Since the dawn of humanity’s conscious existence, the journey to uncover, comprehend, and develop knowledge about the secrets and patterns of the universe and nature has been a fundamental pursuit. This is natural, as it was crucial for human beings to confront and adapt to the diverse conditions imposed by their environment for the sake of their survival.
The first sages, through their observations—continuous monitoring, experiments, and persistent studies—developed their minds, striving to identify the basic elements of existence in the ever-changing world, upon which the entire universe is built. They sought to interpret the meaning of life and the diverse manifestations of reality and phenomena.
The knowledge accumulated from their tireless efforts—the fruits of the first steps in scientific inquiry—was guarded by the scholars of the time, the Magi and Priests, as sacred wisdom. This knowledge was passed down from generation to generation as a precious gift, accessible only to chosen experts. The seeds of knowledge they sowed later blossomed, laying the foundation for the advancement and development of science.
Archaeology sheds light on the past, revealing the way of life and scientific achievements of ancient times. In addition to the ruins of once magnificent architectural monuments and structures showcasing engineering marvels, discoveries such as samples of metallurgy, medical instruments, and pharmaceutical equipment bear witness to the millennia-old traditions in various branches of science.
According to the reminder by the Priests of the Haykian Brotherhood, Kurm Harut Arakelyan and Kurm Mihr Haykazuni, today—on the day of Marg of the month of Tre (September 20) according to the Haykian calendar—is the Day of Remembrance for the Magi, a celebration honoring and glorifying our wise Ancestors and the scientists who followed in their footsteps.
“Throughout the centuries, the descendants of the Haykazuni lineage remained faithful to the advice of their Patriarchs, centralizing the schools of the Magi and establishing the now well-known ‘ARAMAGI’ School of the Magi. In doing so, they contributed to the preservation and continuation of their Ancestors’ wisdom. We congratulate the hundreds of current students of the ‘ARAMAGI’ School of the Magi, who keep alive the knowledge of their Forefathers,” writes Kurm Harut Arakelyan in his latest post, which presents and explains the Armenian National Faith.
Science forms the foundation of Armenian identity and self-awareness, strengthening the nation and contributing to the flourishing and prosperity of the Homeland. Wisdom is the source of all good things.
We extend our congratulations to all who sow the seeds of Wisdom and Science, glorifying the Ancestors of Armenia…
Անթառամ Դափնին (The Everlasting Laurel) is a literary work or article written by Arshak Chobanian, a prominent Armenian intellectual, writer, and activist. In this piece, Chobanian reflects on themes of national struggle, sacrifice, and perseverance, particularly in the context of the Armenian people. The “everlasting laurel” symbolizes eternal glory and honor, often associated with the sacrifices made by Armenian heroes for the nation’s freedom and survival.
Chobanian’s work carries a message of hope and resilience, suggesting that despite hardships, the sacrifices of the past will not be in vain and will eventually yield positive outcomes for future generations. His writing typically emphasizes national pride, cultural preservation, and the moral duty to honor those who fought for the survival of the Armenian identity.
“Regarding the issue of the volunteers, I reaffirm my letter of October 6, after which I received official confirmation that our national aspirations will be satisfied following the victory of the Allies,” wrote Boghos Nubar to his son Arakel Nubar on October 27, 1916.
During the First World War, the objectives of forming the Armenian Legion with Armenian volunteers were to participate in the liberation of Cilicia and to restore Armenian independence in that historic territory, serving as the nucleus of a future Armenian army.
In the early days in Cairo, around 600 people from Musa Dagh and 300 Armenians residing in Egypt had already enlisted.
By late 1916, these volunteers were sent to the village of Monarga in Cyprus, where they joined hundreds of other Armenian volunteers for military training.
In early 1917, over 5,000 young Armenians living in the United States registered as volunteers within just a few days. A few months later, the number had risen to around 10,000. Due to the shortage of transportation, only 1,200 of them managed to cross the Atlantic Ocean from June to November, reaching France primarily aboard cargo ships under horrendous conditions, with about 70 to 90 people per ship. After surviving an attack by a German submarine while en route from Marseille to Port Said, the Armenian volunteers were successfully evacuated onto another ship using lifeboats. After a dangerous 16-day journey in narrow and filthy ship cabins, they reached Egypt and then proceeded to Cyprus.
In his autobiography, Legionnaire Hovhannes Karapetyan recalls: “On September 18, we descended into our fortified trenches and waited for the night. The attack began at 3:30 in the morning…”
“The terrifying clash of gunfire echoed as if the sky and earth had collided in the darkness of the night. But for us (the Armenian Legionnaires), it felt like a wedding celebration. Filled with a deep sense of vengeance against the Turks, each of us had become like a wild lion hunting its prey. Fully armed, bayonets affixed to our rifles, we felt as if there was no fear. Our primary goal was to settle the score with the enemy for the Armenian Genocide and to exact justice on as many Turks as possible.
As the enemy’s machine-gun fire rained down on us like a spring hailstorm, we advanced undeterred and fearless. Amid extreme difficulties, often hanging between life and death, we finally reached the mountaintop. With a decisive ‘blitzkrieg,’ we captured the enemy fortifications, leaving countless dead and taking 28,000 prisoners. In the main battle, which lasted 30 hours, we had 24 dead and 75 wounded.”
