Manuellian added that preserving examples of Armenian culture is important because the Turkish government wants to remove all traces of Armenian occupation of the land. Tour guides who mention Armenian culture are sometimes thrown in jail, she said.

The destruction of Armenian artifacts is part of a greater effort to deny that the genocide ever occurred, Daniel E. Maljanian, a third-year law student, said in an interview yesterday.

"The Turks are fabricating new stories about that time and denying the number of Armenians who were killed," Maljanian added.

The bulk of Armenians today live in the United States. An estimated 90,000 Armenians live in Massachusetts, with most residing in Watertown and Cambridge.

All participants in yesterday's events agreed that keeping public awareness of the Armenian genocide high was a high priority.

"Genocide forgotten will be genocide revisited," Maljanian said.