Untitled Document

"The Armenian Weekly", March 15, 2003, page 9
The Destuction of the Jugha Armenian Cemetery
Note: There were certain mistakes and omissions in this article which have been corrected.

The National Council of Armenians of Nakhichevan has called on the international community to act on the ongoing vandalism of Armenian Cemeteries in historic Jugha (presently Julfa). The Council reports that according to the France-based "Country and Culture" organization, a cemetery-church was recently destroyed. The historic cemetery, located 10 km from modern Julfa and across the northern bank of the Arax River, has three hills, each representing different eras from the l2th-l7th centuries. Azeri authorities in Nakhichevan have in recent months resumed efforts to complete the destruction of Armenian khachkars (cross-stones) and chapels dating back to the 9th century. The destruction was first reported by a warden of the monastery of St. Stephanos the Protomartyr, located just across from Jugha, and has since been confirmed by other visitors, particularly from the Land and Culture Organization, which works to restore Armenian monuments. At the beginning of 17th century, the cemetery-in which ancestors of former Nor Jugha Armenians were buried-had some 12,000 khachkars. Due to premeditated destruction by the Azeri government, the cemetery in 1998 had less than 2,000 unique khachkars, most of which have been vandalized. Apparently the Azeris, who had stopped the vandalism under the pressure of the international community more than five years ago, have decided to complete their initial plan to thoroughly cleanse the site. The National Council of Armenians of Nakhichevan have urged Armenian President Robert Kocharian; Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, the Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia Aram I, the National Assembly, and the Executive Government of Armenia, and Diasporan organizations to raise objections to the cultural genocide committed by Azerbaijan. Both the Council and the Armenian government have appealed to UNESCO asking that an international commission be formed to examine the damaged historical monuments on location, as well as to request that the Jugha cemetery be turned into an international historical and cultural neutral zone. A similar appeal in 1998 helped to temporarily stop the destruction. Jugha, in the historical province of Yerndjak, was one of the famous settlements of old Armenia; it continued to exist intermittently until 1848. This settlement, which had acquired fame as a village in the early Middle Ages, grew into a town in the lOth-l3th centuries, while in the 15th-17th centuries it was an outstanding trade center in Armenia. Jugha was eyewitness to all the historical events which took place on the territory between Nakhichevan and Vaspurakan. In the Middle Ages, this densely populated, prosperous town was often subjected to invasions by foreign forces and was devastated, plundered, and set on fire. In 1605, Jugha finally lay in ruins and its population was compelled to migrate. The actions in Nakhichevan are part of the overall effort by the Azeri government to erase all traces of Armenian history in the areas from which Armenians had been ethnically cleansed in the past. Julfa is an important geographical area, as it is the main crossing point between Nakhichevan and Iran, both for rail and road traffic.

Photos by Zaven Sargsian, Nshan Topuzian, Armen Hakhnazarian

 , 22 , 2003,  5
 :  ·

          :    :     ,        ,             :  .           ,        :  ,   ,               :
          70        ,     : , ,           ,             :
              :             -       : ,   ,             :         ,  ,    :             . : ,   90-        :          -      :              :
    ,            : 1998   ,  , -         ,        :  ,                             :    /                  -   :      RAA,   ,       ,     :  , ,    : ,             :      .      -            :
    ,        :            ,      - ,       -      :      -                     :
                 : .,     ,    .             ,-     ,-,    ,       :           ,      ,   ,     :     ,  :  :          ,  ,  :          :
         .       :               :   .        -  , /,   ,    :     :       :        ,      ,                       :             ,      ,    ,    ,  :  ,         ,        /    ,    ,   ,  ,           :
        26-,  11-                   :
         -,     ,         ,         :       ,-      : -  ,                    :
    ,            :              :

. 

, 27 , 2003, N 58, 2743, 151:	www.azg.am
       10  
 

 , 09 , 2003, N 2,  5:
    
 

  N 28, 12.02.2003
  

, 14  2003,  2	www.azg.am
     

, 14  2003,  6, N 28
      

, 27 , 2003, N 53 63,  5:
    

 , 27 , 2003, N 59 3193,  5:
   
    

, 28 -3  2003 # 12/1710
    