The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) recently participated in the three-day World Congress of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) in Asunción, Paraguay. IUSY is the biggest political youth organization in the world, representing about 150 member organizations from more than 100 countries. IUSY is the youth wing of the Socialist International, bringing together the socialist, social democratic and labor political youth organizations from around the world that work to enhance principles of democratic socialism, equality, human rights and social justice.

The AYF, as a member organization, exercised its full member status by sending two delegates to the Congress. This year ARF Shant Student Association executive member Nora Kayserianand AYF South America executive member Guillermo Ferraioli Karamanian represented Armenia at the Congress. “This was an opportunity for AYF to share with the rest of the world’s leading youth organizations its mission and activities, while learning from and networking with other socialist parties from around the world,” stated Guillermo.

The World Congress entitled “An Equal World is Possible! Struggling for Democracy and Social Justice for all,” held its opening ceremony at the Parliament, where delegates listened to talks highlighting how the left in Latin America has taken the lead in the fight for democracy. Delegates also had the chance to meet the President of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo. The rest of the weekend was focused on the election of the new leadership, as well as the adoption of the IUSY Global Political Manifesto.

“It was inspiring to meet activists from around the globe who are fighting the same fight. While it is indeed an uphill struggle, we are not alone. Our struggle for democracy and social justice is one of hope and resistance and as long as we continue to fight for what we believe in, we will see change,” said Nora Kayserian.

By: Gev Iskajyan

The 24th of April has come and gone for the 97th time since the Turkish government’s failed attempts to eradicate the Armenian race. That’s 1,164 months since the systematic murder, rape, and deportation of over a million and half Armenians began in the city of Constantinople.

This battle came to be out of necessity for continuity as a People: the Persian Empire wanted Armenians to abandon their faith. Their king, King Yazdigerd II, loathed Christianity and wished to destroy their individuality on the whole.

Those who grew up going to an Armenian school have undoubtedly heard of Vartan Mamigonian (Վարդան Մամիկոնեան), and the epic battle during which he led the Armenian forces against a vastly outnumbering Persian army. Vartan, who was later canonised, was of noble lineage whose family tree includes Saint Gregory the Illuminator (Սուրբ Գրիգոր Լուսավորիչ). His father, however, was General Hamazasp (Սպարապետ Համազասպ) and, like him, Vartan became a soldier. He was a highly respected soldier at that, with integrity and wisdom: in addition, he had a strong Christian belief. The fact that he had Holy Communion with his soldiers; prayed, recited the 23rd Psalm and shared food with them, all prior to the commencement of battle, can attest to these.

It was in this period immediately before the battle when Vartan was quoted as saying “We have served until now mortal kings… now it is time to serve the immortal king”. Vartan’s speech instilled inspiration and stimulated his troops towards defending not only their religion but also, in the wider scheme, their culture and entire way of life. Finally, the battle commenced on May 26th, 451 AD, on the Avarayr Plain (Ավարայրի Դաշտ). Vartan Mamigonian led 66,000 Armenians against an army outnumbering them almost 4-to-1 and consisting of war elephants too.

Many Armenian martyrs were made that day – Vartan Mamigonian included – but, while the battle was lost, their sacrifice was not in vain. The Persian king, astounded by the valour of his opponents and acknowledging that this could only stem from their passion for their beliefs, developed a great respect for Armenians and put an end to his attempts at converting them. In this way the Armenians of the time lived on in relative peace, their traditions safeguarded for another period.

We’ve suffered countless episodes such as this where, for one reason or another; our rights, customs, traditions, faith, freedom and uniqueness have been challenged. We’ve endlessly endured stiff oppression, but, as a brilliantly proud and zealous People, we’ve largely staved off assimilating.

1600 years have since passed, our identity all the while maturing, and we’ve spread across the globe achieving many things. As a persevering people we must continue to uphold our identity in whichever corner of the world we find ourselves. Wherever we may be and whatever we pursue we all share a common history: a story of constant struggles for peace which unites us and enriches our lives. As Hrant Dink, Serj Tankian and Monte Melkonian (to name a few) have done, by digging deep towards our roots we can find and adopt the same spirit with which Vartan’s soldiers fought in defending our heritage.

