Armenian News

Aysor, Armenia
June 9 2010
iDuduk made available for purchase

Apple has added new feature to i-Phone music collection. Welcome
iDuduk App familiarizing customers with one of the oldest and most
popular ethnic woodwind instruments of all time.

The Duduk, an Armenian woodwind instrument, has been revolutionizing
the music industry for film, television, and the world music scene in
general, thanks to artists such as Peter Gabriel, Michael Brook, and
others.

Here are some facts as followed. It is believed that no other musical
instrument is able to convey the emotions of the Armenian people so
honestly and eloquently as the Duduk, for it is purely Armenian, born
in the early eons of Armenian history. Because of its evocative and
colorful timbre and warm sound, the Duduk has become part of everyday
life in Armenia. Today, no festive occasion, wedding reception or
family feast is complete without a Dudukist (a Duduk-player).

The Duduk is a cylindrical wooden flute with thousands-year history
behind it. A form of oboe hand-made almost always of apricot wood, the
Duduk is strictly Armenian. Traveling Armenians have taken it to
Persia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, the Middle East, and as far as the
Balkans, where derivatives are played.

Key Features of iDuduk?¢ LT are listed below:

¢In the Blow Mode, blow into your microphone to play music
¢In the Press Mode option, simply play by pressing down the holes (for
iPod Touch users as well)
¢Press down individual holes to change pitch within one octave
¢The Blow Mode includes 9 notes including the open blow middle C
¢The Press Mode includes 8 notes D-Dorian
¢In the Duet Mode, use the `Dum (Drone) slider to choose a pitch to
harmonize and enrich your melody.

In the info section on top right corner, one can find out more about
the recording Duduk virtuosos such as Djivan Gasparyan, Vache
Hovsepyan, Ararat Petrosian, the Duduk quintet - featured in the
Gladiator, the Last Temptation of Christ soundtracks and many other
blockbuster hits, said on the App Comments page.

iDuduk LT is available on the App Store at itunes.apple.com. Find more
on youtempo.com in the iDuduk section.

Protesters shout and whistle in front of government
A1Plus.am
05:13 pm | June 09, 2010 | Social

The number of citizens protesting against a bill on opening
foreign-language schools in Armenia is increasing outside the
government building.

The protesters today met deputies hurrying to a NA sitting with shouts
and whistles.

"My mother lived in Iran but she did not know Persian. When I asked
her why she did not speak the language, she said that in villages they
had been forbidden to speak a foreign language not to pass the infants
through mother's milk. If illiterate peasants realized the simple
fact, why shouldn't our government officials do the same? I fear that
in the future, the mothers will breast-feed their children with a
lullaby in a foreign language," said Iranian Armenian Khoren Aramuni
who participated at the protest.

Protester Armine Pujikyan says she has no expectations from the
National Assembly though she is determined to struggle till the end.

"Recently, I constantly heard Russian words and phrases but I wasn't
concerned since I knew that my mother tongue was not endangered and
was protected by the state. But if the bill is adopted, we shall
encounter a new conflict, like the one we witnessed in the 80s," she
said.

ARF-Dashnaktsutyun MP Hrayr Karapetyan assured A1+ that their party
would vote against the bill.

Freelance deputy Victor Dallakyan claims that the bill conflicts with
the country's constitution.

"Education cannot be exposed to experiments. I think that the
government should elaborate a concept to develop the sphere of
education and science. The most important question today is which
country we long for - a country of casinos, brothels or a democratic
republic based on high technologies. Only after answering these
questions, should we clarify what citizens Armenia needs to have."

Armenia holds 113th position in Global Peace Index rating
2010-06-09 11:44:00
ArmInfo. Armenia has held the 113th position in the Global Peace Index
(GPI) rating.

The official website of the organization says that a total of 149
states have been assessed. The most peaceful country of the planet is
New Zealand, which is followed by Iceland, Japan, Austria, and Norway.

The lowest positions have been held by Iraq, Somali, Afghanistan,
Sudan, Pakistan, Israel.

It is noteworthy that the United States has held the 85th position,
and Russia and Georgia have found themselves in the lowest ten
positions.

As regards our regional neighbors, Armenia is preceded only by Iran,
which has held the 104th position. Azerbaijan has found itself in the
119th position, and Turkey - in the 126th position.

To note, the countries were assessed according to 23 primary and 33
secondary indices, such as political stability, respect for human
rights, level of violent crime, level of military expenditures, etc.

