This is a picture of the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Armenia. The genocide is memorialized on April 24, and this year, it will be 100 years since it started. When I first heard about it I wondered what it was and why I had not heard about it before. So I set out to do some investigation.
One hundred years ago, during and after the First World War, the Ottoman Empire set out to eradicate the Armenians from modern-day Turkey. The males were killed or sent to work camps, the women and children sent on a death march to Syria. It is estimated that between 800,000 and 1,500,000 Armenians died during this period.
This is the first time the word genocide was used to label eradication of a group of people. The second instance and most widely recognized one is the genocide of Jews during WWII.
I also wondered why in Jerusalem, there is an Armenian quarter, along with a Jewish, Muslim, and Christian quarter. Armenia is the first country to accept Christianity as its religion. Therefore soon after its adoption, monks and clerics sought to establish a presence in Jerusalem. I have seen parts of the show listed and read the related book. It tries to have an objective viewpoint on Israel, and explains in layman's terms that even this uneducated historical scholar can understand.
I found this info on wikipedia and Rick Steves Israel.
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