Sisian is one of the most prominent historical towns in Armenia. It is located in the Syunik region with a rich history dating before Christianity when the Armenian kingdom dynasty ruled for centuries.
Many historical and amazing artifacts from throughout the centuries were collected in town and you can now find many of them on display at the Sisian History Museum.
At the end of summer when the nature in Syunik transitions to green and golden hues, I had the wonderful opportunity to take a road trip organized by My Armenia Project to visit Sisian.
I had always wanted to explore Sisian deeper, but for this time, I had the chance to check out the captivating Sisian History Museum where a small shop-boutique was celebrating its opening with the mission of supporting local artists and the community.
Sisian History Museum
Small and humble, but teeming with many wonderful historical artifacts dating from the mid-Bronze Age until the 19th-century, the Sisian Museum was founded in 1989.
Over the years, the collection of displayed artifacts grew and even in the area next to the museum, it is possible to see pre-Christian era tombstones with the shape of rams with different stone carvings and ancient manuscripts on them.
Also in the museum, it is possible to see artifacts like Stone mortar grits cutters from the 3rd millennium BC, 17th-century water pipes, a clay salt cellar, different types of weapons, old carpets, and so much more.
It’s even possible to see a stone with petroglyphs both from mind-blowing Ughtasar Mountain, one of the most interesting places in Armenia where you will find several other petroglyphs of the same nature.
New Shop-Boutique
My Armenia informed me that local artists in Sisian and other places of the Syunik region can now display and sell their wonderful handmade works in the newly-opened boutique inside of the museum.
This happened with the help of USAID, the My Armenia Project, and the Smithsonian Institution. At its opening at the museum, the US Ambassador to Armenia presented and gave a speech on how important it is to support local artists in the communities.
We love promoting individual artists from all over Armenia because there is a huge lack of awareness of them, even in their respective communities and among the Armenian locals as a whole!
The products that were displayed there were just fabulous and included hand-made jewelry, original-looking clothing, specially designed pillows with ornaments, and more.
You can find the following artists on display at the Sisian History Museum:
- Astre’ Accessories, Zara Gasparyan
- Armenecoop, Arthur Ghazaryan
- Art Design, Artyom Sargsyan
- Artyom Yerkat, Artyom Ghazaryan
- AM, Albert Mirzoyan
- Arika, Aida Santourian
- BuduArt, Arman Badeyan
- Bee Art Exclusive, Varazdat Asatryan
- Becore, Ruben and Karen Ghazaryan
- Dandelion Handmade, Rima Petrosyan
- Frrik, Gagik Mkhitaryan
- Goris Crochet, Nune Aghatelyan
- GSG, Nona Mardanyan
- Houri, Houri Iyjian
- INE, Armine Poghosyan
- Jevo, Mamikon and Ashot Mikayelyan
- Maral Art, Maral Sheuhmelian
- Sisian Ceramics, Vahagn Hambardzumyan
- Teryan Cultural Center/TarazArt, Armine Paravyan
- Telik, Hasmik Margaryan
- Tnak, Hasmik Khachatryan
- Wool to Carpet, Rouzanna Torozyan
- Wood Mystery, Armen Ohanyan
- Yegheg, Arthur Petrosyan
Visiting and exploring the town of Sisian, especially if you’re nearby and happen to be exploring Shaki Waterfall! And checking out the museum and its shop allows you to take home the perfect souvenir and support a local artist at the same time!
Sisian is located close to several of our favorite places in Armenia including Karahunj Observatory, Goris, and more!
**This article was produced with the support of My Armenia, a program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the Smithsonian Institution. The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, the Smithsonian Institution, or the United States Government.