On Friday afternoon, January 16, 2026, H.E. Archbishop Kegham Khacherian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy of the United States, presented the Knight of Cilicia medal to Mr. Alfred Havan, a longtime Iranian-Armenian community leader and benefactor now residing in Los Angeles. For more than six decades, Mr. Havan has played an active and influential role in the religious, national, educational, organizational, construction, and athletic life of the Iranian-Armenian community. His service was especially significant in New Julfa and Mashhad, where he held numerous leadership and responsible positions, supported community institutions through generous contributions, and carried out major church-building and public-service initiatives.
At the request of H.E. Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, Prelate of the Armenian Diocese of Tehran, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, awarded the Order of Knight of Cilicia upon Mr. Havan. The medal was formally bestowed at the headquarters of the Western Prelacy by Archbishop Khacherian, in the presence of members of the Mr. Havan’s family.
During the ceremony, Archbishop Khacherian read the Pontifical Encyclical and, on behalf of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, placed the medal upon Mr. Havan’s chest. Conveying the congratulations of Catholicos Aram I, Archbishop Khacherian praised Mr. Havan’s church-building efforts and lifelong national service, and offered his fatherly blessings to him and his family.
Mr. Alfred Havan was born in 1934 in Hamedan, Iran. At the age of seven, he relocated with his family to New Julfa, where until adulthood he became actively involved in community life, dedicating his efforts to the development and advancement of the Armenian community. A builder by profession, Mr. Havan later rendered civic service to his country of birth as a senior official with a major American housing construction company operating in Iran. He subsequently founded his own firm, TECHNO PARS, whose operation was primarily based in Mashhad. While residing in Mashhad with his family, Mr. Havan oversaw major urban housing projects and remained fully engaged in Armenian communal life, offering his professional expertise and civic-minded leadership to the growth and development of the local community of Mashhad.
Mr. Havan is married to Mrs. Dzaghgush Loukassian. They have three children and five grandchildren. Two years ago, Mr. Alfred Havan relocated to the United States and settled in Los Angeles.
