YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net) — Armenia has submitted a nomination to include Tatev Monastery and the Vorotan Gorge in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The announcement was made during a scientific-practical conference on integrated management of UNESCO World Heritage sites, held at the National University of Architecture and Construction on May 12.
According to Narine Tyutcheva, a professor at the International Academy of Architecture, member of ICOMOS, and head of the Re-School educational center, the initiative is not only about protecting cultural values but also reinforcing national identity, reports Sputnik Armenia.
“This is a comprehensive gesture aimed at affirming Armenia’s right to its historical legacy and recognizing cultural landscapes as foundations of stability,” she stated during the event.
The nomination is part of the interdisciplinary educational project Re-School, implemented in collaboration with the 301. Land of Wisdom and Amaryan foundations, and the Cultural and Historical Heritage Research Center of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports.
Preliminary data from the nomination dossier indicates the site spans 7,490 hectares, with a buffer zone exceeding 20,000 hectares. It features a layered landscape combining architectural landmarks, archaeological elements, natural environment, and cultural memory.
The dossier includes Tatev Monastery, a 9th-century example of medieval Armenian architecture, monastic structures, chapels, ancient churches, cemeteries, and the Vorotan Gorge, noted for its natural diversity and signs of human presence dating back to the Neolithic through the 19th century.
