Tsitsernakaberd (Armenian: Ծիծեռնակաբերդ, Russian: Цицернакабéрд) is a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide; it is located on a hill overlooking Yerevan, Armenia. Every year on April 24, hundreds of thousands of Armenians gather here to remember the victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide that took place in the Ottoman Empire carried out by the Turkish government.
Ծիծեռնակաբերդ ("fortress of small swallows") is an agglutinative compound noun in Armenian composed of the roots ծիծեռնակ ("small swallow") and բերդ ("fortress") with the agglutinating infix <ա>.
The memorial sits on one of three hills along the Hrazdan River that carry the name Tsitsernakaberd, and was the site of what was once an Iron Age fortress. Most of the above ground traces at this peak have since disappeared, but upon the smaller hill are still traces of a castle. Archaeological surveys took place in 2007, and excavations uncovered a wall that is hundreds of meters long and may still be seen in many places above ground. An alter cut from stone sits in the middle of a square at the edge of one of the hills, and large stones that weigh approximately 2 tons are still visible that cover graves from the second millennium BC. Apartments were later built along the hills during Roman times, and were built over with other structures during medieval years. Nearby are also the remains of a very large building with a cave.
Construction of the memorial began in 1966 (during Soviet times) in response to the 1965 Yerevan demonstrations during which one million people demonstrated in Yerevan for 24 hours to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Genocide. It was completed in 1968.
The 44 meter stele symbolizes the national rebirth of Armenians. 12 slabs are positioned in a circle, representing the 12 lost provinces in present day Turkey. In the center of the circle, at a depth of 1.5 meters, there is an eternal flame.
Along the park at the memorial there is a 100 meter wall with names of towns and villages where massacres are known to have taken place.
The Armenian Genocide Museum opened its doors in 1995, concurrently commemorating the eightieth anniversary of the Genocide. The Museum structure, planned by architects S. Kalashian, A. Tarkhanyan and sculptor F. Araqelyan, has a unique design. During the decennial activity the Museum received many visitors including schoolchildren, college students and an unprecedented number of tourists both local and abroad. The museum provides guided tours in Armenian, Russian, English, French and German. The Republic of Armenia has made visiting the Armenian Genocide Museum part of the official State protocol and many foreign official delegations have already visited the Museum. These delegations have included, Pope John Paul II, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President of the Republic of France Jacques Chirac, and other well-known social and political figures. The impressive two-story building is built directly into the side of a hill so as not to detract from the imposing presence of the Genocide Monument nearby. The roof of the Museum is flat and covered with concrete tiles. It overlooks the scenic Ararat Valley and majestic Mount Ararat. The first floor of the Museum is subterranean and houses the administrative, engineering and technical maintenance offices as well as Komitas Hall, which seats 170 people. Here also are situated the storage rooms for museum artifacts and scientific objects, as well as a library and a reading hall. The Museum exhibit is located on the second floor in a space just over 1000 square meters. There are three main indoor exhibit halls and an outer gallery with its own hall. The Genocide Monument is designed to memorialize the innocent victims of the first Genocide of the 20th century. The Genocide Museum’s mission statement is rooted in the fact that understanding the Armenian Genocide is an important step in preventing similar future tragedies, in keeping with the notion that those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.
