Musaler: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Anyone wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Musaler can continue their accommodation search afterward. On a hill in Musaler stands a tuff-stone memorial museum built in 1976 and dedicated to the Musa Dagh resistance. The exhibitions also cover the everyday life, customs, clothing, and economic activities of the Armenians of Cilician Musa Ler in the 19th century.

Culture

The memorial complex includes a separate Harisatoun building used for preparing and distributing harissa. Basalt steps lead up to the memorial hill. The memorial is listed in Musaler’s register of immovable historical and cultural monuments.

Its red-tuff architecture resembles a fortress tower with an eagle’s head at the top. The façade is decorated with a bas-relief of a warrior; Ara Harutyunyan created this bas-relief on the memorial’s front façade. A statue of Franz Werfel also stands beside the Musa Dagh Memorial in Musaler. An ethnographic museum depicts life in the villages of Musa Dagh.

History

Survivors and descendants who settled in Soviet Armenia founded the village of Musaler and later erected the memorial there. The complex was created with material support and the direct involvement of Musa-Ler Armenians in Armenia and in the diaspora. At the foot of the memorial hill are the graves of Musaler residents who were killed in the war over Nagorno-Karabakh. A 53-day defense took place on Musa Dagh.

Landscape

The Musa-Ler Memorial in Musaler stands on a hill above the village and overlooks the Ararat Plain. When selecting the memorial site, Mount Ararat and Mount Aragats were considered natural visual complements. Musaler is located near Yerevan International Airport.

Events

Memorial events take place at the memorial every year in mid-September. The Musaler compatriots’ association organizes the commemoration ceremony. Tents are set up around the memorial, and participants spend the night there. Singing and dancing are also part of the Musaler commemoration ceremony.

Cuisine

Musaler harissa is prepared exclusively by men during the commemoration ceremony. It consists of wheat and lamb or chicken, cooks throughout the night, is served in the morning, and distributed to everyone. The right to cook the commemorative harissa belongs to 14 families and is passed down from father to son.

More destination pages: Parakar, Etchmiadzin.

To the higher-level travel overview: Armavir.