A BRIEF REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF RESEARCH ON ARMENIAN ARCHITECTURE ORGANIZATION FOR THE YEAR 2010
http://www.raa-usa.org; http://www.armenianarchitecture.us

  Research on Armenian Architecture (RAA) Foundation (http://www.raa.am; http://www.raa-usa.org; http://www.armenianarchitecture.us) conducts research into the monuments of material culture preserved in Armenian provinces and monuments located in the territory of Historical Armenia, as well as in Cilicia and in the Armenian Diaspora.
   Our priorities are the same everywhere, Armenian historical monuments are to be recorded in maps, photographs, measurements and film facts before their total annihilation.

QUESTIONNAIRES OF MONUMENTS
   In accordance with the agreement No. 89, signed between RAA and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia on 26 March 2010, work began for the compilation of survey forms for the monuments of Western Armenia. Within the framework of this project, research was carried out in Gyavash (Reshtunik) and Van-Tosp Districts, Western Armenia. During the year, 450 questionnaires were prepared and inserted in 9 volumes, each of them with 50 monuments. The agreement stipulates that these studies should continue until at least 2013.

RESEARCH IN IRAN
   From 5 June until 6 July 2010, within the programme of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia to carry out studies of the Armenian architectural heritage located abroad, the working team of RAA NGO was busy implementing research in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Work was mainly unfolded in Nor Jugha, Teheran, Tabriz, as well as in the villages of Arak District and in its adjacent districts, Charmahal, Peria, Kyazaz, Kyamara, Gharaghan, Gyapla, Burvari. RAA research team also worked in the cities of Shiraz and Arak. In 122 rural places (7 of them have been stripped of their Armenian inhabitants since the repatriation of 1946) situated in these districts, as well as in the city of Shiraz, 3,138 monuments were recorded.
   Research unfolded in Iran yielded, on the whole, 20,000 photos of monuments, ancient sites and gravestones.

RESEARCH IN SYRIA
   Between 4 December 2010 and 22 January 2011, members of RAA Foundation Raffi and Liana Kortoshian carried out studies in 35 places of Syria (Kesab, Latakia, Damascus, Lakka, Tartus, etc.) where the Armenian cemeteries and churches were photographed. The oldest of the churches-18 in number, were measured together with a spring. The total number of photographs taken during this research trip is 3,800.

RESTORATION IN DADIVANK
   Since late June 2010, the restoration of the guest chamber of Dadivank Monastic Complex has been in process under the financial assistance of the Government of the Republic of Artsakh. The work is supervised by architect S. Ayvazian. At present the first floor of its eastern wing and the walls of its second floor have already been completed. Now preparations are being made for the beginning of the restoration of the vault of its second storey. Under the restoration project, the guest chamber is planned to be used as a Prior's dwelling in the future.
   On 1 July 2010, the restoration project of one of the buildings of Dadivank-formerly used as an assembly hall where different solemn events used to be held-was completed. Construction work within its restoration is planned to begin in 2011.

LECTURES AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES
   During the year, the members of the Foundation delivered lectures in the military units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia within the programme of the Ministry of Defence of the RA aimed at the enhancement of military and patriotic education. The lectures were accompanied with the show of the films produced by the Foundation.

ENRICHMENT OF WEBSITES (armenianarchitecture.us, raa-am.com)
   As of late December 2010, 1,884 toponyms, 5,737 monuments and 13,625 quotations were added to the RAA databases.

IMAGE DIGITIZATION
   The images digitized during 2010 amount to 34,775 (68 DVDs), with which the archives of RAA now contain 198,218 images recorded onto 3,320 CD/DVDs.

A GIFT TO H. TUMANIAN MEMORIAL HOUSE
   Meeting the request of the Administration of H. Tumanian Memorial House, in 2010 RAA made a gift to it by digitizing 260 glass negatives of photographs (1901 to 1923) taken by H. Tumanian himself.

RAA - FILM
   In 2010 RAA Film Department produced the first film (Aghbak District of Vaspurakan Province) of the documentary series devoted to the districts of Western Armenia. Late in November 2010, it prepared a video material (director: T. Karapetian, music by Aydin Davudi) on the ways of decipherment of Armenian encoded writings.
   In December, within the film festival of St. Petersburg, Tiran Karapetian participated in the forum of the directors of the prize-winner films of the preceding years.

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT
   In 2010 Narek Harutiunian of Narekatsy Art Centre presented RAA Film Department with a teleobjective.

   During the year, the Organisation also acquired other equipment thanks to the financial assistance of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia and the grant allocated by the European Commission through AGBU France.

