YEREVAN, February 14 (Noyan Tapan). Samvel Karapetian, the Chairman of the Public Organizations studying Armenian Architecture, reported during the February 13 meeting of the National Council of Armenians of Nakhichevan that the Armenian cemetery of Jugha with about 3,000 khachkars (cross-stones) was destroyed. The cemetery is situated in the territory of the Nakhichevan region and annexed to Azerbaijan. Samvel Karapetian informed that the first signal about this vandalism was still in 1998 by Arpiar Petrosian, a member of the Iran branch of the organization. Arpiar Petrosian, going to the Saint Stepanos cathedral accidentally saw Azerbaijanians destoying the cemetry with bulldozers and filled waggons with khachkars, and he photographed all this. At the same time, Nshan Topusian, the Head of the Atrpatakan diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and Iranian soldiers also photographed this from the same point of the Iranian border. The cemetery of Jugha hasn’t been seen in the last picture, which was given by Gegham Gevonian, the Chairman of the “Country and Culture” organization, on November 25, 2002. According to traveler Alexander Rodes, there were about 10,000 khachkars at the Old Jugha cemetery in the 17th century. About 5,000 khachkars, capital tombstones, as well as 3 churches and a chapel already remained in the cemetery at the beginning of the 20th century. There is data that hundreds of other Armenian monuments of the territory of Nakhichevan are in the same condition. But these monuments aren’t noticeable for the other side of the border. According to participants, the historical and artistic value of the cemetery of Jugha is exclusive. It is unique in a number of similar cultural monuments of Armenia and occupies a special place in the treasure-house of the world political education. So, the participants turned to UNESCO, ICOMOS and other international organizations, which are engaged in cultural values, urging them to establish an international committee under he umbrella of UNESCO in order to study the facts of the destruction of Armenian cultural monuments, which are situated in the territory of Azerbaijan and to make the cemetery of Jugha the international neutral zone of history and culture.
Yorumlar kapatıldı.