Matenadaran
The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts also known as Matenadaran is a depository of ancient manuscripts and has one of the biggest collections in Armenia. It was founded in 1959 and located in Yerevan. The Museum’s complex is located in the institute’s old, original building which had only a single exhibition hall, but now it has fifteen halls with lots of exhibits. During the exhibitions, the visitors have the chance to see the manuscript, individual miniatures, documents, old printed books and etc.
The exhibition of the Central Hall is dedicated to the development of Armenian medieval sciences, literature, and arts throughout the centuries. It presents the Armenian culture started from the creation of the alphabet by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD to the 18th century.
The repository contains more than 17000 manuscripts, 450 thousand documents, and 3000 ancient books. The oldest manuscript is the “ Vehamor Avetaran” which was kept from the 8th century. Here you will see the biggest Armenian book “ Msho Charyntir” (weights 28 kg) and the smallest book (190g).