The rating was presented in London, Tuesday, with the support of a
number of influential public figures, including Nobel Prize Laureates
- ex-presidents of the USA and Finland Jimmy Carter and Martti
Ahtisaari, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Spiritual Leader of
Tibet Dalai Lama, as well as the Amnesty International organization,
and many others.

Reconstruction of Surp Giragos Armenian Church, Diyarbakir, Turkey
Armenian News Network / Groong
June 10, 2010
By Robert Bedrosyan
TORONTO, ONTARIO

The Surp Giragos Church in Diyarbakir/Dikranagerd in Turkey is the
largest Armenian church in the Middle East and one of the most
important works of Armenian architecture. Although it is seriously
damaged and in ruins for the past several decades, an ambitious
reconstruction project is launched in 2009 by the Armenian Church
Patriarchate in Istanbul through the Foundation Board of Surp Giragos
Church.

Before explaining the reconstruction project, a brief history of the
Surp Giragos Armenian Church will be given. According to inscriptions
found in the church walls, the first church was built in 1515-1518,
then repaired in 1722 by Armenian Patriarch Bedros Vartabed. In 1729,
it was rebuilt with an expanded plan by three Armenian architects
Shahin, Sarukhan and Yarem. During the great fire of 1881, it was
completely burnt down, but it was reconstructed again in 1883 to its
present plan, with seven 'khorans' and a huge footprint of more than
15,000 square feet, to serve a large Armenian population in the
region. Its 100 feet high bell tower, with a bell molded by the famed
Zildjians and a large golden cross at the top, was bombarded and
toppled by German/Ottoman cannon fire in 1915 because it was deemed to
be higher than the mosque minarets in the region. After the founding
of the Turkish Republic in 1923, it was used as a state warehouse for
canvas and fabrics for a while, and then, despite sporadic efforts by
the dwindling Armenian community in Diyarbakir, it had been left to
deteriorate and decay until 2009, when a few Armenians born in
Diyarbakir but living in Istanbul, formed a Foundation Board under the
auspices of the Armenian Istanbul Patriarchate, with the goal of
reconstructing the church, as well as to start a legal process to
reclaim title to the significant land holdings originally belonging to
the church.

After several meetings with the public and officials, the Chairman of
the Foundation Board, Vartkes Ergun Ayik, was successful in securing
the cooperation of the local government in Diyarbakir toward approval
of the reconstruction project. As the church is deemed to be a
historic building, the restoration was required to recreate the
original building features and façade. With the support and advice of
prominent architects, the reconstruction plans were prepared, the
required permits obtained, bid tenders called and construction started
in the fall of 2009. The local government has provided not only
cooperation but also partial financial support, as they are convinced
that once this church is reconstructed, it will be a significant
touristic and historic attraction, as well as a testament to the
multi-faith and multi-cultural initiatives in the region. The total
reconstruction budget is about $2.5 million.

It should be noted that out of more than 2500 Armenian churches and
monasteries in existence before 1915, this church is the largest of
the five Armenian churches still left standing in Anatolia. It is
living proof to the existence of a significant presence in this region
until 1915. The Church Foundation Board has uncovered more than 200
land deeds belonging to the church in the Diyarbakir region. Thanks to
relatively improved legislation process in Turkey in recent years, the
Board has successfully reclaimed a few of these deeds and has secured
a steady rental income from the reclaimed properties toward the future
maintenance of the church. Although the legal process to defend the
title for the remaining properties will take several years, the Board
is hopeful of ultimate success.

While there are no Armenians left in Diyarbakir, the Istanbul
Patriarchate and the Board plan to organize tours during Armenian
religious holidays for Armenians from Istanbul and abroad, to visit
the Surp Giragos Church and attend mass by Armenian clergymen
accompanying the tour groups. Unlike one or two churches restored by
the Turkish government and converted to state museums, the Surp
Giragos Church will be the first church restored as an official
Armenian church, by Armenian people for Armenian people. It is
therefore requested that all Armenians worldwide consider financially
supporting this worthy project. To this end, there will be fundraising
activities organized in major Armenian communities in North America
and Europe in the fall of 2010.

For more information regarding the reconstruction project and
fundraising activities, please contact Raffi Bedrosyan at
jbedrosyan@rogers.com<mailto:jbedrosyan@rogers.com>. The youtube links
below are from an interview by HaiHorizon TV of Toronto, Canada, with
Vartkes Ergun Ayik, Chairman of the Foundation Board of the Surp
Giragos Church.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DFDKvzF8ab1k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DtrIO27N_JpI