‘Amberd Fortress’ Cultural Heritage Site Being Converted into ‘Object’: Naira Zohrapyan

A certain Manuk has privatized the protection zone of the ‘Amberd Fortress’ cultural heritage site and is constructing an ‘object’. This was reported by NA deputy Naira Zohrapyan on her Facebook page.

The post particularly states:

“But Manuk’s heroic son considered the human bones extracted from millennia-old gravestones to be bones from khash consumed by journalists.

Due to the uproar raised by my journalist colleagues, yet another act of cultural vandalism has been temporarily halted. A certain Manuk Manukyan, who, surprisingly, is the regional head of the ‘Cultural Heritage Protection Service’ under the Ministry of Culture in the Aragatsotn Province, has privatized the area of the protection zone of one of Armenia’s most unique cultural monuments—Amberd. He filled it with tractors and heavy machinery, and intended to open his own business object called ‘Amberd Tonir’ right under Amberd’s nose. According to residents of the neighboring villages, Manuk's tractor has already destroyed numerous archaeological findings, as pieces of pottery, jars, gravestone fragments, and human bones have become exposed in the areas plowed by the tractor.

Who granted Manuk Manukyan ownership rights remains unknown. The mayor of Byurakan is also unaware, only recalling that Manuk has a title deed.

Interestingly, while heavy machinery was vandalizing the Amberd protection zone for several days, the Byurakan mayor was not informed, as nobody told him about it.

Only after the prompt response from journalists Narine Kirakosyan, Gagik Shamshyan, and our other colleagues did the Ministry of Culture temporarily halt the vandalism in the Amberd protection zone.

Thus, let us hope that the currently functioning Ministry of Culture will not only temporarily but definitively stop this unprecedented vandalism. This is the first. Second, let us hope that the government will quickly clarify who granted Manuk Manukyan those ownership rights. And third, both the grantor of this ownership right and Manuk Manukyan should face their responsibilities before the law.

As for the Aragatsotn governor, it wouldn’t hurt to start by dismissing Manuk Manukyan from his position.”