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Expert: Armenians were first owners of Rabat fortress in Akhaltsikhe
arminfo
Thursday, August 16, 19:14
The founders of the Rabat fortress in the Armenian-populated region
Akhaltsikhe were Armenians of the Chalcedonian creed, Samvel
Karapetyan, Head of the Research on Armenian Architecture NGO, told
ArmInfo.
"The fortress was founded right after the town had been founded; one
can even say that the town was founded around the fortress. The
fortress was called "Akhaltsikhe", which is translated from Georgian
as "The New Town". Armenians were the first owners of the fortress,
however, in XV-XVI cc. the fortress was seized by Ottoman Turkey and
within three centuries the fortress turned into the center of one of
Ottoman Turkey's vilayets, which was called the Akhaltsikhe vilayet.
It was then that a mosque was built in the center of the Armenian
fortress. In 1828 the fortress was seized by tzarist Russia and
remained under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church until
the establishment of the Soviet power, afterwards it turned into a
museum and has preserved that status until very recently", Karapetyan
said. However, the expert said that he is unaware of the fate of the
medieval construction after its recent renovation by the Georgian
authorities.
When commenting on the oppositional Sardarapat Movement's statement
about the inexpediency of Armenian world-known singer Charles
Aznavour's concert in Rabat fortress in front of the Turkish mosque,
Karapetyan said that such statements are not tactical. "I think that
it is for Aznavour to decide where to give a concert", he said.
To note, Charles Aznavour and 22 musicians have visited Georgia at the
invitation of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. On August 16
Aznavour is expected to attend the opening of the renovated medieval
fortress in Akhaltsikhe, the homeland of Aznavour's ancestors, and to
give a concert there.
However, this fact has caused the indignation of a number of Armenian
NGOs. In particular, Sardarapat Movement said that the
Turkish-Georgian tandem misappropriates the Armenian cultural and
historical heritage of Javakhq. The movement says that the fortress
has been renovated with the financial support of Turkey and is called
a Turkish fortress. In addition, the NGOs of Samtskhe-Javakheti
released a statement calling on the world known singer Charles
Aznavour to refuse giving a concert on August 16, on the day of
opening of the renovated Akhaltsikhe fortress and an adjacent Turkish
mosque in Javakhq. "The Armenians of Javakhq qualify the upcoming
event as the Turkish-Georgian tandem's plot against them. The Georgian
authorities are trying to involve Aznavour, making advantage of his
unawareness of the situation and his sincere desire to give a concert
in his ancestors' homeland", they said.
Nevertheless, according to the Georgian mass media, the complex has
been renovated with the financial support of the Georgian Government,
which allocated nearly 15 mln USD for that purpose. The Georgian
sources also stress that there is not only a Turkish mosque in the
territory of the fortress, but also an Armenian church, a synagogue,
as well as Catholic and Orthodox churches.
arminfo
Thursday, August 16, 19:14
The founders of the Rabat fortress in the Armenian-populated region
Akhaltsikhe were Armenians of the Chalcedonian creed, Samvel
Karapetyan, Head of the Research on Armenian Architecture NGO, told
ArmInfo.
"The fortress was founded right after the town had been founded; one
can even say that the town was founded around the fortress. The
fortress was called "Akhaltsikhe", which is translated from Georgian
as "The New Town". Armenians were the first owners of the fortress,
however, in XV-XVI cc. the fortress was seized by Ottoman Turkey and
within three centuries the fortress turned into the center of one of
Ottoman Turkey's vilayets, which was called the Akhaltsikhe vilayet.
It was then that a mosque was built in the center of the Armenian
fortress. In 1828 the fortress was seized by tzarist Russia and
remained under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church until
the establishment of the Soviet power, afterwards it turned into a
museum and has preserved that status until very recently", Karapetyan
said. However, the expert said that he is unaware of the fate of the
medieval construction after its recent renovation by the Georgian
authorities.
When commenting on the oppositional Sardarapat Movement's statement
about the inexpediency of Armenian world-known singer Charles
Aznavour's concert in Rabat fortress in front of the Turkish mosque,
Karapetyan said that such statements are not tactical. "I think that
it is for Aznavour to decide where to give a concert", he said.
To note, Charles Aznavour and 22 musicians have visited Georgia at the
invitation of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. On August 16
Aznavour is expected to attend the opening of the renovated medieval
fortress in Akhaltsikhe, the homeland of Aznavour's ancestors, and to
give a concert there.
However, this fact has caused the indignation of a number of Armenian
NGOs. In particular, Sardarapat Movement said that the
Turkish-Georgian tandem misappropriates the Armenian cultural and
historical heritage of Javakhq. The movement says that the fortress
has been renovated with the financial support of Turkey and is called
a Turkish fortress. In addition, the NGOs of Samtskhe-Javakheti
released a statement calling on the world known singer Charles
Aznavour to refuse giving a concert on August 16, on the day of
opening of the renovated Akhaltsikhe fortress and an adjacent Turkish
mosque in Javakhq. "The Armenians of Javakhq qualify the upcoming
event as the Turkish-Georgian tandem's plot against them. The Georgian
authorities are trying to involve Aznavour, making advantage of his
unawareness of the situation and his sincere desire to give a concert
in his ancestors' homeland", they said.
Nevertheless, according to the Georgian mass media, the complex has
been renovated with the financial support of the Georgian Government,
which allocated nearly 15 mln USD for that purpose. The Georgian
sources also stress that there is not only a Turkish mosque in the
territory of the fortress, but also an Armenian church, a synagogue,
as well as Catholic and Orthodox churches.