The Arakelots Monastery and Settlement in Armenia’s Tavush region has been shortlisted among the 14 most endangered heritage sites in Europe by Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank (EIB) Institute. The 7 Most Endangered program, launched in 2013, is a leading civil society initiative dedicated to safeguarding at-risk heritage through advocacy and public-private support.
Nestled within the forests of northern Armenia, the 13th-century monastery and settlement lie two kilometers west of Acharkut village along the Kirants River. The site includes a fortified monastery with ramparts and watchtowers, a main church with a domed hall and hazarashen roof, a rare fresco of Saint Sargis, and remnants of a medieval settlement featuring two additional churches, a caravanserai, an oil mill, and the Sranots Bridge. Once a flourishing trade hub on the Armenian Silk Road, Arakelots thrived under Georgian Zakarian and Mongol rule but has remained abandoned since the 17th century.
Today, the monastery and settlement face severe threats, including structural decay, encroaching vegetation, climate-related hazards, and earthquake damage. Human-made impacts, such as graffiti, unauthorized construction, and the presence of large bat colonies, further endanger the site.
The nomination, led by Dr. Jasmine Dum-Tragut of the University of Salzburg, is supported by Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, the Municipality of Acharkut, Blue Shield Armenia, and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. Additional expertise from the University for Continuing Education in Krems, Austria, aims to facilitate conservation, research, and sustainable development efforts.
The Arakelots Monastery and Settlement in Armenia’s Tavush region has been shortlisted among the 14 most endangered heritage sites in Europe by Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank (EIB) Institute. The 7 Most Endangered program, launched in 2013, is a leading civil society initiative dedicated to safeguarding at-risk heritage through advocacy and public-private support.
Nestled within the forests of northern Armenia, the 13th-century monastery and settlement lie two kilometers west of Acharkut village along the Kirants River. The site includes a fortified monastery with ramparts and watchtowers, a main church with a domed hall and hazarashen roof, a rare fresco of Saint Sargis, and remnants of a medieval settlement featuring two additional churches, a caravanserai, an oil mill, and the Sranots Bridge. Once a flourishing trade hub on the Armenian Silk Road, Arakelots thrived under Georgian Zakarian and Mongol rule but has remained abandoned since the 17th century.
Today, the monastery and settlement face severe threats, including structural decay, encroaching vegetation, climate-related hazards, and earthquake damage. Human-made impacts, such as graffiti, unauthorized construction, and the presence of large bat colonies, further endanger the site.
The nomination, led by Dr. Jasmine Dum-Tragut of the University of Salzburg, is supported by Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, the Municipality of Acharkut, Blue Shield Armenia, and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. Additional expertise from the University for Continuing Education in Krems, Austria, aims to facilitate conservation, research, and sustainable development efforts.
Perpetrators of these scams will create a public group on Telegram to promote these investment packages that are usually accompanied by fake testimonies and sometimes advertised as being Shariah-compliant. Interested investors will be asked to directly message the representatives to begin investing in the various investment packages offered. Right now the digital security needs of Russians and Ukrainians are very different, and they lead to very different caveats about how to mitigate the risks associated with using Telegram. For Ukrainians in Ukraine, whose physical safety is at risk because they are in a war zone, digital security is probably not their highest priority. They may value access to news and communication with their loved ones over making sure that all of their communications are encrypted in such a manner that they are indecipherable to Telegram, its employees, or governments with court orders. Overall, extreme levels of fear in the market seems to have morphed into something more resembling concern. For example, the Cboe Volatility Index fell from its 2022 peak of 36, which it hit Monday, to around 30 on Friday, a sign of easing tensions. Meanwhile, while the price of WTI crude oil slipped from Sunday’s multiyear high $130 of barrel to $109 a pop. Markets have been expecting heavy restrictions on Russian oil, some of which the U.S. has already imposed, and that would reduce the global supply and bring about even more burdensome inflation. "Russians are really disconnected from the reality of what happening to their country," Andrey said. "So Telegram has become essential for understanding what's going on to the Russian-speaking world." Telegram does offer end-to-end encrypted communications through Secret Chats, but this is not the default setting. Standard conversations use the MTProto method, enabling server-client encryption but with them stored on the server for ease-of-access. This makes using Telegram across multiple devices simple, but also means that the regular Telegram chats you’re having with folks are not as secure as you may believe.
from vn
