25.03.2011ARMENIA-EGYPT: ARMENOLOGICAL BRIDGE
Eduard L. Danielyan - Doctor of History, “Noravank” Foundation
Armenology (“studying of the materials about the Armenian reality... as a theory about academic knowledge revealed in various fields, and peculiarities characteristic to Armenian reality, researched by appropriate disciplines with their own distinctive methods”)1, by its potential, for the creator and preserver of the spiritual and cultural values - the Armenian people, is the mentality constituting system 2.
In this sense we speak about true Armenology. In contrast to it some “research centers” are engaged in falsifying and misrepresenting of the Armenian history as well as in the anti-Armenian propaganda in the information war. E.g. “Institute for Armenian Researches”, which deals with dissemination of the hostile information about Armenia and the Armenian people by denying the Armenian Genocide and falsifying and distorting the Armenian Question, was established in Turkey on the order of the authorities3. The anti-Armenian purposes of the “institute” had already been mentioned: “"In order to institutionalize this campaign of denial and try to invest it with an aura of legitimacy, a "think-tank" was established in Ankara in April 2001. Operating under the name "Institute for Armenian Research" as a subsidiary of The Center For Eurasian Studies, with a staff of nine, this new outfit is now proactively engaged in contesting all claims of genocide by organizing a series of conferences, lectures, and interviews, and above all, through the medium of publications, including a quarterly"4”
The protection of the spiritual, academic and ideological spheres of the Armenian people (the Republic of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh), Javakhq and the Armenian Diaspora) in the information field is implemented on the academic grounds with the help of the true Armenology which has accumulated millennia experience and which nourishes the national ideology. In this aspect, in the spheres of information and psychological security the importance is attached to the defence from external and internal distortions as well as “dissemination of ideological concepts on the external information field in the context of national interests” 5.
One of the results of the official visit of the president of the Republic of Armenia to the Arab Republic of Egypt in April 2007 was the opening of the Center for the Armenian Studies at the Department of Philology at the University of Cairo on the decision of the government of Egypt on December 13, which is at the center of the attention of the Embassy of the RA and Armenian community. The foundation of the Center for the Armenian Studies in Egypt is remarkable from the point of view of historic ties with Armenia.
The majestic pyramids bearing the impress of eternity remind of the ancient Egypt. There is a saying: “Man is afraid of time and the time is afraid of pyramids”. These man-made monuments seem to be a symbol of eternal antagonism of life and death. According to the definition of Anania Shirakatsi “origin is the beginning of the destruction and destruction, in its turn, is the beginning of the origin. And due to this indestructible confrontation the world acquires eternal character”.6
David M. Lang in his “Armenia: Cradle of Civilization” wrote: ““The ancient land of Armenia is situated in the high mountains... Although Mesopotamia with its ancient civilizations of Sumer and Babylon, is usually considered together with Egypt as the main source of civilized life in the modern sense, Armenia too has a claim to rank as one of the cradles of human culture”7. The historical ties between Armenia and Egypt are really close; they are so close that while standing in front of the magnificent Egyptian sculptures made in III-I millennium BC you can feel the time flowing through a petrified silence which weaves the tapestry of the history.
In aspect of the dialogue of civilizations the scientific and cultural spheres are important. And its vivid example is the Golden age (V c.) of the original and translated Armenian literature of V century which played a significant role in the life of many generations of the Armenians, thus enriching the treasury of world culture too8. It is remarkable that Mesrop Mashtots and Sahak Partev attached importance to the issue of the education of the young generation of the Armenian translators in the academic centers of the ancient world.
During the voyage in the 430s Movses Khorenatsi and his friends visited Egypt.
