Main NKR Museums

Artsakh State Museum of History and Local Lore.

It is a historical and cultural center, which presents the history of Karabakh from ancient times to the present day. From the beginning of its foundation, since 1939, despite the anti-Armenian policy of Soviet Azerbaijan and during the years of the war unleashed by it in Karabakh, the museum was able to collect and preserve the spiritual and material values ​​of the Karabakh people.
The funds of the Artsakh State Museum of History and Local Lore include more than 50 thousand historical and cultural artifacts that tell about the origins of the origin and development of civilization in the territory of present-day Karabakh.
Today, more than ever during its existence, the museum has the opportunity to effectively enrich its funds, thanks to the ongoing archaeological excavations and archaeological finds in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The exhibition halls of the museum begin with showcases demonstrating models of the natural landscapes of Artsakh.
Next comes the archeology room. Here, in particular, there are samples of fossils, early tools of the Stone Age, various bronze objects (decorations, weapons, utensils), amazing ornamented ceramic vessels preserved from the time of the state of Urartu, Armenian, Roman, Persian, Arabic silver and copper coins, etc..d
The hall of the Middle Ages begins with a photograph and an attached map of one of the first churches in Artsakh (4th century), the Amaras Monastery, founded by Gregory the Illuminator, the first Armenian Christian philosopher. It also presents documentary evidence of his sermons in the South Caucasus.
Of particular interest is the ethnography department, in which the demonstration begins with a showcase of the family life of an ancient Artsakhian (grandmother weaves thread with a spinning wheel, and grandfather sews trichi (shoes made of leather he himself has made). Also on display is an old carpet weaving loom, examples of Artsakh weaving art - carpets of the 18th-20th centuries.
In the 19th century, the center of Armenian national culture was the city of Shushi, which is told about in ancient gospels, printed books, and photographs.
The halls of modern history are rich in documentary artifacts, where exhibits are shown that tell about the national liberation struggle of the Karabakh Armenians against Azerbaijan in 1918-21. Here is a map of Armenia in 1926, made on the basis of the Union Treaty of August 10, 1920, documents confirming the tragic events in Shushi on March 23, 1920, telling about the forced annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh to Soviet Azerbaijan.
The last halls of the museum tell about the modern Artsakh movement, the national liberation struggle, the unity of the entire Armenian people in the post-war period in order to strengthen the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
The museum also has a small second-hand bookstore where you can buy booklets, books and photo albums about Karabakh.
The museum is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00, the day off is Sunday. Entrance to the museum is free. If desired, visitors can give a small tip to the guide

Address: Stepanakert, Sasuntsi David street, 1

Museum of the memory of fallen Azathamartik warriors.

This unique museum of the memory of the fallen soldiers-Azatamartiks was founded in 2002 by the public organization Union of Relatives of the Dead Azatamartiks.
The exhibits of the museum were collected by activists of the organization with the help of soldiers' mothers, as well as museum staff. Maps, diagrams illustrating the liberation movement of Armenians, the exploits of the fedayins-defenders of the fatherland during the years of the past Karabakh war are displayed here.
Thousands of photographs of dead soldiers, documents pierced by a bullet, letters to relatives and friends, weapons and uniforms from the times of the Artsakh war, a field telephone, a radio station are displayed on the stands.
The hall displays authentic samples of weapons and other military accessories used Armenian fidais.
Touchingly collected exhibits, the whole atmosphere of the museum leave an indelible impression.
The museum is open from 9:00 to 18:00, daily, the day off is Sunday. Entrance to the museum is free, but it is customary to leave small donations for the museum.

Address: Stepanakert, Vazgen Sargsyan street 25.

State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Artsakh.

Founded from 2010 to 2013. on the initiative and organizational support of Professor Gabrielyants Grigory Arkadyevich and consists only of gifts. The museum building was built with the support of the government on the site of the old inn in Shushi, while maintaining the original architectural appearance of the building.
The museum of distant highland Shushi has works by M. Saryan, P. Kuznetsov, Minas, N. Nikoghosyan, D. Zhilinsky, A. Safokhin, Gayane Tiflisetsi, Y. Grigoryan, A. Hakobyan, A. Galentz and others. a wide geography of paintings can become - Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Lithuania, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Poland, France, USA, Ethiopia, Mongolia, Egypt, Indonesia, Haiti, Madagascar, etc. A special place among the exhibited paintings is occupied by paintings by artists of Karabakh. Official The opening of the State Museum of Fine Arts took place on May 9, 2013, the day of the liberation of Shushi.

