May 25, 2011
This morning we woke up and ate an amazing breakfast in the hotel. We got into the bus and departed from the hotel. On the way we saw Dadeeg Babeeg. We arrived at Ghandzasar. We got into the church and lit some candles. The church has more than 250 inscriptions in it. We went outside and we saw bullet holes in the walls. Then we saw lizards we chased them around. The church was built in 1216. John the Baptist’s head is buried under the alter. The monastery Ghandzasar got its name by “Ghanz” meaning treasure and sar meaning mountain. These mountains had gold and silver mines.
We visited Nigol Douman’s house. Nigol Douman was a freedom fighter in Armenia. They turned his house into a museum. We saw his guns and his swords. We saw how he made his food. We saw how old his house is. He was nicknamed as a storm. He was named Douman because he was scary. His real name is Negoghios Hovanesian. He was a famous fighter. Nigol Douman was a role model for all freedom fighters in the Armenian army. Nigol Douman is very important to Armenian history. He died at the age of 47 in 1914.
We just departed from Dadeeg Babeeg. Dadeeg and Babeeg are the symbol of Artsagh. It was made in 1968. It is one of the most important statues in the Armenian history. It is made out of the most popular rock in Armenia doph kar. We sang the song “Menk yenk ou Sarere Mer”. We stopped at the armory and toured the base and met the soldiers.
By Saro Karaguesian