Staying true to commander’s wish

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01:10 pm, March 18, 2009

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The museum of Commander Andranik was founded on September 16, 2006
with the initiative and means of Ilyich Beglaryan. The museum is
not state funded. From his early childhood, Ilyich Beglaryan had
collected everything related to Andranik. The museum is located in
the area near the Komitas Park.

"Andranik had asked to bury his coffin near the coast of Zang. Thank
God we were able to get this building and the Zangu flows through the
middle of the park," says wife of founder and director of the museum
Zhorzheta Beglaryan.

The museum features materials that the founder brought from Andranik’s
home in Varna where he lived for 12 years. The founder of the
museum met Andranik’s uncle’s grandchild Perch Ozanyan who donated
the personal items of Andranik, his sword and medals. A corner of
the museum looks like the Varna house of Andranik. The candle that
Andranik used to light candles in the Shapingarahisar church is also
featured at the museum.

"Our goal is to immortalize Andranik and the others so that our young
generation will recognize our heroes and participants of the Fidayin
movement," said Beglaryan in closing.

Entrance to the museum is free-of-charge and there have been nearly
30,000 visitors in three years of which 60% are schoolchildren from
Javakhk and Tbilisi.