Yerevan, Armenia: Over one million ethnic Armenians were killed by the Turkish state between 1915-1923. While there has been considerable debate as to whether or not the killings were acts of genocide, most nations have now recognized the tragedy as such. However the current government of Turkey claims that most of the Armenians murdered were victims of violence associated with WWI, rather than as part of an orchestrated effort to detain, transport and execute mass murder. Because of the government’s unwillingness to recognize the tragedy, no memorials or sites of mass killings have been developed for tourism. However, a national memorial and museum was established in the Armenian capital of Yerevan in 1965. The memorial features a wall with the names of the villages from which Armenians were taken and killed and a large stone memorial containing an eternal flame stands as the centerpiece of the site. Every year, thousands of visitors place flowers and offerings at the foot of the monument. Hundreds of similar memorials are located throughout the world, most being constructed by Armenian immigrants in cooperation with their local communities.
