According to head of the monument preservation and studies department of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports Slava Sargsyan, in 2005, there have been many studies concerning the fortresses, historical bridges and separate monuments in Karabagh. During the year, a total of 320 monuments have been listed and that number will reach 480 in 2006. In her words, there has been a spread of propaganda. There are maps of Karabagh showing the monuments in Armenian and Russian. Seven thousand maps have been printed so far of which a thousand have been financed by the sponsors (the print edition has been sent to the U.S.).
Currently, there are 10,000 monuments of which only the major monuments are shown on the map. Similar maps and booklets have been printed in the U.S. and Australia.
“Since there is a demand, this year we plan on printing maps in English (this will be the third English publication) and Arabic. The Arabic printing will take place if Azerbaijan announces at the international Muslim assembly that Armenians have become owners of the historical monuments while discussing the Karabagh issue. Printing the maps and booklets in Arabic will help bring the reality into the light even among Muslims,” said the head of the department.
As she talked about the work done last year, Sargsyan said that the Amaras, Gandzasar, Gtchavank and Dadivank booklets have already been printed and the Tigranakert, Patara and Avetaranots booklets will be printed in 2006.
Studies conducted in the Askeran region’s Patara (Badara) village showed that there are approximately 200 monuments there. There are probably that many monuments in the Askeran region. According to Slava Sargsyan, there is a need to create a reserve/museum and the main goal will not only be the preservation of monuments, but also the preservation of nature and the animal world. The Ministry plans on presenting the “Khachen”, “Dizak” ecological and “Shushi” historical/cultural reserves construction to the government. Creating these reserves is not only important for preserving national values, but also to attract tourists, especially since there are many things to do in this field.
There has been much work done on remodeling the monuments and cemeteries in 2005. Two out of the seven cemeteries in Shushi have been renovated. This year, five cemeteries will be remodeled.
According to the head of the department, the greatest achievement of 2005 was the work done on planning out the projects for Amaras, Gtchavank and Avetaranots and these remodeling projects will be implemented in May.
In regard to Karabagh’s monuments of architectural value, Slava Sargsyan said that those monuments are in poor conditions, except some of them. That is why there are many places in the Republic of Nagorno Karabagh that remain unknown for both the people of Karabagh, as well as foreigners.
According to the head of the monument preservation and study department, 100 million drams has been provided both this year as well as last year. Out of the 100 million drams, 92 and a half million is foreseen for remodeling the monuments and propaganda.