Characterizing Egypt as a renowned country “which is situated in a beautiful part of the world and abound in various fruits”, Movses Khorenatsi mentioned that Egypt “is surrounded by a miraculous wall of Nile, which not only protects but also feeds it...”. The father of the Armenian historiography gave high praise to Alexandria: “the city is proportionate... built between sea and an artificial lake”. Alexandria which passed from the paganism to Christianity made a great impression on Movses Khorenatsi. He wrote: “Now not a five-headed Pluto9 rules here” but “a preacher of the Gospel Mark10 and there are no more god-born heroes from the kin of the dragon...there are the chapels of the saints... And there are no more sacrifices to the evil dragon Serapis11, instead the blood of Christ is offered during the liturgy... They learn sciences from the new Plato – my teacher of whom I am not unworthy student...”. From Egypt Armenian young men visited to Rome, and went on a pilgrimage to the tombs of Peter and Paul and made their way to the capital of Greece Athens; after that they went to Byzantion12. They returned home after they received news about the death of their teachers – Cathalicos Sahak Partev and Mesrop Mashtots...
At present a definite interest to the Armenian studies aroused in the academic and educational spheres in Egypt. International conferences are held at the Center for the Armenian studies at the University of Cairo, Armenian language lessons are arranged, books about the Armenian-Arabian relations are published in the Arabic. In 2011 the lessons on the Armenian history will be organized and in spring the Center will arrange an international conference “Arab sources about Armenia and Armenians”.
Since the opening of the Armenian embassy in Egypt close relations has been established with the Armenian community. Its best manifestation is the building where the embassy is placed – on the isle of Zamalek in the middle of the Nile. It was granted by the AGBU branch and repaired by the efforts of the Armenian community.
On the invitation of the Center for the Armenian studies at the end of November 2010 I delivered lectures to the students of the University of Cairo13 and the historians of the Historiographic Association of Egypt on “Cosmological ideas in antique, early medieval Armenian and late medieval Arab sources” and “The Branches of the “Silk Road” in Western Asia in the age of the kingdoms of Great Armenia and Cilician Armenia”. The lectures were delivered in English and were translated into Arabic by Karo Tabatian – the author of a number of translations who has recently translated from French into Arabian and published the memoires of the first prime-minister of Egypt Nubar Nubarian (1825-1899).
At the University of Cairo meeting with the Dean of the Faculty of Philology, Doctor Mahmud Abdul Khandra, vice-dean, specialist in Japan studies Doctor Isam Khamza and director of the Center Zaynab Sinnai was arranged. The exchange of views with the participation of the ambassador of the RA to Egypt Armen Melkonyan concerning the programmes of the Center for the Armenian studies directed to the deepening of the academic and educational ties between Armenia and Egypt took place. We offered that the center took part in the international conference held by the Institute of History of the RA NAS on “The Civilizational Contribution of Armenia to the “Silk Road”.
Under the patronage of the Embassy of the RA and the head of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church His Grace Bishop Ahot Mnatsakanyan I delivered a lecture to the Armenian community in Egypt on “Armenia in the ancient and medieval cartography and civilizational contribution of Armenia to the development of the “Silk Road” and “Significance of the elucidation of the history of the ancient Armenia in the aspect of the spiritual and cultural protection of the Armenian people and patriotic education of the youth” (Pltakian Hall in Cairo and the National Diocesan Residence in Alexandria).
During the conversation at the residence of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Cairo Bishop Ashot Mnatsakanyan presented the editorial works of the illustrated text book on the history of Armenia for the Armenian children, which is prepared to be published.
Despite the small number of contemporary Armenian community in Egypt, it is much consolidated due to the efforts of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Egypt and it has tight ties with the Motherland, thus trying to take part in all the pan-Armenian events. Armenian community lives its life and has its problems – preserving of the schools and cultural unions and clubs as well as the estate and lands which belong to the Armenian Apostolic church and etc. Armenian Apostolic Diocese of Egypt which counts about 6000 parishioners has three churches and two schools in Cairo, two churches and one school in Alexandria (the total number of pupils is about 250). There are about 1500 Catholic Armenians in Egypt and they have two churches in Cairo and one in Alexandria. There is also a small community of the Armenian Evangelicals in the country14. Armenian traditional parties are not officially registered in Egypt as political organizations but they act as sports and cultural clubs. Two Armenian daily newspapers are published – “Arev” and “Yusaber”, “Jahakir”15 newspaper is issued once in two weeks and etc. Egyptian radio is broadcasting some programs in Armenian.