“The next morning, we climbed the mountain again and inspected the enemy trenches. They were filled with corpses. Those who were not yet dead were the most unfortunate. The memory of yesterday’s Genocide (the loss of our parents, children, sisters, and brothers) was so fresh in our minds, and the thirst for revenge ran so deep in the hearts of the Armenian Legionnaires, that the wounded Turks received no mercy. We finished them off in their trenches. Thus, the fierce Turkish resistance was utterly crushed, and the enemy retreated in chaos into the depths of the country…”
“I am proud to have had an Armenian unit under my command. They fought brilliantly and played a major role in the victory,” General Allenby congratulated Boghos Nubar on October 12. (Quotes and photographs from Susan Paul Pattie’s The Armenian Legionnaires).
“During the World War, the heroic spirit of sacrifice shown by the Armenian brave men is one of the most glorious episodes in the ancient history of our people,” writes Arshak Chobanian in his article “The Imperishable Laurel.”
“A small people, subjected to heavy yokes for hundreds of years, fragmented and persecuted by massacres, divided into many distant and separate parts, was able to reawaken within itself the bold courage of its Forefathers. Through the heroic deeds of its thousands of volunteers, it earned its share of honor in the great struggle fought in the name of Freedom and Justice. Thanks to the magnificent role played by these brave men, our small nation once again demonstrated that it possessed the soul of a great nation. Through its significant military effort, which it stubbornly sustained until the end of the war, it was able to render notable services to nations infinitely larger in number and strength—the major powers waging the war. These services were acknowledged and praised by the highest representatives of those mighty states.
The lionhearted bravery of the Armenian volunteers at Arara is one of the most beautiful pages of this Armenian epic. In the decisive victory that the Allies won against the Turkish army around that now-historic hill in Palestine—where they crushed the dark force of the massacre-loving race—our brave men played a brilliant part, magnificently fulfilling their bold and difficult role.
The surviving comrades have every right to forever celebrate with pride and reverence the radiant memory of those heroic young men who fell with valor, a memory before which the entire Armenian people bow in solemn respect.”
The bravery demonstrated by our soldiers at Arara and all other fronts is an imperishable laurel that crowns the name of our nation with indelible glory. Thanks to the sacred valor of our courageous men, our people also took part in the just cause of liberating Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Arabia, as well as Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Alsace-Lorraine. This should forever be a source of noble pride and eternal encouragement for us.
It is true that after the end of the Great War, at the moment of realizing the demands of Justice, our people—due to various unfortunate and opposing circumstances—were abandoned and wronged by their victorious great allies. This casts a dark shadow over the laurel of glory.
But history is not closed. The day will come when that black veil will melt away and disappear. It would be blasphemous to think that the sacrifice of our heroes has been entirely in vain for our people, and to assume that it will not one day bear its full fruit. (Excerpt from Arshak Chobanian’s article “The Everlasting Laurel”)
“Everything returns to its original source in order to begin anew…”
With the wisdom brought by years, every individual, enriched and matured, is mysteriously drawn toward their roots, toward the origins of their nation… toward the world where their essence and individuality were shaped, both on conscious and subconscious levels. The drive for self-discovery is the path leading to the Light.
Many contributors to Armenian culture, across different eras, have emphasized the issue of national self-awareness. “Everything returns to its original source to begin anew,” writes Sero Khanzadyan, highlighting that “Every person must have their own song…”
“Neither the curse, excommunication from the church, the seven-year repentance, nor the other prescribed punishments have been able to uproot the pagan beliefs and notions, which have come down from millennia of antiquity, from the consciousness of the people. These have endured until the last decades and have been recorded in several regions of Armenia by Armenian ethnographers of the 19th and 20th centuries” (L. Khachikyan, Works, vol. A, Yerevan, 2012, p. 19).
“From the distance of ashen times, I now see our ancestral home, nestled deep within the ruins of Dzagedzor’s ancient fortress, aged as Babylon itself. I have also begun to glimpse the misty end of my life’s journey. What has passed has turned into legends. Their memories call to me day and night. I hurry to finish this work so that my descendants, those who come after me, may know the spirit of their heroic Ancestors. One must never lose their roots. Light does not emerge from nothingness.”
And just as “The steed flies like a black lightning, racing back to its origin, to find itself…” (S. Khanzadyan), so too does the nation, as if awakening from a long-forced slumber, seek its origins anew, to regain strength through the Haikian teachings, the true national value system inherited from the Forefathers.
“The salvation of our nation lies solely in combativeness,” insists S. Khanzadyan. “He who knows how to resist evil, will live,” we read in his autobiographical novel With and Without My Father (p. 310), where the author weaves the “myth of his life” with “the threads of events,” beginning in the village where “the stone is more useful than the host of Christ.”
Here, in the quarry of Glekhtan, the fire lit by Ancestor the Priest burns night and day. The great grandmother draws a cross over the fire in the evening, tosses a pinch of incense into it, extinguishing it, only to rekindle it at dawn.
“Let it be known to you that this fortress-town where you live was the home of Patriarch Dzag” (p. 8). “My father was gradually becoming a legend to me. In the evenings, he would sometimes gather the young and old boys of our remaining clan near the Atyan stone and sing… My father had a sweet voice that would also soften the rocky nature of our stone-filled domain” (p. 32). “Jarrah Sargis, the clan elder, was such a powerful and bold man that, as they say, he could knock a bird out of the sky” (p. 22). “Our clan, as my mother used to say, originated from Dzag, the grandson of Patriarch Sisak. Hence the name of our settlement: Dzagedzor.”
“The fire in our hearth, in our ancestral home, has been burning for two thousand years” (p. 231).
