Vardavar- Armenia’s joyful celebration of getting wet
Although now a Christian tradition, celebrating the transfiguration of Jesus Christ (the Feast of the Transfiguration), Vardavar's history dates back to pagan times. The ancient festival is traditionally associated with the goddess Astghik, who was the goddess of water, beauty,
The Chinese “magic mirror” discovered at the Cincinnati Art Museum
The Curators at the Cincinnati Art Museum have figured out that an unassuming bronze disc in the museum’s 100,000-strong collection is actually an exceedingly rare magic mirror. Magic mirrors, also known as transparent or light penetrating mirrors, were first created in
The copes in the Met collection reflect the multiculturalism and wide horizon of the Armenian mercantile class
Armenian merchants played an essential role in facilitating trade in and outside Iran, so when the Safavid ruler Shah 'Abba' (r. 1587–1629) planned to revitalize Iran's economy, he resettled a community of Armenians from the city of Julfa to his
Treasures of Metsamor
During the excavations in the ancient site of Metsamor, which have been held for more than fifty years, the citadel with a palace and economic buildings, the unique shrines with alters, the “observatory” for viewing the celestial bodies, the “workshop”
One of the largest museums in China – the Nanjing Museum
The Nanjing Museum ( 南京博物院) is located in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province in East China. With an area of 70,000 square meters, it is considered one of the largest museums in China and one of the first museums
Vishapaqar Dragon-stones: distinct monuments of Armenian culture
A vishapakar or vishapaqar (Armenian: Վիշապաքար), also known as vishap-stones, vishap-stelae, serpent-stones, dragon-stones, are characteristic monoliths found in considerable numbers in the Armenian Highlands, at or within natural and artificial ponds, and other sources of water. They are commonly carved
The mysterious Chinese Bronze Age culture of Shijiahe
The Shijiahe and Post-Shijiahe culture is a not very well-known late Bronze Age culture in China, named after the Shijiahe, the archeological site first discovered in Tianmen City, Hubei Province. It was preserved in small-scaled exquisite sculptures that show the
The ancient Chinese “postman” depicted without a mouth
In ancient China, the postal system was established to facilitate the delivery of correspondences and promulgation of state degrees. A pictorial brick, created during the reign of the Wei and Jin dynasties (220-420) and unearthed in 1972 from a tomb
Armenian letters in the European distinguished fresco
The former residence of the Würzburg prince-bishops is one of the most important baroque palaces in Europe. It was begun for Prince-Bishop Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn by the then young and unknown architect Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753); the shell of
The innovative approach of the Chinese artist from Nanjing reshaped the perception of mortise-and-tenon
These two installations as the embodiment of modern rethinking of the past have been recently represented in the 120th-anniversary celebration exhibition of the Nanjing Normal University held at the National Art Museum of China. The installation, made of acrylic and
