Matenadaran, Mesrop Mashtots, Armenian Alphabet and Language

This title calls for lots of research, but it all fits together so well. Matenadaran (Մատենադարան) is ancient Armenian for library or repository of manuscripts. It is a central archive in Yerevan, Armenia. I was able to visit it on this trip and I was very fascinated. This library dates back to the holdings of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Echmiadzin. It was expropriated in 1920 and all manuscripts were transferred to Moscow, but in 1939 the collection was brought to Armenia, but now to Yerevan. The current building was built between 1945 and 1957 in neo-Armenian style. The warehouse is carved into the rock to be safe from atomic bombs, but today it suffers from water ingress.

In front of the building stands a statue of Mesrop Mashtots; he is a saint who invented the Armenian alphabet. The Matenadaran is actually called the “Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts” (Armenian: Մեսրոպ Մաշտոցի անվան հին ձեռագրերի ինստիտուտ). Its collection has been included in the register of the UNESCO Memory of the World program in 1997 [1].

Mesrop Mashtots (Armenian: Մեսրոպ Մաշտոց) was, among other things, theologian, linguist and composer [2]. He lived from 362-440. He is venerated as a saint in the Armenian Apostolic Church. He is particularly known for developing the Armenian alphabet, which dates back to 405.

Why was a separate alphabet necessary? It was explained to me on the trip that other letters had already been used to spread pagan/satanic contents. In the German alphabet there are 26 basic letters, three umlauts and the sharp s, written ß, which is actually a ligature of ss, but is now often written ss or sz. In total there are 30 letters. The English alphabet consists of 26 letters. The Armenian alphabet (Armenian: Հայոց գրեր) today has 39 letters, with և ev being a ligature [3], but like the German ß is counted as a letter. The English sh is rendered as sch in German, but other languages just have a letter for this sound (same applies to th). The further back in time we go, the more ligatures we can find. Therefore, the number 39 should not confuse us too much. The script looks elegant, but subjectively it seems to me to be insufficiently discriminatory, i.e. some letters look very similar to others. This is very subjective and does not do justice to the Armenians' attitude to their script. For Armenians, the Armenian alphabet is part of their national identity.

What does the Armenian language belong to? I would have thought it belonged to the Persian language area, because there are points of contact in history, but that is wrong. The Armenian language (endonym: հայերեն [hayeren]) is the only member of a separate branch of the Indo-European languages [4]. It is estimated that there are 5-7 million speakers worldwide. There are a number of loan words from ancient languages such as Hittite or especially Luwian, which I dealt with six months ago in a biblical context [5].

Now let us enter the museum. We had a tour with an elderly lady (certainly over 80 years old) who explained the exhibits to us with great enthusiasm and knowledge. She had a wooden stick with which she pointed to the objects. That reminded me of two things. I had a tour in North Korea where a pointer was used, namely a telescopic pointer (similar to what car antennas used to look like). Then I remembered that I had a telescopic pointer myself when we still gave lectures with an overhead projector and not presentations with a projector (which is called beamer in German by the way).

The Echmiadzin Gospel Book is particularly beautifully designed and dates from the year 989. You can find out more about it on Wikipedia or directly in an article in the museum [6]. Also interesting is a large-format Bible that had to be cut in half and was saved by two women on the run, but could only be put back together decades later, or rather, one half is on display and the other is kept in the storeroom under a constant climate. They are changed every six months. The manuscripts are kept behind glass and attempts are made to prevent them from drying out or becoming too damp (which could lead to mold). Thyme plays a major role in preventig both. There are also other linguistic monuments, such as palm leaf manuscripts from Sri Lanka or early Chinese prints. Incidentally, Armenians began printing on paper much earlier than Western Europe. I would have liked to have stayed there longer, but I hope I will have another opportunity to do so later. In the mean time I'll pay a virtual visit every now and then and you could do so, too [7].

