Author: Karabekian Emil

Golden Mike Award to the `Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh: The Struggle for
Freedom’ documentary

armradio.am
13.03.2009 13:18

The Radio and Television News Association of Southern California
honored the documentary `Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh: The Struggle for
Freedom’ with Golden Mike Awards, Press Service of the NKR Ministry of
Foreign Affairs reported.

The film’s co-producer and co-writer, Peter Musurlian, accepted the
award at a ceremony at the Universal Hilton Hotel. The other
co-producer and co-writer of the film is the former Permanent
Representative of the NKR to the USA, currently NKR Deputy Foreign
Minister, Vardan Barseghian. Most of the video material for the film
was provided by an Artsakhian journalist, head of the Tsir Katin (Milky
Way) Studio Narine Aghabalian.

In September 2008, the film was screened in Washington, D.C., on
Capitol Hill, at an event titled: `NKR/Artsakh: 20 Years of Freedom,
Democracy, and Progress’. The event was attended by Members of the U.S.
Congress, diplomats, prominent human rights activists, experts, and
community representatives.

Established by the Association 59 years ago, the Golden Mike Award is
one of the most-coveted by Radio and Television journalists. Among this
year’s award recipients is CNN’s well-known journalist Larry King.

RA Prosecutor General’s Office: Ombudsman’s statement is purely a
self-affirmation attempt

2

YEREVAN, MARCH 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Responding to RA Ombudsman Armen
Haroutiunian’s 2008 annual report introduced on March 10, RA Prosecutor
General’s Office Press Service made a statement the same day, which
read:

"Any statement, estimation, especially voiced by the Ombudsman, should
be based on the legislation and on concrete facts. However, remaining
loyal to his working style, the Ombudsman, in partucular, in his
estimations regarding Prosecutor’s Office work and activity always
refrains from mentioning concrete cases grounding them or permitting
him to draw such a conclusion, which gives a basis to suppose that the
Ombudsman is just doing his personal promotion. The provision on
Prosecutor’s Office work mentioned in Ombudsman’s report confirms that.

According to it, 42 application-complaints against RA Prosecutor’s
Office employees’ actions were addressed to the RA Ombudsman in the
period under review, 26 out of which were accepted for examination. The
Prosecutor’s Office itself has repeatedly voiced the shortcomings by
undertaking concrete steps to liquidate the shortcomings, the
violations. However, the Prosecutor’s Office is far from the thought
that 42 application-complaints received all over the year gives the
Ombudsman a basis to present Prosecutor’s Office as a repressive
structure without mentioning any concrete facts and methods. Moreover,
even when mentioning the application-complaints’ content the Ombudsman
in his annual report did not mention any concrete case of using a
"repressive" method.

Not only dereliction of duties, but also abuses are possible in the
work of Prosecutor’s Office officials like officials in any other
structure. And Prosecutor’s Office leadership has repeatedly confirmed
its resolution to call for liability any prosecutor abusing his
official powers by undertaking concrete steps.

Moreover, with the expectation and purpose of mutually beneficial
partnership the Prosecutor’s Office has publicly proposed the Ombudsman
mentioning the names of prosecutors giving illegal orders, committing
violations of law, as well as concrete facts to undertake proper
measures and to pass them for examination by the order established by
the law. However, Ombudsman’s Office so far has not provided any
concrete fact, name of a prosecutor committing a violation."

Hürriyet , Turkey
March 12 2009

We do not need Turkish mediation: Ahmadinejad

ANKARA – While Turkey earlier voiced its willingness to act as a
mediator between Iran and the United States, the Iranian president
says his country does not need Turkish mediation. The Turkish
president, who is on a visit to Tehran, says both Tehran and
Washington have the good will to improve ties, adding that Turkey has
responsibilities on the issue

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday Iran did not need
Turkey’s mediation for a solution to its dispute with the United
States.

"We don’t need Turkey’s mediation," he was quoted as saying in Tehran
by the private channel NTV.

His remarks came amid the high running speculation that Ankara may act
as mediator between Washington and Tehran. Turkey’s President Abdullah
Gül and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan flew to Tehran to attend an
economy summit after a landmark visit by U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton in Ankara over the weekend.

Asked if Turkey could play a mediator role, Turkish President Abdullah
Gül said Turkey’s "invaluable work" was recognized by everyone. He
said Turkey was a neighbor of Iran and an ally to the West, adding
that a country in such a position would bear a number of
responsibilities that cannot be limited to a narrow frame.

