Akhtamar- Church of the Holy Cross (Soorp Khach)

[Hovik]

I'm still trying to figure out why Harout isn't running for the next president of Armenia...

[bell-the-cat]

Samvel Karapetian, head of the non-governmental organization Research on Armenian Architecture said he was happy to see the church saved from decay. According to Karapetian, the church's reconstruction was done with a high degree of professionalism and in accordance with European standards.

Karapetian is an ass who clearly knows nothing at all about "European standards"

[bell-the-cat]

Comments by Vladimir Karapetian, Ministry Acting Spokesperson on renovation of the Church of Holy Cross on Akhtamar Island in Van
We are pleased that the Armenian Church of Holy Cross on Akhtamar island, a jewel of world architecture, has been beautifully restored and renovated, albeit without a cross, and as a museum.
*
This is a positive move and holds the potential of a reversal of the policy of negligence and destruction.
*
We hope the same kind approach will extend to cover the nearly-collapsed churches of Ani, Mush, Tegor, and a dozen other priceless examples of Armenian medieval architecture, which have been abandoned at best, or more often, intentionally vandalized, simply because of their Armenian identity.

And so is this other Karapetian!

What is worse for the monuments - to be left to fall into total ruin or to be passed into the foul hands of corrupt politicians and avaricious ngo's?

It is significant that the Turks did not invite a single archaeologist or conservation expert to the Aghtamar opening.

[Փոքրիկ Իշխան]

Is Harut Sassounian Hampig's brother?

[Joseph]

Is Harut Sassounian Hampig's brother?

They are not related.

[Joseph]

More Turkish lies/ attempts to appropriate the history and culture of others

If you read the bold lettering below, you will the bold face lie. I have added the real history underneath the article. This is yet another attempt by the Turks to appropriate the history of its minorities as its own.

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=130667

Say to compose ballet on Akhtamar legend

Renowned pianist and composer Fazıl Say will compose a ballet piece for the romantic and tragic love story referenced in legends of Akhtamar Island in the eastern Anatolian province of Van. Say, with this piece, intends to create an international project in which 100 Turkish and 100 Armenian dancers will take to the stage together in the performance of the work.
Say said that they recently met with Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay over breakfast and they talked about staging Say's "Nazım Hikmet Oratorio" in two events abroad, noting that he is planning to stage it in Germany at the opening of this year's Frankfurt Book Fair, where Turkey will be featured as a guest country. He added that the oratorio will also be staged in April in Moscow in connection with the Turkish-Russian Friendship Week and that the Culture and Tourism Ministry State Polyphonic Choir and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) would take part in the performance. Say also noted that he told the culture minister that he wanted the oratorio to be staged in several cities around the country. "I conveyed my desire to stage it in 10 or 15 cities. He said he would consider it," Say stated.
Say further mentioned that Günay proposed that he should compose music on the poems of Yahya Kemal Beyatlı, noting that he is not able to do it for the time being because he is working on other projects; Say said after studying the poet's life in detail, he might start to work on it. Say, who has just completed his latest violin concerto titled "1,001 Nights in Harem," said: "I have plans to compose three more grand works. First I have to put them in order."

Concerning the ballet work that he will compose based on the legend of a romantic and tragic love story on Akhtamar Island, known for its historic church, Say said: "I want this to be Turkish-Armenian joint production. This is because the Akhtamar legend belongs both to Turks and Armenians." Say noted that he wants to see Turkish and Armenian dancers on the same stage. "I took the first steps for this project in 2004. But because of the tension caused by [the remarks on the Armenian genocide of] writer Orhan Pamuk, we had to freeze that project. ... Furthermore, the murder of Hrant Dink led to difficulties. … In the past, we had talks with the Yerevan Ballet and Orchestra for such a project. But no progress has been made for several years. Now, I am planning to resume this work," he said. Say further explained that his second upcoming project was to compose a musical piece concerning Nazım Hikmet's "The Epic of Sheik Bedrettin," where he again plans to employ a huge cast. Say's third project is to compose a symphony on the city of İstanbul.

The Akhtamar legend, which is considered the origin of the name of the island, is about Tamara, the beautiful daughter of the clergyman residing on the island. According to the legend, Tamara fell in love with a Muslim shepherd from a nearby village. Every night, the shepherd would swim to the island in order to meet Tamara. To show her location to him, Tamara would light a candle at night. Having learned of his daughter's love affair, the clergyman lit a candle on a stormy night and went down to the coast, but he frequently changed his location to exhaust the shepherd. Finally, the young boy drowned, but he shouted in his last breath, "Oh Tamara." The girl heard his last shout, and she, too, committed suicide, throwing herself in the lake. The island's name is said to come from the boy's last words, "Oh Tamara."

03.01.2008



The Real Story:

An Armenian princess named Tamar lived on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van (in Historic Armenia). She was in love with a commoner. This boy would swim from the mainland to the island each night, his way lit by a light she lit for him. One day her father found out about this and was very upset. He went to her as she held the light, waiting for her love. He smashed her light, leaving the boy in the middle of the lake without an idea of which direction to swim. They say his dying cries of Akh, tamar... (Oh, Tamar) can be heard to this day at night. This is where the name of the island comes from.

[Joseph]

If you read the bold lettering below, you will the bold face lie. I have added the real history underneath the article. This is yet another attempt by the Turks to appropriate the history of its minorities as its own.