Heros Jojaghaian

AYF London “Khanasor” Chapter

All that makes existence valuable to any one depends on the enforcement of restraints upon the actions of other people.
–John Stuart Mill (On Liberty)

Last week, the French Senate approved a bill that, in effect, makes it a criminal offense to deny the genocide committed by Ottoman Turks against Armenians. Predictable Turkish “outrage” has included threats to recall its Ambassador to France, restrict trade between the nations, and a move to deport Armenian laborers from Turkey. The legislation has also aroused public debate about the freedom of speech and expression as it relates to genocide denial. While the law should be applauded as a milestone in punishing an ongoing genocide, some are misrepresenting it as a violation of a universal right.

The purpose of the law (as stated by the French Senate; translated into English), “aims to punish those who have publicly made an apology for, trivialized, or denied crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes…or [crimes] recognized by France.”

This bill is written in the same spirit as the Gayssot Act, enacted in France in 1990. The Gayssot Act responded to “revisionism” by individuals who justified their writings by their (perceived) status as historians, who challenged the existence of the Holocaust. To the French government these revisionist arguments constituted a contemporary form of anti-Semitism that warranted a limitation of the freedom of speech in France. The law has since been challenged and upheld, by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, as a necessary restriction of expression “intended to serve the struggle against racism and anti-Semitism.” ¹

The committee’s judgement mentioned Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as justification for upholding the law. Article 19 of the Covenant states that “Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference, and everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression…[however,] the exercise of these rights carries with it special duties and responsibilities [and] may therefore be subject to certain restrictions [which are] provided by law and are necessary for respect of the rights and reputations of others; [and] for the protection of national security or of public order.”

In recognizing the legality of the Gayssot Act, the Human Rights Committee acknowledged the duality of “the freedom of speech and expression” as both a right and a duty. Free speech is only a right as far as it does not infringe on rights of others to be free from assaults on their dignity. Moreover, free speech carries with it the duty to act responsibly and with respect to others and to society as a whole.

These laws highlight differences between European and American value systems and resulting legal responses. While the United States prides itself on being a protector of individual liberties², European countries place a higher onus on the inviolability of human dignity.³ For this reason, denialist speech is not understood to be a right, rather it is seen as an indefensible form of racism.

Regardless of geographic location, it is absurd to think that societies exist today or should exist, which place no boundaries on speech and expression (consider laws that prohibit child pornography, advertising cigarettes to kids, or exposing state secrets). So the question is not whether to place limits, rather the question is where to place the limits.

Even in the United States, considered the bastion of liberty, the concept of free speech has never been absolute. US courts have agreed that not all speech is protected speech. Unlawful speech, under the United States Constitution, includes defamation, perjury, incitement and several other categories.

Unlawful Speech (under the US Constitution)
Defamation: False statements about another person, which causes harm to that person.
Perjury: False statements made during a judicial proceeding while under oath to speak the truth.
Incitement: Speech that is intended to cause an immediate breach of the peace.

To better understand where the limits to speech and expression should be, the question that must be asked is, “Does the speech in question further or hinder our society’s most fundamental values/goals?” While it is said, “truth emerges from the clash of ideas,” governmental intervention is necessitated in many instances.

In American society, we value dignity and aim to protect it from untruths; therefore we punish defamation because it spreads lies, which hurt people’s reputation and honor. We value due process, a truthful historical record and honesty; therefore we punish perjury because false testimony becomes a part of court transcripts that can be used to unjustly convict (or acquit) others. We value peace and lawfulness; therefore we punish incitement because instigating illegal activity is dangerous.

Genocide is understood to be a crime against all of humanity, and it remains society’s obligation to punish it and prevent its recurrence. In order to do so, a strong message must be sent that recognizes historical facts and simultaneously condemns their distortion. This is important, not to “prove” the history to the perpetrators, but to safeguard the education of future generations, and to isolate and discredit the revisionists.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars has stated, “The single best predictor of future genocide is denial of a past genocide coupled with impunity for its perpetrators.” Since denial is the last phase of genocide, Turkey represents a continual threat to Armenia’s national security (not to mention the safety of its minority populations) as an unrepentant human rights violator, and a threat to the international community through its audacious state-sponsored denial campaign and political bullying. Steps, such as those taken by France, should be adopted without cowering to threats of reprisal, implicit⁴ or explicit⁵, from the Turkish government.

