The pavilion of Armenia, the honorary guest of the "Sharjah Heritage Days" festival, taking place in the United Arab Emirates since 10 March, resembles a small museum.

In the 12 halls of the pavilion, samples of handicrafts, miniatures, as well as folk arts - khachkars, wood carvings, traditional embroidery, handmade dolls, carpets and Armenian costumes are presented.

"We have tried to introduce Armenia from all sides as much as possible - history, archeology, and art. We also presented Armenian cuisine. We have created such an environment that a stranger who visits our pavilion can form a general idea of what kind of country Armenia is, who the Armenian is, what he has done, and what our values are," Director of the Hovhannes Sharambeyan Museum of Folk Arts Lusine Toroyan told NEWS.am.

The project was implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia in cooperation with the Museums of Folk Arts and History. Within a few days, they selected the best samples from the works of various masters and individuals and traveled to Sharjah to present them at the festival. As a result, a separate environment has been created in each of the halls of the Armenian pavilion. Visitors can watch the process of carving khachkars, carving wood, making carpets, dolls and embroidery by masters, and participate through masterclasses.

"It was a big challenge for us to prepare in such a short time, because we had to think of a format that would be different and unique. Now all the visitors, from the representatives of the Armenian community to the locals, are in love with our pavilion and everyone mentions that it is perhaps even the best pavilion in the area," said Lusine Toroyan.

During the first week of the festival, there was a stand with traditional dishes in the center of the Armenian pavilion. The dishes were prepared by the well-known chef Sedrak Mamulyan, President of the NGO for the Development and Preservation of Armenian Culinary Traditions. Visitors also had the opportunity to taste Ani-era sweets from the 9th to the 11th centuries.

"I think that such events are purposeful, they create an opportunity to present the national cuisine. And the national cuisine is our cultural heritage, which we are obliged to spread and popularize. There has never been a case when visitors did not like our dishes," Sedrak Mamulyan said in a conversation with NEWS.am.

The Armenian pavilion was completed by Armenian songs and dances. During the first week, the "Vark Hayots" traditional song and dance group performed songs and dances from different provinces of historical Armenia. This was the 8th international festival of the 9-year-old group, the second performance in the United Arab Emirates and the first in Sharjah.

"The program we presented was diverse ․ From Van-Vaspurakan to Taron, from Artsakh to Kessab. We chose dances that could fully convey the interest of our culture in the energy field. There was a rather heated response from the audience, many people joined us, trying to dance with us," said the group leader Sargis Paramazyan.

During the last week of the festival, the Kayt band will also perform.

Armenia is participating in the 19th "Sharjah Heritage Days" festival for the first time, as an honorary guest. The prestigious festival is held on the initiative of Sharjah Heritage Institute. Representatives of more than 30 countries take part in it.

In order to strengthen the Armenian-Arab friendly relations, Haghartsin Monastery was renovated in 2013 with the help of Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Governor of Sharjah.