Cengiz Çandar, columnist for Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review
accompanying the president on his Tehran visit, said Gül did not use
the word "mediation" but his statements revealed that Ankara would
encourage resuming contacts between Tehran and Washington.

Turkey has said it would weigh any requests by both Iran and the
United States to serve as a mediator between the two sides. The Unites
States and Iran have not had diplomatic ties for three decades and are
now embroiled in a row over Tehran’s nuclear program. The West
suspects Iran of trying to build a nuclear bomb under guise of a
peaceful atomic energy program, a charge Tehran rejects.

For his part, Gül has expressed optimism that ties between the United
States and Iran will improve, as both countries are willing for better
relations.

"What I have seen is that both the Iranians and the Americans are
well-intentionedÉ Of course an iceberg will not thaw all of a sudden,"
President Gül was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency
yesterday.

Gül met his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Tuesday and
supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. "An atmosphere of
confidence can be created with behavior that shows that you are
sincere," he told reporters after his meetings.

The world entered a new process in international politics and
relations after the presidential election in the United States, Gül
said. "The former U.S. administration was applying a method and style
in which it was making unilateral decisions, implementing them
unilaterally when necessary, and imposing its views when necessary,"
he said.

He said the new U.S. management was pursuing a very different method
from the previous one, and defined the Obama administration as one
that said and showed that it would listen to everyone, be
multi-lateral, get recommendations from every one, and establish
dialogue for a solution to problems.

Israel visit not clear yet

In response to a question about a possible visit to Israel, which was
scheduled for January but was later postponed, Gül said: "It is not
scheduled. We had the intention but after the Gaza incident that visit
became impossible." But he added that he could visit Israel and the
Palestinian territory if necessary circumstances were created but that
was not under consideration for the time being.

Gül also welcomed the planned visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to
Turkey from April 6-7. "If we lay the rails well at the beginning,
then we can go a long distance on those rails," he said. The president
was also scheduled to meet with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham
Aliyev. Çandar wrote that Gül touched on Turkish-Armenian ties, which
are linked with progress in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

A1+

Do prosecutors follow advocates?
[05:47 pm] 11 March, 2009

Defendant Grigor Voskerchyan got a warning for demonstrating contempt
of court during today’s trial of the `case against seven’. Judge
Mnatsakan Martirosyan announced that Voskerchyan’s lawyer Stepan
Voskanyan also shows disrespect for court with his nonattendance to
the court hearing already for a second day.

The court will apply to the Chamber of Advocates to impose sanctions
on Stepan Voskanyan. Under the acting law a sanction can be imposed on
a lawyer after three flippant absences.

Note that Stepan Voskanyan had informed the judge about his departure
to Akhaltskha where he was going to attend a local trial.

Anyway, the Judge scheduled the next hearing on March 13 knowing that
the lawyer won’t be able to return to Armenia by then.

Defendant Hakob Hakobyan’s lawyer, Melania Arustamyan, says on March
9, immediately after the court hearing, Stepan Voskanyan had informed
Judge Mnatskan Martirosyan of his departure from March 10 to March
13. `The judge’s decision is not reasonable,’ says Melania Arustamyan.

Mrs. Arustamyan is convinced that Stepan Voskanyan has violated no law
on advocate’s behaviour.

`They follow us at every step and know everything about our personal
lives. It is too unpleasant. Why should an ordinary prosecutor know
when Voskanyan crossed the border?’ says Mrs. Arustamyan in reply to
Prosecutor Piloyan’s statement that Voskanyan didn’t do to Georgia
yesterday, he crossed the border at 7.30 today morning.

The court hearing on the case of seven will continue tomorrow.

Nerses Yeritsian: Armenia has potential for developing pharmaceutical
and tourism sectors

8

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Information and high technologies,
tourism, and pharmaceutical sector are of importance from the viewpoint
of diversification and increasing the Armenian economy’s export
potential. The opportunities to increase production volumes in the
pharmaceutical sector are related to growing demand in the
international market, the RA minister of economy Nerses Yeritsian
stated following the visit of Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan to
Liqvor pharmaceutical company on March 7.

The minister explained that the global market of mass-production
medicines will expand year by year, the demand for medical services
will grow, and today there is some deficit of medicines in the world.
"Countries with production, technological and scientific opportunities,
well-qualified labor force and a university potential for personnel
training define pharmaceutics and tourism as high-priority sectors. We
have this potential, and we hope that in parallel with its development
it will become possible to shift to the sale of medicines we have
created. But time is needed to achieve this," N. Yeritsian said.

