Armenian dance Kochari / Qochari - Karin dance group

Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is one of 15 provinces of historical Armenia. Armenians have lived on this land for millenniums. This fact is proven both by old and contemporary historians and thousands of Christian monuments and churches spread all over Artsakh. Throughout history Artsakh always had to protect itself from foreign invaders. After the 1917 revolution in Russia, as a result of Stalin's "Divide to Rule" policy Artsakh was forcefully attached to Azerbaijani Soviet Republic as an autonomous province. Artsakh became a part of the Soviet Union. During the soviet days Azerbaijan has practiced all possible means to free Artsakh from Armenians and to destroy Armenian cultural monuments, which prove that Armenians have lived here for thousands of years. However, Azerbaijan failed to complete this plan.

On February 20, 1988, the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh officially demanded reunification with Armenia. This action was supported by peaceful mass demonstrations in Armenia. The Karabakh Movement commenced, which was unprecedented not only in the Soviet Union, but also in the Socialist countries of Eastern Europe and the rest of the communist world. By the fifth day of the demonstrations, about one million people (i.e. about one-third of Armenia's population) were gathered in and around the Freedom Square in Yerevan. People stood there for eight consecutive days, demanding peacefully and lawfully to rectify the injustice imposed upon Armenia by the authorities of Bolshevik Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, i.e. the unlawful decision of the Communist Party on forcefully annexing to Azerbaijan a part of Armenia - Karabakh. Democracy won a great victory in Armenia. Soviet totalitarianism was unable to extinguish people's wish to live freely. This first powerful wave of democracy quickly spread over the rest of the Soviet Union, and soon expanded to other communist countries. The Berlin Wall collapsed and Germany reunited. Nevertheless, Armenia and Karabakh long had to struggle to reunite, and are struggling up to this very day, in order for the international community to recognize the reunification that has de-facto taken place. On December 10, 1991 the population of Artsakh held a democratic referendum and declared independence. The Republic of Nagorno-Karabagkh was established.

The peaceful and legal demonstrations of Armenians in Artsakh and in Yerevan were responded by bloody massacres of Armenians in Sumgait and Baku cities in Azerbaijan. These massacres were organized and supported by Azerbaijan government, and these massacres reminded Armenians and the whole world about the Armenian Genocide in Turkey in 1915. Azerbaijan attacked Artsakh, thousands of innocent people were killed and as a result Armenians were forced to undertake defensive measures. Thus the Karabakh war started. As Armenians were protecting their motherland, the whole population of Artsakh was engaged in defense activities. Armenia obviously supported Artsakh in the war. Although Armenian troops were smaller in number, they succeeded to win.

In 1994 a ceasefire was signed between Armenia, Armenian forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan. The ceasefire is maintained up to date.

Today's Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) is a de facto independent country which is closely tied to Republic of Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh gets humanitarian assistance from the United States of America and of course, from Republic of Armenia and Armenian Diaspora. During the past 12 years of peace Artsakh has managed to rehabilitate its economy and social infrastructure, create progressive democratic traditions, reconstruct highways and roads and develop tourism industry. The new young generation that has grown in independent Artsakh consider themselves citizens of an independent and free country and are proud of their parents who have defended it.

Armenia is a unique country; it has over 50,000 hand-made crosses, sculptured of rocks, noone is identical to another one. Each cross-stone has its own pattern; each one has its own story which goes back to the depth of ages. Sculpturing cross-stones, which sometimes weigh a few tons, requires hard work, genuine talent, and plenty of time. No nation in the world has employed such a powerful and long-lasting way to express its faith to God.

A typical cross stone is made out of slate of volcanic basalt or tuff. In the center of the cross stone is the symbol of Christ's crucifixion, which is usually resting on the symbol of the sun, or of the wheel of eternity. The cross itself and its surroundings is usually covered by fine patterns, or images of grapes and leaves. It is very typical of Armenian cross-stones to have branches of date-palm symbolizing Christ's glorious resurrection.

Cross stones were created after Armenians adopted Christianity in 301 and became the first Christian nation in the world. For Armenians, it was the symbol of Christ's resurrection, of His victory over death.

