25.07.2024


In recent months, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) has received over 4,300 unique materials, which were presented today in the conference hall of the museum. Some donor families were also invited to the event. In her opening speech, Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum, emphasized that acquiring new materials, studying them, and popularizing them have been central to the museum’s mission since its foundation. She highlighted that this time, the donations came from a broad geographic range, including Armenia, France, Lebanon, the USA, Russia, and Greece.

A significant portion of the newly acquired materials includes original photographs taken during the Armenian Genocide and the Hamidian massacres. Among these, approximately 60 photos related to the heroic battle of Musa Dagh were donated to AGMI by Craig Simonian, an American Armenian. French-Armenian photographer Arshak (Max) Sivaslian contributed a substantial collection of photos depicting episodes from both the 1992 and 2016 Artsakh wars.

Additionally, the collection includes memoirs from Armenian Genocide survivors, original Ottoman documents, and the ghutra (headscarf) of Hakob Ohanian, who participated in the heroic battles of Zeytun in 1895 and Aintap in 1920.

AGMI’s chief fund-keeper, Gohar Khanumyan, briefly presented these materials, and the attending donors spoke about the emotional difficulty of parting with their ancestors' commemorative items. They expressed confidence that AGMI is the best place for preserving and studying these materials. In appreciation, the director of AGMI presented letters of thanks made from flower palettes of April 24 to the donors. Coincidentally, German researcher Wolfgang Reichmann, who had donated a piece of khachkar found in the area of Saint Paul-Saint Peter Church in 2000, also visited AGMI that day and participated in the event .