Aram Manukyan

Aram Manukyan was one of the founders of the First Republic of Armenia (1918) and the organiser of the defence of Yerevan. He is called the “father of independence”.

His main idea was that Armenians could survive only by relying on their own strength, without hoping for help from outside. His words are widely quoted in Armenian historiography: “We are alone, and we must rely only on our own strength to defend the front and establish order in the country.”

In the photograph Manukyan stands in a dark jacket, a light shirt and a wide belt, with his hands in his pockets.