MW Hayastan ♱ | 20 Mar – 24 Apr 2023

Armenia, the first country to accept Christianity as its state religion, in 301 AD. For the sake of Christianity, the Armenian people disposed of their previous belief/religion - Zoroastrianism. Thousands of years of records, culture, and history were burned and destroyed in the name of Christianity. Gregory the Illuminator converted the Armenian king, Tirdates the Great, to Christianity and spread the gospel message to Armenians. Nonetheless, the adoption of Christianity was a momentous chapter in Armenian history. In the 5th century AD, Mesrop Mashtots - a scholar and clergyman, reintroduced the Armenian alphabet that had been lost with the primary purpose of allowing the common people to read the Bible and other Christian text in their spoken language. Thereafter, the Armenian church gained influence over the culture, literature, and education of Armenia - with support of the state. The Armenian people embraced their conversion to Christianity and it became deeply rooted within themselves and Armenia. Unfortunately, this new religion put a target on the backs of Armenians.

In 1915, under the cover of WWI, the Ottoman Turks began to eradicate the Christian Armenian population that had coexisted with them for years - these heinous crimes later became known as the Armenian Genocide, the first genocide of the modern era. In the end, approximately 1.5 million Armenians were killed. In the years to follow, Armenia was subject to become a satellite state of the Soviet Union. However, Armenia decided to secede from the Soviet Union and declared its independence on September 23rd, 1991. To this day, Armenia fights for its right to live as a Christian nation in what is left of its historic lands. Land-locked between enemy countries who threaten the first Christian nation in the world, Armenia finds itself in a constant battle to protect the Armenian culture, history, and the Christian religion. Nonetheless, the Armenian people are proud of their culture and religion. Modern-day Yerevan, the capitol of Armenia, is a tech hub that is exponentially growing. Moreover, tourism has brought a myriad of people to Armenia, as well as corporations and companies. Throughout the years, one thing remains certain - the rich culture and history of Armenia will always be proudly defended by the Armenian people.

In the Armenian Highlands, as early as the Stone Age, there were several tribes that inhabited the region - the direct ancestors of the Armenian people. The most prominent of these tribes were the Hayasa. These tribes of peoples lived thousands of years before they were united by prominent Armenian national hero of legend - Hayk Nahabed. The legend dates to the prehistoric epoch, when the first Armenians inhabited the land of Urartu - Mt. Ararat in modern terms, where it is said Noah's Ark landed after the great flood. Our hero Hayk, disgusted with the actions of the oppressive Bel of Babylon, gathered his people and ventured North. Bel, with his large army, pursued. It is said that Hayk engaged Bel in battle and killed him with an arrow - thus freeing the land and his people, thereafter to be known as the "Hay" people - in his honor.

Mesrop Mashtots, the one who reintroduced the Armenian alphabet to the Armenian people after their conversion to Christianity - permitting ordinary people to read the Bible for the first time. His holy actions helped to further spread and entrench Christianity in Armenia. For his achievements, Mesrop Mashtots was made a saint of the Armenian Church.

Sayat-Nova, born Harutyun Sayatyan, was a Georgia-born Armenian poet, musician, and bard. He made a considerable contribution to the Armenian poetry and music of his century. Little did he know that his legacy would sing to the melody of Armenian history throughout the years to come.

In 301 BC, the ruling king of the Arascid Dynasty - Tirdates the Great, thanks to the efforts of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, declared Armenia as the first Christian nation in the world.

Artaxias initially served the Selucid king - Antiochus III, who had put him in charge of northeastern Armenia. However, the Romans defeated Antiochus in the Syrian War (192-188 AD) and thereafter Artaxias proclaimed independence and ruled the kingdom of Armenia throughout the Artaxiad dynasty as king.

(The late Charles Aznavour left behind a) great legacy as a member of the global Armenian Diaspora and his influential impact on the 1915 Armenian Genocide. While his mournful songs of estrangement and suffering, and the existential search for love and happiness, resonated with millions of adoring fans, it was his tribute to his ‘fallen’ ancestors that will remain indelible.
- Alan Whitehorn

In 1969, Raymond Vahan Damadian proposed the first magnetic resonance body scanner, better known as the MRI machine. Magnetic resonance had been used to study chemicals, but Damadian thought that it could be used to distinguish tumors from normal body tissue. Several years later, he built the first MRI machine. Thereafter, in 1978, the MRI machine produced the first images/scans of cancer patients. Damadian's efforts paved the way for huge advancement in modern medicine.

Vartan Mamikonian is regarded as the most prominent Armenian military leader in history. To the Armenian nation, he is a most beloved figure, regarded as sacred, and the ideal hero who typifies the national spirit of Armenia. Moreover, his actions on the battlefield in the Battle of Avarayr in 451 AD guaranteed religious freedom for Christian Armenians. Although he died in battle, he was named a saint of the church and a martyr for the Armenian nation and Christian religion.

Yerevan, the capitol of modern day Armenia. The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, approximately the year 782 BC, when the fortress of Erebuni, from which the modern name Yerevan is derived, was constructed by King Argishti I of Urartu in the Armenian Highlands. This dates the city of Yerevan to be 29 years older than the city of Rome. In more modern times, the city of Yerevan became the capital of the First Republic of Armenia in 1918. After the first World War, thousands of survivors of the Armenian Genocide that had fled the Ottoman Empire and surrounding areas settled in the city of Yerevan. It has been the capitol of Armenia since then and it serves as the seat of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese, the largest diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the oldest dioceses in the world.

Although the age-old tradition of Armenian carpet making dates back several thousand years, most Armenian carpets/rugs were utilized to adorn the floors and walls of Armenian churches after the conversion to Christianity. Greek, Iranian, Arabic, Bulgarian, and other sources comment with respect on the superior quality of Armenian carpets since pre-Christian times. However, the association of Armenians with the weaving of great carpets declined when the last Armenian kingdom of Cilicia fell to the Egyptian Mamluks in the 13th century. After the fall of the great kingdom of Cilicia, Armenians fled their homeland and settled in the lands of Iran, Crimea, Transylvania, Poland, etc. Not coincidentally, it was during this time that highly developed carpet weaving began in these, and other countries, as the Armenians carried their craft with them, and transferred it to the local populations of their host countries. During Soviet control, the ancient craft of Armenian carpet making suffered. After Armenia reclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, a movement to revive the tradition of carpet making began. Although carpet making isn't as prominent in modern Armenia as it has historically been, it remains an integral part of the Armenian culture and history.