ARMENIAN - Erevangala500

The Seljuk cemetary o f Ahlat on Lake Van, a symbol of the
peaceful cooperation between the Seljuk conquerors and the
Haik. Byzantine rule had meant constant religious persecution
for the Haik, who were finally relieved of that burden by the
Seljuks.
The battlefield o f Malazgirt, north of Lake Van. This is where
a Seljuk mounted army led by Alp Arslan destroyed the
Byzantine army in 1071 and took Emperor Romanus IV
Diogenus prisoner. The way was now completely open for the
Turks to move into Anatolia. This was made especially easy by
the fact that the Byzantines had long since subjugated the
Armenian buffer principalities.
A church o f the Armenian Orthodox congregation in Kayseri
(Roman Caesarea), in central Anatolia. This is the city where
the young Parthian, Gregory, was converted to Christianity. He
went down in history as "St. Gregory the Illuminator" and the
converter o f the Armenian people.
It is difficult, if not impossible, for the art historian to analyse
the reciprocal influences o f Iranian, Turkish, Byzantine, and
Arab art.
It is a fact that the empire of the Caliphs, whether they resided
in Cairo, Damascus, or Baghdad, was under strong Mamluk
(i.e. Turkish) influence. It is also a fact that the peaceful cooperation
o f Turks and Armenians produced some magnificent
results.
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