GLENDALE — On May 1, the Salmast Heritage Association (SHA) celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Glen Arden Club. The association honored many Armenians with Salmast heritage, including Los Angeles City Councilman Adrin Nazarian and photojournalist Alexandra Avakian. The association remembered its late Advisor, Khoren Salmassian, and recognized several individuals for their commitment to the organization. They were the SHA founder Sarkis Barkhoudarian, supporter Daniel Sahakian and head of research Marco Brambilla, PhD.
SHA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to research, document and disseminate information about the rich heritage of Salmast, the largest province of Historic Armenia. The association has academic affiliations with UCLA’s Narekatsi Chair of Armenian Studies and several prestigious universities, such as the Politecnico di Milano, Yerevan State University, the University of Tabriz, Cambridge University, and the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy.
The history of Salmast dates to the Kingdom of Urartu, 9th to 6th BC. It has been a territory of Iran for centuries; it is near Khoy, Lake Urmia and Tabriz, and was continuously inhabited by Armenians until the end of the 1960s. Throughout the centuries, it has been known as Zarehavan, Arna, Dilman, Shahpour and Salmast. (In Persian, it is called Salmas, without the “t” at the end.)
Co-Chair Laura Atoian conducted the program. She began by inviting Dr. Karen Israyelyan, Consul General of Armenia, to open the event. Israyelyan emphasized the importance of its members’ work, and cited it as relevant to all Armenians. He said, “I am proud to have ancestors who emigrated from Salmast’s Haftvan village to Artashat, Armenia.” He also shared his experiences studying Persian literature and spending two years on a diplomatic mission in Iran.
Prof. Peter Cowe, the Narekatsi Professor of Armenian Studies at UCLA, addressed the assembled in Armenian. He is a researcher, author and an honorary board member of the Salmast Heritage Association. Before inviting Barkoudarian to the stage, Cowe said of him, “Sarkis Barkhoudarian has spent many years keeping the heritage of Salmast alive, and he has beautiful memories of Salmast.”
Atoian presented Barkhoudarian with a commendation from Sen. Adam Schiff and an award honoring him as SHA’s founder.
