April 24: Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

April 24th is the Remembrance Day of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Tsitsernakaberd Memorial is dedicated to the memory of more than 1,5 million of Armenians who became victims of the first genoside of the 20th century, organized by the government of Ottoman Turkey. Western Armenia, which had been under the control of Ottoman empire for 400 years, lost its Armenian population, as a result of which the present-day Armenian diaspora was formed. Currently the Republic of Armenia is only 10% of the historical motherland. Since 1967, after the completion of the construction of the memorial, it has become the integral part of the architectural appearance of Yerevan and a pilgrimage site for millions of Armenians. Located on a hill and occupying a unique place, it at the same time perfectly harminizes with the surrounding landscape. The simple and concise outlines of the structure, as well as the bent stelae convey both the sorrow and the spirit of the nation, revived aftetr the genocide. In 1995 – on the 80th anniversary of the Genocide – a Museum-institute of the Armenian Genocide was opened in Tsitsernakaberd. A lot of documents, photos, diaries, maps, articles and other historical materials proving the fact of the Armenian Genocide are presented in the museum. Every year on April 24th hundreds of thousands of Armenians and foreigners gather here to pay a tribute to the memory of the innocent victims.