Museums of Artsakh

There might be some truth in the statement that most museums are alike. In a small country, there is a danger that exhibits will not be many and the topics they span, not far apart. Museums of Artsakh do have similar features: most of them exhibit artefacts from the very distant past and objects of everyday life from the not so distant one. Many have sections covering the participation of Armenians from Karabakh in World War II and most cover the first, the Artsakh Liberation War that ended with a cease-fire in 1994. Some museums need a facelift and modernization, while some are contemporary and well organized. Whatever their state, they reveal a striking devotion of the staff looking after them, a dedication of the NKR Government to modernize them and unfailing pride in the land and its heroes.

Unfortunately, when a large portion of Artsakh was occupied by Azerbaijan as a consequence of the Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020, all the museums of Shushi and Hadrut, as well as the Museum of Tigranakert fell into Azeri hands. They were immediately looted or destroyed. The fate of their artefacts is not known. 

For lack of information, the Museum of Togh Village Melik's Manor and the Museum of Azokh Cave (in the village of Azokh) are not pictured on this site.