Before 1800

Bull-shaped tombstone in Sarna/Salmast, 1978 (photo by Marco Brambilla, architect.)

Statues  of bulls can be found in various ancient civilizations. There are many  handles with bullheads around cauldrons, also in Uratian bronze shields  and wall paintings. The bull was a symbol of the Urartian god  Teishebani. It was also a symbol of power. Architect Rafayel Israelian,  in his famous design of the Sardarbad Memorial, was inspired by Urartian  bullheads – here it symbolizes the power of the Armenian People. You  can see bullheads on top of columns in Persepolis ruins in Iran.

During  the Christian Era, they continued to use the bull’s image. The bull was  a symbol of the apostle Luke. Sometimes, it was used as a symbol in  Christianity. The bull in this photo is a tombstone. Armenians used this  type mainly in cemeteries, especially in Old Julfa (Hin Jugha).

(As described by architect and art historian Sarkis Balmanoukian of Glendale, California).