// 1915 Wounds That Have Not Healed //

1915, “Wounds That Have Not Healed” is a photo documentary project on the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day which takes place between April 23rd and 24th each year.

On the night of April 23 hundreds of citizens and foreigners march from Republic Square (Hraparak) to the Genocide Memorial (Tsitsernakaberd) honoring the victims of the Armenian Genocide from 1915 to 1923 where approximately 1.5 million Armenians were expelled from their homelands and stripped of their humanity in the cities of such as Van, Sepastia, Bitlis, Erzoroum, Dyarbekir, Malatia, Adana, Kharpert, Marash, and Aintab.

An annual torch march is organized by the Armenian Youth Union of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and has been since 1999. Many locals say the torch march symbolizes not only the demands of the Armenian people but also the struggle for just reparations, nationwide unity, and the determination to continue the fight.

On April 24th, tens of thousands lay fresh flowers at the eternal flame at the center of twelve slabs which represent the 12 lost provinces in present day Turkey. Over the years politicians, artists, musicians, athletes, and religious figures from around the world have visited the symbolic memorial. The memorial was built in 1967 and sits on one of three hills along the Hrazdan River in Yerevan which was once the site of an Iron Age fortress. Almost 3 decades later the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute was opened on the premises in 1995.

The purpose of this documentary project is to show the importance that this day holds for the Armenian community. For many, those wounds obtained from their families past which has impacted generations for over a century are still open and still burning.

Armenian Genocide Memorial (Tsitsernakaberd). April 23, 2023

Armenian Youth Union of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation awaiting the lighting of torches Republic Square (Hraparak). April 23, 2023

Police walking to the Genocide Memorial (Tsitsernakaberd) to lay flowers. April 24, 2023

The Armenian Apostolic Church saying prayers at the eternal flame. April 24, 2023

Youths from the Assyrian community of Armenia. April 24, 2023

Kurds paying their respects at Tsitsernakaberd. April 24, 2023

Citizens continue to lay flowers at Tsitsernakaberd. April 25, 2023

On the night of April 23, 2022, a torchlight procession was held in Yerevan, Armenia prior to marking the 107th anniversary of the Armenian genocide on April 24. The Ottoman Empire committed genocide from 1915 to 1917. Approximately 1.5 million Armenians were expelled from their homelands and stripped of their humanity.

Torchlight procession and march beginning in Republic Square, Yerevan, Armenia. April 23, 2022

Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial, Yerevan, Armenia. April 23, 2022

Tens of thousands of Armenians make their way to Tsitsernakaberd (Swallows' Fortress) Genocide Memorial each year to lay flowers at the eternal flame.