A conversation with Hagar Islambuli, the senior official for the international relations at The Bibliotheca Alexandrina16 and her staff about the development of the academic ties, exchange of the library information and participation of the Bibliotheca in the aforementioned conference in Yerevan took place. The ambassador of the RA Armen Melkonyan also was present at the conversation. We presented to the library my book, published in Armenian. Russian and English about the history of Gandzasar Monastery and its role and significance in the spiritual, educational, cultural life of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and in the liberation struggle of the Armenian people.
Armenian studies are a bridge, connecting the white summits of Ararat-Masis mount and peaks Egyptian pyramids...
1Գեորգ Բրուտյան, Հայագիտություն և մետահայագիտություն, Երևան, 2004, էջ 46:
2Գագիկ Տեր-Հարությունյան, Հայագիտությունը ազգային անվտանգության համատեքստում,
http://www.noravank.am/arm/articles/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=2469&sphrase_id=3857
3Haykaram Nahapetyan, Institute for Armenian Studies in Ankara,
http://www.noravank.am/eng/articles/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=3486
4America and the Armenian Genocide of 1915, by J. M. Winter, Paul Kennedy, Antoine Prost, Emmanuel Sivan, preface by V. Dadrian, 2003, Cambridge University Press, p. 54
http://globalwarmingart.com/wiki/Wikipedia:Armenian_Genocide_denial
5Հարությունյան Գ., Գաղափարախոսություն և տեղեկատվական անվտանգություն, «21-րդ ԴԱՐ», N 5, 2009, էջ 8-9:
6Անանիա Շիրակունւոյ Մնացորդք բանից, ի լոյս ած Ք.Պատկանեան, Ս.Պետերբուրգ, 1877, էջ 44:
7David M. Lang, Armenia: Cradle of Civilization, London, George Allen and Unwin LTD, 1970, p. 9.
8Դանիելյան Է., Հայ գրի, թարգմանական և ինքնուրույն գրականության պատմական նշանակությունը քաղաքակրթությունների երկխոսության տեսանկյունից, «21-րդ ԴԱՐ», N1, 2010, էջ 13-24:
9Pluto is a Greek deity of the underground kingdom who substituted Osiris.
10Saint Apostle and Evangelist Mark – the founder of the Coptic Church.
11Serapis is a deity invented on the order of Ptolemy I (323-283 BC). It embodied Osiris deity and the Apis bull and over the period of the religious policy of Ptolemy it had to unify Greeks and Egyptians. With this purpose Serapeum temple was build under the rule of Ptolemy III (246-222 BC), which was destroyed in the last decade of IV century AD.
12Մովսէս Խորենացի, Պատմութիւն Հայոց, Երևան, 1991, էջ 344-346:
13It was a pleasant surprise to meet at the lecture held at the Center for the Armenian studies a group of the students of the Faculty of the Oriental Studies of the YSU who had been studying Arabic in the University of Cairo for one year.
14The Armenian Church and Patriarchates http://www.armembegypt.com/main.php?page=institutions&path=ARM_EG:ARM_EGYPT:INSTITUTIONS Арман Акопян, Армянский облик Египта, Ноев Ковчег, № 05 (152), Май, 2010, Վահրամ Հովյան, Եգիպտոսի Հայ ավետարանական համայնքը,
http://noravank.am/arm/issues/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=5290
15Հայ մամուլը Եգիպտոսի մեջ, Մատենագիտական ցուցակ, կազմեց տոքթ. Ս.Ն. Պայրամեան, Գահիրէ, 2005, էջ 92, 104, 262, 346:
16I.Serageldin, A landmark building: reflections on the architecture of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, 2006. After the fire (48 BC) destroyed old Bibliotheca, established by Ptolemy II or his father Ptolemy I Soter, the Musaeum library in the palatial area (Strabo, XVII, 1.8) and the library of Sarapeum temple, which was situated in the other part of the town, continued to serve as Bibliotheca. The later also included books brought from Pergamon.
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