We Are Our Mountains: Efforts taken to Preserve Armenian Culture Amidst Conflict (Blog Post #2 - Matthew Bergs)

            On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijani forces began a deadly assault on the Republic of Artsakh, driving the ethnic Armenian populace to flee from the region. Also known by the Russian name Nagorno-Karabakh, the Artsakh Republic is historically part of Azerbaijan, but has long been inhabited by an Armenian population. Conflict between the two groups has been occurring on and off for the last three decades, since the region was put under Armenian rule in 1994 (1). After months of struggle caused by a strategic blockade of the Lachin corridor, the assault by Azerbaijani forces signals a dramatic shift of the land’s occupancy, with the Republic’s president stating that the Republic will be dissolved as of January 1st of next year. As these Armenians flee the land they have built their cultural identity in, they leave behind the art and architecture that is unable to follow them to safer spaces, putting them at risk of destruction by the incoming Azerbaijani. One sculptural work stands out as not just a testament to this ethnic group of Armenians and their cultural roots in the land they are fleeing, but also as a potential target of cultural destruction from the incoming Azerbaijani forces: We Are Our Mountains.

"We Are Our Mountains" (1967), also known as Tatik-Papik ("Grandmother-Grandfather" in Armenian), at the top of a hill overlooking the Artsakh city of Stepanakert 

(image via Wikimedia Commons)


We Are Our Mountains, or known locally as “Tatik-Papik” (Eastern Armenian for “Grandmother-Grandfather”), is a massive sculpture made of red volcanic tufa stone that is located just outside Stepanakert, the capital city of the Artsakh region. Constructed in 1967 by Armenian sculptor Sargis Baghdasaryan and architect Yuri Hakobyan, the work depicts the visages of a male and female figure rising up out of the raised landscape, in a literal representation of the connection between the Armenian people and the land of the Artsakh region (2). The sculpture has been a popular location for many over the years, with some even hosting weddings in front of the two stone sentinels. With the recent invasion of the region by Azerbaijani forces, however, the work’s longevity hangs in the balance. A photo of We Are Our Mountains was shared by an anonymous source to X (née Twitter), depicting an Azerbaijani standing in front of the two stone visages, with the female figure now adorned with the Azerbaijani flag. This image, shared just one day after the president’s announcement of Artsakh’s future dissolution, sparked distress and anger amongst Armenians. 

An international advocacy group, All for Armenia, has now started a petition to generate action to preserve We Are Our Mountains, with the goal of granting the work a No Touch policy order designated by UNESCO. All for Armenia’s director Serena Hajjar Bakunts notes this as the best possible outcome for the work, stating that “it is important to note that Armenians have lived, prayed, and created in Nagorno-Karabakh for millennia (...) with Azerbaijan’s occupation of the final remaining Armenian-held portion of this historically Armenian land, countless cultural landmarks and artifacts are at risk of destruction” (2). There is already documented evidence of Armenian cultural destruction from Azerbaijan, such as the obliteration of monasteries, cemeteries, and other Armenian sites in Nakhichevan from one year ago. The hope is that with international cooperation and support, there can be an effort to save what has symbolically become a member of the Armenian cultural family. 


A photo from an unknown source showing the Azerbaijani flag on “We Are Our Mountains” prompted outrage on social media

(screenshot Rhea Nayyar/Hyperallergic via X)


            When reading this article, I was instilled with a sense of grim foreboding. After all, there is a nostalgic frustration in discussing cultural destruction when it has already occurred, where we are able to openly decry the actions of those who destroy cultural structures in a pursuit of demonstrating their claim on the territory. But for this sculpture, the act of destruction has not occurred as of yet. It might occur, and as far as the symbolism of conquest by cultural destruction plays out, it’s highly likely that its termination will be carried out. In my pessimism, I would sadly not be surprised to hear of its destruction in the near future. But it hasn’t yet, and so when considering its survival in these circumstances, there does appear to be hope that it will make it through the conflict. It’s that hope that drives Serena Hajjar Bakunts and All for Armenia as they seek support from the international community for a chance at designating its preservation from the conflict. It’s that hope that draws the Armenian community to its aid, although in the current climate, they have had to physically leave it behind to pursue succor from the invasion. As in all matters related to warfare, the impacts are devastating to those involved in any capacity. Considering the value of We Are Our Mountains shared by many Armenians, losing it would be just as distressing as losing a grandmother or grandfather, a tatik or papik. One can hope along with the Armenians that the artwork, along with many others, will be able to find a means of survival amidst the destruction.



Bibliography  


1.  Lederer, Edith. “Armenia and Azerbaijan clash over plight of 120,000 people in 

Nagorno-Karabakh facing food crisis.” AP News, August 16, 2023.

https://apnews.com/article/armenia-azerbaijan-nagornokarabakh-road-blockade-humanit

arian-0d7cb5e2cbaf5ba907c98cf6e3ae58f6


2.  Nayyar, Rhea. “Symbolic Armenian Monument in Artsakh at Risk of Destruction.” 

Hyperallergic, October 2, 2023.

https://hyperallergic.com/847990/symbolic-armenian-monument-in-artsakh-at-risk-of-des

truction/


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