Links and Annotations:
[1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matenadaran and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matenadaran
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesrop_Mashtots
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_alphabet
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_language
[5] Paulus und Barnabas in Lystra https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2024/02/paulus-und-barnabas-in-lystra.html  
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echmiadzin_Gospels and „The Etchmiadzin Gospel Is An Ancient Exhibit Of The Matenadaran With A Thousand-Year History“ https://matenadaran.am/en/2024/06/25/the-etchmiadzin-gospel-is-an-ancient-exhibit-of-the-matenadaran-with-a-thousand-year-history/
[7] https://matenadaran3d.am/ and I just looked at this: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=PuKQibNfPsd&ss=162&sr=-.62%2C-.05&tag=KL3cYIa09X2&pin-pos=-4.52%2C1.17%2C-11.26

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LYRIK-Taschenkalender 2015 22. KW 27.04.2022

 

Michael Braun hat den LYRIK-Taschenkalender 2015 herausgegeben und zusammen mit Henning Ziebritzki alle am Taschenkalender beteiligten Autoren und Kommentatoren mit je einem Gedicht vorgestellt. Er ist mir jetzt wieder in die Hände gefallen. Auch dieser Kalender lädt ein zum Annotieren und Assoziieren, zum Erstellen von GegenEntwürfen. Vielleicht so auch ein wenig wie Daniel Spoerris: An Anecdoted Topography of Chance (1966 Something Else Press, New York / Cologne). Diese Annotationen stammen aus den Jahren 2014/2015 und 2020/2021.

22. KW

Paul Wühr: Ob

Lachen kannst Du auch in Nord Korea, nur eben nicht bei TagesLicht, aber abends im Dunkeln und es ist wirklich dunkel in Nord Korea, da kannst Du Lachen und Singen. Dein Lachen ist die Substanz, an der Nord Korea zerbrechen wird [1].

Jedes Wort bleibt, solange es benötigt wird, dann verdunstet es, um Platz zu schaffen. Hat die Ewigkeit Platz für jedes Wort? Bestimmt! Allerdings haben wir nicht die Zeit, dies zu überPrüfen. Für's Lachen aber bleibt Zeit genug.

Dürfen -: das Wort dürfen wird häufig mit wollen verwechselt. Manchmal sagt jemand zu mir: „Ach, das darfst Du ja nicht essen!“ Aber für mich als Vegetarier ist das eine Frage des Wollens und nicht des Dürfens.

Gefängnis

    dieses DaSein

Ist

Ein

Gefängnis

Ob

Mit

Ob ohne

Gitter

Und man

Spürt

Es

Nur

Wenn

Das GeViert

    Zu

Eng ist

Die Philosophie des Als Ob [2].

Wenn man an den Fluß Ob in Sibirien denkt … ob einem da nicht aktuell das Lachen im Halse stecken bleibt?

22. KW

Kommentar: Christian Steinbacher

Wer weiß, ob das Universum nicht die Form einer Brezel hat.

Die WurstScheibe der FleischereiFachVerkäuferin (gab es die damals schon?) für den kleinen Jungen, kenne ich auch noch. Ich weiß gar nicht mehr, ob ich das mochte. Ich meine nicht. Heute erscheint es mir wie das Anfixen bei Jugendlichen.

Kontraste -: irgendEin FersehMagazin, das mich genauso wenig interessiert hat wie der FrühSchoppen [3], an den ich mich wegen der RauchSchwaden erinnere.

Worte

    deine trockenen

Worte

Steckte

Ich

In

Eine

Vase

Mit

Wasser

Und dann

    Blüten

Sie auf

[4]

Kunst-Haut -: Haut die Kunst. NATO-Pelle. Curry-Wurst.