The notion that today’s Turkey is organically and voluntarily coming to terms with its past, and should therefore be left to its own devices is dangerously misguided. If not for international condemnation, resulting from decades of global activism, the Armenian genocide would be a non-issue relegated to the annals of history. Moreover, Armenian genocide-related human rights violations continue to this very day in Turkey, from the failure to investigate state culpability in Hrant Dink’s murder, to the arrest of Ragip Zarakolu, to the calls for new deportations. Therefore, it is justifiable and reasonable for the international community to condemn Turkey through their legislative bodies.

External pressure and international isolation have finally led to discussion about the genocide inside of Turkey. However, as long as the government of Turkey continues its current policies, these measures will remain necessary to raise the issue, for the sake of the victims, their descendants, Turkish citizens, and the international community at large.

Notes
1. In 1993 Holocaust-denying “academic” Robert Faurisson challenged the legality of the Gayssot Act. He claimed the law curtailed his right to freedom of expression and academic freedom in general, guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ratified by 67 nations, including France: 1980; Turkey: 2003; Armenia: 1993; United States: 1992). The United Nations Human Rights Committee found that Faurisson was convicted for “violating the rights and reputations of others” and ruled that the Gayssot law was a necessary restriction of his expression “intended to serve the struggle against racism and anti-Semitism.”

2. Seen in the Bill of Rights, most notably in the First Amendment’s protection of free speech and press.

3. Seen in Article 1 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; Article 4 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man; Article 1 of The Constitution of Germany

4. Concerning the well-being and safety of the remaining Armenian communities within Turkey today

5. Concerning threats from the Turkish government to severe political ties, trade relations, and military cooperation with countries that condemn the Armenian genocide and its denial

Vaché Thomassian is the Chairperson of the ARF “Shant” Student Association, Editor of Haytoug magazine, and a member of the executive board of the Loyola Law School Armenian Law Students’ Association.

Ani and Maro are two friends who met in Armenia and proceeded to have wild adventures together. At times they have dared called themselves archeologists, sociologists, modern-day explorers, gastro-bloggers and socialites. Today they merely call themselves freelancers (read: uninsured). These are a few of their favorite things:

Soviet choo choo: Head South down Mesrop Mashtots Ave and turn right after you pass Arami St. After a stroll through the old park with its defunct concrete fountains, a long graffiti-covered tunnel will lead you to Hrazdan Gorge. Head left as you exit the tunnel, travel past old carousels and walk down some stairs on the right and, as if from a dream, a Soviet-era children’s choo choo train will reveal itself in the distance. Hang out along the river here and watch underwear-clad local elderly gents as they swim in the river. That mysterious coke bottle they offer you is probably filled with homemade vodka, so beware.

Opera Square: Have a cup of the cheapest (and best) Armenian coffee in town at Cafe Meghedi, or sample the Beef Stroganoff (not the best…in fact, avoid it). Oftentimes there are concerts and events held in Opera Square, and it is also a favorite gathering spot for opposition protesters.

Attend a Soccer Game: Now that Armenia has a winning team (Ireland, we’ll get you next time), come out and show your support. You won’t see these boys taking cigarette breaks at halftime and you’ll be amazed to see them actually pass the ball. The excitement in the stadium is infectious and you will learn what hoop tur really means.

Roof and Cafe of the National Gallery: After a quick stop to see the world’s oldest shoe, head upstairs to the National Picture Gallery and check out works by Hovhannes Aivasovsky, Vardges Surenyants and Gevorg Bashinjaghyan. Then walk out onto the roof on the ninth floor and enjoy a unique view of Yerevan from above. The cafe there is usually empty and is a quiet place, sit and have coffee, and be ignored by the staff.