Cross-stones were placed as gravestones, also to celebrate important events, such as: victories in battles, construction of a temple, a church, and water channels. They were placed in holy places, in graveyards, near the roads and sometimes on hills and cliffs. In some cases, for example: in Geghard, which is a unique monastery dug into a gigantic rock, the cross-stones would be placed in the walls. The cross-stones themselves have been considered to be holy and their presence in a place underlined its holiness, its immaculate being.

Cross-stones were most intensively sculptured during the 12th and 13th centuries and the greatest masters of cross-stones of all times, Master Momik and Master Boghos are descendants of these centuries. The very meaningful and responsible task of sculpturing cross-stones was trusted only to those with the deepest faith towards God and with superb talents, since cross-stones were used as a sign of holiness of an area. Although foreigners and especially non-Christian invaders were keen to destroy all Armenian treasures throughout centuries, the fabulous works of masters have been preserved. Magnificent cross-stones of these men can be seen in Goshavank, Dadivank, etc. This unique culture of changing a rock into a monument that speaks the word of God and thus educates generations, was harmed by foreign invaders after the 13th century. The tradition, however, was never lost and even today many people in Armenia make cross-stones.


The oldest preserved cross-stone in Armenia, with a known date of creation, is the one granted to Queen Katriande, the beloved wife of King Ashot Bagratuni the First. It dates back to 879 and can be found in Garni, a pagan temple of the 1st century A.D.

Ancient Armenian graveyards are rich of these magnificent creations of humanity. The medieval cemetery in Noratus village is an example. In Noratus, there are about 900 cross-stones, some of which are about 1.5 m tall.

Cross-stones are spread all over historical and contemporary Armenia and this is why Armenia has become an "open air museum".

Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 a.d. Christianity was introduced into Armenia much earlier, during the first century (60-68 a.d.) by two of Christ's disciples Bartholomew and Thaddeus. They came to Armenia from Asorestan and Capadocia. They baptized stately families and common people and are known as the first "Illuminators of the Armenian World".

During the first two centuries, Christians in Armenia were forced to practice their religion secretly amongst a majority of Zoroastrians. This situation lasted until 301 a.d. when Christianity gained support from the state.

Christianity was adopted in Armenia during the reign of King Trdat the 3rd and under the patriarchal leadership of Grigor the Illuminator, who baptized the king and the royal family in the Arax River, the Armenian Apostolic Church was established, with Grigor the Illuminator as its first Armenian Catholicos.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is the national church of Armenians. Its spiritual and clerical center is the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin. The Armenian Apostolic Church is a religious unity with the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians at its head. At present the Catholicos of All Armenians is His Holiness Garegin the 2nd.

Armenia is an open-air museum of Christianity. There are thousands of Christian monuments such as monasteries, churches, chapels and cross-stones, manuscripts, icons, etc. The Armenian churches and monasteries are built throughout Armenia and can be found in secluded gorges, on the peaks of towering mountains, hidden in forests and nestled in valleys. More than spiritual centers, these churches have also served as medieval educational and research institutions. Each reveals impressive and unique architectural features, and is accompanied by its own enlightening stories and secretive spirit. Many of these monuments host thousands of pilgrims every year.

The first book written in the Armenian alphabet was the Holy Bible, translated in Armenian as "The Breath of God." The Holy Bible and Gospels have been copied numerous times by Armenian monks and as a result nearly 20% of over 14,000 Armenian manuscripts preserved in the Matenadaran, Yerevan's museum of ancient manuscripts, are Gospels or Bibles. Nearly all illuminated Armenian manuscripts up to the twelfth century were Gospels.

Christianity, and the Christian mindset of being loving and kind, plays a major role in the Armenian daily life of this nation, which celebrated the 1700th anniversary of Christianity in Armenia in 2001. Together with preserving the Christian ancient traditions, the Armenians treat as a commandment the first sentence written in the Armenian alphabet, set down by the creator of the Armenian alphabet, Mesrop Mashtots: "Know wisdom and instruction; perceive the words of understanding" as a commandment and strive for enlightenment and the more progressive.

Armenia is one of the oldest countries in the world. Scientific researches, archeological findings, old cuneiform inscriptions, ancient maps and even the Holy Bible provide lots of sound evidences that the Armenian Highland is the cradle of civilization.

In the ancient ages Egyptians and Sumerians believed that the wisdom and science descended upon them from the Armenian Highland. The Armenian Highland was considered to be a holy land and the people there were named God-men from the beginning of time.

