ABSTRACT
The existence of Urartu (the pre-Armenian, pre 600 BC civilisation) was unknown, a ‘lost’ civilisation, until 1823, when a French scholar, Jean Saint-Martin, chanced upon a passage in the History of Armenia by the fifth century AD Armenian historian, Moses of Khoren (Movses Khorenats’i), 1 which aroused his curiosity. It tells the well-known Armenian legend of the unrequited love of Queen Shamiram (the Semiramis of Greek legend) 2 for Ara the Beautiful, a legendary king of Armenia. Her pride wounded, Shamiram went to war against Armenia, but in spite of strict orders to her warriors not to harm him, a stray arrow killed Ara. The distraught queen decided to remain in Armenia, the land of her hero. The story continues colourfully:
After these events, Shamiram remained but a short time on the Plain of Armenia, which is called, after Ara, ‘Ararat’. She travelled southwards, while it was still summer, journeying leisurely through the valleys and the flowering countryside. Impressed by the scenery around her, the purity of the air, the limpid springs which gushed out everywhere in abundance, and the gentle murmur of the rivers, she said: ‘In this delightful land, where the climate is so temperate and the water so pure, a city shall be built, our royal residence in Armenia, where we shall spend one quarter part of the year; the remaining months, consisting of the colder seasons, we shall pass in our city of Nineveh.’ Searching carefully for a suitable site, Shamiram came upon a valley as she approached it from the east; its western extremity skirted the shores of the great salt lake Van, where she observed an oblong-shaped mountain, its northern slopes gently falling towards the valleys, while the southern, cliff-like face rose sheer to a high peak, pointing towards the sky. Not far to the south, a flat valley bordered upon the eastern side of the mountain, and extended towards the shores of the Lake, where it broadened out like a gorge. Across this land of marvels, crystal-clear waters tumbled down the mountain sides into the valleys and ravines below and united at the broad base of the mountain to form a great river. To the east of that smiling mountain-side, there was a smaller hill. Here, the energetic, sensual Queen Shamiram, inspired by the beauty of the region, decided to build her city. She caused 12,000 workmen and 6,000 skilled craftsmen to be brought from Assyria and from other parts of her empire, to work on wood, on stone, on bronze and on iron. By forcing the pace of the workers she completed in a short time a magnificent city (which she called Shamiramakert) consisting of wonderful palaces, each of two or three storeys high, made of stones of various colours. Each district of the city had a distinctive colour, and each was separated from its neighbour by a broad street. There were also artistically designed and decorated baths in the midst of the city. Part of the river was diverted by canals to supply the city’s domestic needs, to water its gardens, orchards and vineyards and to perpetuate the fertility of the earth. She then had a magnificent palace built for herself and she peopled the city with a huge population. The whole city was girt with immense walls for its protection. Now, the eastern side of the mountain had such a hard surface that even an iron-pointed stylo could not impress a single line upon it; yet, palaces, long galleries and strong-rooms for the queen’s treasure were hewn out of its side. Over the whole surface of the rock, as if it were on wax, she caused a great many characters to be traced. The sight of these marvels throws everyone into amazement. 3
