Near the entrance to the National Khosrov Forest Preserve, in the vicinity of the village of Garni, an informational center is being built in order to organize the visits of the scores of tourists flocking to this scenic spot. The center is being built with financing from the Armenian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The outer walls of the center resemble the layers of the basalt stone columns that scatter the Garni Gorge. Last year these stone formations were mercilessly plundered as construction material by different government officials.

According to various press reports these stones were used by Hovik Abrahamyan, the newly-nominated President of the National Assembly, as facing stones for the newly constructed Saint Hovhannes Church that he financed but also for his private house last year. Also using stones cut from the cliff walls was Paravon Mirzoyan, the Director of Armenia’s National Picture Gallery. (See: “Officials Endorse Symphony of Stone Destruction” and “Garni-A Symphony in Stone”) 

The International World Wildlife Fund’s Armenian branch Director, Karen Manvelyan, assures us that the walls being constructed for the information center are utilizing other stones. However, one of the builders we interviewed noted that the stones being used were brought in from the same Garni gorge. He couldn’t say for certain whether they had been newly stripped from the rock face or whether they had already fallen to the floor below. Mr. Manvelyan stated that he intends to hire two guards to watch over the area containing the ‘basalt organ’.

However, the fact remains that the walls of the center are being built from layers of stone from the very same ‘basalt organ’.

One month ago the Armenian government created an official list of Armenian natural monument sites. The ‘basalt organ’ located in the Azat River gorge was included in the list of geological sites. Till this day, however, visitors to the Garni Gorge can still see piles of stones from the ‘basalt organ’ scattered about.

P.S. Last week, after the publication of the original article in Armenian, Mr. Karen Manvelyan, who heads the World Wildlfe Fund’s office in Armenia, telephoned  “Hetq” and insisted that the stones mentioned in the article did not come from the “Symphony of Stones” site but from a different area in the Garni Gorge. He suggested that a reporter from “Hetq” accompany him to the Garni Gorge in order to show where the stones deemed for construction were collected. We took him up on his offer.

“Hetq” reporter Lena Nazaryan traveled to the Garni Gorge. Mr. Manvelyan pointed out where the stones had been taken from, a site in the same Garni Gorge. Let us remind readers that this area is registered in Armenia’s list of natural monuments. This is clearly defined by government decision 14-I N 967-N, passed in August 2008, which includes a list of Armenia’s natural sites.

No one, especially organizations involved in preserving the “wild places” of the country, has the right to remove stones or engage in construction activities, even if such construction is intended to assist in the preservation of the natural environment

Hetq