Words & Photos: John Lee

As we watch the reports about the recent conflict in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), our thoughts go back to our various trips there during our book research.

We made our first trip to Artsakh back in 2015, when coauthor John Lee and his Tumo food photography workshop students explored Stepanakert’s central bazaar with its teams of jingalov hats makers, Alla Arzumanyan’s cooking at Mayrik Cafe in Askeran, and Saro Saryan’s khorovats in Shushi. Coauthors Kate Leahy and Ara Zada made a whirlwind research trip with Tumo’s Marie Lou Papazian in November 2017. And all three of us together made one more trip to Artsakh in April 2018 where, among other things, we got to the bottom of exactly what kinds of greens go into jingalov hats.

So it is with heavy hearts and frustration that we witness the violence and destruction which has been unfolding the past weeks. Our friends in Hayastan who have helped guide us during our book research, are seeing their own friends and family members take to the front lines to fight. And some have tragically fallen.

This compelled us to look back at some of the pictures John shot during our trips to Artsakh—quiet and peaceful times when its strong and resilient citizens showed us their hospitality, humor, and whimsy. The Artsakh depicted in these pictures should be the normal. The tragedy we’re witnessing now is a vile deviance.