From Earth to space: Fabulous firsts brought to light at the Museum of Printing in Armenia

A modern Armenian scroll, bearing a copy of the first Armenian printer’s seal, was taken on a cosmic trip across our solar system on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing in 2012. After staying in space for three weeks, the calligraphic specimen found its permanent home in the Museum of Printing established in the National Library of Armenia (NLA.) 

This may sound like a fairy tale, but it is fitting metaphor to the spirit of Armenian merchants who used their fifth-century script to chart the seas and map the deserts in their hunt for new markets and cutting-edge knowledge. The legacy they left behind is their contribution to Armenian culture, education, and letters.

The first Armenian book, the first Armenian newspaper, even the first Armenian constitution were printed thousands of kilometers away from the Motherland, while it took three centuries to establish a printing press in Armenia…

In his book "From the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean: The Global Trade Networks of Armenian Merchants from New Julfa,” Dr. Sebouh Aslanian offers a mind-blowing statement on the epic journey of Armenian printing:

“This Perso-Armenian community of merchants in India provided the social and economic foundations for what has come to be known in Armenian historiography as the “national revival movement” in the diaspora. They bankrolled the nascent craft of Armenian printing in places like Venice, Amsterdam, Livorno, Madras, Calcutta, Lvov (now in the Ukraine), and New Julfa. They were also behind the revival of letters then spearheaded by a small band of Armenian Catholic missionaries known as the Mkhitarist Order, based on the island of San Lazzaro in Venice; they supported the establishment of schools of higher education in Venice, Paris, New Julfa, Moscow, and Calcutta. In addition to their financial patronage, some members of the Julfan merchant community became cultural and intellectual producers in their own right.”

Entering the Printing Museum through a side door on Teryan Street in Yerevan is like taking a step into an austere temple of enlightenment.

An austere temple of enlightenment

Entering the Printing Museum through a side door on Teryan Street in Yerevan is like taking a step into an austere temple of enlightenment. A priceless collection, displayed in a series of themed exhibits, pays tribute to one of the most significant trends in Armenian printing: the first printed books were not only religious and astrological but also practical and medical in nature. Over time, affected by the rise of Humanism, there was growing interest in textbooks, languages, and translations of Western classics.

In her tiny office, deep inside the massive library building, where millions of Armenian books, newspapers, and periodicals are being digitized at an increasing pace to ensure preservation and accessibility, Haykanush Ghazaryan, Deputy Director for Science at the National Library of Armenia, is no stranger to the magical power of books.

“Where do you think the idea of drones or flying carpets come from?” she reflects, during a brief chat with h-pem. “Upon visiting the museum, children marvel at the cosmic artifact and come up with their own science fiction and fantasy stories; the entire collection of mystical tomes hold them spellbound.” 

When confronted with current discussions of digital exposure and the demise of traditional print across generations, Ghazaryan is quick to point out that the museum is crucial for the preservation and transmission of cultural memory.

“While it is impossible to stop the constant influx of people and ideas and the fusion of cultures, cultural knowledge gives us the power and freedom we need to make better choices. We don't have the right to impose our values and preferences on our children, but we can offer credible resources to make comparisons. I believe in the museum effect, in the power of books and the written word as a way of steering our future,” she says.

The “red thread”

It’s worth taking a lesson or two from history to consider the enduring impact of printing on the Armenian world. 

“Even centuries ago, Armenian thinkers emphasized the importance of languages not only for effective communication and progress, but also as a means to learn about other cultures and nurture their own culture,” explains Ghazaryan.

Hakob Meghapart (Jacob the Sinner), who established the first Armenian printing press in Venice in 1512. 

One of the first five books printed in Armenian was “Tagharan” (“Տաղարան” | Song Book), an extensive collection of medieval poems and riddles, published by Hakob Meghapart (Jacob the Sinner), who established the first Armenian printing press in Venice in 1512. 

For Ghazaryan this shows how important poetry and creativity were to the first publishers of Armenian books. "It signals our cultural presence on the world stage,” she states.

Does the museum open up new possibilities for thought and action?

“Look,” she says, drawing inspiration from the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia three years after the Armenian Genocide. “There were starving refugees on the freezing streets of Yerevan, diseases and pandemics, but there was still another level to reach. Even in those catastrophic circumstances, the first leaders of the republic were aware of the pivotal role of higher education in the newly emerging country. They founded a university and issued a two-page newsletter—it was not just an inaugural publication, but offered an amazing wealth of information. They created an army, and published a newspaper called “Banaki Or” (“Բանակի Օր” | Army Day). This newspaper runs like a red thread through our culture and our values—nation, army, people. The first key notion of patriotism is cultural memory.”

“The Firsts of Armenian Printing Hall” is the museum’s heart, where exquisitely illustrated copies of the first printed Armenian map, the first book of arithmetic, the first draft of Armenian constitution, and the first healing book— printed even before the Armenian Bible—shed light into the dawn years of Armenian enlightenment.

Check out 5 fabulous firsts in Armenian printing below!