Tuesday, February 2 2021 11:58

ArmInfo. Aurora Humanitarian Initiative awarded a grant of $ 10,000 to Matenadaran,  the national Armenian repository of ancient manuscripts to help it  create the "Digital Matenadaran" and present its main exhibition  online.

The new project will give visitors the opportunity to take a virtual  walk through the central hall of one of the world's largest museums  of Armenian manuscripts.

The "Digital Matenadaran", which will be placed in a special section  of the museum's website, will be designed as a virtual exhibition  with text and sound descriptions. Users will be able to view the  virtual exhibition and explore more than 100 handwritten exhibits,  including exclusive samples of Armenian miniatures scanned in high  resolution with the ability to zoom in.

"Today it is impossible to imagine our life without the use of high  technologies. Leading world museums pay special attention to the  organization of interactive exhibitions and expositions, which are  also presented on online platforms. This project is another important  milestone in the popularization of the rich cultural heritage stored  in the Matenadaran, thanks to a digital platform that will make it  more accessible to the world. And the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative  supports our important project, "said Vahan Ter- Ghevondyan, Director  of Matenadaran.

The new Digital Matendaran project will allow people from all over  the world to take a virtual tour of the exposition, accompanied by  informative descriptions in several languages and medieval Armenian  music.  "Five years have passed since the launch of the Aurora  Humanitarian Initiative, and it has always been an honor for us to  support Matenadaran. Aurora was created on behalf of all survivors of  the Armenian Genocide, so promoting the Armenian heritage and history  has always been one of the key values. our mission. The coronavirus  pandemic has greatly impacted museums around the world, and moving  online and creating virtual projects has become vital to maintain  meaningful communication with visitors. Aurora is delighted to be  able to help Matenadaran in this valuable endeavor. " said Vartan  Gregorian, co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.

This is the fifth Aurora Grant to the Matenadaran under the Aurora  Grants and the Remembrance Act project. The Aurora Grants allow the  descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide to pay tribute to  the memory of their ancestors' saviors by supporting educational  initiatives and preserving the Armenian heritage, as well as raising  public awareness of humanitarian work and Armenian history.  In 2015,  the support of Aurora allowed Matenadaran to purchase a special  scanner for manuscripts. Thanks to this equipment, more than 4320  manuscripts, archival documents and antique books have been digitized  to date. The 2016 grant covered the cost of training 10 guides in  Germany, and in 2017-2020. "Aurora" helped Matenadaran to organize  more than 50 lectures for scientists and researchers and create an  interactive map of Armenian scriptoriums, and also supported other  educational and academic programs.