In his words, thanks to the use of the indicated potential, Armenian
pharmaceutucal companies may expand rapidly, make investments in
scientific and technological developments and produce several types of
medicines under their own brands at much higher prices. It was
mentioned that Armenian companies also have the opportunity to occupy
some niche of the domestic market of most necessary medicines.

The minister added that enterprises of all sectors of the economy have
export and marketing problems, for solution of which the government
plans to provide institutional assistance as well – by using the
capacities of the Armenian Development Agency and the National
Competitiveness Council.

Currency auction volume grows by 75.6% to $277.4mln on NASDAQ OMX
Armenia stock exchange in February

YEREVAN, March 10. /ARKA/. Total volume of currency auctions was
$277.4mln or equivalent of 84.6bln Drams on the NASDAQ OMX Armenia
stock exchange in February this year.

According to the analysis made by ARKA agency based on the information
of NASDAQ OMX Armenia, this is an increase of 75.6% (i.e. $119.4mln or
36.4bln Drams) against the volume recorded in January. Total number of
transactions grew by 310 up to 1,022 transactions in February against
January.

In February this year average weighted exchange rate of the American
currency was 305Drams for $1.
The highest transaction volume at NASDAQ OMX Armenia was recorded on
February 20 – $26mln and the lowest on February 11 – $2.3mln.

Over the reporting period, no transaction in Euros was recorded on
NASDAQ OMX Armenia.

NASDAQ OMX Armenia (Armenian Stock Exchange till January 27 2009) open
joint stock company was founded as a self-regulating organization in
2001 embracing 21 dealer organizations. On November 9 the stock
exchange was reorganized to an open joint stock company. OMX (NASDAQ
OMX now) has been the 100% owner of NASDAQ OMX Armenia and the Central
Depository since January 7 2008.

The Central Bank of Armenia issued a license for auctions on
purchase/sale of currency to NASDAQ OMX Armenia on November 7 2005.

On March 6 2009, average20market exchange rates were as follow:
$1=360.67Drams, 1 Euro=457Drams. `0–

Agence France Presse, France
March 8 2009

Resurgent Georgian Church sees influence soar

TBILISI (AFP) ‘ When the head of Georgia’s Orthodox Church offered to
become godfather to every third child born to a family last year, the
response was nothing short of miraculous.

Birth rates among Georgian families soared by nearly 20 percent and
within a year the patriarch, Ilia II, had presided over enough mass
baptisms to become godfather to more than 2,000 children.

Nearly two decades after Georgia split from the staunchly atheist
Soviet Union, such is the influence of the country’s Orthodox Church,
which has undergone a remarkable resurgence to become one of the most
trusted and powerful institutions in Georgia.

>From politics to diplomacy, even to what’s shown on state television,
the Church has extended its influence into every corner of Georgian
society.

Its many supporters hail the Church for returning Georgia to its
spiritual roots as one of the world’s oldest Christian nations and for
acting as a unifying force in a country often wracked by divisions.

But some in Georgia are beginning to worry about its growing power and
are asking questions about the blurring of lines between church and
state, as well as alleged intolerance towards religious minorities.

"Today the Church is the most influential institution in Georgia, and
this influence is growing," said Giorgi Khutsishvili, director of the
Tbilisi-based International Centre for Conflicts and Negotiation.

In a poll the centre conducted last year, 87 percent of Georgians
ranked the Church as the country’s most trusted institution, up from
39 percent in 2003.

Patriarch Ilia II also ranked as the most trusted figure in Georgia,
with nearly 95 percent of those polled expressing trust in the Church
leader. President Mikheil Saakashvili enjoyed the trust of just 33
percent of those polled.

Church spokesman Father David Sharashenidze said the resurgence was a
logical step after the end of Soviet-era repressions.

"Georgians hungered for religion during the Soviet oppressions and
when they ended people flocked to the Church," he said.

Recent events highlight just how much the Church’s influence has
grown.

When police clashed with anti-government protesters in November 2007,
the patriarch acted as a mediator between the authorities and the
opposition to defuse the crisis.

After Georgia’s war with Russia in August, Ilia headed to Moscow and
was the only Georgian figure to hold direct talks with Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev.

And when the Church objected earlier this year to the inclusion of
saints in a state television programme aimed at ranking the most
influential Georgians, the programme’s format was quickly changed.

With politicians jostling to be seen as close to the Church,
Saakashvili’s government has nearly tripled the Church’s funding in
this year’s state budget to about 15 million dollars. Nearly 180,000
dollars was also given separately to help finance a Church-run
television station.

