RA HAS SHOWED POINTED INDIFFERENCE TO EXCAVATIONS OF ARTSAKH TIGRANAKERT, EXPEDITION HEAD SAYS

Noyan Tapan
April 2, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 2, NOYAN TAPAN. Artsakh Tigranakert’s excavations
continue for already the second year, but due to lack of funds it is
impossible to present the results of the excavations to the world. As
Hamlet Petrosian, the head of Artsakh archeological expedition of
the Archeology and Ethnography Institute of the RA National Academy
of Sciences, said at the April 1 press conference, only last year
nearly 38 thousand USD was spent on excavations. These funds were
provided by the Yerkir union. However, according to him, 160-200
thousand USD is needed for the research, but the union does not have
such a possibility.

According to H. Petrosian, they have applied to the RA Prime Minister
in connection with the problem and have been refused, they have also
applied to VivaCell and ArmRosgazprom, but have received no response
from them yet.

According to the head of the expedition, the National Academy of
Sciences shows pointed indifference. Meanwhile, according to him,
the NKR authorities have expressed readiness to provide 30m drams
(nearly 96.7 thousand USD), which will give a possibility to carry
out excavations for another three months.

It was mentioned that the excavations revealed that Tigranakert
was on the Stepanakert-Martakert highway and occupies an area of
50 hectares. Mijnaberd is one of the most prominent monuments of
Tigranakert. Its wall with the length of 40 meters has been already
discovered, it functioned until the 11th century. By the way,
at present excavations have been done only in 0.02% part of the
total area.