An 8th century law book focused solely on the
laws of the Church, and overlapped with secular law in matters such
as divorce, and inheritance. Armenians began increasingly to turn to
Muslim courts to resolve their disputes and thereby gradually left
the Armenian Church in favour of Islam. "Datstanagirk" was intended
to step conversion to Islam.
Unlike neighboring countries, Armenia in the 12th century didn't
impose the death penalty for murder. Armenian law demanded penance
and a fine when the culprit was Armenian; only a foreigner could be
hanged. This was not consistent, though, and if a king or a prince
were attacked, then the culprit could be hanged, irrespective of
nationality. Similarly, where older law would have demanded amputation,
Mkhitar Gosh indicated that a fine and penance were sufficient. In
rape cases, where earlier custom had demanded marriage without the
possibility of divorce, Gosh proposed a fine if the woman would not
accept marriage. There were other areas where Armenian law tempered
older laws, and bias was shifted away from the male, to treat the
woman more fairly.
Perhaps the most famous Armenian historian of the 17th century was
Arakel Diurizhetsi. Writing in lexically corrupt Classical Armenian,
he described 1602-60, and dwelt on the effects of the still-continuing
Jelali revolts on the Armenians, and further discussed the fate of
those who had migrated north from Anatolia, taking their communities
to Romania, Ukraine and Poland.
http://www.keghart.com/
Compiled by Jirair Tutunjian
Dr. Albert Kapikian, of the NIAID Laboratories of Infectious Diseases,
was the first (1972) to isolate the norovirus. The virus, which is
associated with cruises, day-care centres, dormitories and nursing
homes, causes acute gastroenteritis, and illness that causes abdominal
cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.
Father Philip George Caraman (1911-1998) was an Armenian Jesuit
priest who was born and raised in England. He wrote about the heroic
lives of the Jesuit martyrs at the time of Reformation. His "The
Lost Empire" was made into a movie ("The Mission"), starring Robert
De Niro and Jeremy Irons. Caraman revived the top Jesuit periodical
of the United Kingdom and converted Sir Alec Guinness to the Roman
Catholic Church. Caraman was descended from an Armenian family which
had fled Sultan Abdul Hamid II's massacres of Armenians. Two of his
sisters were nuns. Thanks to Caraman's reputation, prominent writers
such as Evelyn Waugh, Muriel Spark, Dame Edith Sitwell, Graham Greene
contributed to his Jesuit magazine.
Prior to being called Urartu (1000-600 BC), Armenia was called
Nairi (1400-1000 BC) and Hayasa-Azzi (1600-1200). The kingdom of
Urartu (Assyrian for Ararat) was succeeded by the Armenian Orontids
(Yervantian) dynasty and the country came to be called Armenia. The
Orontids were followed by the Artaxiad (Ardashesian) dynasty in 190
BC. The Artaxiad reached its peak under King Tigranes (Dikran) II,
before falling under Roman rule.
In 1678 the Armenian leadership secretly conducted a congress
in Etchmiadzin, and decided that Armenia had to be liberated from
Turkish and Persian domination. Because Armenians couldn't achieve
their goal on their own, they sent Israel Ori of Artsakh, son of a
melik (prince), to look for supporters in the west. Ori travelled
for years through Europe, seeking help but couldn't find any state
willing to help achieve the Armenian dream.
When in 1722 Peter the Great of Russia declared war against Persia,
Artsakh and Georgia Armenians helped the Russian forces by rebelling
against the Persians. Tavit Peg commanded the rebellion for six years.
He died on the battlefield. In the first three decades of the 19th
century Russia continued its expansion in the Caucasus at the expense
of Turkey and Persia. As before, the Russian armies found enthusiastic
support among the Armenians who were hoping the liberation of Armenia.
In 1828, at the Treaty of Turkmenchay, Russia took from Persia Yerevan,
its surrounding areas, and Nakhichevan. That same year Russia declared
war on Turkey and took Kars, Akhlakalak, Akhlstkha, Alashkerd, Bayazid,
Erzerum... and reached Trabizond. A year later, due to western pressure
(mostly British), Russia returned the territories to Turkey, keeping
only Akhlakalak and Akhlstkha.
US Ambassador Henry Morgentahu continued trying to intercede with
Enver, Jemal, and Talat on behalf of the Armenians when Turkey launched
its genocide. He even suggested that Armenians might be sent to the
American West. But his efforts proved futile, despite warnings from
the Allied powers that the triumvirate would be held personally
responsible for the Genocide of Armenians.
On his way to China, Marco Polo travelled through Armenia. He even
obtained the autograph of King Hetoum ("Hayton") in 1243. He called
the country Greater Hermenia. In his book, Polo wrote: "This is a
great country. It begins at a city called Arzinga, at which they
weave the best buckrams [fine cloth with lustrous surface, highly
prized in the Middle Ages] in the world. It possesses all the best
baths from natural springs that are anywhere to be found. The people
of the country are Armenians." Polo wrote that the "noblest" city in
Armenia was Arzinga and mentioned that there was a "very good silver
mine" near Paipurth (Baiburt).
In his travel book through Armenia, Marco Polo wrote: "...And you
must know that it is this country of Armenia that the Ark of Noah
exists on top of a certain great mountain on the summit of which snow
is so constant that no one can ascend; for the snow never melts,
and is constantly added by new falls. Below however, the snow does
melt, and runs down producing such rich and abundant herbiage that
in summer cattle are sent to pasture from a long way round about,
and it never fails them. The melting snow also causes a great amount
of mud on the mountain."
According to Russia's Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, Yerevan's
Republic Square is one of the most beautiful squares in the world.
St. Methodius (born 826) and his brother St. Cyril (born 827) were
the greatest religious figures of the thousand-year Byzantium. Born in
Thessaloniki to Armenian military family ("drungarios" in Greek), their
parents were Leon and Maria. The two brothers traveled to the Slav
lands and converted them (including the Russians) to Christianity. The
pair also invented the Slav alphabet, which is named Cyrillic, after
St. Cyril. In 860 St. Cyril was sent by the Byzantium emperor east
of the Caucasus to convert the Khazars. He died in Rome.
Nubar Gulbenkian, son of Calouste, was a famous bon vivant in London
from the '40s to the '60s and the best-known gourmet in the British
capital. He was also famous for his huge eyebrows. He said: "During
Lent I brush my moustache, my eyebrows, and my beard downwards. It's
an oriental religious custom that you must show outward signs of your
sorrow. It is not until Easter morning that they are brushed upwards
again, Sursum Corda!" Nubar was born in the Kadi Keui village near
Istanbul. The Gulbenkians left the Ottoman Empire because of the
Turkish massacres of Armenians prior to 1915.
The 12th century "Datastanagirk" is the first major Armenian written
code of secular law. An 8th century law book focused solely on the
laws of the Church, and overlapped with secular law in matters such
as divorce, and inheritance. Armenians began increasingly to turn to
Muslim courts to resolve their disputes and thereby gradually left
the Armenian Church in favour of Islam. "Datstanagirk" was intended
to step conversion to Islam.
Unlike neighboring countries, Armenia in the 12th century didn't
impose the death penalty for murder. Armenian law demanded penance
and a fine when the culprit was Armenian; only a foreigner could be
hanged. This was not consistent, though, and if a king or a prince
were attacked, then the culprit could be hanged, irrespective of
nationality. Similarly, where older law would have demanded amputation,
Mkhitar Gosh indicated that a fine and penance were sufficient. In
rape cases, where earlier custom had demanded marriage without the
possibility of divorce, Gosh proposed a fine if the woman would not
accept marriage. There were other areas where Armenian law tempered
older laws, and bias was shifted away from the male, to treat the
woman more fairly.
Perhaps the most famous Armenian historian of the 17th century was
Arakel Diurizhetsi. Writing in lexically corrupt Classical Armenian,
he described 1602-60, and dwelt on the effects of the still-continuing
Jelali revolts on the Armenians, and further discussed the fate of
those who had migrated north from Anatolia, taking their communities
to Romania, Ukraine and Poland.