All four rivers of Eden; Tigris, Euphrates, Pison and Gihon start from Armenian Higland and this place, holly as it is, was considered to be the place where the Almighty had once created humankind. The Biblical story of Noah's Ark, of Mount Ararat and of his settlement in Armenia has been narrated from generation to generation and has mystified the Armenian Highland even more.

In ancient times Armenians believed that the spirits of their dead ancestors came from the stars and taught them divine sciences. These sciences included the language, maintaining the flame, cultivating land, cattle breeding, working with metal, religious ceremonies, and much more"¦

These ancient beliefs are also well proven by historians: Armenians were the first to establish Ojakhs (in Armenian home and hearth); women in this area were the first to learn how to maintain a fire.


Armenians have survived and preserved their national identity, unlike many other ancient nations, like the Sumerians, Acadians who once played a major role on this earth, but have disappeared long ago. Today, the Armenians are one of the very few nations, who have existed from the beginning of civilization, created by their ancestors. Armenia was one of the world's most powerful countries from 95 to 55 B.C. during the reign of Tigran the 2nd. In 66 B.C. the Armenian king of kings, Tigran the Great, and Roman General Pompeus Magnus signed a treaty according to which Armenia comprised a territory of 316, 000 sq. km. It was the third largest state of the Near East, after the Roman Empire and Parthia. The kingdom of Tigran the Great, the greatest of all Armenian kings, expanded from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The Armenia, under the rule of Tigran the 2nd was over 10 times greater than present day Republic of Armenia.

The Armenians still live on this land. Many come to Armenia to make a pilgrimage, others travel to Armenia to enjoy the view of Holy Mount Ararat, and others come to meet Armenians, to learn their values, to experience their genuine society, which is a classic collage of the very old and new, the very solemn and cheerful, the European and Asian, the traditional and modern".

Armenia is a small country in the southern part of Transcaucasus. It shares a border with Turkey to the West, Georgia to the North, Azerbaijan to the East and Southeast, and Iran to the South. Armenia covers an area of 29,800 sq. km. The country's territory extends some 360 kilometers long and 200 kilometers wide, with most of the territory lying 1,000 meters to 2,500 meters above sea level. Armenia's highest mountain is Mount Aragats (4,090 meters). The sunshine ratio reaches to 2,700 hours a year.

The country is situated on the same latitude as Spain, Italy and Greece. Its climate ranges from dry subtropical to cold mountain weather. In plateaus and foothills (where Yerevan is located) the climate is dry and continental with hot summers and moderately cold winters. The average temperature in July is +25°C, and -5°C in January.

Armenia has deposits of a variety of minerals and rocks: copper, molybdenum, gold, polymetallic and iron ores, etc. The country is rich in more than a thousand curative mineral springs. There are over 215 rivers in Armenia, belonging to the Caspian Sea basin. They are turbulent and unfit for navigation but have great hydropower potential, which has been utilized for production of electricity and for irrigation.

There are more than 100 mountain lakes in Armenia. The largest among them is Lake Sevan, situated at an altitude of 1,900 meters above sea level. Forests (predominantly beech, hornbeam, oak, elm, maple, plane, ash, pine, and fir) cover about 13% of the country's territory and can be found mainly in the northeast and south. The fauna of Armenia includes rare species of animals including roe deer, boar, Syrian bear, lynx, moufflon, bezoar goat and birds such as sparrow, woodcock, robin, warbler, tomtit, woodpecker, mountain turkey, horned lark, bearded vulture. Armenia is the first in the world with the most diverse flora, falling at one square meter of alpine meadows.

One of the most precious treasures of the Armenian nation is the collection of ancient manuscripts. There are around 30,000 ancient Armenian manuscripts in the world and the majority of them (about 20,000 manuscripts) are preserved in Yerevan. They can be found in Matenadaran, the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, named after Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian Alphabet. Other major collections of Armenian manuscripts are preserved in library of Armenian Patriarchy in Jerusalem (about 4000 manuscripts) the Mkhitarian Brotherhood in Venice (about 4000 manuscripts), and in Vienna (about 2500 manuscripts).

The art of making Armenian manuscripts has ancient traditions; the manuscripts are unique and are of great esthetic value.

