SURB KHACH CHURCH OF AKHTAMAR IS AN EXCEPTION
By H. Tsulikian
AZG Armenian Daily
07/03/2007
"Comitas Intsitute" of London makes comments on the reconstruction
"Surb Khach" church of Akhtamar Isle, Turkey, in a press release.
"During the last two years the Turkish authorities have made much
noise about the restoration of a 10-th century Armenian church. It
is not clear yet, whether it is a peace gesture addressed to Armenia
or an effort to conceal the Genocide and destruction of the Armenian
cultural heritage. Today (March 3 – Azg) president of the ‘Turkish
Historic Society’ Yusuf Halacoglu, according to ‘New Anatolian’
newspaper said, ‘We (Turks) have nothing to conceal… Akhtamar Church
opening ceremony will be a gesture to the Armenians and the entire
world. After the conquest of Anatolia the Turks did not destroy the
property of foreigners. Nothing decayed and all was preserved in the
same state by today’.
Surely these words will be doubted by the guests invited to the
ceremony. Those who decide to make a trip around will clearly see
that Akhtamar is an exception. Before the World War I there were
numerous Armenian churches on the Akhtamar isle, 20km far from
‘Surb Khach’. None of them exists today. The most part of them is
ruined and the grave diggers are given freedom to spoil the area,
and the authorities pay no attention to vandalism and desecration,"
says the release.