Treasures of Artsakh: A Virtual Exhibition from 16 Armenian Museums

The Armenian Museum of America (AMA) and the History Museum of Armenia (HMA) are dedicated to the preservation, study, and promotion of the heritage of the Armenian people. This mission includes the presentation of the historical and cultural wealth of Artsakh.

The purpose of this online exhibition--jointly organized by the two museums--is to showcase the spiritual and material heritage of Artsakh during the ancient, medieval, and modern periods, spanning millennia of Armenian history. The virtual format combines collections to reflect the ethnocultural richness of Artsakh.

This collaboration brings together artifacts from the collections of 16 Armenian museums around the world. Over the centuries these historical artifacts have been created as eloquent testimonies of the spiritual values preserved in tangible form, and serve an important role in the preservation and study of Armenian culture. 

Artsakh and Utik provinces, located in the east of historic Great Armenia, played an important role over millennia, developing a multi-layered culture which adapted and persisted, maintaining its continuity. This particular heritage is presented here through artifacts of the Paleolithic and Bronze Age, ancient unique anthropomorphic stelae, weapons, pottery, jewelry, and objects of worship, as well as early medieval manuscripts, carpets, costumes, early printed books, journals, and photographs. 

In 2020 as a result of the 44-day war, Azerbaijan seized a large number of Armenian settlements in Artsakh, including 12 museums and other private collections. The fate of the collections kept in those museums is unknown.

Exhibition Part I

Artsakh, An Early Human Habitat from the Paleolithic to Iron Age

View Part I

Exhibition Part II

Tigranakert, One of the Cities of Tigran the Great

View Part II

Exhibition Part III

Relics of Artsakh (Artsakh in the Middle Ages)

View Part III

Exhibition Part IV

Artsakh in the 19th-21st Centuries

View Part IV

Curated by AMA Visiting Scholar Dr. Alisa Dumikyan and HMA Deputy Scientific Director Dr. Nzhdeh Yeranyan with the support of AMA Collections Curator Gary Lind-Sinanian.

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