The history of Armenian manuscripts goes back to the time when the Armenian alphabet was created by Mesrop Mashtots, in 405. The first book to be written via Armenian letters was the Bible, which was followed by distinctive literature. Up to the XIV century, Armenian books were handwritten. The first printed Armenian books were made in 1512. Handwritten manuscripts were completely replaced by printed books in the XIX century.

Armenian manuscripts are shaped like books and have been called "matyan" or "girk". There have been no rolled Armenian manuscripts discovered. Up to the tenth century, manuscripts were written on sheets of parchment, later, starting from the tenth century, paper was used. The parchment was made mainly from the leather of domestic animals (lamb, calf), while paper was imported. The process of making books had a few stages: preparation of the parchment and the ink, letters (calligraphy and spelling), illuminations, stitching and interlacing. It required involvement of a large group of specialists and a few workshops. Hard cover bindings protected the books from damage and served as an external design.


During its long history the Armenian people created thousands of manuscripts regarding history, art, science, religion and mundane topics.

Ancient Armenian manuscripts have suffered the same tragic history as the Armenians. These manuscripts have always been considered to be sacred. They were protected and saved from aggressors, they were bought back as prisoners of war, and in many inscriptions the manuscripts are talked about as if it's a living creature. There are many stories about common people who have risked their lives to save these nationally valued manuscripts that have become crystallized in time and space. These heroes would save historical manuscripts instead of attempting to save their own property that they had earned throughout decades. This was the main characteristic of the national identity of Armenians, who lived under a foreign yoke for many centuries.

The story of the largest Armenian manuscript "Msho Charantir" ("Homilies of Mush"), which is currently exhibited in Matenadaran, is a animated example of this. The manuscript was written in Avag Monastery in Yrznka city. Three years of hard work (from 1200 to 1202) was necessary to complete the manuscript. It was written on a parchment with 604 sheets and 1208 pages. Each of these sheets was made of leather from a month old calf. Each sheet of the manuscript is 55.5 cm wide and 70 cm long. The manuscript weighs 28 kg. It was written by the order of a man, Astvatsatur. In 1203, during the Mongolian-Tatar invasion, Astvatsatur was killed and all his belongings were seized. The Turkish judge in Khlat City, privatized the manuscript claiming that Astvatsatur owed him money. In 1206, the priests of St. Arakelots Church in Mush, found out that the judge was selling the manuscript and purchased the manuscript with 4000 barats (silver coins) after about a year-long negotiation.

In the XIX century, the Mkhitarian brothers from the Island of St. Lazar, took 17 sheets of this manuscript with them as relics after, a pilgrimage to St. Arakelots Church. In 1915, during the Armenian Genocide, in Osmanic Turkey, two women found the manuscript from the ruins of the monastery and in order to save it, they divided it into two parts, each woman took a piece. Both women started off for Eastern Armenia. The first went all the way to St. Echmiadzin, the spiritual and clerical center of the Armenian apostolic church, and handed the manuscript to the monastery and the second woman passed away on her journey. Before her death she buried the second part of the manuscript in the yard of the monastery in Erzrum City. The manuscript was later found by a Russian officer who took the manuscript to Tbilisi with him and delivered it to the Armenian community. During the 1920s the manuscript was transferred to Armenia where both its parts are preserved in Matenadaran.

Nobody knows the exact number of Armenian Manuscripts destroyed during the Armenian Genocide of 1915, since at the time there was no complete list of Armenian manuscripts that were preserved in different places. According to general estimates a few thousand manuscripts have been destroyed. The destruction of Armenian manuscripts was a major loss not only for Armenian people but also for world culture, and science; it was an irreplaceable loss for humanity. Thanks to the dedication of the Armenian refugees and the endeavors of the Armenian intellectual elite that a part of the manuscripts in Western Armenia were saved. Also thanks to the unknown guards of the native culture, that the nation was able to bring the great heritage of their ancestors to the present and to ensure the succession of generations and cultural values. Throughout the centuries Armenians not only protected themselves from nomads who came one ofter other, but they also had to save their national possessions, the manuscripts.

Matenadaran is the largest center for Armenian written culture. More then 17,000 manuscripts, including 14,000 Armenian and 3, 000 foreign manuscripts from V-XVIII centuries are preserved here. Foreign manuscripts include many Arabic and Persian manuscripts. Manuscripts in Latin, Greek, Ethiopian, ancient Hebrew, Syrian and ancient Russian are of particular interest. The Matenadaran also serves as an archive for over 100,000 medieval documents.

