Dr. Harutyun Harutyunyan Presents Trilingual Academic Collection on Cultural Heritage of Artsakh

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YEREVAN, Armenia — On April 15, American University of Armenia (AUA) adjunct lecturer Dr. Harutyun Harutyunyan presented a trilingual academic collection titled Cultural Heritage of Artsakh: Armenian history and its traces in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was recently published by Christian Albrecht University of Kiel (Germany). The collection was co-edited by Dr. Harutyunyan, Dr. Andreas Muller (University of Kiel), Dr. Dagmar Heller (Institute for Ecumenical Studies and Research in Bensheim, Germany), and Dr. Martin Tamcke (University of Göttingen in Germany).

Dr. Harutyunyan noted that the publication “offers the most complete trilingual overview to date on the history, culture, and global contacts of this unshielded area in the Southern Caucasus,” with articles in German, Armenian, and English related to the history and culture of Artsakh, in addition to international political science and juridical issues on the global level. During the event, Dr. Harutyunyan presented evidence of the destruction of cultural assets in Artsakh by sharing “before and after” photographs of churches and monuments that had been fully or partially demolished.  

The collective edition is a result of an international conference with the same name that was organized by the editors at the Theological Faculty of Yerevan State University and Vayots Dzor Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The conference was supported by AUA and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, among others. At the conference, Dr. Harutyunyan delivered the opening remarks. About 30 scientists and experts from Armenia, Artsakh, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium attended the conference. Attendees released an appeal on the protection of Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh, which was co-signed later by many international scholars and intellectuals, and delivered to the United Nations, the Parliament of the European Union, and the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

The publication is available as an open source on the website of Christian Albrecht University of Kiel.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.