Tweet
PRESS RELEASE
Glendale Public Library
222 East Harvard Street
Glendale CA 91205
Contact: [email protected]
Tel: 818-548-2030
FB: https://www.facebook.com/MyGlendale
TW: http://instagram.com/myglendale
Web: http://www.glendaleca.gov/
TW: https://twitter.com/MyGlendale
Ghazir Armenian Orphan Rug
Presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925
GLENDALE, CA The public is invited on Thursday, February 26, 2015, at
7 pm to a power point presentation of the Ghazir Armenian Orphan Rug
by Maurice Missak Kelechian at the Glendale Central Library
Auditorium, 222 East Harvard Street in Glendale. The presentation will
be in English. Admission will be free. Library visitors receive 3
hours FREE parking across the street at The Market Place parking
structure with validation available at the Loan Desk.
Msar Palace in Ghazir is about 20 miles from Beirut, Lebanon, perched
on a hill, the Msar (often spelled Mizar) palace in Ghazir was built
during the 19th century by a Lebanese prince, Emir Chehab II. Early in
1923, the Near East Relief organization rented Msar palace and turned
it into an Armenian girls’ orphanage, the largest in the area. Under
the American flag, the orphanage became a safe haven for 1400 Armenian
girls who had witnessed the destruction of their country, during the
Armenian Genocide. The place is well known for its rug factory. From
1923 to 1930, the orphanage produced 3254 rugs and around 1000 orphan
girls certified in the art of rug weaving. These girls made history by
introducing the art of rug weaving into the Lebanese culture. Three
years after the Ghazir orphanage was founded and within a period of
ten months, seven Armenian orphan girls wove their masterpiece rug on
behalf of tens of thousands of Armenian orphans around the world.
The Ghazir Rug, also known as Armenian Orphan Rug is a magnificent
11.7 by 18.5 feet rug, woven into 4,404,206 individual hand-tied knots
of figures of more than one hundred animals and plants. The solemn
expression of pain and sorrow for everything lost: homeland, loved
ones and, trust in humanity. In December 1925, the rug was presented
to United States President Calvin Coolidge as a token of gratitude and
it stayed with Coolidge and his family even after he left the
office. The rug was returned to the White House in 1982, and stored in
the storage room for thirty-two years until November, 2014 when it was
exhibited at the White House Visiting Center.
“The Ghazir Rug is not just a carpet; it is a tangible connection to
the first genocide of the Twentieth Century - a silent, beautiful
rebuttal to those who deny the murder of 1.5 million men, woman and
children in a campaign of mass murder, forced marches, rape and
looting that befell the Armenian people from 1915-23. “
-- Congressman Adam Schiff--
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Glendale Public Library
222 East Harvard Street
Glendale CA 91205
Contact: [email protected]
Tel: 818-548-2030
FB: https://www.facebook.com/MyGlendale
TW: http://instagram.com/myglendale
Web: http://www.glendaleca.gov/
TW: https://twitter.com/MyGlendale
Ghazir Armenian Orphan Rug
Presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1925
GLENDALE, CA The public is invited on Thursday, February 26, 2015, at
7 pm to a power point presentation of the Ghazir Armenian Orphan Rug
by Maurice Missak Kelechian at the Glendale Central Library
Auditorium, 222 East Harvard Street in Glendale. The presentation will
be in English. Admission will be free. Library visitors receive 3
hours FREE parking across the street at The Market Place parking
structure with validation available at the Loan Desk.
Msar Palace in Ghazir is about 20 miles from Beirut, Lebanon, perched
on a hill, the Msar (often spelled Mizar) palace in Ghazir was built
during the 19th century by a Lebanese prince, Emir Chehab II. Early in
1923, the Near East Relief organization rented Msar palace and turned
it into an Armenian girls’ orphanage, the largest in the area. Under
the American flag, the orphanage became a safe haven for 1400 Armenian
girls who had witnessed the destruction of their country, during the
Armenian Genocide. The place is well known for its rug factory. From
1923 to 1930, the orphanage produced 3254 rugs and around 1000 orphan
girls certified in the art of rug weaving. These girls made history by
introducing the art of rug weaving into the Lebanese culture. Three
years after the Ghazir orphanage was founded and within a period of
ten months, seven Armenian orphan girls wove their masterpiece rug on
behalf of tens of thousands of Armenian orphans around the world.
The Ghazir Rug, also known as Armenian Orphan Rug is a magnificent
11.7 by 18.5 feet rug, woven into 4,404,206 individual hand-tied knots
of figures of more than one hundred animals and plants. The solemn
expression of pain and sorrow for everything lost: homeland, loved
ones and, trust in humanity. In December 1925, the rug was presented
to United States President Calvin Coolidge as a token of gratitude and
it stayed with Coolidge and his family even after he left the
office. The rug was returned to the White House in 1982, and stored in
the storage room for thirty-two years until November, 2014 when it was
exhibited at the White House Visiting Center.
“The Ghazir Rug is not just a carpet; it is a tangible connection to
the first genocide of the Twentieth Century - a silent, beautiful
rebuttal to those who deny the murder of 1.5 million men, woman and
children in a campaign of mass murder, forced marches, rape and
looting that befell the Armenian people from 1915-23. “
-- Congressman Adam Schiff--
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress