AZG Armenian Daily #062, 08/04/2005

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EXCAVATION OF BYUZAND STR TO UNEARTH A CELLAR OF 19TH CENTURY

Landlord of apartment blocks on 19 and 21 Byuzand Str. could hardly
imagine that the basements — precisely cellars — of the blocks
date back to 18-19 centuries. As reconstruction works carry on, the
openings on the street reveal red-black arched wall of tuff. Frina
Babayan, senior scientist at the Academy of Sciences, who excavated
cellars at the Republican Square 2 years ago, immediately responded
to my call and wanted to see the cellars on Byuzand Str. Expert’s eye
soon noticed that the cellars was repaired at one point. Armenians
used to built solid cellars as they kept food and wine there all
year long. The walls of the cellar are so firm that may well be a
fundament of any construction.

“18-19 centuries are one period in the Armenian art of
construction. And I don’t know why we want to wipe out this period
for building the Yerevan of 21st century. When we unearthed the
wonderful cellars on the Republic Square 2 years ago, we suggested
preserving those red-black structures in some places as they would
pull in tourists. But the authorities decided to bury them”, Frina
Babayan said.

Items of 13-15 centuries were found during the Square
excavations. Babayan is almost sure that the cellar on Byuzand Str. is
the continuation of the ones on the Republic Square. “Those cellars
should not be razed but instead we should build them up. If moved,
they will lose their biography and will not be of interest any more”,
she added.

The cellars of Byuzand Str. and the Republic Square differ only
stylistically, and archeologists need to excavate the finding for exact
definition. Walls of the cellars are also laid in brickwork as this
method was rather respectable and was highly valued in 18-19 centuries.

By Ruzan Poghosian