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ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS CONCERNED OVER ANCIENT CRYPT'S FUTURE
10:37 * 12.09.14
Driven by concerns over the fate of a 4th century Armenian royal crypt
excavated in the Aragatsotn region, a group of parliamentarians are
planning to visit the ancient site to see the situation on the ground.
It comes after Aragats Akhoyan of the Prosperous Armenia faction voiced
serious alarm about the desolate situation of the chapel, basilica
and the excavation site in the village Dzorap (historical Aghdzk)
His statement spurred active discussions among parliament members
(including Samvel Farmanyan, Tachat Vardapetyan etc) who are now
said to be considering plans for rescuing area and later making it
a tourist center.
Dzorap, a village on the slopes of Mount Aragats, is home to a large
grave monument complex and basilica of the 4th to 5th centuries. The
complex includes the 4th century architectural complex of Aghdzk,
the Arsacid Dynasty's (54-482) crypt, a church dating from the 6th-7th
centuries etc.
Speaking to Tert.am, Mr Akhoyan shared his concerns over the
exceptional historical samples. "Excavations were periodically carried
out, but they were never completed. The Arsacid kings' mausoleum, which
is the only royal crypt our nation has on the territory of Armenia,
is in a desolate state. I mean, the mausoleums have not been fully
excavated, and shamefully enough, the bones are thrown around like
waste. What's even worse, they were broken, and the stone coffins
were scattered around. So we have to take urgent measures to first of
all complete the excavations and secondly, make them [the monuments]
tourist attractions, as well a strategically important sacred place to
contribute to our younger generation's patriotic-military upbringing.
>From the 16th t to the 17th centuries, the Persians wanted to take
possession of those bones in order to undermine our statehood, but
we are consigning them to inattention today," he noted.
Tert.am also talked to Pavel Avetisyan, the director of the National
Academy's Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, who shared his
professional standpoint on the issue. The archaologist highlighed
the importance of preserving the monuments as unique samples of
national identity.
"This [complex includes] several graves of Armenian kings, which
do not have their analogues in any other place. Hence, it is
exceptional in this respect. If Ecnmiadzin is in the first place
in our religious-cultural set of values, then the Arsacid kings'
grave should be the first as a secular [value]. So this is one of
the remarkable memories in the Armenian history," he explained.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/09/12/arshakunineri-dambaran/
10:37 * 12.09.14
Driven by concerns over the fate of a 4th century Armenian royal crypt
excavated in the Aragatsotn region, a group of parliamentarians are
planning to visit the ancient site to see the situation on the ground.
It comes after Aragats Akhoyan of the Prosperous Armenia faction voiced
serious alarm about the desolate situation of the chapel, basilica
and the excavation site in the village Dzorap (historical Aghdzk)
His statement spurred active discussions among parliament members
(including Samvel Farmanyan, Tachat Vardapetyan etc) who are now
said to be considering plans for rescuing area and later making it
a tourist center.
Dzorap, a village on the slopes of Mount Aragats, is home to a large
grave monument complex and basilica of the 4th to 5th centuries. The
complex includes the 4th century architectural complex of Aghdzk,
the Arsacid Dynasty's (54-482) crypt, a church dating from the 6th-7th
centuries etc.
Speaking to Tert.am, Mr Akhoyan shared his concerns over the
exceptional historical samples. "Excavations were periodically carried
out, but they were never completed. The Arsacid kings' mausoleum, which
is the only royal crypt our nation has on the territory of Armenia,
is in a desolate state. I mean, the mausoleums have not been fully
excavated, and shamefully enough, the bones are thrown around like
waste. What's even worse, they were broken, and the stone coffins
were scattered around. So we have to take urgent measures to first of
all complete the excavations and secondly, make them [the monuments]
tourist attractions, as well a strategically important sacred place to
contribute to our younger generation's patriotic-military upbringing.
>From the 16th t to the 17th centuries, the Persians wanted to take
possession of those bones in order to undermine our statehood, but
we are consigning them to inattention today," he noted.
Tert.am also talked to Pavel Avetisyan, the director of the National
Academy's Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, who shared his
professional standpoint on the issue. The archaologist highlighed
the importance of preserving the monuments as unique samples of
national identity.
"This [complex includes] several graves of Armenian kings, which
do not have their analogues in any other place. Hence, it is
exceptional in this respect. If Ecnmiadzin is in the first place
in our religious-cultural set of values, then the Arsacid kings'
grave should be the first as a secular [value]. So this is one of
the remarkable memories in the Armenian history," he explained.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/09/12/arshakunineri-dambaran/