ianyan magazine/odds & ends

(Source: khachaturian)

reinius:

St. Giragos Church in Diyarbakır on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
This Armenian Orthodox church was destroyed during the war but it’s been restored, and a new roof has been built. The black stones used are specific for the area.

Ever since filmmaker Suzanne Khardalian’s documentary, “Grandma’s Tattoos,” was screened across the U.S. and broadcast on Al Jazeera’s English channel, the response has been overwhelming.

“I’ve been getting hundreds and hundreds of emails and letters,” says Khardalian, who directed and produced the film that chronicles the forgotten story of the fate of women – including that of her own grandmother – who survived the Armenian Genocide.

The letters, some from South Africa, others from India and just about every other country you can think of, relay appreciation and at times shock about the physical, emotional and psychological scars of Armenian women who were distinguishably tattooed, raped and sometimes forced into prostitution at the beginning of the 20th century.

Read our interview with Khardalian, who spoke about the sometimes difficult process of talking to genocide survivors, how easily women’s narratives get lost in the vaults of history and how Armenian women today need a big dose of courage.

Centaur, Armenia’s only horse therapy center providing rehabilitation to children who have been diagnosed with autism, cerebral palsy and more is trying to raise $8000 to buy their own horses from the owner before they’re sold off to farmers or butchers. With Armenia lacking in the mental health sector, Centaur’s existence is vital. If you’re interested in donating, you can send any amount of funds via Paypal to luckyfund@ianyanmag.com, which will be sent to Centaur’s bank account in Armenia as a lump sum. The account was originally set up to help an Armenian street dog named Lucky, who has now found a home. Please share. Photo © K.S

 Read More: Armenia’s Only Hippotherapy Center Breaking New Ground in Mental Health Sector Amid Financial Trouble

Goris Eagle T-Shirt from Ara the Rat

Inspired by a Soviet-era metal work found in Goris, a city renowned in Armenia for its architecture, this design features the eagle, commonly found in the coat of arms of Armenia and an ancient Armenian ‘whirling’ symbol signifying eternity that’s still in use today - a testament to the 3500 year-old history of the culture.

ditord:

Armenian Army celebrates the 20th and 4503rd anniversary of its formation

As thousands marched in Turkey today commemorating Hrant Dink and protesting against the outcome of his trial, what are your thoughts 5 years after Dink was gunned down outside his offices? Have Turkish-Armenian relations progressed or regressed?

(Source: avojohn)

chotai:

This photograph was taken in December 1951 in Yerevan (my grandmother was 21!). Long braids are a symbol of feminine beauty in Armenia and the Caucasus. Folk songs, old and new, reference a woman’s “մետաքս հյուս” (silken braid(s)) to tell of her beauty. The braids here are not my grandmother’s own, but are merely attached for the sake of the photograph. The writing (in Russian) on the back tells me that this photograph was meant as a gift to a woman named Zhenya (женя). Presumably, the gift was not completed. My grandmother says that she is to have this photograph but that “it’s better to look at it because you’ve remembered, than remember only because you’ve looked.”