The Kardashian sisters visited their ancestral homeland last week to draw attention to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. But the country has plenty going on, even when it’s not being graced by some of the most famous members of its diaspora.
First things first: Armenia is a small, mountainous country in the South Caucasus.
It borders Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and Georgia. (No, not that Georgia — this one.)
Grigory Gusev CC BY-ND / Via Flickr: gusevg
Before gaining independence in 1991, Armenians lived under Ottoman and Russian rule, and the country was part of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet-era Mother Armenia statue that looks over Yerevan, the capital, symbolizes peace through strength, according to Armenian lore.
young shanahan CC BY / Via Flickr: youngshanahan
The Kardashian sisters visited to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, a defining event in Armenian history and identity.
On Friday, Kim, Khloe and Kanye visited the memorial to the 1915 massacre of more than a million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire. Turkey does not acknowledge the tragedy as genocide. Also, the U.S. has yet to publicly commemorate the event.
Karen Minasyan / Getty Images
They aren't the only famous diaspora Armenians to stop by.
Cher, whose dad was Armenian-American, traveled to Armenia in 1993.
Chris Pizzello / AP
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