 

Links und Anmerkungen:
[1] https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2011/10/laughing-in-north-korea.html Ich habe auch z. B. im Zoo Menschen gesehen, die lachten. Aber dieses Lachen, das nur nachts sein darf, das habe ich nur in Kaesong gehört.
[2] Hans Vaihinger: Die Philosophie des Als Ob. Salzwasser-Verlag, Paderborn 2013.
ISBN: 9783846020173. Die Original-Ausgabe kam 1911 heraus.
[3] Werner Höfer: Der Internationale Frühschoppen. Über die Kreiten-Affäre könnte man nachlesen. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Internationale_Fr%C3%BChschoppen und https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_H%C3%B6fer
[4] Wein wurde bei diesem FrühSchoppen natürlich auch gereicht. Man denke sich heute eine politische Sendung, in der geraucht und gesoffen wird.


.

 

Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump in Singapore

So the bad boys Trump and Kim have met in Singapore [1]. Any longer talks weren’t intended, Trump left Singapore prematurely as he did in Quebec. They shook hands in front of the national flags – a picture, which will go around the world.

The Rondong Sinmun quoted [2]: “Enjoying a nocturnal bird's-eye view of the city on the observation platform of the Marina Bay Sands building, he said Singapore is clean and beautiful …”. Yes, in this aspect Singapore and Pyongyang are alike. Very clean cities.

Five years ago I’ve written [3]: “Do you see Wonsan as a major port city during the next five years? I don't. Do you see Wonsan as a beach city attracting masses of tourists? I don't.”

You don’t have to be a visionary to see, that there’s a chance for Wonsan as well as North Korea to develop in the future.

Links:

[1] http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/06/liveblog-trump-kim-jong-un-summit.html

[2] http://www.rodong.rep.kp/en/index.php?strPageID=SF01_02_01&newsID=2018-06-12-0001

[3] http://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2013/08/wonsan-city-on-refurbishing-and-other.html

Addendum:

A couple of picture, I’ve taken in North Korea in 2011.

.

Carpe Diem Sparkling Stars No. 23 Soseki's "gingko leaves are falling"

 

At Wonsan harbour

The gingko trees shed their leaves

Being bored to death

A yellow lantern

The gingko tree is waiting

Leaves falling like hair

This frosty autumn

The gingko tree’s fallen leaves

Just count hundred eight

http://chevrefeuillescarpediem.blogspot.de/2016/01/carpe-diem-sparkling-stars-23-sosekis.html

PS. Wonsan harbour is in North Korea. Hardly any ship calls at Wonsan, which is strange as this naval town is big enough with about 330,000 inhabitants, but North Korea is strange anyway.

Links:
Wonsan City, on refurbishing and other problems
http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/08/wonsan-city-on-refurbishing-and-other.html
Detailed route and activities in North Korea
http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2011/10/detailed-route-and-activities-in-north.html

Turkmenistan

Allow me to stop at a typical German peculiarity concerning Turkmenistan. In English it's Turkmenistan and Turkey, in German it's Turkmenistan and Türkei. The country itself writes Türkmenistan, so where's the umlaut in German? Maybe that's as bizarre as the country is.

Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, is a city of representational buildings, some of which you aren't allowed to photograph. And all buildings, I mean ALL buildings, are covered with white marble as the president likes it this way. He likes his city broad and full of parks and avenues. But ... the streets and parks are empty just like in Pyongyang and North Korea.

At nights there is a difference to Pyongyang, however. Pyongyang at night is nearly black, dark, and sombre. Ashgabat is bright and full of changing colours, which you can already see from the plane, provided you reach Ashgabat after nightfall.

Dictatorial regimes crave being recognized by the world. Some try to excel in sports, some try to appear in the Guinness book of records. Ashgabat had the highest flagpole until the dictator eh president in Baku erected a higher one. But you can enjoy the world's largest indoor Ferris wheel. It is opened only on Saturdays and Sundays - so we were lucky to go there on a Sunday. The price for a ride is a trifle and therefore I had been expecting throngs at the ticket booth, but hardly anyone was waiting. As it is indoors, you can try to peek through the windows. Oh, don't forget not to photograph to the left side as there are restricted buildings!