The most ancient monuments of the Armenian written culture are exhibited in the Matenadaran. The exhibited collection includes parchments from the V-VI centuries, manuscripts from the IX-X century on, and hardened fragments of manuscripts found in caves. The chronological succession of exhibits represents the time-period starting from the creation of the Armenian alphabet and ending with the XIX century.

Ancient manuscripts vividly prove the existence of highly developed culture, spiritual values, and the excellence of Armenians in various sciences. The world of ancient manuscripts is a world of endless secrets, and puzzles, which are yet to be solved.

Armenia's holy land has granted to humanity one of the best and healthy fruits in the world, the apricot.

Armenia is the motherland of the Apricot, is the oldest and genuine center for growing apricot. This is proved by 3000 year old apricot cores discovered during excavations at Garni temple, 25 km far from Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. It is also testified by wide varieties of apricot trees growing in Armenia.

The apricot was imported into Europe by Lucullus, a Roman general after the 1st century B.C. Because of its origin the fruit was known as "prunus Armeniaca" which means "Armenian plum". The Armenian sources are not the only ones to provide information about apricot: in cuneiform inscriptions by Sargon the 2nd of Asorestan (24th century B.C.), we find that he had taken with him plum, apple, mulberry and apricot. In the 2nd and 3rd millenniums B.C. apricot was known to many old nations in the world as "armanu".

Apricot is also remarkable among Armenians because it is from an apricot tree that one of the most beloved and most famous of Armenian national musical instruments, the world acclaimed duduk (in Armenian "tsiranapogh" apricot pipe), is made.

There is an interesting fact about apricot: the apricot is similar to the shape of an egg, and the egg, as is well known, is the symbol of all existence. The apricot has a unique skin, which preserves the life giving energy, vitamins etc. as well as fabulous taste and smell of apricot for a long time. Armenian apricot is different. No apricot in the world tastes and smells as good as the Armenian apricot. No surprise, that many tourists and especially Diaspora Armenians visit Armenia during "apricot season". Following a tradition coming from the depth of centuries, people enjoy this blessed fruit, which protects them from all kinds of diseases. It is told that apricot is one of the exceptional fruits in the world, as it contains gold.
The apricot has a very positive influence on human brain and other organs. It brings people to the condition of golden cut. The "golden cut" is the divine harmony of everything: the positive and negative emotions, feelings, thoughts, abilities, materials and energy. From ancient times apricot is known as "medicine for heart diseases". It prevents heart attacks; it heals heart diseases as well as many other diseases. Apricot prevents malicious cancer, it improves the immune system, and it activates people and moderates the function of the neural system. The apricot core is also very tasty and useful to health. In Armenia one can often see how children break the core and eat the essence of it. There are numerous opinions and ancient texts according to which, those who periodically eat enough apricot grown on Armenian land: live a long, healthy, and happy life.

Apricot truly is a blessed fruit.

History of Armenia

Ancient History
Armenia is one of the oldest nations in the world. The historical homeland is the Armenian Highland, which together with neighboring territories of Asia Minor and the Iranian Plateau is considered to be the cradle of Indo-European nations. Armenians call themselvesHyeand their countryHayastan. The Armenian "Hayasa" country is mentioned in Hittite sources from the second millennium B.C., which were found during archeological excavations in the capital of the Hittite state. Assyrian cuneiform inscriptions from the 1st millennium B.C. mention the Urartu kingdom, a federation of Armenian tribes, which extended throughout the Armenian Highland. The Urartu or "Ararat" kingdom was a highly civilized state, which left behind a rich cultural heritage. One of the many strongholds built during the Urartu kingdom includes Erebuni Fortress (782 B.C.), located within Yerevan and from which the today's capital city gets its name.
After Urartu came another Armenian kingdom established by the Ervanduni Dynasty. This kingdom was eventually subdued by Achaemenian Iran. As a result of invasions of Alexander the Great in the IV century B.C. Armenia became part of the Hellenic world.

