NAASR's Mardigian Library has over 30,000 books published over the past three and a half centuries. This includes titles published almost everywhere Armenians have lived in any significant numbers, including major centers of Armenian life (and publishing) such as Yerevan, Etchmiadzin, Tiflis, St. Petersburg, Jerusalem, Constantinople, Smyrna, New Julfa, Beirut, Cairo, Sofia, Venice, Paris, Marseilles, New York, Boston, Fresno, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and many others. In a way, these books contain the story of the Armenian diaspora itself.
While taking note of the anniversary of the capture of Shushi this week in 1992, one of the key events in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, we look back at two noteworthy books from NAASR’s Mardigian Library from the late 19th century that explore the then recent past of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabagh: KhamsayiMelikʻutʻiwnnerě(ԽամսայիՄելիքութիւններ) by Raffi and Gaghtnik‘ Gharabaghi (ԳաղտնիքՂարաբաղի) by Apresi Beknazareants‘.
Not everything in NAASR’s Mardigian Library is a book. There are also, among other things, a huge number of recordings—78s, LPs, tapes, CDs, etc., all with some Armenian connection or another. Some of these will be topics of future installments; most of them are obscure, except to specialists and collectors. For this installment we will go in a totally different direction and focus on a record that was a huge hit in its day, and its Armenian connections.
To bring the treasures of NAASR’s rare book Mardigian Library to you, we are featuring some extraordinary masterpieces from our 30,000 volume collection. For Easter week, we have chosen Bats‘atrut‘iwn sharakanats‘: Ork‘ pashtin i hasarakats‘ zhamakargut‘ean Hayastaneayts‘ Ekeghets‘woy (Բացատրութիւն շարականաց: Որք պաշտին ի հասարակաց ժամակարգութեան Հայաստանեայց Եկեղեցւոյ), by Gabriel Awetikean (Գաբրիէլ Աւետիքեան), published in 1814 at San Lazzarro in Venice (Վենետիկ Ի Վանս Սրբոյ Ղազարոյ). The book is 807 pages long and is 27 cm. in height.
NAASR's Mardigian Library has over 30,000 books published over the past three and a half centuries. This includes titles published almost everywhere Armenians have lived in any significant numbers, including major centers of Armenian life (and publishing) such as Yerevan, Etchmiadzin, Tiflis, St. Petersburg, Jerusalem, Constantinople, Smyrna, New Julfa, Beirut, Cairo, Sofia, Venice, Paris, Marseilles, New York, Boston, Fresno, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and many others. In a way, these books contain the story of the Armenian diaspora itself.
While taking note of the anniversary of the capture of Shushi this week in 1992, one of the key events in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, we look back at two noteworthy books from NAASR’s Mardigian Library from the late 19th century that explore the then recent past of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabagh: Khamsayi Melikʻutʻiwnnerě (Խամսայի Մելիքութիւններ) by Raffi and Gaghtnik‘ Gharabaghi (Գաղտնիք Ղարաբաղի) by Apresi Beknazareants‘.
Not everything in NAASR’s Mardigian Library is a book. There are also, among other things, a huge number of recordings—78s, LPs, tapes, CDs, etc., all with some Armenian connection or another. Some of these will be topics of future installments; most of them are obscure, except to specialists and collectors. For this installment we will go in a totally different direction and focus on a record that was a huge hit in its day, and its Armenian connections.
To bring the treasures of NAASR’s rare book Mardigian Library to you, we are featuring some extraordinary masterpieces from our 30,000 volume collection. For Easter week, we have chosen Bats‘atrut‘iwn sharakanats‘: Ork‘ pashtin i hasarakats‘ zhamakargut‘ean Hayastaneayts‘ Ekeghets‘woy (Բացատրութիւն շարականաց: Որք պաշտին ի հասարակաց ժամակարգութեան Հայաստանեայց Եկեղեցւոյ), by Gabriel Awetikean (Գաբրիէլ Աւետիքեան), published in 1814 at San Lazzarro in Venice (Վենետիկ Ի Վանս Սրբոյ Ղազարոյ). The book is 807 pages long and is 27 cm. in height.