"Ils sont tombés" (“They Fell”) is one of the touching songs of the Armenian-French singer Charles Aznavour, in which he highlights the suffering and pain of Armenians during the recent war.

Aznavour is a talented singer, songwriter and activist committed to helping his fellow Armenians through his art and voice. The song is a dedication to a nation with a deep-rooted cultural and architectural legacy that Aznavour wants to see understood and appreciated.

In Gyumri, the capital and largest city of the Shirak province of Armenia, the statue of Aznavour – described as the image of a man standing in the ruins of the earthquake-devastated Gyumri – is an important site to visit in order to better understand the difficulties Armenians have faced recently.

Adventures in Preservation will bring you there, to explore the city and its architectural and cultural heritage, in June 2010. Our hands-on City Center Recovery & Conservation Efforts project will let you experience the Armenia of Aznavour's song and be a part of the history of Gyumri by helping to repair and restore the beauty and ambience of its historic buildings.