In Armenia’s Byurakan Village, beneath a star-studded night sky, six thousand trees, or “Green Boys,” as Dr. Janoian would call them, stand juxtaposed with the Smaller and Greater Peaks of Mt. Ararat.     Today, their uniform foliage bends in mourning and bows to bid farewell to the man who breathed them to life over ten years ago.  Dr. Janoian was their adoptive parent, tending to them, providing for them, and nurturing them until the very end of his life.

Over several years, Dr. Janoian transformed forty hectares (approximately 100 acres) of rocky terrain and dense undergrowth into a green oasis of fruit-bearing orchards. Most recently, he commissioned the building of an enormous reservoir, which permanently resolved the most costly and vital issue pertaining to the land expanse—that of providing a renewable source of drinking and irrigation water.     With the infrastructure installed and thousands of trees already maturing to fruit-bearing capacity (with another five thousand more trees to be planted), Dr. Janoian’s vision for this cropland was more than halfway towards completion and its devoted benefactor began considering ways to harness the future profitability of his beloved orchard.  This project, from its inception, was conceived with a two-pronged goal. In addition to contributing to a Greener Armenia, Dr. Janoian envisioned that the orchard would provide a permanent source of funding for his overarching ambition to remain a patron of the arts in Armenia. He would say, “The Green Boys will be serving the bright talents” to denote his vision of the orchard sustaining his endeavor to sponsor the talented and promising young Armenians.

In Loving Memory of Dr. Noobar Janoian

Alas, The Dreamer is no longer with us, but his dream remains.  Each of us have the opportunity to adopt Dr. Janoian’s mission and participate in its realization.  With a donation to the fund Dr. Janoian’s family established, we too may contribute to ensuring a fruitful harvest to fund a patronage platform which will inspire and motivate the artist and patron alike.   With your memorial contribution in Dr. Janoian’s honor, you will have contributed to a living harvest dedicated to the salvation of human and earthly potential through the arts.  Each fruit tree that is planted will be marked with a plaque noting the name(s) of the contributor(s).

While providing employment to farmers in Byurakan who will work on, maintain, and harvest the fields, we foresee the economic potential of diversifying beyond merely domestic fruit sales, to creating a concurrent product line of jams, preserves, ciders, and confections. These products will be manufactured from fruits harvested on this orchard and be available for sale both domestically and for export abroad.   From an old Armenian idiom which invites one to partake in a bounty or enjoy a flavor, akin to the expression “Bon Appétit,” and in homage to its Patron’s name, the products produced on the Byurakan Orchard will be sold under the brand name, “Nubar ara…”.

Portions of the property will be dedicated to, and planned future expansions will include nature trails for both pedestrian and equestrian use, land dedicated to social, recreational, active and healthy opportunities for local residents and visitors alike, and simply a quiet and beautiful destination where people may go to relax, meditate, dream, and imagine, all while beholding the wonder and splendor of Mount Ararat.  The property will serve both as a sanctuary in the local community, as well as provide funding to capitalize on Armenia’s most valuable resource, its unsurpassed source of human talent and potential.  Dr. Janoian’s has always embraced arts philanthropy and advocacy as his ultimate mission, and his benevolence has always contemplated giving creators a pathway to success, both for the artist’s economic stability and for the cultural riches to be gained from an investment in the talents.

You may become acquainted with additional details, plans, and updates about how your individual contributions have been allocated in furtherance of Dr. Janoian’s vision of the Byurakan Orchard and Noobar ara… project by checking back at this site periodically.