Vernissage and Cafeteria: Vernissage is an open-air bazaar where you can find anything from puppies to fine china. We personally enjoy Vernissage when it’s cold out and the sidewalks arecovered in a thick layer of black ice, but to each her own. Don’t miss the cheapest meal you can probably find anywhere in the world at the Vernissage cafeteria. It’s an unmarked, unnamed spot just off the bazaar on Aram St., and to the best of our knowledge the vendors also store paintings there. Half the fun is in finding the place, follow the scent of vodka and dolma or ask a ruddy art vendor for directions.  The proprietress will offer you The Greasiest Comfort Food Ever.

Markets beneath Barekamutyun Metro and in the alley on Tigran Metz Ave on the left after the man who makes hats: Ani’s favorite gift for Maro has always been oversized underwear printed with glittery poetry and there are only a few spots to find just the right ones. At either of these markets you’ll be able to pick up a kebab and have your watch fixed all while selecting non-stick cookware and an Adibas sports-bag.

Juice Stand in Sakharov Square: Fresh juices in Armenia are simply called “fresh”. This spot is usually only open in the summer and serves the best fresh this side of Vernissage.  Watch out for inferior, flashier imitations.

Pak Shuka (Covered Market) and Blue Mosque: Head to the back of the covered market to meet the tuti oghi vendor who will have you sample his wares in a back room with basterma hanging from the ceiling. Please be aware that you will be in close proximity of the spice lady who will insist on you taking one or several of her favorite mixes. Exit the market and cross the street to visit the beautiful 18^th century Blue Mosque.

Parpetsi: Enjoy the night life on Ghazar Parpetsi St. Start off with a coffee and a crepe at Gemini, then continue on to check out the atmospheres at various local bars including 26, D.I.Y, Metro Music and Rock Bar. Take a break for a burger at newly opened Factory and stop in to hear a jam at Syncopat on Pushkin where you can join in if you’re feeling brave. Continue down Pushkin to check out the vibe at Calumet and Beatles, and finish on Saryan at Tro’s Pub wi th a game of foosball.

Master Levon’s Cave: Only in Armenia can a request from your wife to dig a potato pit result in a twenty-year quest to dig a cave by hand.  The resulting wonder is 21 meters deep and spans 300 meters, a glorious cavern that is testament to one man’s vision. Located in Arinj Village.

Stop Club: The best place to hear rock music in Yerevan.

Sasuntsi Davit train station: Make use of new digital screens to catch a train to Gyumri, Lake Sevan, Tbilisi or other places from this beautiful Soviet-era train station. On longer train rides, please note hidden charges like pillow cases and be prepared for a stern knock on your door at 4am for passport control.

Old Houses in Yerevan: Search for Yerevan’s past in the areas near Northern Avenue and off Amiryan St. between Abovyan St. and Mashtots Ave. These homes are quickly disappearing and they are definitely worth a visit.

Luna Park: A psychedelic Soviet-era amusement park where you can lose your life on a roller coaster while watching a Rabiz singer and eating popcorn. If you want to take your beer on the Ferris wheel they won’t check your bag. Don’t miss the Haunted House where your only fear is that you may trip because there is not a stitch of light in the place.

Is it edible? While traveling through Armenia we suggest that you expand your culinary horizons. Visit different restaurants, don’t be afraid to point to and order random things off the menu. Go ahead, dip some dried lavash into a steaming bowl of khash (cow knuckle soup) and chase it down with a shot of vodka, your life will never be the same.

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when you’re feeling sad…go do something crazy with your friends in Armenia. Stop by Cafe Meghedi for a coffee, maybe you’ll run into Ani and Maro and they can tell you about the time they ate questionable kebab and got sick in Abovyan. But trust us on the Beef Stroganoff.

By: Ani Sarkisian

The way I remember it, the first time I went to Karahunj there wasn’t even a road. It was my very first time in Armenia, everything was brand new, and the constant overload of sensory experience for three months renders my memory suspect when it tells me that we veered off the main highway into a field and all we had to guide us was our driver’s infallible sense of direction (and really, when it’s your first time in Armenia and you’re the only kid who doesn’t speak the language, you want to find the guy with the infallible sense of direction).  I was tagging along with a couple of friends on their AYF excursion, knew nothing about Armenia, and I think when I heard someone mention “Stonehenge,” I rolled my eyes.

