Facts, poets & the culture

In the early 4th century AD, Armenia became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion, traditionally dated to 301 AD under King Tiridates III, guided by St. Gregory the Illuminator.

The Armenian alphabet was created around 405 AD by the monk and linguist Mesrop Mashtots, originally with 36 letters, to translate the Bible into Armenian and strengthen national identity.

The world's oldest known leather shoe, dated to around 3500 BC (roughly 5,500 years old), was discovered in 2008 in the Areni-1 cave complex in Armenia, remarkably preserved by the cave's cool, dry conditions.

The world's oldest known winery, dating back about 6,100 years, was found in the same Areni-1 cave in Armenia, complete with a wine press, fermentation vats, storage jars, and grape seeds.

The duduk, a soft-toned double-reed woodwind instrument traditionally carved from apricot wood, was inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

Khachkars, intricately carved memorial cross-stones unique to Armenian art, were inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010. About 40,000 khachkars survive today, most dating from the 9th-14th centuries.

Yerevan, Armenia's capital, was founded in 782 BC by King Argishti I of Urartu as the fortress of Erebuni, making it 29 years older than the traditional founding date of Rome (753 BC).

Mount Ararat, the biblical resting place of Noah's Ark, is Armenia's principal national symbol and appears on its coat of arms, even though the mountain itself lies across the border in modern Turkey.

The apricot's scientific name, Prunus armeniaca, literally means "Armenian plum." Ancient Romans, including Pliny the Elder, believed the fruit originated in Armenia, though modern genetic studies trace its true origin to Central Asia.

Dr. Raymond Damadian, an Armenian-American physician and inventor born to a family from historic Western Armenia, built the first MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner and performed the first full-body MRI scan on a human in 1977.

Calouste Gulbenkian, an Armenian oil businessman nicknamed "Mr. Five Percent" for his stake in Middle Eastern oil ventures, was one of the richest men in the world by the time of his death in 1955 and left his fortune to found the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

William Saroyan, the Armenian-American author of "The Human Comedy," won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940 for "The Time of Your Life" but refused it, saying commerce should not judge art.

Charles Aznavour, born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian in Paris to Armenian Genocide survivors, recorded more than 1,200 songs across a 70-year career and was named Entertainer of the Century by CNN and Time in 1998.

Aram Khachaturian, the Soviet Armenian composer born in Tbilisi, wove Armenian folk melodies into classical works; his best-known piece, the "Sabre Dance" from the ballet Gayane (1942), remains one of the most recognizable orchestral works in the world.

Ivan Aivazovsky, born Hovhannes Aivazian to Armenian parents in Crimea, became one of history's greatest marine painters, producing about 6,000 seascapes over a 60-year career and serving as official painter of the Russian Navy.

Sergei Parajanov, an Armenian filmmaker born in Georgia, directed "The Color of Pomegranates" (1969), a poetic tribute to 18th-century Armenian poet Sayat-Nova that is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.

Chess world champion Garry Kasparov, the youngest undisputed world champion in history (age 22, 1985), was born to a Jewish father and an Armenian mother, Klara Kasparova, whose maiden name he adopted.

Singers Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) and tennis champion Andre Agassi both have Armenian paternal roots; Kim Kardashian's father Robert Kardashian was Armenian-American, and Kim has visited Armenia multiple times to honor her heritage.

System of a Down, the Grammy-nominated band formed by four Armenian-American musicians in Glendale, California, has used its platform for decades to raise global awareness of the Armenian Genocide.

Etchmiadzin Cathedral, founded around 301-303 AD near Yerevan, is considered the oldest state-built cathedral in the world and remains the spiritual headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell, and when you get angry, get good and angry.

We are few, yet we are called Armenian. We do not consider ourselves better than anyone.

It is in the nature of the Armenian to study, to learn, to question, to speculate, to discover, to invent, to revise, to restore, to preserve, to make, and to give.

The sun won't stay behind the cloud.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Let it be late, let it be good.

"The Poet of All Armenians"; his tales (Anush, David of Sassoun retellings) are the bedtime canon.

Revolutionary modernist; his message hidden in an acrostic survived censorship to become a national watchword.

The modern conscience of Armenian verse (already the homepage hero line).

Lyric master of longing and exile; set to countless songs.

The twilight lyricist; softest voice in the language.

The ashugh (troubadour) of the Caucasus; sang in four languages, loved in all of them.

Saint and mystic; his Book of Lamentations sits beside the Bible in Armenian homes.

The grande dame of Armenian poetry; her "Word to My Son" is memorized by every diaspora child.

Poet of mothers and Ararat; the people's poet of the 20th century.

Died at 22; left the language some of its tenderest lines.