Berd (dance)
Berd ( hy, Բերդ, բերդապար (''Berd, berdapar''), "Fortress") is an Armenian dance which originates from the ancient Armenian province of Vaspurakan of the ancient kingdom of Armenia. The dance was part of the old Armenian game "Գմբեթախաղ (Gmbetakhagh)". About During the dance dancers wear only traditional Armenian dress ( hy, տարազ, ''taraz''). The central objective of the dance is to create a fortress, which is a 2-storey human wall. In order to achieve this, dancers stand on top of each other's shoulders. See also * Armenian dance * Kochari * Yarkhushta * Vaspurakan * Culture of Armenia The culture of Armenia encompasses many elements that are based on the geography, literature, architecture, dance, and music of the people. Creative arts Literature Literature began in Armenia around 401 A.D. The majority of the litera ... References Armenian dances {{dance-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Berd Tanec2
Berd ( hy, Բերդ) is a town and urban municipal community in the Tavush Province of Armenia. The town is located to the west of the Tavush river, from Yerevan, surrounded by low mountains. Near the city are the ruins of the Tavush fortress (10th century) and the Nor Varagavank and Khoranashat monasteries (12th century). Other monasteries nearby include Shkhmuradi, Srveghi, and Kaptavank. Etymology ''Berd ( Armenian: բերդ)'' means "fortress" or castle. The small city was named ''Berd'' because the ruins of the Tavush castle were located in the outskirts of Berd. The town was formerly known as ''Berdagyugh'', ''Gamma, ''Tavuzghala'', ''Tauzkend'', ''Volorut'', ''Shlorut'' and ''Ghalakyand''. History Historically, the area of modern-day Berd was part of the ''Tuchkatak'' canton of Utik, the 12th province of Greater Armenia. Berd has also historical meaning because In the 10th century it was the residence of the Armenian king Ashot Yerkat (Iron). Also, the fortress w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Armenian Dance
The Armenian dance (Armenian: Հայկական պար) heritage has been considered the oldest and most varied in its respective region. From the fifth to the third millennia B.C., in the higher regions of Armenia, the land of Ararat, there are rock paintings of scenes of country dancing. These dances were probably accompanied by certain kinds of songs or musical instruments. In the fifth century, Moses of Khoren (Movsés Khorenats'i) himself had heard of how the old descendants of Aram (that is Armenians) make mention of these things (epic tales) in the ballads for the lyre and their songs and dances. Traditional dancing is still popular among expatriate Armenians, and has also been very successfully exported to international folk dance groups and circle dance groups all over the world. All dancers wear the traditional costume to embody the history of their culture and to tell their ancestors stories. The design of these costumes are influenced by many factors, such as religio ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vaspurakan
Vaspurakan (, Western Armenian pronunciation: ''Vasbouragan'') was the eighth province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered on Lake Van. Located in what is now southeastern Turkey and northwestern Iran, the region is considered to be the cradle of Armenian civilization. Name The name Vaspurakan is of Iranian origin. It is related of the Middle Persian word ''vāspuhr'', meaning "senior, heir, prince". In Middle Persian, ''vāspuhrakān'' referred to the top nobility of the Sasanian Empire. In Armenian, ''vaspurakan'' was also rarely used as an adjective meaning "noble"; for example, ''vaspurakan gund'' ("army/troop of nobles"). Thus, Vaspurakan can be translated as "noble land" or "land of princes". Alternative interpretations of the name include "having a special position" or "royal domain". Armenologist Heinrich Hübschmann considered it likely that the name originated as a shortening of the ''koghmn Va ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kingdom Of Armenia (antiquity)
The Kingdom of Armenia, also the Kingdom of Greater Armenia, or simply Greater Armenia ( hy, Մեծ Հայք '; la, Armenia Maior), sometimes referred to as the Armenian Empire, was a monarchy in the Ancient Near East which existed from 331 BC to 428 AD. Its history is divided into the successive reigns of three royal dynasties: Orontid (331 BC–200 BC), Artaxiad (189 BC–12 AD) and Arsacid (52–428). The root of the kingdom lies in one of the satrapies of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia called Armenia (Satrapy of Armenia), which was formed from the territory of the Kingdom of Ararat (860 BC–590 BC) after it was conquered by the Median Empire in 590 BC. The satrapy became a kingdom in 321 BC during the reign of the Orontid dynasty after the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great, which was then incorporated as one of the Hellenistic kingdoms of the Seleucid Empire. Under the Seleucid Empire (312–63 BC), the Armenian throne was divided in two—Armenia Maior and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yerevan State University
Yerevan State University (YSU; hy, Երևանի Պետական Համալսարան, ԵՊՀ, ''Yerevani Petakan Hamalsaran''), also simply University of Yerevan, is the oldest continuously operating public university in Armenia. Founded in 1919, it is the largest university in the country. It is thus informally known as Armenia's "mother university" (Մայր ԲՈւՀ, ''Mayr Buh''). Of its 3,150 employees, 1,190 comprise the teaching staff, which includes 25 academicians, 130 professors, 700 docents (associate professors), and 360 assistant lecturers. The university has 400 researchers, 1,350 post-graduate students, and 8,500 undergraduates, including 300 students from abroad. Instruction is in Armenian, but instruction in Russian or English for foreign students is available as needed. The academic year is from September 1 through June 30. According to University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP), it was the top-ranked university in Armenia and the 954th in the world in 2 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country, as its primate city. It has been the Historical capitals of Armenia, capital since 1918, the Historical capitals of Armenia, fourteenth in the history of Armenia and the seventh located in or around the Ararat Plain. The city also serves as the seat of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese, which is the largest diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the oldest dioceses in the world. The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BCE, with the founding of the fortress of Erebuni Fortress, Erebuni in 782 BCE by King Argishti I of Urartu, Argishti I of Urartu at the western extreme of the Ararat Plain. Erebuni was "designed as a great administrative an ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Armenian Dress
The Armenian Taraz ( hy, տարազ, ''taraz'';), also known as Armenian traditional clothing, reflects a rich cultural tradition. Wool and fur were utilized by the Armenians along with the cotton that was grown in the fertile valleys. During the Urartian period, silk imported from China was used by royalty. Later, the Armenians cultivated silkworms and produced their own silk. The collection of Armenian women’s costumes begins during the Urartu time period, wherein dresses were designed with creamy white silk, embroidered with gold thread. The costume was a replica of a medallion unearthed by archaeologists at Toprak Kale near Lake Van, which some 3,000 years ago was the site of the capital of the Kingdom of Urartu. Overview The Armenian national costume, having existed through long periods of historical development, was one of the signals of self-preservation for the Armenian culture. Being in an area at the crossroads of diverse eastern styles, Armenian dress is significan ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fortification
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ("to make"). From very early history to modern times, defensive walls have often been necessary for cities to survive in an ever-changing world of invasion and conquest. Some settlements in the Indus Valley civilization were the first small cities to be fortified. In ancient Greece, large stone walls had been built in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae (famous for the huge stone blocks of its 'cyclopean' walls). A Greek '' phrourion'' was a fortified collection of buildings used as a military garrison, and is the equivalent of the Roman castellum or English fortress. These constructions mainly served the purpose of a watch tower, to guard certain roads, passes, and borders. Though smaller than a real fortress, they act ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kochari
Kochari (, , , , ) is a folk dance originating in the Armenian Highlands. It is performed today by Armenians, while variants are performed by Assyrians, Azerbaijanis (yalli, uchayag, and tello), Kurds (dilan, delîlo, and sêxanî), and Pontic Greeks (kotsari). It is a form of circle dance. Each region in the Armenian Highlands had its own Kochari, with its unique way of both dancing and music. Etymology *In Armenian, "Kochari" literally means "knee-come". Գուճ (gudj or goudj) means "knee" and արի (ari) means "come". *In Azerbaijani Turkish, "köç" means "to move" used both as a verb and as a noun, with the latter used more in the context of nomads' travelling. "Köçəri" is also both an adjective and a noun, meaning a "nomad" and "nomadic" simultaneously. Likewise, Kurdish "koçer" means "nomad," and thus the term "Koçerî" means "nomadic," which was borrowed from Turkish. *In Pontic Greek, from the Greek "κότσι" (in Pontic Greek "κοτς") meaning "heel" ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Yarkhushta
Yarkhushta ( hy, Յարխուշտա (modern orthography) or Եարխուշտայ (classical/traditional orthography), ) is an Armenian folk and martial dance associated with the highlands of the historical region of Sasun in Western Armenia. Yarkhushta belongs to a wider category of Armenian "clap dances" (ծափ-պարեր, ''tsap parer''). The dance is performed by men, who face each other in pairs. The key element of the dance is a forward movement when participants rapidly approach one another and vigorously clap onto the palms of hands of dancers in the opposite row. History and tradition Yarkhushta is believed to have its origins in the early Middle Ages as it is mentioned in the works of Movses Khorenatsi, Faustus of Byzantium, and Grigor Magistros. Yarkhushta has traditionally been danced by Armenian soldiers before combat engagements, partly for ritualistic purposes, and partly in order to cast off fear and boost battle spirit for more effective hand-to-hand combat. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Culture Of Armenia
The culture of Armenia encompasses many elements that are based on the geography, literature, architecture, dance, and music of the people. Creative arts Literature Literature began in Armenia around 401 A.D. The majority of the literary arts were created by Moses of Khorene, in the 5th century. Through the years the elements of literature have changed as the stories and myths were passed on through generations. In the late 17th century, Alexander Tertzakian was a renowned Armenian writer who created several works considered to be among Armenia's classics. During the 19th century, writer Mikael Nalbandian worked to create a new Armenian literary identity. Nalbandian's poem "Song of the Italian Girl" may have been the inspiration for the Armenian national anthem, Mer Hayrenik. Mesrop Mashtots is considered to be the creator of the Armenian alphabet. This event which took place in the 5th century is considered to be one of the most important turning points of Armenian Li ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |