«Ծովերով և օվկիանոսներով» - հարցազրույց Կարեն Բալայանի հետ

The article, devoted to an interview with Karen Balayan, captain of the sailing ship "Cilicia," reveals the story of the author's personal and scientific journey in reconstructing a medieval Armenian vessel — from a childhood fascination with the sea to the creation of a full-scale replica of a 12th–13th century Cilician ship.

Introduction and Methodology

The material is structured as a conversation in which K. Balayan sequentially sets out the biographical, philosophical, and scientific-research aspects of his project. Special attention is given to the methodology of reconstructing the vessel from indirect sources — medieval miniatures — since no direct archaeological finds of Armenian ships have survived.

The Philosophical Concept of the "Four Pillars"

Balayan develops the idea that the spirit of a people is shaped by four natural elements — plain, mountain, river, and sea. In his view:

Armenians historically possessed all four elements;
losses (the Tigris and Euphrates, Ararat, the Mush Valley) were compensated for by surviving analogues (the Araks, Aragats, the Ararat Valley);
the sea remains the only completely lost element, which determines the Armenians' particular attraction to maritime themes.

From Model to Full-Scale Vessel

The author describes the path from childhood model shipbuilding (including a prize-winning experience at an all-Union competition in 1982) to the founding of the "Ayas" Maritime Research Club in 1985 and obtaining a yacht captain's diploma in 1990.

Reconstructing the "Cilicia": Scientific Principles

The key section describes the methods used to reconstruct the vessel:

analysis of proportions and details from medieval miniatures, taking into account their distortions and symbolism;
comparative study of images by different artists to derive an averaged type of vessel;
the use of traditional materials (oak, pine, copper fittings, plant-based impregnations) and construction technologies;
hypotheses regarding the functional purpose of specific elements (the forked mast, bells on the yards).

Technical specifications of the vessel: length 20 m, width 5 m, draft 1.5 m, displacement 50 tons, sail area 100 sq. m.

Recognition in the Scientific Community

The article notes the positive assessment of the project by international specialists, including Israeli researchers of underwater archaeology, as well as the confirmation of experimental data on tacking maneuvers at a conference in Roskilde (Denmark, 2003).

Conclusion

The key conclusion of the article is that "Cilicia" represents not merely a precise historical reconstruction, but the result of many years of interdisciplinary research proving the existence of an independent tradition of Armenian shipbuilding and its genetic connection to the earlier Van ships.