There's symbolism aplenty in this huge 22m-high memorial above the Cascade. Mother Armenia's stern visage, military stance and massive sword project a clear message: Armenia has had its fill of invasions, massacres and repression, and will fight to preserve its nationhood. Inside the pedestal is a somewhat dull military museum of photos and dioramas documenting Armenian involvement in WWII (150,000 to 250,000 Armenians died, half of those sent to fight) as well as the bloody 1989–94 Karabakh War.
The museum opened in 1950 and was originally topped with a 17m statue of Stalin. This was replaced with Ara Harutyunyan's Mother Armenia statue in 1967. One soldier was crushed to death and several were injured when Stalin's statue was wrenched off unannounced one night, leading to grim muttering about Stalin still killing from beyond the grave. Inside, the Karabakh War gets prominent exposure on the main floor and includes an explanation of Operation Nemesis, a covert operation by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) carried out from 1920 to 1922 in which Ottoman political and military figures were assassinated for their roles in the horrific massacres of 1915–16.
Mother Armenia is located in the poorly maintained Haghtanak (Victory) Park, which is also home to a small amusement park popular with locals on weekends.
To get here, take the elevator in the Cascade to the top courtyard and from there walk up the stairs to the huge concrete platform. From the top of the platform, walk to the main road, take the underpass and enter the park.
