Ancient Armenian province shows war scars
November 20, 2005
THE FLINT JOURNAL
By Carol Azizian
cazizian@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6245
[...]
The Nagorno Karabagh Republic (also known as Artsakh), with a population under 200,000, is a lush, mountainous region with fast-flowing rivers, deep canyons and picturesque valleys.[...].
[...] Karabagh was the center of a military conflict between Armenians and Azeris in the late 1980s and early 1990s. [...].
Karabagh is rising from the ashes with a beautiful, white stone church (built in the mid-1800s) in the heart of Shushi; a spartan, but modern hotel with hot water and a restaurant that serves tasty fare such as stuffed grape leaves; Internet cafes and a Western-style supermarket in the nearby capital city of Stepanakert.
[...]
A museum dedicated to the "martyrs" of the war houses garments that belonged to a bride and groom who went off to fight before their wedding day and never returned.
[...]
In Stepanakert's Artsakh State Museum, there's an assortment of artifacts, geological specimens and modern relics from World War II as well as from the past decade, including a handmade wooden gun used in the recent war.
In a small carpet factory, you can watch women working on large looms, making rugs that are shipped to the United States and elsewhere.
A bus trip to the Gandzasar (meaning treasure mountain) Monastery feels like a journey to the end of the Earth. Situated at the top of a mountain, it overlooks a sea of green forests.
Built in the early 13th century, the monastery reputedly is the location of a shrine that contained the skull of St. John the Baptist, which had been brought here from Palestine during the Crusades.
The monastery was bombarded by the Azeris during the war and you still can see holes in the exterior walls. The priest here is a good storyteller who relates the trials and miracles he experienced during those years.
[...]
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
THE FLINT JOURNAL
By Carol Azizian
cazizian@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6245
[...]
The Nagorno Karabagh Republic (also known as Artsakh), with a population under 200,000, is a lush, mountainous region with fast-flowing rivers, deep canyons and picturesque valleys.[...].
[...] Karabagh was the center of a military conflict between Armenians and Azeris in the late 1980s and early 1990s. [...].
Karabagh is rising from the ashes with a beautiful, white stone church (built in the mid-1800s) in the heart of Shushi; a spartan, but modern hotel with hot water and a restaurant that serves tasty fare such as stuffed grape leaves; Internet cafes and a Western-style supermarket in the nearby capital city of Stepanakert.
[...]
A museum dedicated to the "martyrs" of the war houses garments that belonged to a bride and groom who went off to fight before their wedding day and never returned.
[...]
In Stepanakert's Artsakh State Museum, there's an assortment of artifacts, geological specimens and modern relics from World War II as well as from the past decade, including a handmade wooden gun used in the recent war.
In a small carpet factory, you can watch women working on large looms, making rugs that are shipped to the United States and elsewhere.
A bus trip to the Gandzasar (meaning treasure mountain) Monastery feels like a journey to the end of the Earth. Situated at the top of a mountain, it overlooks a sea of green forests.
Built in the early 13th century, the monastery reputedly is the location of a shrine that contained the skull of St. John the Baptist, which had been brought here from Palestine during the Crusades.
The monastery was bombarded by the Azeris during the war and you still can see holes in the exterior walls. The priest here is a good storyteller who relates the trials and miracles he experienced during those years.
[...]
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 6:45 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home