Matenadaran Information

The “Matenadaran” Mesrop Mashtots Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts is a center for the preservation and study of ancient manuscripts. It is a unique institute-museum, which has become one of the most famous symbols of Armenia. It has one of the richest collections of medieval manuscripts, ancient books and documents in the world. Our rich collection is composed of about 17,000 Armenian manuscripts and thousands of manuscripts in various languages, such as Arabic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish, Greek, Latin, Georgian, Hebrew, Ethiopian, Russian, and many others. In addition to the manuscripts, the Matenadaran has one of the most extensive collections of antique books, with more than 2000 unique samples. Over 300,000 archival documents are also an integral part of the Matenadaran collection. “Matenadaran” literally means a manuscripts store; a library. The Matenadaran is named after the great scientist and enlightener Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet, whose name is also associated with the creation of the first matenadaran. Mesrop Mashtots created the Armenian alphabet in 405 and together with his pupils began to create the literature in the mother tongue. The construction of the Modern Matenadaran building began in 1945 according to the architect Mark Grigoryan's project and ended in 1957. As a research institute and museum, the Matenadaran was opened to the public in 1959. The exterior of the building is characterized by the typical features of Armenian architecture, and in the interior - mainly by the unique motifs of medieval architecture. In 2011 the Matenadaran obtained a new building according to the architect Arthur Meschian’s project. The launching of the new scientific complex gave an opportunity to expand and separate the scientific and musemuseum complexes. The main building has completely transformed into a museum with more than ten exhibition halls where permanent and temporary exhibitions are on display.