Laurus nobilis

Vahe H. Apelian

The central circle of Michael Aram's artwork depicting Laurel leaves on the periphery

I could not attend the opening ceremony of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) building, but I viewed its video presentation. During the ceremony, Michael Aram has presented the art piece he has fabricated for the outside of the building. He has called the sculpture Eternity. He further elaborated on the significance of the motifs associated with the artwork. What especially caught my attention is his depiction of laurel tree leaves, commonly known as bay leaf, within and around the periphery of the central circle. 

His depiction reminded me of the Laurel tree the Kessabtis call Gasli Dzar (tree) or simply Gasli. It is native to Kessab and most likely also to that part of the world that was the Armenian Cilicia. 

The Latin name of the tree is Laurus nobilis. The name conveys majesty and leaves a sort of a “nobless oblige” impression. The tree is indeed majestic growing as tall as18 meters (59 feet).

In English the word laureate signifies eminence. It is associated with literary – poet laureate - or military glory. It is also used to designate winners of the Nobel Prize. I cannot tell if the word laureate was coined after the tree or whether the tree was named after the root word that had evolved to signify achievement The ancient Greeks considered wreaths made from laurel leaves as a symbol of high status. The Romans depicted golden crowns made in the like of laurel tree (Gasli) leaves as a symbol of victory.

I have my thoughts as to why the Greeks and the Romans may have picked laurel leaves  - say - over rose pedals or any other leaf.  The laurel trees - Gasli – are evergreen. Their leaves do not assume a rustic color during the fall, unlike the leaves of the many naturally grown trees in New England. There does not seem to be a later season for the laurel tree. Its leaves remain sparkling green during the four seasons of the year and throughout the life of the tree. The tree simply looks ageless. The crisp, attractive, uniformly shaped, and the green color of the orderly spaced leaves on a branch give the Gasli leaves more of a reason to be decorative symbols conveying an individual rightly claim for social eminence.

Furthermore, the Gasli appears do not to lend itself to domestication. It is a very resilient tree and grows in most unlikely places.  It takes root within the rocky crevices and it does it on its terms. Try to plant it in your backyard, more likely than not, you may not succeed. If gold is the golden metal among the metals, then the laurel tree (Gasli Dzar) is the golden tree among trees grown in the wild. It is imposing, majestic, pleasant smelling and aloof.

These unique features of the laurel tree and its leaves make a good reason to symbolize enduring and eternal achievement. 

But Gasli trees are not only decorative trees that give luster to their environment in nature. They are useful as well and have been and continue to be a source of income for the Kessabtsis. From the berries, the Kessabtsis extract the oils that make the famous Kessab soap, known as Ghar soap. Ghar means laurel in Arabic. My paternal cousin Stepan and his wife are the owners of LaurApel brand laurel soap.  The Laurel tree leaves, commonly known as bay leaves, impart taste to cooking but should not be consumed. They are not digestible.

The cover of the late Stepan Panossian's  book depicting Laurel tree leaves and berries

In a comment to an article about Gasli trees I wrote a few years ago, Dr. Razmig Panossian, the director of the Armenian Department of the Gulbenkian Foundation noted that his father depicted a picture of Gastli tree branch for the cover of his book. More than anything else Gasli trees symbolize Kessab and its resilient native Cilician Armenian population.

And now the Laurus nobilis leaves have found a permanent place, in the artwork Michael Aram has conceived, complementing the circles that have no beginning and no end and the cranes, placed in the four corners of the frame, that  are so symbolic of the Armenian culture. All have now converged to decorate the sculpture its creator Michael Aram has called Eternity to symbolize the eternal Armenian culture NAASR building is meant to serve.