99 - all you should know about the Genocide April, 2014 | Page 26

Construction work at the Genocide memorial complex, 1966

tectonic stone shape. It is a structure made of

According to Van K hachatur, the galler y

concrete, not stone.”

should have consisted of three r ings , each

S a shur Kala shyan notes that although they

gradually lower ing into the other. T he bronze

had or iginally decided that each of the angled

recept acle with the eter nal f lame wa s not

large slabs would consist of a single piece of

planned to be out side a s it is now, with a

stone, they were unable to f ind 12 such large

depth of 1 .5 meter s – it wa s supposed to be

pieces .

dug into the ground.

“In order not to waste time, we decided to make

The memorial complex consisted of three main

each slab using four pieces, such that their

compositional elements – a round, open vault

intersection would form a cross of sorts. But

next to the flame and surrounded by walls,

that didn’t work out either – everyone was in a

the elongated Wall of Mourning covered in

hurry. So we ended up with what we have now –

decorative bas-relief and a spire symbolizing the

concrete with numerous stone tiles on it.”

two halves of the Armenian nation.