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=130667

Say to compose ballet on Akhtamar legend

Renowned pianist and composer Fazıl Say will compose a ballet piece for the romantic and tragic love story referenced in legends of Akhtamar Island in the eastern Anatolian province of Van. Say, with this piece, intends to create an international project in which 100 Turkish and 100 Armenian dancers will take to the stage together in the performance of the work.
Say said that they recently met with Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay over breakfast and they talked about staging Say's "Nazım Hikmet Oratorio" in two events abroad, noting that he is planning to stage it in Germany at the opening of this year's Frankfurt Book Fair, where Turkey will be featured as a guest country. He added that the oratorio will also be staged in April in Moscow in connection with the Turkish-Russian Friendship Week and that the Culture and Tourism Ministry State Polyphonic Choir and the Presidential Symphony Orchestra (CSO) would take part in the performance. Say also noted that he told the culture minister that he wanted the oratorio to be staged in several cities around the country. "I conveyed my desire to stage it in 10 or 15 cities. He said he would consider it," Say stated.
Say further mentioned that Günay proposed that he should compose music on the poems of Yahya Kemal Beyatlı, noting that he is not able to do it for the time being because he is working on other projects; Say said after studying the poet's life in detail, he might start to work on it. Say, who has just completed his latest violin concerto titled "1,001 Nights in Harem," said: "I have plans to compose three more grand works. First I have to put them in order."

Concerning the ballet work that he will compose based on the legend of a romantic and tragic love story on Akhtamar Island, known for its historic church, Say said: "I want this to be Turkish-Armenian joint production. This is because the Akhtamar legend belongs both to Turks and Armenians." Say noted that he wants to see Turkish and Armenian dancers on the same stage. "I took the first steps for this project in 2004. But because of the tension caused by [the remarks on the Armenian genocide of] writer Orhan Pamuk, we had to freeze that project. ... Furthermore, the murder of Hrant Dink led to difficulties. … In the past, we had talks with the Yerevan Ballet and Orchestra for such a project. But no progress has been made for several years. Now, I am planning to resume this work," he said. Say further explained that his second upcoming project was to compose a musical piece concerning Nazım Hikmet's "The Epic of Sheik Bedrettin," where he again plans to employ a huge cast. Say's third project is to compose a symphony on the city of İstanbul.

The Akhtamar legend, which is considered the origin of the name of the island, is about Tamara, the beautiful daughter of the clergyman residing on the island. According to the legend, Tamara fell in love with a Muslim shepherd from a nearby village. Every night, the shepherd would swim to the island in order to meet Tamara. To show her location to him, Tamara would light a candle at night. Having learned of his daughter's love affair, the clergyman lit a candle on a stormy night and went down to the coast, but he frequently changed his location to exhaust the shepherd. Finally, the young boy drowned, but he shouted in his last breath, "Oh Tamara." The girl heard his last shout, and she, too, committed suicide, throwing herself in the lake. The island's name is said to come from the boy's last words, "Oh Tamara."

03.01.2008



The Real Story:

An Armenian princess named Tamar lived on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van (in Historic Armenia). She was in love with a commoner. This boy would swim from the mainland to the island each night, his way lit by a light she lit for him. One day her father found out about this and was very upset. He went to her as she held the light, waiting for her love. He smashed her light, leaving the boy in the middle of the lake without an idea of which direction to swim. They say his dying cries of Akh, tamar... (Oh, Tamar) can be heard to this day at night. This is where the name of the island comes from.

http://blogian.hayastan.com/2008/01/03/deliberate-distortion-in-the-name-of-romantic-reconcilliation/#comment-1026

[1.5 million]

"This is because the Akhtamar legend belongs both to Turks and Armenians"

As well intentioned as this sounds - and even if he possibly beleives this - he is dead wrong. This history pre-dates any significant presence of any Muslims in the region - and certainly they play no part in the legend of this church (Soorp Khach) or this island (Akhtamar).

This is just another instance of perpetuation of genocide - where the perpetrators take not only the land and people - but obliterate the culture and claim it as their own. Shameful....and I can't imagine any actual Armenians participating in such a farce - unless it is at gunpoint (ie at the bequest of Patriarch Mesrob)

[bell-the-cat]

The Akhtamar legend, which is considered the origin of the name of the island, is about Tamara, the beautiful daughter of the clergyman residing on the island. According to the legend, Tamara fell in love with a Muslim shepherd from a nearby village. Every night, the shepherd would swim to the island in order to meet Tamara. To show her location to him, Tamara would light a candle at night. Having learned of his daughter's love affair, the clergyman lit a candle on a stormy night and went down to the coast, but he frequently changed his location to exhaust the shepherd. Finally, the young boy drowned, but he shouted in his last breath, "Oh Tamara." The girl heard his last shout, and she, too, committed suicide, throwing herself in the lake. The island's name is said to come from the boy's last words, "Oh Tamara."[/B]

In other words, Aghtamar is an example of Turkish religious tolerance and integration destroyed by Armenian bigotry. Very much on-message as far as the EU's propagandists are concerned.

[Joseph]

In other words, Aghtamar is an example of Turkish religious tolerance and integration destroyed by Armenian bigotry. Very much on-message as far as the EU's propagandists are concerned.

I believe that is the pro-Turkish EU politicians story and they are sticking to it.