It’s always exciting to meet someone with a well-furnished mind and a unique profession. At Ayb School, we had the honor to meet well-known cartographer Rouben Galichian, who belongs to this type of people. Mr. Galichian is the doctor honoris causa of the Armenian academy of sciences and the holder of Movses Khorenatsi medal. His works dedicated to the history and geography of the Caucasus are of great scientific value and acquire even more significance in the period of tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. As a leading specialist in Caucasian cartography, Mr. Galichian is often hosted by different TV programs to provide truthful information about the Armenian-Azerbaijani borders.
During the meeting, we learned a lot about Rouben Galichian’s professional journey. He was born in Iran, where he went to school, and then continued his education in Great Britain to become an electrical engineer. Interested in cartography since childhood, he started examining maps much later and mastered cartography as a result. The amount of work he did in the course of fifty years is amazing. Having studied the history and geography of Armenia for the period of 2600 years, he introduced amendments to the existing maps.
To start with, Mr. Galichian talked about the history of maps and how they changed throughout the centuries. Then he showcased an ancient Babylon map that was carved on flagstones in 1000 BC and depicts three states, including Armenia. “If anyone asks who is an Armenian, you can confidently say that Armenians are an ancient nation and their land, Armenia, was depicted on ancient world maps,” Mr. Galichian says.
During the meeting, he also dwelled on modern-day developments, telling how much land we lost to our neighbors, including Azerbaijan. Looking at the maps, we could see how Great Armenia once spanned ‘from sea to sea’ and became the tiny country we are living in now.
“We must be strong and powerful. The history of the Armenian nation proves that we can’t rely on others. Hence, we must build up our military power and science and then develop our state based on these two pillars,” the expert said at the end of the gathering.
Mr. Galichian also gifted several of his books to Ayb School’s library.
Mher Yengibaryan
Grade 11
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