The first president Turkmenbashi loved being presented in golden statues, some of which are still to be seen. I hope the late president doesn't mind the turtle dove shitting on his head.

At the end of our sojourn in Turkmenistan we planned to visit Konye Urgench far in the North. We got up in the middle of the night, took a flight to Dazavauz, and ... there we were: "Houston, we have a problem." The president was in town or expected in town. The only road to Konye Urgench goes right through the middle of the small town and all roads were blocked for traffic. We were happy to have a bus; a South Korean group didn't even have their bus. The roads were cleared of every vehicle, even the connecting roads were free of people and cars. Save for a policeman at every crossing and the four gentlemen dressed in black staring into a canal as if they expected a frogman surfacing any moment. And I shouldn't forget to tell you that the cell phone net in the North had been shut down, too.

So we went to the border to leave the country. Leaving the country! We didn't know if the border wasn't closed, too. It was, but it opened an hour later.

Crossing the border I had to show my passport quite often:

01. Guard in front of the border

02. 2nd guard in front of the border

03. Baggage and passport (customs), including X ray

04. Passport to get the exit stamp

05. Guard in front of barbed wire and the barrier

06. After a taxi ride through no-man's-land (we were lucky, otherwise we had to carry the baggage for about 1.5 km) control by a guard

07. Medical control

08. Passport and custom's declaration

09. Passport and entry stamp

10. Guard in front of Uzbekistan

OK, some controls where on the Uzbekistan side of this overland border.

But all in all, the impression of Turkmenistan as a bizarre country remains.

Wonsan City, on refurbishing and other problems

I've just read the following article of the Rodong Sinmun: http://www.rodong.rep.kp/en/index.php?strPageID=SF01_02_01&newsID=2013-08-03-0019&chAction=T The article is on floricultural, a new species of rose, the ardent love of the working people of Wonsan City, a new species of grass, a skate park, Songdowon and other pleasure grounds, as if these were the problems of Wonsan. 
As there are damages by floodings, the military drills are shortened: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/north-korea-cuts-army-drills-short-for-flood-relief-report.aspx?pageID=238&nid=51977&NewsCatID=356. 
I have recently published an article on other activity concerning Wonsan, which is in German: http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/07/erganzung-zum-spon-artikel.html.
Wonsan is a large city, which could be the gateway to the pacific. Yet North Korea's political isolation makes Wonsan a slumbering town. 

You hardly see the working masses

A lonely ship at the quay

The grand promenade, lined with Gingko trees, yet hardly any traffic

You can visit, where Kim Song Il once stayed

The train, in which Kim Song Il went to Pyongyang, is exhibited

The youth is drilled in modern facilities - don't get me wrong they are the lucky ones

Great Landscape, a must for touristic development

The beach should be "refurbished", too

Do you see Wonsan as a major port city during the next five years? I don't. Do you see Wonsan as a beach city attracting masses of tourists? I don't.
The problem is a political one.

EULAR 2013 Meeting in Madrid – from the social and sightseeing perspective

The Long March or the Hard Road to Madrid
I started very early in the morning, in fact I got up at 4:30 a.m. to catch my plane to Madrid. Because of the air traffic controllers’ strike in France the flight had been cancelled. I queued for about three hours and got a flight via London. In the afternoon I went to London Heathrow, was assigned to use the fast track, reached the gate, only to get informed, that the personal there was waiting (and with them the passengers) for the crew to reach London to start boarding. After another 2 ½ hours of gruelling waiting, we made it into the plane. The flight was taking longer than usual as we circumnavigated France. I reached Madrid in the evening and took a taxi the meeting point of our tweetup. But there was nobody left there. I tried grabbing another taxi, and who just got of the taxi? David OReilly (‏@Rheuma_suffolk)! So we had our very late tweetup with a beer.

