After the establishment of Soviet rule in Armenia and especially during the reign of Stalin, talk of the Armenian-Turkish conflict was proscribed. Any talk about the Armenian Genocide or western Armenia were regarded as manifestations of nationalism and punished with imprisonment, exile, or shooting. The situation gradually began to change in the second half of the 1950s, due to Khrushchev’s “thaw” policy 

The Armenian Genocide Memorial complex is Armenia’s official memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian genocide. Building of the complex began in 1966 on the hill of Tsitsernakaberd. If you visit only one place in Yerevan, make it this one. If you want more details on the genocide, please read the previous essay on Yerevan’s memorials. 

Every year on 24th April, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, thousands of Armenians gather at the memorial to commemorate the victims of the genocide. The people who gather in Tsitsernakaberd lay fresh flowers out of respect for all the people who died.