By now, you may have heard of Karahunj (or Zorats Karer). After being featured in a History Channel documentary as well as a segment on CNN (videos that were subsequently shared on many an Armenian Facebook wall), you may recognize it asArmenian Stonehenge.  The more than 200 stones in the layout have been standing sentinels at the edge of Sisian in the Syunik province for around 7500 years, making it 4500 years older than Stonehenge in the UK.  Some of the stones weigh more than 50 tons, and 85 of them have man-made holes that form calculated angles when connected, drawing the eye to certain points in the sky.

International teams of archeologists, astronomers, and historians have competing theories to account for what it could exactly signify.  It could be the world’s oldest observatory and calendar.  Another theory, taking changes in the tilt of the Earth’s axis into account, is that the stones appear to line up with the constellation Cygnus (a swan or a vulture, depending on where you’re from), which symbolized an entry into the stars above; the idea is that our ancestors were possibly trying to tell us where we came from. There’s also the ominous thought that our ancestors were trying to leave a message, warning us of cataclysmic dangers that can be read in the stars.  There’s even a theory that the first inhabitants of Great Britain were Armenians, meaning they brought their knowledge of astronomy and the concept of a Stonehenge and the tradition of khachkars to Europe.  Supporting this theory is the fact that “kar” means stone in Armenian, and “hunge” translates to something like “bunch,” but the word “henge” has no origins in the English language, making its existence in the name Stonehenge all but arbitrary without the Armenian link.

Of course, I had no idea about any of this on my first trip to Karahunj. Our motley crew also included my host sister and a hitchhiking soldier on his way home, and we were all too worn out and too busy chattering to each other to ask too many questions about what we were about to see. I remember staggering out into the approaching twilight and fog, unsure of what I was looking for.  “Stonehenge,” I thought to myself, and started searching for rocks in the shape of a pi sign.  My eyes identified a seemingly random collection of rocks that slowly revealed a pattern, snaking into the distance and towards a central point.  I remember the first stone I saw with a hole and feeling my heart thud.

In the distance, one of the stones broke itself in half and walked towards us; it took me a minute to realize it was a man who had been sitting out there all alone and reading a book. He approached our group and greeted us.  My host sister, Rosa, whispered a translation and it turned out the young man was from Yerevan and was studying archeology.  Because there were no signs or guides to explain the stones and their mysteries, he spent his summers sitting there waiting.   “For what?” I asked.  Rosa relayed my question, and the young man’s eyes lit up.  He answered, Rosa smiled, and she grinned and turned to me.  “For you, of course!”  He proceeded to walk us through and explain the theories, placing his hands on the stones with respect and affection.  He spent he summers out there in hopes that someone, or some group, would make the trip so that he could share his knowledge and revel in the enigmas of Karahunj.

Nowadays, UNESCO signs and a tourism kiosk give visitors a basic idea of what they’re seeing.  But when I think of Karahunj, I always think of that solitary man in a nondescript field surrounded by the wisdom of our ancestors, patiently waiting for someone to join him: to stare at our past in wonder, to share the secrets of the ancients, to speculate, and to remember that life is mostly a mystery.

There is no shortage of recent success stories about national economies skipping the development of a large manufacturing sector and instead building a prosperous economy on a robust services industry alone. Countries like Ireland, Norway, and India have largely forgone manufacturing and instead focused their economies on services, the sector of the economy that includes things like finance, software development, design, IT, media, customer support, and other services that are increasingly becoming easier to trade in thanks to technology.

The traditional view of an economy’s services sector is a negative one; it is frequently accused of being unproductive and not valuable to an economy’s international competitiveness. This may have been true in the recent past; services have traditionally been immobile and involved only in the domestic economy, contributing little to a country’s exports. However, with the emergence of better communications technology the traditional barriers to exporting services have waned. India and Ireland have been able to capitalize on this opportunity and have built successful export economies based largely on services, attracting massive foreign investment and trade.

