Khachkars: Documentation, Preservation, and Continuation
Saturday, January 9, 2021, at 1:00 pm Eastern
On Zoom and NAASR's YouTube channel Armenian Studies. 

PANELISTS
ARGAM AYVAZYAN, historian, journalist, and researcher on Armenian history and culture of Nakhichevan
HAMLET PETROSYAN, Head of the Department of Cultural Studies of Yerevan State University and Head of Artsakh Archaeological Expedition
RAFFI KORTOSHIAN, Co-Director, Administration and Publications, Research of Armenian Architecture (RAA) Foundation
SIMON MAGHAKYAN, translator

The erasure of Armenian cultural history in Nakhichevan is one of the most underreported acts of cultural destruction in the 21st century. The year 2020 marks the 15-year commemoration of the final phase of this systematic destruction, when in 2005, the Azerbaijani army destroyed with sledgehammers thousands of remaining khachkars in Jugha (Old Julfa) in Nakhichevan, effectively eliminating the last remains of Armenian cultural presence in the region. UNESCO had designated these monuments as Cultural Identity but took no action to protect them.

This program is the third of a series to raise awareness throughout the world about this act of cultural destruction, as well as the artistic, cultural, and religious significance of khachkars through the ages, ongoing efforts at preserving ancient ones still standing, and the art of the khachkar today.

This program was made possible through the generous support of the Dadourian Foundation.

CO-SPONSORS
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
Research on Armenian Architecture (RAA)