Social events

The following social events were organized as part of the conference.

Conference banquet

The conference banquet was held on Thursday evening, August 29, at the Apricot House. The Apricot House is located outside Yerevan, a 15 minute drive away from the city.

Guided tour at Matenadaran and welcome reception

On Sunday evening, a guided tour to Matenadaran was organized. Matenadaran houses one of the oldest and biggest collections of ancient manuscripts in the world. The depository contains over 17300 manuscripts, 450 thousand archive documents, and 3000 ancient books. Over 14200 manuscripts are in Armenian, the others in many other languages, among which Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Old Slavonic, Ethiopic and Japanese.

Following the guided tour, a welcome reception was held at the Divers Terrace of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts. This art center, located in the remarkable "Cascade" complex, is dedicated to bringing the best of contemporary art to Armenia and presenting the best of Armenian culture to the world. Its terraces offer a splendid view over Yerevan and on Ararat mountain.

Cultural excursion

Half a day of the program was dedicated to cultural excursions. Under guidance of professional tour guides some of the major historical sites in Armenia could be visited. Choice was between two half-day programs, outlined in more detail below:

• the ancient hellenistic Temple of Garni and the monastry of Geghard
• Echmiadzin, the holy city of Armenia, and the ruins of the ancient Zvartnots church.

Both excursions also visited Tsitsernakaberd, the impressive memorial to the Armenian genocide, located in the outskirts of Yerevan and also providing a beautiful view over the city.

Option 1: Garni and Geghard

Temple of Garni -- Near the village of Garni, on a promontory jutting out into a deep river gorge, an ancient architectural complex has been unearthed. Once a fortress of the Urartian and Armenian kings, evidence of human occupation have been found, with the oldest dating back to the 8th century BC. A dominating place in the complex was taken up by a hellenistic temple, built in the 1st century AD. Destroyed by an earthquake in 1679, archeologists restored the temple in the last century. Apart from the temple, the remnants of the old fortress walls, a 7th century church and a 3rd century Roman bath house can be seen. More information can be found at: Armenica.org.

Geghard Monastery -- A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Geghard monastery dates back to the 4th century, when it was founded by Gregory the Illuminator at a sacred spring inside a cave. In later centuries it was expanded, with parts of the structure cut into the adjacent mountain. The main chapel of the monastry as it is today was built in the 1215 AD. The full name of the monastery, Geghardavank, means "Monastery of the Spear", after the spear used to wound Jesus during the crucifixion, allegedly brought to Armenia by the Apostle Jude and currently on display in the Treasury in Echmiadzin. Surrounded by impressive cliffs, the monastery is a unique site and one of the most popular touristic destinations in Armenia. For more information, see Armenica.org.

Option 2: Echmiadzin and Zvartnots

Echmiadzin -- When Christianity became the religion of Armenia, the city of Vagharshapat was renamed Echmiadzin, after the name of the Mother Cathedral. Located 20km from the Armenian capital Yerevan, Echmiadzin Cathedral has been the spiritual center of the Armenian Orthodox church since it was built in the 4th century. The Cathedral has been rebuilt many times over the last 1500 years, but today retains its 5th century form, while reflecting every style over the centuries that rebuilding and restoration occurred. It includes a monastery of the same name, the Catholicos' Palace, Seminary, Library and Printing House. A scenic place to visit, the main church structure is quite large, and follows a traditional Armenian design with a belfry and a number of rotundas. While most of the exterior is plain, the entrance and interior are intricately carved and decorated. The treasury in tme main cathedral displays jewelry, ancient manuscripts and religious artefacts, including the lance said to have been used to pierce Christ on the cross.

Zvartnots -- Located 5 km from Echmiadzin is the brightest monument of medieval Armenian architecture -- the magnificent Zvartnots Temple, constructed in the 7th century. Despite being destroyed by an earthquake in 930 AD, the ruins of Zvartnots have an exceptional architectural value and have been designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. Originally, the complex consisted of the temple and a palace of the Catholicos, the head of the Armenian church. The temple was a 49m high, three-storied round temple, consisting of three differently sized cylinders put on top of each other, crowned with a spherical pyramid-shaped cone. The entire structure was supported by four 20-m mighty columns, was richly decorated, and had five entrances. The architecture of Zvartnots is quite different from that of typical Armenian churches and is a monument to the centuries old traditions of Armenian architects. In its artistic image and daring spatial arrangement, formed by an intricate combination of arches and buttresses, it is an outstanding monument of world architecture. Its architectural ideas later became widely spread and developed in new shapes and new artistic compositions.