Ancient Armenians can be dated as far back as 1165BC. It is thought they had Indo-European origins and lived across lands in what is today Turkey, Georgia, Iran and Iraq. However, Armenian origins are more readily identifiable in the powerful Kingdom of Urartu, which existed between the 9th and 6th centuries.

Following the collapse of Urartu, successive Armenian dynasties were conquered by surrounding powers – the Persians, Byzantines, Mongols, Arabs and Turks – except for the successful empire of Tigran the Great (95-55BC), which stretched from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Sea.

Following attacks by the Seljuks in the late 11th century AD, many Armenians moved to Cilicia, on the Mediterranean coast, where they prospered for more than 300 years until they were conquered by the Mameluks in 1375. Cilicia is today well known for its intellectual and religious prosperity, with many beautiful and elaborate manuscript

When the monk, Mesrop Mashtots, invented the Armenian alphabet in 405AD, the first text translated into Armenian was the Bible.

Instead the new regime conducted a state-sponsored, premeditated massacre of 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children from 1915-1918. Death marches forcing emaciated women, children and the elderly into the deserts of Syria have become an enduring image of the Armenian Genocide.

90 years later, Turkey continues to deny the Genocide ever occurred.

The Republic of Armenia is now bordered by Turkey, Georgia, Azerbeijan and Iran. Its population of about 3 million has been depleted by an earthquake in 1988 that claimed approximately 25 thousand lives, the war with neighbouring Azerbeijan over Nagorno-Karabagh and continuing economic hardship.

After a decade of independence, Armenia is on its way to democracy and stability.

In fact, an estimated 8 million Armenians live outside Armenia itself. Centuries of trade, war, imperialism, genocide and poverty have spread and scattered Armenians like seeds, ready to sprout in countries like Australia.

The Armenian community in Australia was established approximately 30 years ago, with the majority of the 30,000 or so Australian-Armenians based in Sydney and Melbourne.

With humble origins, Armenians have developed a thriving community in Australia, boasting 3 day schools, volunteer run Saturday schools, churches, youth groups, sporting and cultural organisations, newspapers, magazines, radio programs, dance groups, choirs and more.

With the strong influence of religion on the Armenian language and culture, many beautiful and ancient sharakans, liturgies and sacred music display the richness of Armenian composition. Komitas is one of the more famous Armenian composers who adapted folkloric music and wrote religious and nationalistic compositions, in addition to creating khazes, the Armenian form of notation. After surviving the Armenian Genocide in 1915, Komitas died in a mental asylum in Paris.

Sayat Nova is another famous composer whose influence remains on Armenian music today. He was an ashugh or troubadour, who entertained Georgian kings and queens in the mid-18th century. With his excellent command of Armenian, Persian, Georgian and Azerbeijani, he was a popular performer who was embraced by the cosmopolitan residents of Tiflis (the then capital of Georgia).

Folkloric music and the songs of ashughs, such as Sayat Nova, are identifiable in contemporary Armenian music. Musicians such as the internationally renowned Djivan Gasparyan and Ara Gevorkian adapt traditional Armenian music or are heavily influenced by traditional compositions. Gasparyan has become famous for his skill in playing the duduk, a traditional Armenian wind instrument, performing at WOMADELAIDE, the World Music Festival in Adelaide in 2001, as well as working on Hollywood movie soundtracks such as Gladiator.

Aram Khachaturian is another Armenian composer who was influenced by Armenian folkloric traditions. The 1942 ballet Gayane contains the most popular of all Khachaturian's works, the Sabre Dance. Born into a poor Armenian family near Tiflis (Tiblisi, Georgia), he did not study music from a young age, yet went on to become one of the most successful and popular of the Soviet composers.

Armenian dance is similarly an integral facet of the Armenian culture, dating back over 2500 years. With colourful and ornate costumes particular to certain regions of historical Armenia, Armenian dance is derived from folkloric traditions and stories, and is accompanied by both traditional and contemporary music.

Bread is a staple part of Armenian meals, usually eaten in a flat and round form called lavash. Lavash is cooked in earthenware ovens in the ground called tonirs. It used to wrap everything from cheese to khorovatz (meat marinated and barbequed over a tonir with tomatoes and peppers).

Fruits such as apples, pears and figs are common in Armenia. Pomegranates are an iconic Armenian fruit, as are apricots. Armenian grown apricots are said to be the best tasting in the world.

• Charles Aznavour, singer & actor
• Cher (Cherylin Sarkissian), singer & actor
• Andre Agassi, tennis player
• Atom Egoyan, film director
• Arshile Gorky, abstract artist
• Calouste Gulbenkian, oil baron
• Gary Kasparov, chess champion
• Artem Mikoyan, designed the MiG fighters (military aircrafts)
• Alain Prost, Formula 1 driver
• System of a Down, musicians
• Sergei Paradjanov, film director
• Aram Khachaturian, composer

 See www.cilicia.com/armo22.html for more famous Armenians.