Clarification from the Ministry of Education and Culture Regarding Deteriorating Monuments in Garni

In Garni, 3rd-century monuments, including the Royal Bath and the Mosaic, are deteriorating. The alarm was raised on Facebook by blogger Eduard Hayrumyan. Rainwater is seeping inside, damaging the mosaic. The once-illuminated interior of the bath is now a thing of the past, and at the entrance, visitors are greeted by a chair brought from one of the 'veterans' of the 2000s.

Earlier, 'Auroranews' established contact with the Ministry of Education and Culture. The head of the Department for the Preservation of Historical and Cultural Monuments, Harutyun Vanyan, stated that this issue has not been resolved for nearly three years. 'This matter is in our focus and is in process. A valuation and restoration project for the Garni Bath has been developed with the Italian side, as the project was done by Italian restorer and architect Lucio Speka. The project includes the reinforcement and restoration of the mosaic as well as the replacement of the roof with modern architectural solutions. Given that the project was created by the Italian side, using Italian methodologies, negotiations have been ongoing since the visit of Italy's Minister of Culture in 2023 to involve the best Italian specialists with excellent experience. The negotiations have yielded positive results. Italian specialists have conducted survey work, and a visit by Italian specialists is also planned for April-May of this year to continue sampling and research work. The program has been approved and is being implemented with the mediation of the Italian Embassy, supported by Italy’s Ministry of Culture. The work is set to be carried out in 2025-2026,' he stated.

When questioned about the ongoing surveys and the lack of changes leading to the continued deterioration of the monument, Harutyun Vanyan confirmed that the restoration work is expected to start clearly in 2025. However, he could not specify the exact month, as it depends on several factors that will become clear from the research outcomes. 'Considering that there are very few specialists in this field in Armenia and the project was developed by Italian experts, logically, there is a desire to carry out the restoration using the best practices,' Vanyan added.

It is noteworthy that according to the Garni Historical and Cultural Reserve-Museum’s website, the entrance fee is 1500 drams. Moreover, additional income is generated from various events, such as weddings or commercial events organized by companies. Yet, no necessary funds have been found to preserve Garni's 3rd-century Royal Bath and Mosaic monuments. We hope that after the arrival of Italian specialists, progress will be made, and such embarrassing images will no longer appear on social media.