But the Church’s increasingly close ties with the state and its
growing power are raising some alarm bells.

While Orthodox Christianity is not recognised as Georgia’s official
religion, the Church does enjoy a privileged relationship with the
state under a constitutional accord adopted in 2002, including being
exempt from paying taxes.

"The Orthodox Church’s funding from the state budget has increased
enormously and this is illegal as the state budget is collected from
taxpayers from all confessions, not just Orthodox Christians," said
Beka Mindiashvili, a religion expert with the Georgian ombudsman’s
office.

He said 16 percent of Georgians profess a faith other than Orthodox
Christianity and that many feel discriminated against.

Muslims living on Georgia’s Black Sea coast have complained of facing
obstacles in getting permission to build mosques, for example, and
Armenian Christians have been embroiled in numerous disputes with the
Georgian Church.

"The Church interferes in political decision-making, cultural and
educational issues," Mindiashvili said.

Criticism of the Church is exceptionally rare. When a reformist
deacon, Basil Kobakhidze, raised concerns about intolerance and
corruption within the Church in 2003, he was promptly expelled from
the church hierarchy.

Still, experts say there are signs that Georgian society is starting
to ask questions about the Church’s growing role. After the Church’s
intervention with state television this year, debate and phone-in
programmes featured critics accusing the Church of overstepping its
bounds.

"This started a public debate about the Church’s position and
influence," Georgian political analyst Giorgi Margvelashvili said. "It
was the first time we saw open debate on this issue."

Moj News Agency, Iran
March 8, 2009 Sunday

Iran, Armenia Build Joint Oil Pipeline

The pipeline will be used for oil transfer from Iran`s Tabriz to
Armenia`s Yeraskh Armen Movsisyan said. "Construction of
Tabriz_Yeraskh oil pipeline, which will pump oil products from a
refinery in Tabriz to Yerash, will start in 2009," Movsisyan
said. "The oil pipeline will first of all satisfy Armenia`s needs,
including strengthening of energy security of the republic, reduction
of transport expenses and establishment of competitive market prices,"
he added. Movsisyan said that the construction will presumably cost
$200-240 million. The passing-pipe size is 250 mm and length is 300
km. 2009/03/08

International Monitory Fund IMF.org
March 9 2009

IMF Lends Armenia $540 Million to Counter Crisis Impact

By Maureen Burke
IMF Survey online
March 9, 2009

Armenia hit by several large external shocks

Real growth to contract in 2009

Authorities to adopt measures to offset crisis impact, boost
confidence, and help poor

The IMF has approved a $540 million loan to Armenia to help the
country in the southern Caucasus cope with the impact of the global
economic and financial crisis.

Additional financing will be provided by Armenia’s donors and
international partners, including the World Bank.

The loan comes days after the Central Bank of Armenia announced it
would return to a floating exchange rate regime, a move designed to
improve the competitiveness of Armenian exports and help country
better adjust to the worsening global environment. The Fund’s approval
of the 28-month Stand-By Arrangement enables Armenia to draw about
$240 million immediately.

`The Armenian authorities have put together a strong and credible
economic program to address the deterioration in Armenia’s external
outlook, restore confidence in the currency and financial system, and
protect the poor,’ IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said
in a statement.

The IMF has lent more than $50 billion so far to help countries cope
with the fallout from the global crisis.

Rapid deterioration of outlook

Armenia, a country of about 3 million people that borders Iran and
Turkey, had enjoyed several years of double-digit growth until as
recently as 2007. Since the onset of the global crisis, however, the
country has experienced a series of adverse shocks. Falling
international commodity prices have adversely affected mining, a key
export sector, leading to lower revenues for exporters and substantial
job losses. With neighboring Russia experiencing serious economic
difficulties, both remittances and foreign direct investment have also
fallen.

In addition, market confidence in Armenia’s currency and financial
system had been weakening in recent months, with the result that
capital outflows picked up. And economic activity has now slowed to
the point that the country’s real GDP growth is likely to be negative
in 2009.

Restoring confidence

To put the economy back on track, the Armenian authorities have
developed a policy package that aims to restore confidence in the
currency and financial system. The program’s key features include:

¢ Return to a flexible exchange rate regime. The Central Bank of
Armenia announced on March 3 that it would no longer intervene in the
market, except to smooth extreme volatility, and raised its policy
interest rate by 100 basis points. Following the announcement, the
dram (Armenia’s currency) depreciated about 20 percent, and since
then, has broadly remained in that range. The flexible exchange rate
will improve the competitiveness of Armenia’s exports and help those
who receive remittances from abroad.

