AUA Students Visit History Museum of Armenia

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YEREVAN, Armenia — On November 25, students in the Armenian History and World Civilizations courses taught by American University of Armenia (AUA) Adjunct Lecturer Dr. Naira Sahakyan visited the History Museum of Armenia.

The Museum exhibits a number of artifacts bearing witness to the long history of Armenia and the region in general. The visit allowed students to observe first-hand the artifacts pertaining to the topics covered in their courses and behold the development of mankind’s history from prehistoric times. 

Though a large segment of the museum is under renovation, the students took the tour starting from the Stone Age Hall, onto the Christian Armenia Hall, experiencing the development of history in different time periods and understanding the respective characteristics of those ages. Additionally, in the Christian Armenia Hall, students watched animations created by the AUA student community as part of a collaboration between AUA and the museum. 

After the visit, students reflected on their impressions from the tour.

Hrayr Qocharyan (BSCS ’24): “I learned many new and interesting things during our visit — both about the museum and our rich culture and history. I found many connections between what we’ve studied and the exhibits at the museum. It is one thing to study history and read about what, when, and how things happened, but seeing all that with our own eyes is something else entirely. Seeing historical artifacts from the time periods that we had studied was truly special.”

“During my visit to the museum, I was very excited to deepen my knowledge about the ancient origins of Armenian civilization,” shared Yelizaveta Sargsyan (BAB ’27). “Although I always loved studying history, being busy with my university program and the business world, I almost forgot how fascinating history is. The visit reminded me of the love I had for history and how important it is to appreciate your culture. The museum had artifacts dating back thousands of years, providing clear proof of how rich and diverse the history of our region is. One of the most fascinating exhibits was the huge vases. It was a discovery for me as I had never seen anything like that before.”

Mari Margaryan (BAPG ’27) added, “One thing that surprised me was the beautiful gold jewelry made by ancient people. Of course, I knew that people had made such items, but I did not expect them to be so beautiful. That was astonishing! Also, seeing those well-preserved carts transporting corpses surprised me a lot, but after explaining why it was preserved, I understood the matter. I think this visit helped me better imagine and understand the historical theory I have practiced. This time, it was more empirical, especially because we had an opportunity to see and touch (replicas of) historical artifacts we always talked about during history classes. For example, seeing the ancient shoe was really interesting, and touching it to see how it had been created was even more fascinating.”

Nane Mambreyan (BSDS ’25) also commented, “It was very interesting to learn about some traditions that people followed during ancient times and beyond. I was really surprised by the detail of tiny statues that people used to make throughout history. It is one thing to learn and read about things and another to see them. We have seen some of the things that we discussed during our lectures, which made the material more impressive and easier to remember.”

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.