The collages
Beads, glass and fabric.
Eema97 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yerevantsi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Armineaghayan — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Սէրուժ — CC BY 3.0 · Tiia Monto — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Sergei Parajanov Museum is one of Yerevan's most popular museums, a tribute to the Soviet Armenian film director and artist. It shows his varied artistic legacy in a Caucasian-style house, and it is playful and striking even if you have never seen his films. The museum was founded in 1988 when Parajanov moved to Yerevan, and he chose the site in the Dzoragyugh quarter himself. The 1988 earthquake and economic hardship delayed its opening until June 1991, a year after his death. Zaven Sargsyan was its founding director, and many leading film makers and writers have visited. It has two floors and about 1,400 exhibits, including installations, collages, drawings, dolls and hats, as well as unrealised screenplays. The works combine beads, glass, fabric and everyday objects, in a spirit close to his richly coloured films. The house itself, with its timber galleries, adds an intimate feel. It is 1.2 km in a straight line from the History Museum of Armenia, an easy walk from the centre. Allow about an hour and take time over the small details. You may want to watch a clip of «The Color of Pomegranates» first, to help you read the symbols in his work. The Hrazdan gorge is close if you want to continue your walk.
Beads, glass and fabric.
In the spirit of his films.
Intimate timber galleries.
Dzoragyugh quarter, near the Hrazdan gorge, Yerevan
Blue MosqueThe only working mosque in Armenia today, built in the 1760s under Hussein Ali K6 minutes walk4.6
Republic SquareThe architectural heart of Yerevan and its finest square, a broad oval laid out 13 minutes walk4.7
Tsitsernakaberd MemorialA memorial and museum on a green hill overlooking Yerevan, built in 1967 in memo14 minutes walk4.9
History Museum of ArmeniaThe History Museum of Armenia is the country's national museum, on Republic Squa15 minutes walk
Vernissage MarketArmenia's best-known handicraft market, an open-air market a few minutes from Re20 minutes walk4.6No. The works are enjoyable alone, though a film clip adds understanding.
About an hour for the two floors.