Van: A Cradle of Armenian Civilization
Wednesday, December 31st, 2014 | Posted by Matthew Karanian
Children walk in the churchyard of Soorp Echmiadzin, a sixth century
church in the region of Van in historic Western Armenia. Photo (c) 2014
Matthew Karanian, Reprinted with Permission.
BY MATTHEW KARANIAN
Van is the heartland of historic Armenia, and the region of Van is
paired with the plains of Ararat as two of the cradles of Armenian
civilization.
For hundreds of years, and continuing through the beginning of the
twentieth century, the population of Armenians here often exceeded
that of any other national group. Throughout the millennia these
Armenians have contributed greatly to the political and cultural
development of the Armenian nation.
The architectural relics of many of these contributions are still
present in the region today. Indeed, they are present here in far
greater numbers than in most other parts of historic Armenia. This
multitude of sites is certainly one of the reasons that Van is a
leading destination for pilgrims who are searching for their roots in
the lost Armenian homeland--there's just so much to see in this one
region.
Despite this wealth of Armenian history, Van, and the rest of the
historic Armenian homeland in present-day Turkey, has been largely
ignored by pilgrims and by other visitors for most of the past
century.
For decades, tourism to the historically Armenian areas of eastern
Turkey, and particularly to the area around Van, was restricted.
Turkey had declared the area to be a military zone, and traveling
there was either subject to red tape and mandatory escorts, or it
wasn't allowed at all.
Turkey imposed travel restrictions partly because the region sits
along the sensitive borders of Syria and Iraq. For most of the
twentieth century, eastern Turkey also shared a long frontier with the
Soviet Union--a front line for the Cold War. Foreign visitors weren't
welcome.
The demography of Van and of eastern Turkey also discouraged some
travelers. After the elimination of the Armenians from historic
Armenia, the surviving population of eastern Turkey was almost
entirely Kurdish. A Kurdish separatist movement kept the region
restive and inhospitable to all but the heartiest of travelers.
Today, however, the region is calm, military restrictions have been
lifted, and Turkey has tentatively begun to encourage tourism to Van
and to the entire Lake Van region. One century after the Armenian
Genocide, a new generation of ethnic Armenians has, equally
tentatively, begun to rediscover its lost homeland.
All stories and photos are adapted from 'Historic Armenia After 100
Years,' (Stone Garden Press, $39.95, Pub. Feb. 2015) by Matthew
Karanian. Pre-order now for $35 postpaid in the US from: Stone Garden
Productions; PO Box 7758; Northridge, CA 91327 or pay with credit
card by requesting an invoice from [email protected]
http://asbarez.com/130337/van-a-cradle-of-armenian-civilization/
From: Baghdasarian
Wednesday, December 31st, 2014 | Posted by Matthew Karanian
Children walk in the churchyard of Soorp Echmiadzin, a sixth century
church in the region of Van in historic Western Armenia. Photo (c) 2014
Matthew Karanian, Reprinted with Permission.
BY MATTHEW KARANIAN
Van is the heartland of historic Armenia, and the region of Van is
paired with the plains of Ararat as two of the cradles of Armenian
civilization.
For hundreds of years, and continuing through the beginning of the
twentieth century, the population of Armenians here often exceeded
that of any other national group. Throughout the millennia these
Armenians have contributed greatly to the political and cultural
development of the Armenian nation.
The architectural relics of many of these contributions are still
present in the region today. Indeed, they are present here in far
greater numbers than in most other parts of historic Armenia. This
multitude of sites is certainly one of the reasons that Van is a
leading destination for pilgrims who are searching for their roots in
the lost Armenian homeland--there's just so much to see in this one
region.
Despite this wealth of Armenian history, Van, and the rest of the
historic Armenian homeland in present-day Turkey, has been largely
ignored by pilgrims and by other visitors for most of the past
century.
For decades, tourism to the historically Armenian areas of eastern
Turkey, and particularly to the area around Van, was restricted.
Turkey had declared the area to be a military zone, and traveling
there was either subject to red tape and mandatory escorts, or it
wasn't allowed at all.
Turkey imposed travel restrictions partly because the region sits
along the sensitive borders of Syria and Iraq. For most of the
twentieth century, eastern Turkey also shared a long frontier with the
Soviet Union--a front line for the Cold War. Foreign visitors weren't
welcome.
The demography of Van and of eastern Turkey also discouraged some
travelers. After the elimination of the Armenians from historic
Armenia, the surviving population of eastern Turkey was almost
entirely Kurdish. A Kurdish separatist movement kept the region
restive and inhospitable to all but the heartiest of travelers.
Today, however, the region is calm, military restrictions have been
lifted, and Turkey has tentatively begun to encourage tourism to Van
and to the entire Lake Van region. One century after the Armenian
Genocide, a new generation of ethnic Armenians has, equally
tentatively, begun to rediscover its lost homeland.
All stories and photos are adapted from 'Historic Armenia After 100
Years,' (Stone Garden Press, $39.95, Pub. Feb. 2015) by Matthew
Karanian. Pre-order now for $35 postpaid in the US from: Stone Garden
Productions; PO Box 7758; Northridge, CA 91327 or pay with credit
card by requesting an invoice from [email protected]
http://asbarez.com/130337/van-a-cradle-of-armenian-civilization/
From: Baghdasarian