Federation of Armenian Organizations in The Netherlands
Address: Weesperstraat 91 – 2574 VS The Hague, The Netherlands
Phone: +31704490209
Website:
E-mail: armfed@gmail.com
K.v.K. 27264382
Contact: I. Drost +31624272574 and D. Migdesyan +31653306224
PRESS RELEASE
Armenian ship Cilicia (Kilikia) in Amsterdam
Date: From 8 to 10 June 2006
Place: Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam
Kattenburgerplein 1 – 1018 KK Amsterdam
The Armenian ship Cilicia (Kilikia) will be in Amsterdam from 8 to 10 June
2006.
The ship will arrive in Amsterdam on 7 June late in the evening and will be
moored up at the Scheepvaartmuseum of Amsterdam up to 10 June.
The ship Cilicia is a replica of an Armenian Cilician trade sailing ship
from 13th century. The ship is made of wood with a total length of 20 m.
On Thursday 8 June the Dutch Armenian community will organise a welcoming
ceremony with Armenian music and dance, which starts at 12.00 am. This
ceremony will take place at the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam,
Kattenburgerplein 1 – 1018 KK Amsterdam (http://www.shipping
museum.Netherlands/index.php? TreeID=1).
You can visit the ship also on 9 and 10 June during the opening hours of the
museum from 10 am to 5 pm (Ticket prices: Adults 9 Euro, Children 6 – 18
years old 4,50 Euro, Children 0 – 6 years old Free, Senior 65 + 4,50
Euro, Family (2 adults, 3 children 6 – 18 – 22,50 Euro).
For 3 years the ship has been travelling along the old commercial routes of
Armenian traders from Cilicia. On 11 July 2004 the ship left, under Armenian
flag, from the port of Poti in Georgia and up to present has sailed to the
following ports: Poti, Sochi, Kaffu, Istanbul, Athens, Ayas, Beirut, Haifa,
Alexandria, Iraklion, Dubrovnik, Venice, Messina, Valetta, Tunis, Rome,
Genoa, Marseilles, Barcelona, Kartakhena, Kadiz, Lisbon, Drawer, La Korunya,
San Sebastian, Drawer Rochelle, Brest, Cork, Dublin, Portsmouth. Before
arriving in Amsterdam on 7 June the ship first will call in at the port of
Antwerp.
The crew of 13 persons, among whom the Armenian writer Zori Balayan, will
organise several cultural events and meetings with the local governments and
the Armenian community.
Armenia has no sea ports at present. However the fact that she had sea ports
in the past with her own trade fleet, is probably unknown to lots of Dutch
people, a maritime and trading nation and the former trade partner of
Armenian Cilicia.
This event also means a lot to Armenia and the Armenian community. The
maritime and trading past of both Dutch and Armenian nations will become
visible, as both replica’s, namely the VOC ship “Amsterdam” and the
“Cilicia” will lay tied up near each other at the Scheepvaartmuseum from 8
to 10 June 2006.