Sanahin, Armenia

Focus on Sanahin Cemetery:  Every year, April 24 is solemnly commemorated as Armenian Genocide Day. Beginning exactly 100 years ago, the Armenian population of eastern Turkey was eliminated at the hands of the Ottomans. Eastern Armenia survived, initially under Soviet rule and now as the Republic of Armenia. Buried here are four who were not part of the Armenian genocide, but their demise must have been tragic nonetheless. The year of death engraved on the headstone is the same for all. Now. only their names and ghostly etchings remain to haunt the hallows of Sanahin. [2015]

Sanahin, Armenia

Focus on Sanahin Cemetery:  We can read the numbers on these headstones, but not the names. That's because Armenians have their own alphabet. It dates back to 405 AD when it was devised by St. Mesrop Mashtots. To give you an idea of his stature in Armenian culture, take a look at street names in Yerevan. Until 1990, the city's main thoroughfare was called Lenin Street. When that name became unsustainable, the soon-to-be-independent Republic of Armenia went back sixteen centuries to find a name worthy of enshrinement. Yerevan's main thoroughfare is now called Meshtots Street. [2015]

Sanahin, Armenia

Focus on Sanahin Cemetery:  He is violating the cemetery's unwritten rules. One says that, if pictured on the tombstone, you are not allowed to smile. Another says that you may not be shown with any earthly possessions other than the clothes on your back. Visit and fact check: he's the only smiling angel in the entire burial ground. Actually, the rule holds in most cemeteries around the world. [2015]

Sanahin, Armenia

Focus on Sanahin Cemetery:  Archaeology has yielded a trove of khatchars at Sanahin Monastery, but in the cemetery out back, somber etching have become far more popular than traditional stone crosses as memorials. The monastery complex is a prized link to Armenia's medieval past. If you visit, remember that the best view of the monastery is from the cemetery. [2015]

Sanahin, Armenia

Focus on Sanahin Cemetery:  Climbing up the ridge behind the Sanahin Monastery is the cemetery, which is still an active burial place for the community. In traditional  Armenian cemeteries, khatchkars, or stone crosses, are among the most common grave markers. In fact, if you were limited to displaying just one icon to represent Armenian culture it would be the khatchkar, which is now on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. [2015]