YEREVAN, Nov. 8 (ArmenPress) - An Armenian cemetery was discovered in Serdar (former Kizil Arvat) settlement, about 250 km west of Asgabad, by the efforts of the Armenian Embassy in Turkmenistan.

The head of the Archaeology and Ethnography Institute of the National Academy of Science Aram Kalantarian, who has recently returned from Asgabad, said that many Armenians had emigrated to Turkmenistan as early as the 1880's and were engaged in the construction of railroads. They had settled in Serdar as well, where a private cemetery was allocated for them. Based on the grave inscriptions, the deceased were buried at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Armenian Embassy in Turkmenistan has initiated restoration of the destroyed Armenian cemetery.

The Armenian Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography intends to start collecting the lithographs left in Asgabad, Serdar, Zarjou, Mari and Turkmenbashi, which will create the opportunity of devoting a regular issue of the "Collection of Armenian Lithographs" to the Armenian lithographs of Turkmenistan.