Our Past Has Been Stolen: More Than 20 Newspapers and Journals Published in Shushi from 1874 to 1920

The first books published in Shushi were of a religious and moral nature. Besides spiritual literature, the Shushi printing house published textbooks and translation works. In total, 139 books were printed in Shushi's eight printing houses during the 19th century, indicating a high level of cultural and spiritual life in Shushi. Today, these books are housed in libraries around the world.

The first book published in Shushi in 1928 was "History of the Holy Scriptures," preserved in the National Library of Armenia and displayed in the exhibition hall of the Book Printing Museum titled "The Primordial Works of Armenian Printing." The electronic version of the book is available in the Armenian National Library's "Armenian Book" electronic repository.

Our past has been stolen, and our present is being destroyed every day, said Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan, reflecting on the sacrifices made in the 1990s to free innocent victims trapped under the terror of the Turks and return them home.

Up until 1920, a total of 22 newspapers and journals were published in Shushi, including two in Russian: Шушинский листок and Шушинская жизнь. The first name in Shushi's press history is the journal "Armenian World," published in 1874. Later, a variety of periodicals were published such as "Knar Khosnak," "Gorts," "Ts'iatsan," "Student Newspaper," "Ethnographic Journal," "Cranes," and others.

Recently, an exhibition dedicated to the Armenian printing of Shushi was organized by the Rare Books Department of the Armenian National Library. The event showcased publications from the department's collections, particularly examples of printed books and periodicals.

Armine Mkrtchyan, an employee of the Rare Books Department, presented unique specimens and discussed the operations of the Shushi printing houses. She specifically highlighted the printing house of August Dietrich and Felicia Zarembi (Protestant missionaries), which operated from 1827 to 1833, as well as the printing house of Holy Metropolitan Baghdasar, which functioned from 1837 to 1902.

Special attention was given to the section of the exhibition featuring publications from the printing house of Mirzajan Mahtesi Hakobyan, which opened in Shushi in 1881 and published a significant quantity of artistic and historical literature, school manuals, textbooks, newspapers, and magazines over its 25 years of operation.

For the first time, the works of Raffi, including "The Madman," Leo's "Is It a Dream or History," "Vahan Mamikonian," and A. Bahatryan's "The Ancient Armenian Poetic Art" were published as standalone books here. Noteworthy translated literature includes Ferdowsi's "Shahnameh" (1893), as well as works by A. Dode, J. Dreper, and others.

During the celebrations of the 1500th anniversary of the Armenian alphabet and the 400th anniversary of Armenian printing in 1912, the luxurious volume "Typ and Letter" was published in Constantinople by Theodik, chronicling the establishment of Armenian printing houses in various countries worldwide, including the biographies and photographs of their founders, as well as a catalog of printed books. The remarkable study published in 1912 by Theodik also contains significant information about the printing activities and houses in Shushi.

“The first printing activity in Shushi was carried out by PROTESTANT MISSIONARIES…” notes Theodik.

After 1905, the printing houses of Bagrat Ter Sahakyan and Melkon Babajanyan operated in Shushi, ceasing their activities in 1920. During this period, many books were published. From 1874 until March 1920, more than two dozen newspapers and journals were published in Shushi, with the first periodical, "Armenian World," leaving an indelible mark on our periodical press history.

Garik Avetisyan