MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES

Visiting the History Museum of Yerevan one can gain access to the depths of antiquity, admire the streets of old Yerevan, find himself in the apartment of a hospitable inhabitant of Yerevan of the 19th century, as well as, get involved in the modern developments of the old city.

360 Virtual Tour of the Museum

The History Museum of Yerevan was founded in 1931. Being attached to the communal division of Yerevan City Council it was called Communal Museum and in 1936 it was renamed Yerevan History Museum.

At first the museum was located in one of the rooms on the second floor of the Yerevan Fire Department. In 1936 it was moved to the Blue Mosque (Gyoy Djami) where it functioned for about 56 years.

In 1994-1997 it was located in the building of former Hripsimeh Female Gymnasium. In 1997-2005-in the building adjacent to the secondary school n 1 after Shahumyan. In 2005 it was established in the newly built building of the Yerevan Municipality making a unified architectural ensemble.

The members of the scientific council adjunct to the museum once were eminent intellectuals and art figures: architects Al. Tamanyan, T. Toromanyan, N. Buniatyan, M. Mazmanyan,artists M. Saryan, G. Gyurjyan, Taragros, sculptor A. Sargsyan, scientists St. Lisitsyan, Ye. Shahaziz, S. Barkhudaryan, B. Arakelyan, T. Hakobyan and others.

About 94 thousand items ranging from ancient times up to the present days are kept in the museum: archaeological, numismatic, fine arts, written materials, photos and other collections, including the obsidian tools having more than 100 thousand-year-old history which were discovered in the cave of Yerevan. Worship places, black and red polished ceramic jars, millstones, remnants of cereal crops which have about 6000-year-old history and were dug in one of the well-known ancient settlements of Asia, Shengavit dated 4-3 millennium BC are kept in the museum.

The archaeological collection is distinguished with the beer ceramic jugs found at Karmir Blur (Red Hill), with the rich collection dug at the settlement of Karmir Berd (Red fortress) dated as far back as the 1-2 century BC: bronze belts, ceramics, stone idols, arrow-heads, knives, jewelry, as well as items representing the Hellenic culture of the city dug in Avan Arinj.

Remnants of ruined medieval churches of Yerevan such as frescos, ritual jugs, curtains, a bell, the 13th century miniature model of Catoghike church and so on are kept in the museum.

The items telling about the Melik-Aghmalyans, the Geghamyans, the Afrikyans, the Ter-Avetikyans and other families contributed a lot to the development of the city management, trade and industry.

In 1834 Russian emperor Nikolay I presented a gold watch (is kept at the museum) to Melik-Aghamlyan for the great services rendered to the Russian army during the Russian-Persian war. The national items and photos presenting the features of Yerevan are of big value too. The machines of the press founded in Vienna by the Mekhitaryans in the 19th century as well as the press machine used for publishing the newspaper “Khosq” in Arshavir Melikyan’s edition also draw interest.

The fine arts fund includes works by prominent Armenian painters M. Saryan, P. Terlemezyan, S. Arakelyan, G. Gyurjyan. The collection of stamps representing the centuries-old culture and spiritual life of our people (painter Arshak Fedvajyan) was issued in the years of the First Armenian Republic.The collection of stamps of Hayk Gavukchyan was awarded with bronze medal at the philatelic exhibition in New York in 1936.

WORKING HOURS

Monday-Saturday -11:00-17:30

Sunday - Closed

ENTRANCE FEE

Adults - 1500 AMD

Students - 1000 AMD

Schoolchildren - 500 AMD

EXCURSION

Armenian - 2000 AMD

Excursion with a game - 3000 AMD

English, Russian - 5000 AMD