Publisher's Synopsis
In July 2011, the writer set out on a trip to the former Armenian lands of Eastern Anatolia, in Turkey.
He had close family ties to Armenia, a country that is dominated physically by Mount Ararat, the legendary home of Noah's Ark. Mount Ararat, in Turkey, was the heartland of ancient Armenia, and the lost people and communities of Eastern Anatolia dominate the thoughts and psychology of most Armenians.
The writer's fascination for the Armenian Diaspora in earlier travels abroad had taken him to Addis Ababa, Aleppo, Anjar, Athens, Beiruit, Edinburgh, Julfa, Los Angeles, London, Lyons, Manchester, Marseilles, New York, Paris, Prague, Sharjah, Singapore, Tbilisi, Vienna and Venice. Each community had many stories to tell. Most of those stories were linked to the sad events of 1915, the lost lands of Eastern Anatolia and the resulting diaspora.
Finally, he had the opportunity to spend a little time in the ancestral homeland of the Armenians and try to understand their suffering. The trip would also take in some of the outstanding sights of Istanbul and Cappadocia but the main focus was to be on visiting some of the lands closely associated with Armenia, including Van, Ani, Kars and Mount Ararat.
The political landscape was changing and courageous intellectuals on both sides had been seeking reconciliation and closure. It was an interesting time to explore the remains of the legendary Armenian lands, buildings, churches and towns as the centenary of the events of 1915 approached.
