BUDAPEST (Armenpress)–Hungarian President Ferenc Madl led the opening of an exhibition entitled "The Treasures of Armenia – Secrets from Ararat"–in Budapest’s Karoly Palace Cultural Center on June 30. Speaking at the opening–the president stated that the exhibition offers a glimpse into the magical world of Armenian culture and the more than 1000 year-old tie between Armenia and Hungary. Madl noted that Armenia was the first in adopting Christianity as its official state religion–in effect marking its history–culture and spirituality with martyrdom. While reviewing the history of Armenian-Hungarian relations–the president noted that the Hungarian Szavard tribe had settled in Armenia and that perhaps one of the most significant momen’s in the common history of the two peoples was the appearance of Armenia’s in Transylvania from the middle of the 17th century. Madl recalled that 15,000 Armenia’s resettled in Transylvania–heeding the call of Prince Mihaly Apafi.
The Armenian Diaspora–which played a major role in Hungarian history–provided considerable support to the Hungarian revolution and its battle for independence during 1848/49. The renowned general Janos Czecz–and fallen heroes Vilmos Lazar and Erno Kiss were of Armenian origin.
The exhibition features 174 objects that serve to provide a glimpse into how civilizations developed on the Armenian plateau–and chronicle the historical contacts between the Magyars and the Armenian people. A particularly rare item on exhibit includes a 3,500-year-old cart that was found intact at an archeological site in 1960.