¢ An increase in the refinancing rate. The move to increase the
refinancing rate by 1 percentage point to 7.75 percent is designed to
increase confidence, help reduce the inflationary pressures likely to
result from the depreciation of the dram, and reduce incentives for
banks to engage in speculative behavior.

¢ Supportive financial sector policies. The central bank has
pledged to provide liquidity support to banks, address bank
restructuring issues, if needed, and strengthen banking supervision.

¢ Prudent fiscal policy. The authorities plan to limit the deficit
in 2009 to about 3 percent of GDP, although their program allows them
to spend’as external financing becomes available’up to an additional
$200 million, or 2 percent of GDP, on public investment and increased
spending on small and medium-sized enterprises.

¢ Continued reforms in tax administration. The authorities plan to
continue structural reforms to strengthen public finance management,
in particular tax administration, and the financial sector.

¢ Targeted support for poor. The program foresees an increase in
social spending of 0.3 percent of GDP relative to the budget, to
protect the country’s poor through well-targeted social safety nets.

Pressure on regional currencies

Armenia’s decision to allow its currency to depreciate (a consequence
of letting the market determine the dram’s exchange rate) is not
unique in the region. The Russian economy has been seriously affected
by the sharp drop in oil prices, as a result of which the ruble has
gradually lost 35 percent of its value. The large depreciation of the
Russian ruble has put pressure on other regional currencies: Belarus
and Kazakhstan have both devalued their currencies by 20 percent in
recent weeks, and Georgia has devalued by 11 percent.

Armenia’s loan provides exceptional access to IMF financing (amounting
to 400 percent of the country’s quota), in view of the large shocks
the economy is experiencing. The authorities’ strong policy measures
`justify the exceptional level of access to Fund resources and deserve
the support of the international community,’ Strauss-Kahn said.

/so/2009/CAR030909B.htm

Canada.com
March 7 2009

Warm welcome in Iran

Language, religion and dress no barriers to connecting with friendly
people

By Carol Hoyt, Freelance

Surrounded by several Iranians, answering questions as they recorded
my words, I should have felt intimidated.

"You speak very good English," one of them ventured, to my surprise.

I was on a 27-day tour of Iran with an eclectic group of 16
like-minded people from Canada, the United States and Australia — all
of us over 50 years of age. With us were two guides, one from Iran,
the other from the Netherlands.

We were simply amazed throughout our trip at how friendly the Iranians
are, offering the most sincerely asked questions, like "Are you being
treated well?" I found it fascinating that we were the
curiosity. Students particularly would produce cameras to take our
pictures.

For me, these were the magic moments, the smiles, the warm exchanges,
people simply being people, no matter the colour of the skin, the
dress or the religion. We are simply one.

It was a far cry from the reaction I received from friends when I
announced, "I’m going to Iran." That statement was usually met with
shocked silence, puzzled looks, and finally,"You’re going where?
Aren’t you afraid?"

Iran presented me with an incredible opportunity to visit a culture
and country so different from our own.

About five minutes before landing at Imam Khomeini International
Airport in Tehran, the women were reminded to don head scarves and
manteaus; otherwise we would be refused entry. We received positive
nods from our Iranian seatmates, which set the stage for our journey.

We visited several cities and sites, including Tehran, Shiraz,
Persepolis and Esfahan. Esfahan was a very welcome change after the
very hot, arid country of northern Iran. Temperatures hovered above 30
C, especially taxing for us, not used to the scarves, long pants and
manteaus that were mandatory attire at all times.

Esfahan is the cultural capital of Iran, largely due to the efforts of
Shah Abbas I in the 16th century. Ninety-nine per cent of the
population is Muslim, but there are other religions represented —
Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians and Baha.

Amid an amazing mix of ancient architecture, grand bazaar and
teahouses, we were warmly welcomed by the locals, women in their
chadors, college-age students in their more modern dress, girls in
their white scarves.

Esfahan is a prosperous city of a million and a half people with heavy
industry on the outskirts, creating air pollution and traffic
congestion. In fact, traffic circles can be up to six lanes with right
of way from outside. Cars are only inches apart when suddenly a car
exits from the inside, cutting directly across all lanes. Pretty scary
stuff for visitors, but normal for the Iranians.

