Kim Kardashian Arrives in Armenia with Sister Khloé, Kanye West and Daughter North

BY K.C. BLUMM 04/09/2015 AT 02:30 AM EDT

http://www.people.com/article/kim-karda … orth-khloe

A Look Back at the Kardashian Family's Humble Armenian Roots
04/10/2015 AT 11:15 PM EDT

They might be multimillionaires and showbiz royalty, but back before the Kardashian family's forebears moved to the U.S., they lived a much more humble life in their native Armenia.
As Kim, her sister Khloé, cousins Kourtni and Kara, and Kim's husband, Kanye West, and daughter North pay an emotional visit to their father's ancestral home, the family can't help but be inspired by those who came before them.
Visiting the Mother Armenia statue in the capital city of Yerevan, Khloé wrote that the memorial "symbolizes peace through strength," adding that "it can remind viewers of some of the prominent female figures in Armenian history. Who took up arms to help their husbands in their clashes with Turkish troops and Kurdish irregulars."
While some of their ancestors might have done just that, a search of their immediate family's history reveals that the reality stars' great-great paternal grandparents fled their small Armenian villages of Erzurum and Karakale (in what is now Turkey) in the early 20th century, at a time when it was ruled by Tsar Nicholas II – the last ruler of Russia.
Their timely departure meant that they escaped the Armenian Genocide that began in 1915 and decimated their villages, and the Russian Revolution that followed two years later.
Kim's father, Robert Kardashian – a lawyer who died in 2003 and is best known for defending O.J. Simpson – was the son of Helen and Arthur Kardashian, whose grandparents on both sides left Europe for a better life in America in the early 1900s.

Kim was always close to her grandmother Helen, who had blond hair and light green eyes, which Kim said "was where Khloé gets her coloring from."
"Nana was seriously so much fun!" Kim wrote in a post on her website in 2008, a few months after Helen died.
"She was your typical Armenian grandmother: always cooking the best Armenian meals, our favorite which was this Armenian breakfast called 'beeshe!' " she remembered, explaining that it was a fried pancake topped with lots of sugar.
It's no doubt with those memories in mind that Kim Tweeted upon her arrival in Armenia on Wednesday that she couldn't wait "to explore our country and have some yummy food!"
The reality star and her sisters have often spoken about their Armenian roots. Kim was excited in 2011 when she learned the results of a DNA test on Lopez Tonight that revealed she was 94 percent Armenian and six percent Native American. "That explains all the hair," she joked.
But she also expressed her dismay when her photo appeared on the cover of Turkish Cosmopolitan magazine in April that same year – the same month that Armenia marks the genocide carried out by the Turks (Turkey does not officially recognize the Armenian genocide).
"My Armenian heritage means a lot to me and I've been brought up to be incredibly proud of my family's background and culture," she wrote on her blog.
Kim and Khloé have repeatedly expressed their excitement over their long-hoped-for visit to Armenia. And when they met with the country's prime minister earlier this week, "He expressed how proud they are that we are proud Armenians and we have not forgotten our roots!" Kim Tweeted on Thursday. "#NeverForget."
We're guessing those Kardashian ancestors would be pretty proud of their great-great grandchildren, too.
http://www.people.com/article/kim-khloe … oots-visit

According to reports in the Turkish media, Turkey has been working behind the scenes to discourage Francis from uttering the term 'genocide' and reportedly successfully campaigned to prevent the papal Mass from being celebrated on April 24, which is considered the actual anniversary of the start of the slaughter.
Last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a message of condolences to descendants of Armenians killed and said Turkey was ready to confront the history of the killings. 
More recently, Erdogan has accused Armenians of not looking for the truth but seeking to score points against Turkey, saying numerous calls from Turkey for joint research to document precisely what happened had gone unanswered.
The Armenians have found a willing supporter in Francis, who as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was particularly close to the Armenian community in Argentina and referred to the 'genocide' of Armenians three times in his 2010 book, 'On Heaven and Earth.'
As pope, Francis provoked Turkish anxiety — and a minor diplomatic incident — when in June 2013 he told a delegation of Armenian Christians that the killing was 'the first genocide of the 20th century.'







http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article … 1147149001

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West cause chaos at Armenian Genocide Memorial

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West caused a stir at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan on Friday. The Kardashians have been on a much-publicized trip to the country, and Kim and her sister Khloe were among those who placed bouquets of flowers at the site’s eternal flame to commemorate the 1915 mass murder of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians. But their somber visit turned a little chaotic when they left the memorial, as the crowd swarmed the family as they got into their vehicle to leave.

Of course, Kardashian and West have triggered swarms of paparazzi and overenthusiastic fans countless times, including during their recent trip to Paris for Fashion Week events. But the way the crowd reacted outside the memorial seemed unsettling, given the nature of the circumstances and the setting.

As Gossip Cop has reported, the Kardashians have had a busy few days in Armenia, the country of their ancestors. On Thursday, they visited with the nation’s Prime Minister and took pictures standing in front of the Mother Armenia statue in the capital. They were also gifted a plot of land in a nearby housing subdivision. Then came Friday’s visit to the genocide memorial.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/k … ar-AAaQVgJ

Ким Кардашьян лишилась сна в Армении
10:48 / 09.04.2015 Милена Жарова
Мировая икона стиля Ким Кардашьян в очередной раз удивила поклонников и журналистов. Популярная звезда реалити-шоу 8 апреля прилетела в Ереван вместе с мужем Канье Уэстом и их маленькой дочкой Норт и призналась, что от волнения и нахлынувших чувств не может спать.

Как сообщают СМИ, поводом для посещения Ким Еревана стала отмечаемая в 2015 году дата – столетие геноцида армян. В этом городе фигуристая брюнетка планирует снять новый эпизод рейтингового реалити-шоу "Семейство Кардашьян", посвященный армянским корням звездного семейства, проживающего в Америке.

В своем Instagram красавица опубликовала фото из Еревана и эмоционально его подписала. "Армения, мы здесь! Мы очень рады, что мы сюда прилетели и начинаем путешествие, которое запомнится на всю жизнь! Спасибо всем, кто встречал нас! Я не могу дождаться, когда приступлю к исследованию нашей страны и попробую вкусную местную еду!" – поделилась радостью Ким, добавив в хештеге, что ее отец и дедушка с бабушкой гордились бы ею.
Чуть позже растроганная горячим приемом Кардашьян опубликовала фото Канье и Норт в Ереване. "Мой муж и дочь приехали в Армению, чтобы увидеть наше наследие и узнать о моих предках! Мои двоюродные братья тоже пришли! Я так взволнована, что не могу спать", – призналась Ким.
К слову, недавно британский премьер-министр Дэвид Кэмерон рассказал, что у него и Ким общие корни. Как писали Дни.Ру, в ходе интервью у политика спросили, смотрел ли он шоу "Семейство Кардашьян". Кэмерон ответил отрицательно, но добавил, что он – тринадцатиюродный брат известной модели. Их общим предком является мужчина по имени Уильям Спенсор, который родился в 1555 году.
http://dni.ru/showbiz/2015/4/9/300304.html