Haroutune Kalayan (June 2, 1908 – December 21, 2003) was an Armenian-Lebanese

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and engineer known for his contributions to the preservation and restoration of ancient sites in the Middle East.

Early life and education

Kalayan was born in 1908 in

Aintab Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medit ...

, Türkiye. In 1915, during the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

, his older brother and father were massacred, forcing him to move with his mother and brother to

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

in Syria. He attended

Aleppo College Aleppo College (; also called Aleppo American College) is a junior college. It awards high school degrees at the tenth grade. And up to 1964, it awarded freshman and sophomore classes in arts, engineering and medicine at the 11th and 12th Grades. I ...

. Later, he enrolled at the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 1946.

Career

In 1937, Kalayan married Berjouhie Shirajian and moved to Cyprus, where he taught at the Melkonian College for several years. After Lebanon gained its independence, he returned to Beirut and was the chief engineer of the Lebanese Department of Antiquities. Concurrently, he taught part-time at AUB’s Faculty of Engineering and Architecture. Kalayan is known for his restoration work on ancient ruins in Lebanon. His efforts were recognized with the

Said Akl Award Said Akl (; 4 July 1911 – 28 November 2014) was a Lebanese poet, linguist, philosopher, writer, playwright and language reformer. He is considered one of the most important Lebanese poets of the modern era. He is most famous for his advocacy on ...

. In 1978, Kalayan moved to Jordan and worked with its

Department of Antiquities A Department of Antiquities is a government department with responsibility for cultural heritage management, archaeological research and regulating antiquities trading in some countries. Many were established by British and French colonial admini ...

until his retirement in 1989. Post-retirement, he relocated to the United States to live with his children.

Selected publications

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References

Citations

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalayan, Haroutune 1908 births 2003 deaths Armenian engineers Lebanese engineers American University of Beirut alumni