Artifacts from Several Armenian Museums in Artsakh Are Now in a Safe Location

Following the war initiated by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, artifacts from the geological museums of Berdzor and Stepanakert, as well as the carpet museum of Shushi and the archaeological museum of Tigranakert, have been removed from Artsakh and are now in a safe location.

This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia, Narine Khachatryan, in an interview with an Armenpress correspondent.

“I cannot say where the artifacts are located, but they are in a safe place. We were prepared to take the exhibits from other museums in Shushi to a safe location as well, but the owners and directors did not want to do so, as they did not foresee that the control of Shushi would pass to Azerbaijan. They have moved the artifacts to safe locations, storing them in basements, but we do not know where they are now or in what condition,” stated the Deputy Minister.

She emphasized that the Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of Artsakh, Lusine Ghahakhanian, has proposed to appeal to the Russian side to negotiate for the preservation of the artifacts; however, those negotiations have not yet begun. “The main reason for not starting the negotiation process is that until the issues of captives and missing persons are resolved, no other matters can be addressed. I believe that one does not hinder the other, and the processes should proceed in parallel,” said Khachatryan, noting that they managed to take out approximately 200 small-sized movable monuments, such as khachkars, gravestones, and other samples, which are also in a safe location.

There are four state and two private museums operating in Shushi, the cultural center of Artsakh. These include the State Museum of Fine Arts, the State Geological Museum named after Professor Grigor Gabrielian, the History Museum of Shushi, the Shushi Art Gallery, and the private Carpet Museum and Janharyan Museum. Only the exhibits from the Carpet Museum have been evacuated.