Beeline supports the restoration and digitization of manuscripts in Matenadaran.

“It’s presently impossible to think of the preservation of written heritage without the employment of digital technologies and creation of digital resources. The role and significance Matenadaran bears in the evolvement of our country’s scientific understanding, preservation of historic-cultural heritage and transmitting it to the coming generations is irreplaceable,” said Beeline Armenia CEO Andrey Pyatakhin during the project presentation.

Once the manuscripts are restored and digitized, their digital versions will be posted on Matenadaran’s official website and the internal network of the reading-room.

“We are ultimately happy that Beeline has also appeared on the list of philanthropists of Matenadaran. This cooperation is aimed at the restoration of huge manuscripts. Tens of manuscripts have already been restored and digitized,” said Advisor of the Director of Matenadaran Ara Khzmalyan.

Andrey Pyatakhin personally got acquainted with the restoration works of huge manuscripts at the Department of Restoration of Matenadaran’s Ancient Manuscripts.

Head of the Department Gayane Eliazyan said that as of now, 10 huge manuscripts are being prepared for restoration works; fixation of paper and ink is carried out.

“Prior to this the restoration was not possible as we didn’t have the Japanese paper necessary for that. With the support of ArmenTel, we now have the high-quality paper required for the restoration of 10 huge manuscripts,” Gayane Eliazyan told Mediamax and noted that the huge manuscripts consist of 1000 pages at the least.

“We recently completed the restoration of a huge manuscript comprised of 1500 pages and weighing 17kg,” she said.

She noted that only natural materials are used for the restoration of manuscripts. Even the glue is prepared on the spot – it is made of rice or wheat flour.

The Head of the Department of Ancient Manuscripts also showed “Narek” dated back to the 14th century. Businessmen and philanthropist Artur Janibekyan purchased it two years ago and presented to Matenadaran. Gayane Eliazyan noted that it’s one of the manuscripts requiring most complex restoration work. Works on this sample started a year ago and will continue for two more years.

According to the Head of the Department, the ancient manuscript restoration team engaged in the project carried out with Beeline support is comprised of 10 people, who have a special work schedule.

Germans Robert Schille and Margaret Yashke draw the attention of those present – of their own volition and using their own finances, they have committed to the restoration and repair of the silver covers of Matenadaran for around 15 years.

The restoration process is followed by the transfer of the books to the digitization room, where the manuscripts are digitized through large-format scanning and photo camera.

According to Advisor to the Director of Matenadaran Gurgen Gasparyan, scanning is followed by indexation.

“Each digitized unit is indexed and placed in a relevant catalogue. The visitors of the reading-room are given the manuscript’s digitized version. This way we bring the “communication” with the manuscript to a zero and thus, prolong its life,” said Gurgen Gasparyan.

Siranush Yeghiazaryan

Photos: Emin Aristakesyan