The Hardships aren’t over
The next day I found out that I’ve messed up with my twitter password. When I started writing about North Korea, I got a little paranoid about my blog and my twitter account being hacked. I devised a very long password (above 30 digits), and must have spelled it wrong twice. I could access my blog, but I couldn’t enter the twitterworld. I’ve just corrected the twitter password to the blog password. I missed tweeting from the congress very much.

The Salvage Tweetup
I’ve always supported the idea of a second tweetup option. Thanks to Irwin Lim (@_connectedcare) we had a second meeting at the INTERVIEW ROOM, MEZZANINE Hall 10 on Friday midday. I’ve liked to see you all:
Carlo V Caballero ‏@carvicab
Dr Irwin Lim ‏@_connectedcare
Dr. shashank akerkar ‏@doctorakerkar
Dr Ai Lyn Tan ‏@DrAiLynTan
Jose Campos ‏@JoseCamposMD
mrreutt ‏@matylda68
Emma Leah @NatRevRheumatol
Philip Robinson ‏@philipcrobinson
David OReilly ‏@Rheuma_suffolk
Michiel Zandbelt ‏@zandbelt
and more [please help me to complete the list – there were Lauren, Seth … who else?].

It has been interesting to look from the press window into the exhibit hall, but only for the picture, because we were busy talking. A wonderful reunion stretching from Australia and India, as well as both Americas and of cause Germany, Poland, Spain, and UK.
I hope that we and others, who want to join our informal round, will meet again at the next meetings (ACR 2013 in San Diego, EULAR 2014 in Paris). And hopefully my plane will be on time.
Thanks to the ones, who planned and organized the two tweetups.

 
At the Meeting

We were guarded by bears, actually a common form of sweets in Germany look like these bears.

There has been flamenco in the exhibition hall.

Sightseeing
Yes, I also could set apart some time for sightseeing. I have been to Madrid several times, but most of the times just for a day, so I have been lucky to see at least something.

Relaxing at the lake

Looking at a demostration against capital punishment - I nearly joined them. Only time restrictions kept me from doing so.

And then there was this beautiful old building on fire. Even TV reporters were on the scene.

A quick look or two at the Retiro

Cibeles

A church

The royal palace

Megacities and Skyscapers

When in Japan you might see the beautiful landscapes that are preserved, but also you might find yourself in vast agglomerations of houses of all sizes. Space is limited, especially in areas like Kinki (近畿) or Kanto (関東); Kinki is roughly the area around Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara, while Kanto is the region around Tokyo, about the size of North Rhine Westfalia, where I live, population density is about 1300 people per square kilometre (pop. 42 Mill.). When travelling through this area, you aren’t really leaving a city but you could call it one big city. Houses vary and real skyscrapers are in the city centre.

From the Shinkansen near Tokyo

Coming from Utsonomiya by bus / Tokyo

Inside Tokyo

Another angle

From the water side of Hamarikyu Gardens

You might like to contrast this against Pyongyang and Chicago: http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2011/11/skyscrapers-in-north-korea-and-chicago.html

Other blogposts about this travel to Japan:
Japan and Everyday Calligraphy http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/04/japan-and-everyday-calligraphy.html  
Japan and Construction Sites http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/04/japan-and-construction-sites.html  
Japanese Gardens http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/04/japanese-gardens.html  
Graveyards in Japan http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/04/graveyards-in-japan.html  
Kimono and Traditional Dress http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/04/kimono-and-traditional-dress.html  
High Tech Toilets in Japan http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/04/high-tech-toilets-in-japan.html  
The Kinkakuji in Kyoto http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/04/the-kinkakuji-in-kyoto.html  
Shinkansen (新幹線) http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/04/shinkansen.html  
Japan and Garbage http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/04/japan-and-garbage.html  
Small Shrines Along the Road http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/04/small-shrines-along-road.html
Cherry Blossoms (桜の花) http://rheumatologe.blogspot.de/2013/04/cherry-blossoms.html