In 189 B.C. an independent Armenian state - Greater Armenia (Armenia Major)- was formed and ruled by the Artashesian dynasty. Greater Armenia reached its culmination of power during the reign of Tigran the Great in the 1st century B.C. The vast Armenian empire of this period extended from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Sea and from the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, comprising a territory of 316 thousand sq. km. divided into 15 provinces. It was the third largest state of the Near East, after the Roman Empire and Parthia. Tigran the Great's reign was a time of intensive construction of cities, of development of trade and arts. According to Greek geographer and historian Strabonis (1st century B.C.) all the people who lived in Armenian Highland spoke one language. The Armenian capital of that time, Artashat, was compared to Carthagen by great ancient author Plutharkos. He wrote about the beauty and glory of the city, which was located on the Silk Road, and served as a trade-bridge between the East and West. The Kingdom of the Greater Armenia survived for 600 years.

The first centuries after Christ were wrought with ceaseless wars between Roman Empire and powerful Parthian empire. The battlefield between these two empires was Armenia, which as a result became divided into two parts - East and West - by the 4th century. However, long before that, in 301 A.D., Armenia adopted Christianity as a state religion and became the first Christian nation in the world. After a hundred years Armenians celebrated another major event in their history: in 405 the Armenian alphabet was created. This alphabet is credited with fortifying Armenian language and culture and consequently saving Armenians from assimilation during the centuries of invasion and domination to come.

Middle Ages
Initially Armenia remained divided between Byzantium and Iran. Later, Armenia came under the rule of the Arab Empire. After numerous rebellions against Arab rule the Armenian Bagratid family succeeded in obtaining a degree of autonomy during the VIII century and in 885 Ashot Bagratuni was granted the title of King of Armenia, acknowledged as such by both the Arab Khalifat and Byzantium. The most prosperous period of Bagratid kingdom was in X-XI centuries.

The invasion of Seljuk Turks and the new division of Armenia between Byzantium and Iran after the weakening of the Arab Khalifat resulted in Armenia's renewed subjugation. The destruction of the country was completed by the Tatar-Mongolian invasions of the XIII century. Armenian noble families that had fled to the shores of Mediterranean Sea succeeded in establishing an independent Armenian state in the XI century called Cilicia. In the XII century Levon of the Rubinian dynasty came to the throne of Cilician Kingdom, which existed till the XIV century. The Armenian nation had a chance to develop its culture and science in a relatively peaceful environment. The Cilician Kingdom served as an outpost during the Crusades until Egyptian Mameluks destroyed it.

Modern History
With the emergence of the Ottoman Turks on the historical scene came the destruction of the Byzantine Empire and the occupation of its whole territory and thus began the darkest days of Armenian history. From the XV to the XVII centuries Armenian territory was an area of continual wars between the Ottoman Empire and Iran, which divided Armenia for themselves in 1639. Turkish and Iranian domination hindered cultural development. Only in a few mountainous regions such as Sunik and Artsakh the Armenians were successful in maintaining semi-independent principalities (melikutyunner), where Armenian rulers (meliks) governed.

In 1828, as a result of the Russian-Persian war, Eastern Armenia, along with Erivan Fortress, was annexed to Russia, while the Armenians in Western Armenia, who were under Turkish rule, were under constant threat of physical annihilation. The Turkish anti-Armenian policy reached its culmination during the 1st World War. From 1915 to 1916 the Turkish government committed Genocide of the Armenian population in Turkey. More than 1.5 million Armenians were annihilated and more exiled. The great majority of historic Armenia was deprived of its native population.

In Eastern Armenia, in May of 1918, an independent Armenian Republic was formed which existed for 2.5 years. The first Armenian Republic could not resist against threatening attacks of Turkish armies and Bolshevik Russia to invade Armenia and was converted into a Soviet Republic in 1920. Although Armenia experienced all the cruelties of Stalin's regime and continued Bolshevik dictatorship, still industrialization and social progress were made.
From 1941 to 1945 Armenians fought against fascism together with other Soviet nations. More than 600,000 Armenians fought in WWII and approximately 200,000 war participants never returned from the front lines. Armenians fought not only in the Soviet army, but also as part of armed forces of allied countries and in partisan armies. Armenia also had its national divisions, which were recognized for their courage. The 89th Armenian division progressed all the way to Berlin, took part in Berlin battles and the Armenian soldiers danced their victory dance under the walls of Reichstag. The Soviet Army had about 60 Armenian generals. 108 Armenians were granted the highest award of the Soviet Union, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, for heroism and courage. In spite of difficulties caused by the war, the country continued to grow economically.

