Another minority group with a long history and attachment to the Land of Israel is the Armenian community. The first nation in the world to accept the Christian faith in 301 CE, they have maintained a continuous presence in the Holy Land since the 4th century.
In fact, as Josephus informs us in Antiquities of the Jews, even prior to their acceptance of Christianity, they had ties with Israel. Under the reign of Tigranes II (140 – 55 BCE), the Armenians reached the norther borders of Israel and the Hasmoneans under Queen Salome Alexandra (Shlomtzion) paid tribute to them to avoid being invaded as well.
It is not surprising then that the first and oldest Armenian diaspora was established in Jerusalem and continues to live in the Old City’s Armenian Quarter to this day. Peaking at around 10,000 Armenians in Jerusalem alone in the period directly following the Amenia Genocide in World War I, today there are approximately 5,000 Armenians in all of Israel.
As such, it is wonderful to see the opening of a new museum dedicated to the Armenian connection to the Land of Israel and Jerusalem in particular. Funded by a generous donation from the Mardigian family in Detroit, Michigan, the new museum opened its doors only three weeks ago.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the incomparable Yisca Harani, who arranged a special day of lectures about Armenia and tours of the museum, 120 tour guides descended on the site last week to learn and marvel. The museum does an excellent job of explaining Armenia’s history, its connection to Jerusalem and Israel, as well as memorializing the Armenian Genocide.
Perhaps the most amazing item found in the museum is the enormous bird mosaic that greets visitors at the very entrance. Discovered just outside the Old City’s walls in 1894, it is from the 6th century and commemorates Armenian soldiers who fought for the Romans and whose names were unknown. Or as it says in the inscription: “For the memory and redemption of all the Armenians whose names God knows.”
Under the mosaic archaeologists uncovered a crypt containing numerous human burials, likely making this the oldest “Tomb of the Unkown Soldier” in the world. Recently, in a solemn ceremony, these bones were reinterred here under the preserved mosaic in the courtyard of the new Armenian Museum
Please check out the photos for further details about this new must-see site located in the Old City of Jerusalem.
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