Karapetian's concern is the Armenian monuments that have ended up outside Armenia, in foreign countries such as Turkey or Azerbaijan, or disputed territories such as Nagorno-Karabakh. To him, those monuments mark the true boundaries of Greater Armenia, and he has made it his personal mission to find and document them. But whether you consider him a conservator or a conqueror, Karapetian's work raises the same compelling question that hovers over so many of the world's conflicts: When does history begin?

Armen Haghnazarian, the founder of RAA, who has worked with Karapetian for the last 12 years, says Karapetian has done something of unique importance to the field of Armenian architectural studies. "It's very difficult to [talk about]," Haghnazarian says, struggling for words. "It means everything for me. There is no other Samvel and there can't be. That's all."

4 photos Clockwise from top left: Samvel Karapetian at work in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. A 13th century church in Hurekavank is emblematic of the golden age of Armenian art. A 17th century monastery at Yeghishe Arakyal, where Karapetian was deciphering inscriptions in his efforts to document Armenian monuments. Karapetian and guide consult a map. In Agdam, an Azerbaijani city that has been slowly dismantled by its Armenian captors, only the mosque is still intact.; PHOTOGRAPHER: Onnik Krikorian; GRAPHIC-MAP: Azerbaijan