Armenian Genocide Museum, Yerevan > Reviews (2)

Although they can be very jovial indeed when it comes to a party, the Armenians are by and large a fairly melancholy people. There are two main reasons behind this melancholy. The first is that their sacred Mount Ararat, the mountain that symbolises so much of the nation's history, now lies in Turkey and they can only see its magnificent snow-capped peak from behind a closed border. The fact that the border is closed brings me to the second reason for the pervading sadness of Armenians: the tense relationship with Turkey is due to a massive event that few people are aware of. In 1915 over one and a half million Armenians were murdered in a genocide that took place within the Ottoman Empire at hands of the Turkish government. It is often referred to as the first genocide of the twentieth century.

Fifty years after it happened, one million Armenians held a twenty-four hour period of demonstrations calling for a memorial to be built to remember the dead. The following year construction of a memorial commenced and the memorial - known in Armenian as 'Tsiternakaberd' - was completed. Each year on 24 April Armenians visit the memorial to lay flowers and remember the dead.

To this day the Republic of Turkey does not recognise the event as a genocide. The Turkish government has always maintained that Armenians were killed but that 'genocide' is not the correct description because the deaths were not planned as a programme of extermination of an entire race. Within Turkey it is a criminal offence to acknowledge the genocide though prosecution is not common - I expect the imagined outcome of such an act is probably enough to stop anyone from doing it. Even now there is a considerable movement within the European Union to withhold Turkish entry while the government continues to deny the genocide.

THE BACKGROUND

For many centuries sizeable numbers of Armenians lived peacefully within the Ottoman Empire; however, while they were afforded to freedom to follow their own religion they were second class citizens in most other ways. However, by the nineteenth century there was a considerable movement for Armenian autonomy which was backed to some extent by the Russians and the British. They tired to use diplomatic means to have reforms imposed but in actual fact the treatment of the Armenian population deteriorated. At the same time, the power-mad Ottomans wanted to increase their Empire yet further, right across to central Asia where some Turkic tribes already lived. In the territory in between, however, were the Armenians and the Ottomans knew that they'd be unable to carry out their aims unless they dealt with the Armenians. In the final years of the nineteenth century thousands of Armenians were killed in the 'Hamidian Massacres' ordered by Sultan Abdul Hamid II but this was just the beginning

In 1908, there was a rebellion by the Young Turks, a strongly nationalist group who wanted to see the Ottoman Empire become more modern along the lines of a European country. At first the Armenians welcomed this but reforms failed to follow and in the ensuing upheaval, a group of three ultra-nationals took power of the Young Turks and World War One gave them an opportunity to advance their nationalistic aims.

On 24 April 1915 hundreds of influential Armenian community leaders and academics were arrested and murdered in Istanbul. This was done first so that the Armenians would have no leader and be less likely to resist the next step which was to force Armenians out to the far east of the Ottoman territories to concentration camps. People were forced to leave with whatever they could grab and were marched towards the east very often with no food and water. Many died along the way, while others were tortured and raped. In the same way that most Jews cheerfully smiled and waved holding their suitcases as they boarded trains in 1940s Germany in the early days of the transports, most Armenians went willingly because they really believed they were simply being relocated. Men of a certain age were told they were being drafted but were executed by death squads, people were told to hand in hunting weapons for the 'war effort' thus rendering them helpless if they chose to resist although many felt proud to be 'helping'. Most of the people who ended up being marched to the camps were women, children and the elderly, those least likely to be able to resist.

They were marched to the Syrian Desert where most of them died; there were over twenty concentration camps and mass graves have been found in many locations. Some were even witnessed by British, American and Russian officers and diplomats who reported what they saw back to their governments. By the time the war ended the three nationalist Young Turks who had led the massacres had fled but they were found guilty in their absence in a massive trial and were subsequently located and shot by Armenians. With the agreement of the government, the American government redrew the borders thus the Republic Of Armenia was created.

THE MONUMENT AND MUSEUM OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

The memorial to the Armenian genocide was designed by architects Artur Tarkhanyan and Sashur Kalashyan and artist Ovannes Khachatryan.and is situated in Tsitsernakaberd (Swallow's Fortress) Park which is a heavily wooded area that was until the 1950s waste ground on the edge of the Armenian capitalYerevan. On the summit of the hill is the striking memorial and beside it a museum and visitors centre.

The monument is not easy to describe but I shall try. It is in two main sections: the first is a series of basalt slabs arranged in a circle that lean inwards at the top around an eternal flame and they are meant to symbolise figures bent over in mourning. This is known as the 'Temple of Commemoration'. The floor of this part is one and a half metres below the walkway. The steps that lead to the eternal flame are very steep so that visitors have to bow their heads as they approach it.

Beside it is a tall basalt needle that symbolises the rebirth of the Armenian people. This has a cleft in the middle of it to represent the dispersion of the Armenia population.

Along side the monument is a one hundred metre long low wall, also made of basalt, on which when it is completed will be engraved the names of all the villages where the Armenian population was killed.

In the late 1980s cross stones were added to commemorate Armenians killed in several towns in Azerbaijan.

It is a very simple but striking sight, made even more poignant by the backdrop for the viewing platform also looks onto the breathtaking view of Mount Ararat making the contrast between the natural world and the austere manmade memorial even more striking.

The museum, opened in 1995 is partly beneath the monument as it is built into the hill so that it wouldn't draw any attention from the memorial. Inside the museum is an exhibition that outlines what happened, using for the most part primary sources. There are some very moving photographs and exhibits such as a handkerchief containing two sugar-cubes - miraculously still preserved - which was the only thing one fleeing young person could find to grab in the chaos.

The first of three sections looks at the geographical and topographical position of Armenia and sets the scene with information showing how Armenians were scattered around the Ottoman Empire. The next shows extracts from eyewitness reports and documents from the time interspersed with short film clips. The final section deals with the aftermath and the international reaction. Here you can see signed documents in which international organisations and national governments have publicly acknowledged the genocide.

It's possible to navigate the exhibits independently because all captions are in English and Armenian. Group tours can be taken in English, Armenian, Russian, French and German. Admission is free but donations are welcomed.

The complex is open Tuesday-Sunday: 11.00-16.00 and is closed on Mondays

The Museum is closed on official holidays (December 30, 31, January 1, 2, 3, January 6, March 8, May 1, 9, 28, July 5, September 21)

HOW TO GET THERE

My best advice is to take a taxi or be prepared for a long and almost un-signposted walk - which is mostly uphill and not to be recommended in the middle of a June day. Find the Hradzan football stadium and follow the vague signs or ask someone.

The Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum was another highlight of my Black Sea odyssey in 2006 and an experience I will never forget. From a historical point of view I found it fascinating and gave me an insight into something I previously knew very little about. Set against the splendour of Mount Ararat this dramatic and moving monument certainly reveals much about the Armenian people and is a must for anybody visiting the country to get a better understanding of the history and culture of this amazing country.