The traditional meat and potatoes of an economy has always been thought to be the manufacturing sector. Development economists still preach the tried-and-true methods of moving labor from agriculture to high-productivity manufacturing jobs. This is, undoubtedly, how economies have developed in the past; see South Korea, Taiwan or China as recent examples.

But the outlook on manufacturing is not as rosy for Armenia. Sure, Armenia was a manufacturing powerhouse in the Soviet Union, but without the protection of the centrally planned economy, Armenia is in a whole new ball game. In the new economic climate that Armenia finds itself in – with no sea ports of its own, eastern and western blockades, and an underdeveloped infrastructure – the manufacturing industry faces many obstacles. Meanwhile, a potentially strong services sector has many opportunities to look toward, providing new hope, at least for the near future.

Since independence, Armenia’s services sector has overtaken its manufacturing. And in the 2000′s, the services sector has been the clear driving force behind Armenia’s high economic growth rates. As a portion of GDP, Armenia’s services sector holds 46 percent, while it employs 36 percent of the labor force. One needs only to cruise down an avenue in Yerevan (driving carefully of course) to see evidence of this: advertisements for VivaCell-MTS, Ameriabank, and other such service corporations litter the city.

There are a number of reasons why a services-oriented economy offers better prospects for Armenia. For one, services – which are largely based on telecommunications and which lack the need for physical transportation of goods – can bypass Armenia’s troubles with infrastructure and its lack of sufficiently accessible trade and transportation routes.

A services industry also circumvents the need for a low-wage, exploitable labor force that is necessary in most newly industrializing economies. Armenia does not possess, nor should it want such a labor force.  Services jobs provide far better working conditions. The services industry is also a boon when it comes to opportunities for women. Services jobs are equally accessible, if not more accessible, to women as they are to men. Increased opportunities for women means not only greater social equality, but also increased incomes for households.

Lastly, services have far less impact on the environment. This is a very attractive offer to Armenia, which suffers its fair share of environmental degradation and problems arising from it.

Service-based is the industry that the global economy is shifting towards, with more room to grow than other industries and a plethora of new opportunities that well-prepared countries can seize. Considering that most of Armenia’s current manufacturing sector consists of raw commodities exports and not much high-value production, equipping itself to reap the benefits of favorable services opportunities is the most sensible thing Armenia can do.

If Armenia were to embrace services it would have no lack of useful resources. Armenia has an enthusiastic diaspora, who are educated and possess skills and knowledge about the services industry that they can introduce to Armenia, not to mention the capital with which to start such business ventures.  Armenia also has a capable workforce for the services, with decent education, good technical knowledge, and plenty of artistic skills. The only thing missing from the Armenian labor force is an English-speaking workforce, a vital component to any service economy.

Of course, it might be grossly overoptimistic to hope that Armenia, with its scores of growth-inhibiting problems such as corruption and an oligopolistic economy, is actually prepared to take on this challenge. But there are a number of things the Armenian government can do to create a more competitive services sector.  The most important task would be to invest more in education, especially in technical skills. An ideal decision also would be to replace Russian language learning courses in school with English.

The Armenian government should also invest in services infrastructure, further improving and upgrading telecommunications lines for example, encouraging more widespread Internet access and establishing helpful regulatory and oversight agencies.

Many of these needed investments into education and infrastructure have been undertaken by the private sector as business investments, as in the case of the massive telecom infrastructure overhaul that has been carried out recently almost exclusively by private companies. But the Armenian government should not rely on the benevolence of the private sector or non-governmental organizations; it should resolve to carry out these tasks on its own if it expects to guarantee its goals.

The most important thing that the Armenian government needs to do, however, is to overcome its crippling system of oligopolies and to encourage vigorous competition. To stay competitive internationally, the government must allow the services market to operate freely, intervening not to provide favors for government-connected pals, but to encourage more competitiveness and to protect nascent enterprises. On the same token, the government must allow the services industry to compete with foreign firms and do business with them; only in this way can Armenia bolster the quality of its services exports. With help from government, an Armenian architecture firm or web development company has the potential to be as large a company as some of its best-known European counterparts.

