Elegance Through Time: The 1881 Armenian Wedding Dress in The Met Collection
The opulent silk and gold components of this garment housed at the Metropolitan Museum of America (Accession Number: 1991.55), alongside its elegantly flowing silhouette, underscore its designation for ceremonial use within Armenian culture. This dress, generously provided by Mrs. Fimi M. Samour—whose Armenian family emigrated from Adana to the United States in 1921—has been identified as her mother's wedding attire from 1881. Crafted from a sumptuous purple-violet striped textile, the fabric likely utilized mauveine, the first synthetic dye introduced in 1856 and adopted in Europe. The dress features broad, deep purple stripes interspersed with narrower fuchsia bands, all embellished with continuous
Ukhtasar Petroglyphs: Ancient Echoes on Armenia’s Sacred Rocks
The Ukhtasar Petroglyphs, known as the rock carvings of Mount Ukhtasar or "Pilgrim Mountain," are located near the town of Sisian in the southern region of Armenia's province of Syunik. This site encompasses over 1,000 adorned rock fragments stretching to the mountain's base. Carved onto dark brownish-black volcanic stones, these petroglyphs are conjectured to have originated during the Paleolithic era (12,000 BCE) and are linked to subsequent Chalcolithic and Bronze Age cultures. The site hosts a rich variety and abundance of carvings from the Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, and early Iron Age, with additional engravings attributed to subsequent epochs. The depictions on
Zhang Heng’s Seismoscope: Ancient Precision in Earthquake Detection
In 132 AD, the polymath Zhang Heng of China devised an intricate seismoscope that garnered significant fascination for its peculiar precision. This remarkable bronze apparatus, adorned with eight dragon heads, concealed a subtle yet ingenious mechanism. Each dragon grasped a bronze sphere poised over the awaiting mouth of a frog. Initially subject to derision and skepticism, Zhang Heng's innovation faced scrutiny from those unable to comprehend its potential. Nevertheless, the pivotal moment arrived when the seismoscope accurately detected an earthquake, prompting the release of a ball from one of the dragons, indicating the seismic activity's westerly direction. Despite the absence
The essential contributions of Armenians to the translation of the Bible into Chinese and Uyghur
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Jesuit missionaries made early attempts to translate portions of the Bible into Chinese. However, the credit for the first complete Chinese translation of the Bible goes to Hovhannes Ghazarian. Another Armenian, Johannes Avetaranian, is recognized as the first translator of the New Testament into the Uyghur Language, as documented in the Andin Armenian Journey Chronicles. Hovhannes Ghazarian, also known as Johannes Lassar, was born and educated in Macau and later became a member of the Armenian Church. In 1813, he was sent to Malacca (now part of Malaysia) with the task of establishing a printing
The rich tradition of Armenian coppersmithing teeters on the brink of extinction
In previous times, domestic cookware primarily consisted of copper and clay vessels. Copper containers were typically coated with tin, a process known as "tinning," to prevent rusting and maintain their usability. The individuals skilled in this trade were referred to as "klekchi" by the local populace.With the widespread adoption of aluminum and other materials for everyday use, the significance of coppersmithing and pottery diminished, eventually leading to their disappearance. Vaghinak Manukyan, a resident of Etchmiadzin, asserts that he is among the last practitioners of the copper crafting tradition.Up until the 1970s and 1980s, Etchmiadzin was home to several coppersmiths. However,
