After the adoption of Christianity as a state religion in Armenia in 301 AD, the year 405 became the second most significant year in our history when the Armenian Alphabet was created by Saint Mesrop Mashtots and Sahak Partev (Patriarch Isaac).

Prior to that, Armenians had no alphabet of their own as they were using Latin, Greek, Persian and Syriac scripts, none of which were well suited to represent the specifics of the phonetics of our native tongue.

As Mesrop Mashtots and Sahag Partev were carrying out their mission to teach and propagate the Gospels to convert pagans to Christianity they have experienced great difficulties because the Holy Scriptures and liturgy were only written in Syriac at the time and were to a large extent unintelligible to the faithful. This reality necessitated to constantly rely on translators and interpreters to propagate the Word of God.  Desirous of finding a permanent remedy to this state of things, St. Mesrop Mashtots resolved to invent an Armenian national alphabet.

Being the battle-ground for Romans (Byzantine Empire) and Persians, Armenia lost its independence in 387AD and was divided between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. The invention of the alphabet (405 AD) saw the burgeoning of Armenian literature, and proved to be a powerful factor in the up-bringing of the Armenian national spirit.

Anxious that all people should profit by his creation, encouraged by the patriarch and the king Saint Mesrop Mashtots founded numerous schools in which the youth were taught the newly invented Armenian alphabet in different parts of the country.

For 1600 years, the 38 letter alphabet – which had only 36 at birth – has become the bulwark against all challenges helping Armenians disseminate and preserve their civilization, culture, literature, and traditions.

Following His Holiness Catholicos Aram I’s promulgation of 2006 as the year of the Armenian language, based on an original idea by Ara Pierre Keusseyan, the Armenian Community Council in Dubai and the Northern Emirates took the decision to erect a special monument to the Armenian alphabet and call it: “Aypoupen”.

The Aypoupen adorns the courtyard of Saint Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in Sharjah and comprises the 38 individually shaped letters of the Armenian alphabet. It represents our language’s significance as a cardinal pillar of our Armenian national identity and is a symbol of our traditionally Armenian yet multi-nationally diverse culture brought to the United Arab Emirates by our fellow Armenians from Armenia a myriad of elected countries of abode from around the world.

Emphasising the above, each letter should be blessed by a visiting member of the Armenian clergy from our different communities around the world before finding its place onto the “Aypoupen” monument. Thus far 21 of the 38 letters have been blessed and mounted in their respective bases on the monument.

aypoupen

 

List of the blessed letters of the “Aypoupen” monument adorning St. Gregory the Illuminator Church’s courtyard in Sharjah as of 30 January, 2014

  1. Thursday, 26th of April 2007, Catolical Representative for the Diocese of Kuwait and the Arab Gulf Countries His Grace Archbishop Goriun Babian, blessed the letter “AYP” (Ա)
  2. Thursday, 26th of April 2007, Parish Priest of Kuwait Rev. Fahter Ardag Keheyan, blessed the letter “KE” (Ք)
  3. Thursday, 26th of April 2007, Parish Priest of United Arab Emirates Rev. Father Aram Dekermendjian, blessed the letter “PEN” (Բ)
  4. Saturday, 12th of April 2007, Sexton of Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem His Grace Archbishop Nourhan Manougian, blessed the letter “CHA” (Չ)
  5. Friday, 15th of June, 2007, Member of the Armenian Catolicossate of Cilicia His Grace Atchbishop Yeprem Tabakian, blessed the letter “GHAD” (Ղ)
  6. Friday, 17th of July 2007 Primate for the Diocese of Tehran, Iran His Grace Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, blessed the letter “DZA” (Ծ)
  7. Wednesday, 19th of September 2007 Primate for the Diocese of Lebanon His Grace Archbishop Kegham Khatcherian, blessed the letter “KIM” (Գ)
  8. Friday, 16th of November 2007 Primate for the Diocese of Isfahan, Iran His Grace Bishop Papken Charian, blessed letter “FE” (Ֆ)
  9. Wednesday, 12th of March 2008 Primate for the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand His Grace Archbishop Aghan Bailozian, blessed the letter “TCHA” (Չ)
  10. Monday, 24th of March 2008 Parish Priest of St. Gevork Church of Southern Russia Rev. Father Vartan Hounanian, blessed the letter “E” (Է)
  11. Monday, 24th of March 2008 Parish Priest of St. Sarkis Church in Southern Russia Rev. Father Aram Hounanian, blessed the letter “MEN” (Մ)
  12. Thursday, 16th of October 2008 Sexton of St. Gregory the Illuminator church in Lebanon His Grace Archbishop Gomidas Ohanian, blessed the letter “GEN” (Կ)
  13. Saturday, 22nd of November 2008 His Holiness Karekin II Catolicos of All Armenians, blessed the letter “ZA” (Զ)
  14. Thursday, 11th of December 2008 Primate for the Diocese of Armenian Aposotolic Church of USA – Eastern Prelacy his Grace Bishop Oshagan Choloyan, blessed the letter “O” (Օ)
  15. Wednesday, 4th of November 2009, Armenian Deputy Patriarch of Constantinople Archbishop Aram Ateshian, blessed the letter “SHA” (Շ)
  16. Wednesday, 12th of May 2010 His Grace Archbishop Avak Asadourian Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Iraq, blessed the letter “VEV” (Վ)
  17. Sunday, 19th of September 2010 His Grace Bishop Armash Nalbandian The Primate of the Diocese of Damascus, blessed the letter “BE” (Պ)
  18. Sunday, 24th of April 2011 His Grace Bishop Shahe Panossian Catolicossal Representative for the Diocese of Kuwait and the Arab Gulf Countries, blessed the letter “SE” (Ս)
  19. Thursday, 10th of November 2011 The principal of The Armenian Catolicosate of Cilicia Sunday Schools, Rev. Father Ghevont Penteznian, blessed the letter “JE”    (Ժ)
  20. Friday, 9th of March 2012 The General Superior of the Congregation of Bzommar father Kevork Yeghiaian, blessed the letter “YECH” (Ե)
  21. Friday, 23rd of April 2012 The President of Haigazian University of Lebanon, Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian, blessed the letter  “HEE” (Յ)
  22. Wednesday, 2 May of 2012 Rev. Father Mesrob Sarkisian, blessed the letter  “VO”  (Ո)
  23. Saturday, 8 September of 2012 The Armenian Catolicosate of Cilicia Printing House Director, Bishop Norayr Ashekian, blessed the letter “Nu” (Ն)
  24. Monday, 13th of January 2014 His Grace Bishop Haigazoun Najarian The Primate of the Diocese of the  Australia and New Zealand, blessed the letter “DYUN” (Տ)