The recent opening of the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies in Yerevan provides hands on education in to youth in a state-of-the-art facility.  This type of instruction in the fields of animation, gaming, web development and video will lead to a broadening of career opportunities for our new generation.  The AYF, with its work in the Youth Corps program and through its donations of computers and books, among other efforts, can help towards this goal as well, supplementing the work needed to prepare for the future of Armenia’s services industry.

Dilijan and Parz Lich: Located in Northern Armenia, Dilijan is like the Armenian Alps. Check out the beautiful old wooden homes in Old Dilijan or take a hike around the crystalline Parz Lich.

Aragatz: Get caught in a lightning storm and be pelted with hail on the peaks of Armenia’s highest mountain. Slide down through the snow and tap dance on flat stones that sound like xylophones. Make sure you have your transportation to get down the mountain worked out before hand or discover yourself with the surliest group of friends you’ve ever had. Also make sure to admire the nomadic Yezidi settlements on the way up the mountain.

The other Shores of Lake Sevan – Noraduz and Shorzha: Buy fish from local fisherman who hold up their hands as an indication of the size of their fish, and not the size of the equipment that caught it. Check out Noraduz Cemetery with its medieval khachkars and head around the lake to Shorzha to feel like you’re the only person in the world.

Karahunj and Ughtasar: You might see people with stethoscopes trying to pick up vibrations in the rocks. If you’re truly adventurous, take a Soviet jeep up a nearby mountain to get to Ughtasar, where you’ll find the mountainside scattered with petroglyphs.

Geghard and Garni: Geghard is a beautiful monastery partly carved out of a mountain. Just nearby, Garni is the site of Armenia’s last standing Pagan temple. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the local lavash factory and lunch with local gangsters. Just don’t get into their large black SUV, even if they offer you land and livestock. Food for thought.

Goris and Khndzoresk: The last time Ani visited this place, she acted like a sullen teenager and refused to take in the breathtaking views. Don’t do that when you go. Do feel free to crawl into ancient caves where our ancestors used to live. Don’t lean against the car glaring at your parents, even if they started it. Because they did.

Tatev and Devil’s Bridge: The beautiful monastery of Tatev can only be reached by hiring a driver named Tarzan and his orange marshrutka (minibus). Well, no, that’s not really true, but it should be. Tatev can also be reached by the world’s longest teleferic (aerial tramway). Before you head up to the monastery make sure to check out Devil’s Bridge, a natural bridge above the Vorotan river. You can climb down the edge of the bridge to bathe in mineral pools and explore the taverns below with theirimpressive stalagmites and stalactites.

Lastiver: Climb through caves with carvings pre-dating Christianity and chip a front tooth while jumping off a large waterfall. Lastiver is one of our favorite adventure spots. If you like nature and hiking and benches made of tree trunks, this spot is a must. Go ahead and build a fire, City Kid. Builds character.

Ani (from Armenia): The only site on our list that might frustrate you, the medieval city of Ani can only be seen from Armenia and not actually visited. But if you can’t make it to Turkey to visit Ani properly, the trip to the border is definitely worth it. Ani headed straight to the border, charging through the weeds until they reached her hips, and only turned back when the soldiers at the Turkish base on the other side of the border spilled out in alarm. True story.

Haghpat, Sanahin and Berd: Berd was a once thriving city and served as a hub when the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan was still open. The townspeople now find themselves on the frontline and remember the days when the villages on the other side of the border contained neighbors and friends. They have a unique perspective regarding the Kharabagh conflict, and are remarkably forgiving considering they were nearly bombed to proverbial smithereens. The monasteries at Haghpat and Sanahin were chosen as UNESCO sites, need we say more?

Young Armenian standing in the fields of Madatapa Lake facing Armenia, illegally raising the Armenian flag.

Armenian children playing soccer at Rupen Der Minassian Armenian School – Akhalkalak, Javakhk.

Classroom being used at Rupen Der Minassian Armenian School

Armenian woman standing at the locked door of church ruins, where locals light candles and place them at the doorstep – Deeleef Village, Javakhk.

Handmade irrigation system bringing water from the mountain to the homes and farms in Deeleef Village, Javakhk.

