Armenia protest: Activists call for attention to Garni bridge

A crowd of people gathered outside the Ministry of Culture on Friday, protesting against the reconstruction of the bridge of Garni.

The activists claimed that the medieval construction (11th-13th centuries) had lost it one time historical-cultural value over this period.

Speaking to Tert.am, one of the protesters, Argishti Kiviryan, said they accuse the Ministry of contributing to the cultural monument’s destruction.

“The Ministry is trying to justify its unlawfulness, saying that this kind of reconstruction is possible. But once you put together an old photograph with a picture featuring the [bridge’s] present-day image,  it will be enough even for a person with an elementary logic to see that the construction has been destroyed,” he said.

Gor Hakobyan, another protester, said new polished stones and tiles have caused the bridge to lose its spiritual value.

“It no longer has any value, or even if it does, it has turned into a completely different monument. We demand an open public account,” he said, adding that they seek in that way to prevent more such cases in future.

In letter sent to the Ministry on Monday the activist demanded an explanation for the existing situation.

Today they submitted the replies to Vladmir Poghosyan, the head of the Historical-Environment and Historical-Cultural Museum-Reserves Service, and Dorvard Arushanyan, the head of the Monument Reconstruction department. Hakobyan promised to meet relevant officials at the ministry after receiving a conclusion and forming an alternative opinion.