Armenian textile museum opens in Dilijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian Textile Museum has opened in Dilijan, serving as a local branch of the Hovhannes Sharambeyan Museum of Folk Art, according to Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan, who shared the news on Facebook.

“The historic building was fully restored with public funding, and the exhibition inside is a beautiful experience, another great reason to visit Dilijan,” she wrote.

The museum is housed in a culturally significant building dating back to 1896, associated with prominent Armenian cultural figures. Its goal is to reframe the role of textile as a key element of Armenian identity, intangible heritage, and community development.

The Dilijan Museum of Folk Art was originally founded in 1979 on the initiative of Hovhannes Sharambeyan. The building was constructed by Samson Bek-Harutyunyan and once served as the summer residence of Princess Mariam Tumanyan. Sharambeyan, its last resident, later transformed it into a museum by donating his personal collection.

The museum’s holdings have since expanded to include works by Serik Davtyan and local artisans. While it showcases various forms of folk art, textile arts, including embroidery, lacework, and carpet weaving, take center stage.

The new exhibition features a special section dedicated to Sharambeyan’s Dilijan-themed paintings, which serve as visual records of the town’s historical atmosphere. The permanent collection has been curated by Narek Van Ashughatoian (Sharambeyan’s grandson) and Hrazdan Tokmajyan, a painter and ethnographer.