Address: Shushi, st. Kazanchetsots

Museum of the History of Shushi.

Housed in a charming mid-19th century mansion in the heart of the historical quarter, the Museum of the History of Shushi is a collection of artefacts illustrating the centuries-old past of the ancient fortified city. It demonstrates the rich archaeological material of the Hellenistic period, which changed the previous ideas about the time of the founding of Shushi in the 18th century.
The collection of the museum is very rich in ethnographic materials - here are collected products of local artisans, often representing real works of art. Household items of the 19th century illustrate the life of the townspeople of one of the largest cultural centers of Transcaucasia. A collection of photographs and reproductions, placed on the stands of the museum halls, make tangible the cultural life of the city of that era.
Many of the collected artifacts illustrate the dark days of the city, when in March 1920 gangs of Tatar marauders burned almost the entire Armenian part of Shusha, and about 30,000 Christians were killed or fled to remote villages.
A separate stand is dedicated to the military operation to liberate Shushi on May 8, 1992. There is a diorama of the Shusha battle here, recreating the history of the battles in great detail.
The museum is open daily, except Sunday, from 9:00 to 17:00. Entrance to the museum is free.

Address: Shushi, Mesrop Mashtots street, 17

The State Geological Museum named after Grigory Gabrielyants.

Operates since May 2014. The official opening of the museum took place on September 1, 2014. Geological finds from all over Artsakh are presented here, mainly minerals and various minerals, the oldest of which is 146 million years old. The museum presents geological finds brought from all over the world, of which the oldest is 1 billion 200 million years old.
The museum collection contains 400 specimens from 48 states and 20 regions of the Russian Federation, mainly specimens from the personal collection of G.A. Gabrielyants.
For use in educational programs for children, the Geological Museum of Armenia donated a large number of professional books to the State Geological Museum of Artsakh.
The collection and the museum itself are decorated with paintings by world-famous artists Martiros Saryan and Minas Avetisyan.

Address Shushi st. Mashtots 32

State archaeological museum of Tigranakert.

The Archaeological Museum of Tigranakert was founded in a medieval fortress located on the territory of an archaeological park in the vicinity of the one founded by King Tigran the Great / 95-55 centuries BC. / city of the same name Tigranakert. Various artifacts discovered during the excavations by the archaeological expedition of the Academy of Sciences of Armenia led by Hamlet Petrosyan perfectly illustrate the ancient history and rich cultural life of this most interesting corner of Artsakh. Three halls of the museum exhibit unique items of material culture belonging to the historical period - the 5th century BC-17th century. These are mainly elegant ceramic vessels, stone and glass items. Of particular interest is a gift disc made of baked clay with inscriptions in Armenian, dating back to the 5th-6th centuries. The museum also extensively illustrated the course of archaeological excavations that have been ongoing here since 2006. Numerous stands provide detailed information about the area, data on excavations and finds in Armenian, English and Russian. Museum visitors can also buy traditional souvenirs and various printed materials here. There is a small cafe on the territory of the medieval castle.

Address: NKR, Askeran region, Tigranakert area, 32 km of the Stepanakert-Askeran-Martakert highway

State археологический музей Кашатага.

This museum is distinguished by a magnificent collection of artifacts discovered during archaeological excavations in the territory of the Kashatagh region of the NKR, carried out after 1995. A huge amount of material materials illustrate the history of the development of culture in this most interesting corner of Karabakh, in the river valleys Araks and Akari.
Of particular note are the materials obtained during the excavations of the Keren settlement, where objects of material culture of the 9th-5th centuries BC were found. In addition to the usual ceramics for Karabakh, the museum displays anthropomorphic vessels of amazing beauty and grace found here, which testify to the high level of culture of