Armenian farmers with sickles, outskirts of Akhltskha, Javakhk.

Abandoned building in the Rupen Der Minassian Armenian School

Third generation Armenian spice merchant at the local bazaar with incredible basturma – Akhalkalak, Javakhk.

Armenian child who was playing in rubble – Akhalkalak, Javakhk.

Old Armenian woman selling herbs, smiling when she learned the last name of our local friend and found a relative – Akhalkalak, Javakhk.

The ruins of portions of the Fortress of Akhalkalak

Trademark stork nest found throughout Javakhk.

In Memoriam: Vahik Aroustamian, Beloved Uncle (1955-2007)

By: Gayane Khechoomian

Last summer I woke up on the rooftop of a hostel in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. Before the sun had a chance to let me know I had been sleeping outside, the Islamic ‘call to prayer’ sounding from the mosque speakers reminded me that even at 5 a.m., God is Great (“Allahu Akbar” in Arabic). Three hours later, the church bells commanded my attention. I was wide-awake, living a dream.

This ancient part of the world, where the four corners of the earth meet, is the site holiest to the three Abrahamic religions. The Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian Quarters make up this 0.35 square mile fortress-like city. Here, the cobblestones of narrow streets are a time machine to a time long ago and every road has its own idea of the elevation and direction that humans should walk. The daytime bazaar is like a scene out of Disney’s Aladdin where everybody is “my friend” and everybody has something pretty to sell to a pretty girl.

The smell of herbs and pastries fill the Muslim Quarter, where a non-Muslim cannot venture too far without being stopped and told to return. The sounds of people gathering at the Western Wall on Shabbat (the Seventh Day of rest in Judaism) fill the Jewish Quarter every Friday. The sight of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter, which was once that of Jesus’ crucifixion, is headquarters to the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The story of how I ended up in the Old City doesn’t go back quite as far as the presence of Armenians in Jerusalem, which predates Christianity. It was five years ago in my Armenian history class at UCLA that Professor Richard Hovannisian described the age-old tradition of Armenian pilgrims in the Armenian Quarter. It was then I started dreaming about the day I would embark on a solitary journey to the historical city.

Out of the four quarters, the Armenian is the smallest and the most walled off. Home to roughly 500 Armenians, it makes up one-sixth of the city. Armenian cafes, taverns, restaurants and souvenir shops selling famous ceramics are found on streets with Armenian names written in Arabic and Hebrew scripts.

For hundreds of years, Christian pilgrims have made journeys to the Holy Land, taking with them one souvenir:

“What kind of tattoo do you want?” Wassim Razzouk, my Harley-riding tattoo-artist asked.

“Give me what you give Armenian pilgrims,” I said hoping he’d know what I was talking about.

Turns out he knew exactly what I was talking about. The year before, he had tattooed seven Armenians from New York, all around my age. In fact, one of the first tattoos done by Wassim’s ancestors was one of Armenian letters dating back to 1749. That was around the time his Coptic Christian family moved from Egypt to Jerusalem, where they have tattooed Christian pilgrims for the past 250 years.

My uncle hoped to be one of those pilgrims. As the ink settled into my arm, I thought about how he dreamed to one day be at the very spot I was. And it dawned on me that it had been exactly four years to the day since his passing. But if there were ever a time and place where surrealism reigns, it would be the Old City. Because here, there is no sense of time, no separation of modern and ancient. The religious air has pervaded throughout the centuries and permeates every corner of the old town.

I escaped into the Armenian Quarter where the St. James monastery has stood since the 14th century. The church that provided refuge to Armenians during the Genocide, now provided refuge to me from a world where the struggle for cultural survival follows each generation. The familiarity of the Priest’s voice echoing within the church walls resonated with my soul. I walked out of the ornate room and rounded the corner to a courtyard surrounded by Armenian dwellings. That’s where I saw the majestic cross-stone statue standing in front of me like an epiphany.

“I have no idea what it is like to be an Armenian,” William Saroyan wrote in his short story Seventy Thousand Assyrians. “I have a faint idea of what it is like to be alive.”

And looking down on the ink on my right forearm, I smiled to myself.