May 28th – The 100th Anniversary Of Republic Of Armenia

Armenian Highlands, the area, where the process of formation and development of the Armenian nation took place and where Armenians passed their historical path, was mentioned several thousand years ago. Since ancient times, a state, known as Great Armenia had existed here. In the late Middle Ages, after the loss of the two-thousand-years old statehood, Armenia was divided between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Iran, and only during the First World War it regained its independence. The independence of the Republic of Armenia was proclaimed after a five-year yoke and genocide, after the brilliant victories and heroic battles of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan and Garakilisa in May 1918. This is one of the most vivid manifestations of national unity in the history of the Armenians. May 28^th is a holiday of salvation and renaissance, leading to the establishment of the statehood. Even after a century, Armenians keep proudly cherishing the memory of the greatest devotion and patriotism of their heroes. The Armenian government plans to hold a cultural week dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the First Republic of Armenia and the heroic May battles by organizing concerts, poetry evening, lectures, meetings, exhibitions, as well as other events. They also intend to take part in this celebration of national importance. The main part of the celebration is organized in the memorial complex of Sardarapat, which was built in 1968 in honor of the 50^th anniversary of May victories. The complex is located at the distance of 10km from Armavir. It occupies quite a large area and consists of a belfry, winged bulls, standing on the left and right sides, the alley of eagles leading to the museum of Ethnography and the National Liberation Movement. This memorial is considered to be one of the most remarkable buildings of modern life.

This year, in honor of the holiday, another event is planned – the opening of the longest zipline in the world at the length of 2,7 km, which will take place in “Yell Extreme Park”, Lastiver, in the very centre of Yerevan – Tbilisi highway.