   Computer
   Notebook Asus 1001HA

   Scanner Mastek A3 USB

   Printer 1
   Printer Canon LBP 2900

   Switch D-Link DGS-1008D
   Switch 5port. D

   Sony digital camera

   Storage 2
   Verbatin Ext. e SATA 2TB

   Storage 4
   Verbatin NAS 1 TB

   Storage 5
   Verbatin Por. HDD 500GB exec.
   Verb. USB Flash exec. 32 GB
   Verb. USB Flash Blue 4GB
   Verb. USB Flash 4GB
   Verb. Por. HDD 640 GB
   Verb. blue Flash USB 4GB

   Multifunctional Printer 1
   Samsung SCX4300print/cop/scan

   Computers 5
   Intel CoreDuo E8400 3.0GHz / 2X2GB / 2XHDD 500 GB / GeFofce GT220, 1GB / DVD-RW/1394

   Computer 1
   CPU/MB/HDD/DVD-RW / KB/Mouse

   Monitors 7
   Fujitsu P22W-5 ECO; Fujitsu P19-5P ECO; Fujitsu SL3220W; Fujitsu LL3200T

   Monitor 1
   LCD 17

   Keyboards 5
   Genius SLIMSTAR 110, PS2, BLK, RU, GB

   Keyboard 1
   LOGITECH DINOVO EDGE LASER

   Mouse 3
   Genius NS 200 LASER, USB

   Mouse 1
   LOGITECH Mouse LX7 CORDLESS OPTICAL

   DVD Drives 2
   DVD-RW ASUS

   HDDs 2
   HDD ST 1TB 7200 SATA

   UPS 2
   UPS APC 650VA

   UPS 1
   Tripp Lite 1500VA

   Memory Card 1
   USB 2.0 Flash Drive 16GB SANDISK

   UPS 4
   PowerCom BNT-600A

   UPS 3
   PowerCom BNT-800AP

   Additional Devices 1
   Gembird FWP-3PC Firewire IEEE 1394 3 port PCI host adapter

   Network Device 1
   D-Link DGE-528T, 10/100/1000 Mbps

   Software 18
   Kasperski WorkSpace Security BE 15-19 User 2 Year Base Licens

   Swich 5port D-link GIG 1

   LAN Cables UTP 6e cat 3 m 3

   Epson Perfection V750PRO

   July

   USB Flash 4GB 2

   September

   Computer 1
   Office Station - Intel E5400 2.7GHz / 2.0GB / 250 GB / DVD-RW

   Monitor 1
   Samsung LCD 19 SyncMaster 943N

   Keyboard 1
   Genius KB 110, PS2, BLK, RU

   Mouse 1
   Genius NS 120 Black, PS2, G5

   Loud Speaker 1
   Genius SP-S110, 230V, 1W, RoHS

   UPS 2
   PowerCom BNT-600A

   UPS 1
   PowerCom BNT-800AP

   Laser Printer 1
   Epson C1100

   Anitivirus Programme 4
   KAV 2010

   Cable
   USB ext. cable 10 m

   Macintosh keyboard & mouse

   December

   Computer
   Pro Series. Intel E8400 (3,0GHz) / 2 GB / 500 GB / GTS220 / 1Gb \ DV-RW

   Monitor
   Fujitsu P19-5P Eco

   Keyboards 2
   Genius SLIMSTAR 110, USB, BLK, RU, BB`

   Mouse
   Genius TRAVELER 100 V LASER, USB

RAA COMPUTER PROGRAMMES
   The year 2010 marked the elaboration of the programme of Diary. At present RAA specialists are working at a new programme of retrieval which is to be enriched with the data entries of the programme of Diary.

WORKS PUBLISHED WITHIN THE SERIES OF RAA. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES
    In 2010 the Foundation published the 13th volume of the series RAA. Scientific Researches, The Travelling Notes of Archpriest Yeghishe Geghamiants.
   The publications of 2010 also include the first and second issues of the Vardzk (Duty of Soul) periodical, as well as two illustrated booklets entitled The Islamic Monuments of the Armenian Architecture of Artsakh and The Wonders of Artsakh.
   At the end of the year, the Foundation accepted the proposal of the Ministry of Diaspora to prepare an illustrated album on Ani in commemoration of the 1050th anniversary of its declaration as capital ¥it will be published in 2011¤.

CALENDAR
   RAA published an illustrated calendar for 2011 highlighting Sourb Khach (Holy Cross) Church of Aghtamar.

EXHIBITION
   On 13 February 2010, RAA participated in the exhibition of EXPO-2010, held in the House of Artists—during which, the results of the monitoring of the most endangered monuments of the Republic of Armenia were presented.
   Between 12 and 19 April 2010, an exhibition dedicated to the cultural genocide ongoing in Western Armenia was held in Aleppo and Latakia, Syria. It was attended by the students of Krtasirats and Cilicia Colleges, as well as by those of the AGBU college, the College of Armenian Studies, Karen-Yeppe National Seminary and Petel Evangelical Seminary.
   On 24 April, a report on the condition of the monuments of Western Armenia was delivered in the House of Officer, Stepanakert, Republic of Artsakh.
   The 12 signboards dedicated to cultural genocide were placed at the disposal of the museum of Shooshi.
   On 4 May 2010, S. Karapetian delivered a lecture, devoted to the condition of Armenian cultural monuments in the countries neighbouring the Republic of Armenia, in Tsankarev Dom (Lyublyana), the cultural and congress centre of Slovenia.
   The exhibition which represents the Patriarchal residences of the Catholicosate of Caucasian Albania, opens in Gandzasar Monastery late in July.
   Between 9 and 11 July, RAA opened an exhibition commemorating the 770th anniversary of the consecration of Gandzasar Monastery (founded in 1216, consecrated in 1240) in Stepanakert and Gandzasar, Republic of Artsakh.

PRIZES
   On 12 April 2010, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Armenia S. Ohanian conferred the Medal of Drastamat Kanayan on President of RAA Foundation S. Karapetian.