Istanbul Armenian Maral Dance Ensemble staged “Ara the Beautiful and Shamiram” performance, in Beşiktaş a municipality of Istanbul, Turkey.

The performance captivated the audience, reported Agos Armenian bilingual weekly of Istanbul.

General Vicar Archbishop Aram Ateşyan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, Beşiktaş Mayor Murat Hazinedar, and several other officials also attended the event.

Fifty actors and dancers played, and special-made costumes as well as numerous accessories were used in the performance.

Maral ensemble had prepared two years to properly stage this performance.

Ara the Beautiful (also Ara the Handsome) is a legendary Armenian hero. He is notable in Armenian literature for the popular legend in which he was so handsome that the Assyrian queen Semiramis (Shamiram in Armenian) waged war against Armenia just to get him.