Yerevan History Museum: A Chronicle of the City

The Yerevan History Museum, founded in 1931, offers a captivating journey through the ages, revealing the evolution of Armenia's capital. Originally named the Communal Museum, it has occupied several locations before settling in its current building in 2005, which it shares with the Yerevan City Hall. The building itself, designed by architect Jim Torosyan, is a modern architectural gem. The museum's extensive collection comprises over 94,000 artifacts, encompassing archeological finds, ethnographic items, numismatic collections, paintings, written sources, and photographs. These treasures narrate the story of Yerevan from its ancient roots to its contemporary vibrancy. Visitors can explore domestic items from antiquity, medieval relics, sketches by early travelers, and panoramic murals that vividly depict Yerevan in bygone eras. The museum's exhibits showcase tools dating back over 100,000 years, discovered in the Yerevan Cave, along with artifacts from the prehistoric settlement of Shengavit. The collection also features bronze belts, ritual knives, beer vessels, and stone idols from Karmir Blur, as well as objects from the Hellenistic period found in Awan-Arinj. The museum also holds the historical record of Urartu King Argishti I, which specifies the walled city foundation date of Erebuni (today Yerevan).