The Temple of Garni
The Temple of Garni is the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded building in Armenia. A Ionic temple located in the village of Garni, Armenia, it is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia.
The structure was probably built by king Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr. After Armenia's conversion to Christianity in the early fourth century, it was converted into a royal summer house of Khosrovidukht, the sister of Tiridates III. According to some scholars it was not a temple but a tomb and thus survived the universal destruction of pagan structures. It collapsed in a 1679 earthquake. Renewed interest in the 19th century led to excavations at the site in early and mid-20th century and its eventual reconstruction between 1969 and 1975. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Armenia and the central shrine of Armenian neopaganism.
The temple is at the edge of a triangular cliff which overlooks the ravine of the Azat River and the Gegham mountains. It is part of the fortress of Garni.One of the oldest fortresses in Armenia, it is mentioned as Gorneas in the first-century Annals of Tacitus. The fortress was strategically significant for the defense of the major cities in the Ararat plain. The site is in the village of Garni, in Armenia's Kotayk Province and includes the temple, a Roman bath with a partly preserved mosaic floor with a Greek inscription, a royal summer palace, the seventh century church of St. Sion and other minor items.
The precise construction date of the temple is unknown and is subject to debate. The dominant view is that it was built in 77 AD, during the reign of king Tiridates I of Armenia. The date is calculated based on a Greek inscription, discovered by artist Martiros Saryan in 1945 in the fortress wall, which names Tiridates the Sun (Helios) as the founder of the temple.
Kochari
Kochari is an Armenian folk dance, danced today by Armenians, Assyrians, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Pontic Greeks and Turks. It is a form of circle dance.
Kochari is a type of dance, not a specific dance. Each region in the Armenian Highlands had its own Kochari, with its unique way of both dancing and music.[One type of "Yalli", a dance common to Azerbaijanis, Assyrians, and Kurds has different forms known as Kochari.
In Armenian, Kochari literally means "knee-come". Koch means "knee" and ari means "come".
Armenians have been dancing Kochari for over a thousand years. Dancers form a closed circle, putting their hands on each other's shoulders.
The dance is danced by both men and women and is intended to be intimidating. More modern forms of Kochari have added a "tremolo step," which involves shaking the whole body. It spread to the eastern part of Armenia after the Armenian Genocide.
Aivazovsky painting sold at Prague auction for almost $1 million
Ivan Aivazovsky’s paining “Storm” was sold for 15 million korunas (about $ 705 thousand) at Prague auction, the Arthouse Hejtmanek gallery’s representative Jana Bryndova, told reporters.
The painting, dated 1898, came up for auction from one of Prague's private art collections. Its starting value was 11 million korunas (about $ 517 thousand), said Jana, adding that the final price, along with interest charges was 18.6 million korunas (about $ 874 thousand). The buyer was a collector from Russia, said Jana, TASS reported.
According to her, 15 paintings by Ivan Aivazovsky were auctioned this year. "Two thirds of paintings found new owners," the expert said.
Armenian painter’s exhibition opens at Council of Europe headquarters
Official opening of Armenian painter Vardan Gabrielyan’s exhibition, entitled “The Reflection of Stars,” was held Wednesday at the Council of Europe (CoE) headquarters in Strasbourg, France.
The exhibition is organized in the lead-up to the New Year and Christmas holidays, and under the auspices of the Permanent Representation of Armenia to the Council of Europe.
Heads of the permanent representations of the CoE member countries, diplomats, as well as representatives from the CoE Secretariat and the Armenian community attended the opening of this painting exhibition, which will run until December 14.