Armenian Genocide

Over the years, I have been fortunate to be able to travel to some amazing places. Some of them I appreciated for their sheer beauty (New Zealand), while others were much more emotionally charged (Auschwitz).  My trip to Armenia combined a little of both.

While in Armenia we were invited to participate in day of remembrance for the lives lost in the Armenian Genocide. Every year on April 24th, people from all over the country of Armenia gather at the Genocide Memorial to place flowers, pay their respects for lost lives, and make sure no one ever forgets this horrific event.

I am utterly ashamed to say that I knew nothing about the Armenian Genocide until we were on our way to the memorial. In case anyone is as ignorant as I was, here is the very basic information that I learned from my Armenian friends: During and just after WWI (beginning in 1915), the Ottoman Empire systematically killed at least one to one and half million Armenians. It is thought to be one of the first major genocides and the second most studied genocide, after the Holocaust. However, to this day, the Republic of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire), denies that it was a genocide. They claim that the deportations of the Armenian people was necessary since they had become allies of the Russian army.

Needless to say, the tragedy remains.

We were fortunate enough to be invited to walk with our Armenian friends on this day. As we walked, our friend told the story of the genocide and how his grandmother walked for 500 km to safety. The number of men, women, and children walking the path created a powerful yet somber feeling. It took about one hour to walk to the memorial. People carried signs, flowers, and family crests. The emotion in the air was heavy and the walk was long.

As were were approaching the memorial, there were many trees that lined the path. Next to each tree was a plaque naming the country or leader who planted it in remembrance.

This tall structure represents the national rebirth of Armenia. The separation down its length symbolizes the past split between eastern and western Armenia.

This is the actual memorial. It sits upon a hill overlooking the city of Yerevan. These twelve columns which are arranged in a circle represent the twelve lost Armenian provinces. When you walk inside this memorial, an eternal flame is surrounded by mountains of flowers.

I cried from the moment I rounded the corner and saw the monument. There is no way that a blog post can do this experience justice. Watching families supporting one another, ensuring grandparents and small children alike were able to place a flower near the eternal flame, will always be etched in my heart.