Tsitsernakaberd: Memorial to Genocide

A memorial to a genocide does not really sound like a fun place to visit as a tourist, does it?  And you would be right...Tsitsernakaberd isn’t fun...it’s a touching and emotional journey; a place to remind you of the worst that’s inside all of us and, at the same time, a fitting tribute to the strength of a nation and its people.

Tsitsernakaberd

History

The memorial to the Armenian genocide is situated on a hill named Tsitsernakaberd, beside the Hrazdan River, outside Yereven (the country’s capital).  This hill, along with the two beside it, has great archaeological significance, harbouring remains of: an Iron Age fortress (traces of a castle and a wall, hundreds of metres long, from this fortress are still discernible on the smallest of the three hills); a stone-cut altar and large stone-covered graves from the 2^nd millennium BC; and apartments from Roman times, over which medieval constructions were later erected.

Construction

In 1965, one million Armenian people demonstrated in Armenia’s capital of Yerevan to honour the 50^th anniversary of the expulsion of hundreds of Armenian scholars from Constantinople, which symbolised the beginning of the genocide.  It was in direct response to this demonstration that construction of the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial began in 1966. Designed by the architects Tarkhanyan and Kalashian plus the artist Khachatryan, building was completed in 1967.

Design 

As you can see from the photograph, above, the memorial consists of two main parts: a 44 metre tall stele (or pillar) to signify the national spiritual rebirth of Armenians; a circle of 12 slabs (or low walls), which symbolise 12 provinces lost to modern Turkey with a 1.5 metre deep eternal flame (in the centre of the circle of slabs) devoted to the 1.5 million Armenians who were murdered during the genocide.  

There is also a hundred metre remembrance wall that borders the park to the memorial, on one side of which the names of towns and villages where massacres are known to have occurred are written.  On the opposite side of the wall, plates have been attached bearing the names of those who pledged to ease the suffering of victims of the genocide.

Since the original memorial was built, an alley of trees has been planted at the site to commemorate the victims and a museum has been added, which opened its doors in 1995 - built in to the side of the hill (so it does not detract from the memorial), whose mission it is to aid in preventing comparable disasters in the future.  After all, in the words of George Santayana:

                ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’

Tours around the museum are available in four languages, including French and English.

Trip Advisor Ratings and Testimonials

The Tsitserbakaberd Memorial is ranked 2nd out of 28 Armenian tourist attractions on Trip Adviser, with 67 out of 83 independent reviewers giving it 5 out of 5 and 14 more giving it 4 stars out of 5.  Some of the guests said the following:

                ‘It is a monument, but also a great place to walk and relax.’

                ‘Very touching experience...’

                ‘...the Armenian Genocide Museum was very touching and emotional.’

      ‘Very beautiful memories...’

It may seem odd that a memorial to an extremely distressing part of Armenia’s history has become a top tourist attraction, but it may be valuable to view it as a spiritual and emotional experience that speaks volumes about the human condition.