Today, as it was thousands of years ago, the apricot tree continues to be the most widespread fruit tree species in Armenia.

Tsiraneni, “the all-Armenian tree”, is native to this biblical soil. The village of Akori (Agri) on the slopes of Grand Massis, which tradition associates with the name of Noah, the ancestor of the “new humanity”, was one of the oldest Armenian settlements. It was destroyed in the 1840 earthquake of June 20.

German traveler and naturalist Moritz Wagner, together with Khachatur Abovyan, revived the village of Akori three years after the earthquake in 1843. They were amazed to find that the earthquake had erased all traces of Akori, except for 13 apricot trees that remained unharmed in the village’s famous garden.

“Such a miracle can only occur in the Armenian world,” said Moritz Wagner. “No, Khachatur, this sign holds profound meaning.”

“The apricot is a symbol of Armenia,” Mr. Wagner stated.