Tsitsernakaberd (Yerevan - Armenia) - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

Tsitsernakaberd, a stunning modern memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, is located on a hill overlooking Yerevan - capital of Armenia.

The Armenian Genocide memorial complex, composed by the memorial of the Medz Yeghern and the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, is a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide and built on the hill of Tsitsernakaberd in Yerevan, Armenia. Every year on April 24, hundreds of thousands of Armenians gather at the memorial to commemorate the victims of the genocide. A wide range of politicians, artists, musician, athletes, religious figures have visited the memorial.

The construction of the monument began in 1966, during Soviet times, in response to the 1965 Yerevan demonstrations during which one hundred thousand people demonstrated in Yerevan for 24 hours to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Genocide. The memorial is designed by architects Arthur Tarkhanyan, Sashur Kalashyan and artist Hovhannes Khachatryan. It was completed in November 1967. The 44 m stele symbolizes the national rebirth of Armenians. Twelve slabs are positioned in a circle, representing the 12 lost provinces in present day Turkey. In the center of the circle, at a depth of 1.5 meters, there is an eternal flame dedicated to the 1.5 million people killed during the Armenian Genocide.

Along the park at the memorial there is a 100 meter wall with the names of towns and villages where massacres and deportations are known to have taken place. On the rear side of the commemoration wall, plates have been attached to honor persons who committed themselves to relieving the distress of the survivors during and after the genocide (among others: Johannes Lepsius, Franz Werfel, Armin T. Wegner, Henry Morgenthau Sr., Fridtjof Nansen, Pope Benedict XV, Jakob Künzler, Bodil Biørn). An alley of trees has been planted to commemorate the genocide victims. [wiki]