One of the deepest scars in Armenian history is the Genocide of 1915, committed by the Ottoman Empire. Massacres, brutality, forced labor, and deportation of the Armenian population all took place during World War I, from 1914 to 1918.
Although mass killings occurred throughout the war, the official Genocide Remembrance Day is observed on April 24. On that day in 1915, a large number of Armenian intellectuals were deported from Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey) and later killed. During the Genocide, Armenians were not only murdered - they were tortured and forced into death marches through the desert, where many perished from starvation. Those who managed to escape became the foundation of the Armenian diaspora that emerged from those tragic times.

While the term “Genocide” is not universally recognized for the events of 1914–1918, every year on April 24 thousands of people in Armenia gather at the Genocide Memorial to honor the victims.

The monument consists of two main parts. A 44-meter-high pillar symbolizes the rebirth of the Armenian people. According to another interpretation, it represents Western Armenia and Eastern Armenia, or even - Sis and Masis. Twelve stone slabs arranged in a circle, symbolize the twelve Armenian-populated provinces of Western Armenia, now within modern-day Turkey. Another interpretation says they represent the twelve regions where massacres occurred. At the center of the Memorial stands the eternal flame of the Genocide.

A 100-meter-long wall in the memorial park is engraved with the names of towns and villages that were affected by the massacres. In 1995, an underground Genocide Museum was opened at the site, containing information on the events of 1915. Nearby is a memorial grove where foreign dignitaries plant trees in remembrance of the victims.

The international recognition of the Armenian Genocide began on April 24, 1965, when people in Soviet Armenia commemorated the Day of Remembrance for the first time.

Established in 1967

Architect: A. Tarkhanian