Armenia - genocide memorial

 

 

In 1965, Armenians commemorated the 50th anniversary of the genocide. As there was no symbol in Armenia itself, the genocide memorial at Tsitsernakaberd was created and completed in 1967. It's stunning how striking and appropriate the monument is. There is a 44m tall stele symbolizing survival and nearby 12 large leaning slabs suggesting figures in mourning. The slabs surround an eternal flame set 1.5m below. The steps leading there are deliberately steep, requiring visitors to bow as they approach the flame.
The museum, which was added in 1995, contains in particular photographs taken by German army photographers who, as allies to the Turks in WWI, were allowed in the area at the time.
Information on the genocide is widely available in the form of history books or testimonies of survivors. I would recommend "Les Arméniens, histoire d'un génocide" (in French) by Yves Ternon (ISBN 2020256851). It still surprises me a great deal that such a major historical event, so important for mankind to learn the lessons from the past, is generally kept in the dark, trivialized or even appallingly negated.