With its parks and 11 bridges on the Zayandeh River, Esfahan is very
attractive. Mornings were wonderful: a five-kilometre walk in the cool
of the day, drinking in the scenery and meeting the local people. In
fact, I was reminded of walking in our own river valley, with
tree-lined walking paths, flower beds and herons flying about.

We started at the oldest bridge, Shahrestan, dating from the 12th
century but standing on the foundation of a much earlier time. A short
distance away on the riverbank were two men with fishing rods,
enjoying the day. Laughter erupted as my friend and I got caught up in
their lines.

I was surprised to find a tombstone to Arthur Up-ham Pope, an American
expert in Persian art 1881-1969, on our walk to the second and most
beautiful bridge, Khaju. It is 132 metres long and is on two levels,
the lower containing locks regulating water flow.

Along the way, we met a student sketching in the park and many
locals. Women carry their babies and young children, and strollers
were very few. We never saw a carriage.

Older women usually wear a chador, a head-to-toe black tent-like
covering that must be held closed with the hands, but usually with
their teeth. It was obvious that bags and purses were
underneath. Younger women always wore a hijab, a one-piece head
covering, and a manteau, a thigh-length wrap usually black, but
sometimes grey or blue, over jeans. They often wore brightly coloured
shoes in red, pink and yellow.

Men wore pants and usually long-sleeved shirts. We saw families
picnicking in the parks, often inviting us over for tea, and people
enjoying paddleboats on the river.

Iman Square is one of the largest in the world, 512 metres long and
163 metres wide, and has many fine examples of Islamic architecture —
Iman Mosque, Sheikh Lotfollat Mosque, Ali Qapu Palace and Chehel Sotun
Palace. At either end of the square are marble goalposts, used in polo
games 400 years ago. The Bazaar E-Bozorg off the square is filled with
shops selling carpets, hand-printed tablecloths and bedspreads,
hand-painted miniatures on camel bone, inlaid jewelry boxes, gold and
silver jewelry.

The Iman Mosque with its towering minarets, built in the 1600s, is a
must-see. The architecture is stunning, the mosaic tilework, mostly in
blues and yellows, breathtaking. The architect deliberately made
mismatches, so as to say: "only Allah is perfect."

Throughout the mosque, the names of Muhammad and Ali are written over
and over again. The mosque is huge, containing sanctuaries, courtyards
and madrasa, where students were taught until the late 19th
century. The Sheikh Lotfollat Mosque displays many beautiful mosaics
and has stairs leading to the entrance; it has neither minaret nor
courtyard and is believed to have been a mosque for the women of the
shah’s harem.

We visited the Armenian quarter known as Jolfa, where 13 Armenian
churches serve a Christian community of about 7,000. The Vank
Cathedral and attached museum are interesting, with decorative
paintings depicting the creation, the expulsion from Eden, the killing
of Abel, the nativity and many other scenes.

The frescoes, portraying scenes from the Old Testament and New
Testament, are truly magnificent. The museum houses the first book
printed in Iran, as well as more than 700 other handwritten books,
with some beautiful depictions.

In every village, town and city in Iran, billboards show pictures of
martyrs — those who lost their lives in the early 1980s in the
Iran-Iraq War. They’re often shown with a rose or a dove. We visited a
huge martyrs cemetery in Esfahan with row upon row of graves of mostly
young men, but also of some older men, women or children. I was deeply
saddened, thinking of those lost and the grief that lingers as
families visit the graves. I was reminded of those young lives lost in
our own country, through the years and still today.

IF YOU GO

– Eldertreks offers a 21-day trip for travellers 50 and over, in the
spring and fall. All meals, accommodations and tour guides are
included. They can be reached at 1-800-741-7956 or

– Imaginative Traveller offers tours in Iran and can be reached at

– A visa is required. For the visa photo, women need to have their
picture taken with a hijab, a headscarf covering the head and neck,
leaving only the face showing.

– Females must wear a head covering when entering Iran, and a loose,
long shirt or coat covering the mid-section, preferably knee- or
thigh-length, over baggy pants. Dark colours are usually worn. Males
usually wear long-sleeved shirts, but short-sleeved is acceptable.

– Never take pictures of police, military or any building with a
government interest. This includes gas stations and some banks. This
speaks to the importance of a guide, as buildings are not clearly
marked.

– The Abbasi Hotel in Esfahan is recommended; the central garden
courtyard is beautiful, the rooms are plain, $95 US single, $120 US
double.

– Refer to Foreign Affairs Canada for up-to-date travel advisories.

an/1361311/story.html