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Van: A Cradle of Armenian Civilization

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  • Van: A Cradle of Armenian Civilization

    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
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