>>1065588
>sounds a bit fishy that Armenians would be competing for "muh genocide" with a certain other people
ONLY A ROTHSCHILD SABBATEAN WOULD SEEK TO HIDE THE TRUTH
LEARN HISTORY
The art of carving khachkars has witnessed a rebirth as a symbol of Armenian culture in the 20th century. There are hundreds of khachkars worldwide, many of which are memorials to commemorate the 2 MILLION victims of the Armenian Genocide.
The first true khachkars appeared in the 9th century, during the time of Armenian revival after liberation from Arab rule. The oldest khachkar with a known date was carved in 879 (though earlier, cruder, examples exist). Erected in Garni, it is dedicated to queen Katranide I, the wife of king Ashot I Bagratuni. The peak of the khachkar carving art was between the 12th and the 14th centuries. The art declined during the Mongol invasion at the end of the 14th century. It revived in the 16th and 17th centuries, but the artistic heights of the 14th century were never achieved again. Today, the tradition still remains, and one can still see khachkar carvers in some parts of Yerevan.
About 40,000 khachkars survive today. Most of them are free standing, though those recording donations are usually built into monastery walls. The following three khachkars are believed to be the finest examples of the art form:
• One in Geghard, carved in 1213, probably by master Timot and master Mkhitar
• The Holy Redeemer khachkar in Haghpat (see gallery), carved in 1273 by master Vahram
• A khachkar in Goshavank, carved in 1291 by master Poghos.
A number of good examples have been transferred to the Historical Museum in Yerevan and beside the cathedral in Echmiadzin. The largest surviving collection of khachkars is in Armenia, at Noraduz cemetery on the western shore of the Lake Sevan, where an old graveyard with around 900 khachkars from various periods and of various styles can be seen. The largest number was formerly located at Julfa in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan, but the entire medieval cemetery was destroyed by Azeri soldiers in 2005.