The post-war period offered new spheres of economic development such as military engineering, radio-electronics, machine and automobile industry. The industrial potential of Armenia was based on the chemical and machine industry, food industry, metallurgy and the production of construction materials. A considerable part of military electronic production of the Soviet Union was centralized in Armenia. Science was highly developed in the country and more than 22,000 scientists worked in more than 130 research institutions.

In 1988, in Mountainous Karabakh (the Artsakh province of historical Armenia which was forcefully unified to Soviet Azerbaijan in 1921 as a result of Stalin's policy) and in Armenia there began the first and most powerful democratic movement in the former Soviet Union. The movement demanded Karabakh's reunification to Armenia. The Karabakh movement was an unprecedented one not only for the Soviet Union but also for the whole totalitarian socialist system. It had a major role in implementing democratic amendments in the country and eventually led to reestablishment of Armenia's independence and the de facto unification with Mountainous Karabakh.

On September 21, 1991 by means of referendum, Armenia proclaimed its independence and at the end of the same year Armenia entered the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a configuration of former Soviet Republics. From the beginning of independence the Armenian government followed a policy of establishing friendly relations with all countries and especially with neighboring ones. In 1991 the independent Republic of Armenia was acknowledged by the USA, Russia, Canada and other countries. In 1992 Armenia became a member of UN.

Population: 3,213,011 (96% are ethnic Armenians)
Land area: 29,800 square km
Independence: Since September 21, 1991
State system: Presidential Republic
Parliament: National Assembly, 131 members
Constitution: Adopted on July 5, 1995 (amended in 2005). The Constitution provides system of checks and balances between branches of power and guarantees fundamental human rights and liberties in accordance to international practices.
Capital city: Yerevan (population - 1,103,488 people)
Administrative division: 10 marzes (provinces) and Yerevan city
Language: Armenian
Religion: Christianity (Armenian Apostolic Church), adopted in 301
Currency: Armenian Dram (AMD), introduced in November 1993
Labor force: About 2 million citizens belong to the labor force. 1.2 million are economically active. The unemployment rate is 10%.
Employment by sectors: 77% in private sector, 23% in public sector and in state owned companies.
Literacy rate: 99%
Time zone: GMT+4
Membership to international organizations: Member of UN, Council of Europe, OSCE, WB, IMF, EBRD, WTO, BSEC (Black Sea Economic Cooperation), IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), ICPO-Interpol, UNESCO, WHO (World Health Organization) and WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), etc.
Armenian Diaspora: Armenia has a worldwide Diaspora of about 6 million. The largest Diaspora communities are in Russia, USA, France, Germany, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, UK, Australia and Canada.

Aleppo-Armenian filmmaker Avo Kaprealian’s film “Houses without Doors” has won the Best International Documentary award at 34th Torino International Film Festival. Gandzasar reports about this.

The jury of the film festival named the documentary film the best especially because of the fact that the director has managed to shoot the film footages from the balcony of his house in the wartime to show the tragedy of the war and to underscore that the Armenian and Arab population in Syria equally suffer as a result of the barbaric activities.

Avo Kaprealian has dedicated his film To Aleppo noting that “Aleppo is being destroyed in the arms of its mother Syria”. He has also added the award just bring the Armenian nation one step closer to the truth for which they have been fighting to be recognized for 100 years already.

“Armenians often stress that they must not be subjected to a second genocide, however genocidal activities are carried out not only against the Syrian population, but also against the people living in Iraq and Palestine,” A. Kaprealian noted.

Notably Avo Kaprealian’s film “Houses without Doors” has already been screened within Berlin International Film Festival and One World Film Festival held in Prague. The film shows the life of an Armenian family that has fled to Beirut during clashes in New Village district of Aleppo in 2015. The author has shot the destructions in the district and the civilians who face hardships. He draws parallels between the sufferings of the Syrian residents and the Armenian Genocide in a unique way.

Avo Kaprealian was born in 1986 in Aleppo and is from a Syrian-Armenian family. He left his hometown to study theater at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus where he graduated in 2011. He took part in several film workshops organized by DocMed, Bidayyat for Audiovisual Arts and Screen Beirut on the development of film ideas. After returning to Aleppo, to Aleppo, he started teaching at the Akkad Institute of Theatre and Arts.

Source Panorama.am