The monument of the bear on the Kapan-Kajaran highway in Syunik did not initially have its present appearance: for about six years the bear did not have a key in its mouth.
The bear was built in 1966 by the sculptor Marat Nurijanyan. Rafik Minasyan, then the first secretary of the Kapan regional committee, told Nurijanyan that the bear was “too free, it doesn’t say or suggest anything,” and offered to hang the key from his mouth.
“This will be the key to the treasures of our land. The key must be hung from the bear’s mouth, so that no one, except our people, dares to take the key from our treasures from us ”.
In 1972, the bear already had a key in its mouth, which was called the “Key of Kajaran”.
