The Sardarapat Memorial stands in the village of Araks in Armenia's Armavir Province, about 6.8 miles (11 kilometers) southwest of the town of Armavir. It commemorates the Battle of Sardarapat, fought between May 21 and 29, 1918, a last-ditch defense of Armenia.
Rafael Israelyan designed the complex, and the sculptors were Ara Harutyunyan, Arsham Shahinyan and Sambel Minasyan. A memorial park was laid out on the battlefield in 1968 for the fiftieth anniversary, and the complex was nominated for the USSR State Prize in 1969. The article gives no exact opening date.
Winged oxen of red tufa flank the entrance, and steps climb to a square from which a 85 feet (26 meters) bell tower rises. Its twelve bells ring each year on the victory anniversary. Winged lions guard the monument, and a memorial garden honors Karabakh martyrs. The Sardarapat Ethnography and Liberation Movement History Museum stands beside it.
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