Sardarabad
On a low
ridge is the battle monument of
Sardarabad, commemorating the
Armenian defeat of an invading
Turkish army, May 20-22, 1918.
The Turks, coming south down the
railroad from Alexandropol (Gyumri),
were pushed back, giving the
wavering Armenian provisional
government the encouragement to
declare the independent Republic
of Armenia on May 28, 1918.
The monument
is guarded by massive
Assyrian-style winged lions, and
is flanked by a memorial garden
for Karabakh martyrs. Bearing
left before the monument, a
driveway skirts the monument
ridge to reach a tourist
pavilion (refreshments) and the
highly attractive Sardarabad
museum**. The ground floor
central hall contains
commemorative material from the
battle. Starting from the right,
the lower galleries present
archaeological materials from
Neolithic to Medieval, and
implements for various
traditional handicrafts.
Upstairs are exhibits of carpets
and embroidery, modern Armenian
decorative ceramics, and
jewelry.
This Memorial is dedicated to
the Armenian Victory at the
battle of Sardarabad in Armavir
Armenia
The
Sardarabad Memorial is located
25 kilometers from Echmiadzin.
In violation of the
Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty with
soviet Russia, Turkish troops
crossed the border in 1918 and
attacked Alexandropol (Leninakan).
The aggressor intended to crush
Eastern Armenia and seize
Transccaucasia. When
Alexandropol fell, the Turkish
Army poured into the Ararat
Valley – the heart of Armenia.
There was a major engagement at
Sardarabad on May 22-26, where
the Turkish Army was defeated
and retreated.
A memorial
park was laid out on the
battlefield in 1968. The
entrance is flanked by huge
winged oxen made of red tuff. A
flight of steps leads to a
square from which a
26-metre-high bell tower rises.
The beautiful trellis structure
with its nine bells can be seen
from afar. The bells ring every
year on the day of the historic
victory. A lane of eagles,
symbolizing the spirit of the
fearless fighting men, leads to
a curved Wall of Victory (length
– 55 meters, height – 7 meters)
with scenes of the battle, and
the figure of a woman with a
child – a symbol of revival.
The
Sardarabad complex includes a
restaurant and a cozy little
hotel. The complex was designed
by the architect Rafael
Israelyan, and sculptors Ara
Arutyunyan, Samvel Manasyan and
Arsham Shaginyan. Visitors are
also welcome to drop into the
Museum of Ethnography of Armenia
on the territory of the park.
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