22 April, 2009

On April 23, at 12.30 a press conference of the administration of Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) will be held in the Komitas Hall of the museum-institute to present the achievements and results of the museum within the last year.

Due to numerous donations, exchanges, and purchases the collection of AGMI was enriched in 2008-2009 with hundreds of unique museum items. The most part of them are important primary sources for the studying and representing the Armenian Genocide.

As a result of the collecting work of AGMI, in 2008-2009 more than 100 new original documental photos related to the Armenian Genocide and the deportations of Armenians were revealed. A part of these photos were included in the collection of the documental photos of the museum.

By the efforts of the museum about 250 original glass plates of unique photos recently were found and digitalized, which represent the scenes of distribution of humanitarian aid to Armenians deportees in Syria, particularly photos representing the humanitarian assistance by the League of Nations.

As an exception the newly found original photos will be included in the permanent exhibition on April 24-25.

Three new exceptional large collections were donated to AGMI in 2008, which include hundreds of unique pieces about the life of Armenians, and also documents and unique publications concerning the Armenian Genocide and its consequences.

Among them the handwriting memoirs and letters of Norwegian missionary Bodil Børn are of great importance. They represent the mass killings of Armenians of Mush by Turkish army and her orphan care activities in Syria.

With the support of the president of RA Serge Sargsyan the library of AGMI was enriched with about 100 valuable and unique books, which are very important and rare sources for the fundamental study of the Armenian Genocide. Some part of these books was included in the permanent exhibition of the museum.

The group of designer formed by the AGMI to develop new exhibition plan for AGMI were finished in 2008. The final version of the plan was submitted to the attention of the scientific board of the AGMI. It is planned to start works on the new exhibition in 2010, after which the Armenian Genocide museum will have a new exhibition based on new technical and conceptual methods.

Presentation of new publications of AGMI will take place during the press conference on April 23. Particularly the book “Deported people” of Alma Johansson, the first volume of collected documents by Aramayis Baloyan “Documents of Italian diplomatic archive on Armenian Question”, and also the works of Clod Mutafian and Ruben Adalian.

Further works on enrichment of the website of AGMI are in process. In December, 2008 the website at www.genocide-museum.am was awarded with Grand Prix by the Prime Minister of RA in the Third annual Pan-Armenian website competition. The AGMI website became a winner also in nomination of “Electronic Science”.

Due to active electronic policy close ties were established with foreign scientific centers, researchers, and many educational institutions abroad, which allowed AGMI to cooperate with pupils of schools and colleges of different countries.

With the cooperation of Armenian national archives it was possible to identify 70 unique and unknown photos concerning the massacre of Armenians in Cilicia in April, 1909. In result of this, the collection of documental photos concerning the massacres of Armenians in Adana province doubled.

The collection of AGMI was also enriched with unique documents and publications concerning the atrocities committed against Armenians and other Christians of the Ottoman Empire circa 1919-1922.

AGMI initiated many activities on preservation and maintaining of the Tsitsernakaberd Park. About 6000 trees and bushes were planted during the last year. The development and enlargement of the green area of the park will be done stage by stages, including works of cleaning and improving the territory of the park, sanitary cuttings, renovation of the irrigation system, construction of new ones, and new plantings.

Now the 60 hectare of forest of 100 in Tsitsernakaberd is improved. It is planed to restore 15-20 hectare each year.

The archeological excavations of the Bronze Age settlement will be continued this year with further explorations and conservation of the site.