The Sisian History Museum is known for a rich ethnographic collection of artifacts from the Syunik region, including household objects, traditional costumes, and textiles. The museum is named for the well-known historian and philologist Nicholas Adonts, a great historian and specialist of Byzantine studies, born in Brnakot village near Sisian. One of the most cherished items in the museum’s collection is a well-preserved Adonts family tree dating to 1680.
Since the Middle Ages, family trees have been created and used around the world to record family lineage, helping us trace where we come from and learn more about family members who helped shape who we are.
After a guided tour of the museum, you will explore examples of original family trees of well-known Armenians, including that of Nicholas Adonts, before creating your very own family tree with the support of a personalized workbook. Beyond the workshop, we hope that this family tree and workbook will allow you to continue gathering information, collecting stories, and preserving them for future generations. Many different types of materials will be provided, making this a creative, insightful, and inspiring activity for visitors of all ages. At the end of the workshop, you will be able to take your family tree home and continue adding to its branches as you learn more about your ancestors and family traditions.
About the Museum
The Sisian History Museum After Nikoghayos Adonts introduces visitors to the long and rich history of Sisian, from 9000 BCE to the present. The museum highlights the area’s archaeological, ethnographic, military, and cultural history. The museum also has a large sculpture garden where it hosts a popular Bread Festival each fall. A ceramic vessel from the 3rd millennium BCE decorated with a ram’s head, symbolic of power in Syunik tradition, is one of the particularly iconic objects in the collection and appears on the museum’s ticket.
