The Armenian Genocide Museum Institute

The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) is dedicated to preserving the memory of those lost in the genocide and educating the public on the history of the tragedy. The AGMI’s website consists of online exhibits, educational materials, and collections relating to the genocide. It strives to maintain the memory and legacy of the Armenian Genocide through preservation, memorial, education, and digitization. 

One of the most effective and interesting features of this website is its online exhibitions. The AGMI has twenty-three online exhibits, ranging from 3D reconstructions of the museum to traditional webpages that users can explore. The webpages consist of a text section (which ranges in length depending on the topic) before displaying different photographs and other primary sources. The museum used the 3D camera and virtual tour software Matterport to virtually recreate their in-person exhibits. Users can move around at their own pace and can zoom in to read panels or look at artifacts. These virtual exhibits have panels in both Armenian and English. They are easy to navigate and are in high definition. It is an excellent way for users to have a museum-like experience to learn about this complex topic.  

The other great resource on this website is the educational webpages that chronicle the development and realities of the genocide. These pages clearly lay out what genocide is, and how the Ottoman Empire’s violence and mass murder of Armenians during World War I constitutes genocide. The combination of textual information, chronology, and photographs creates a comprehensive picture of the genocide, from the beginning stages to modern efforts at remembrance. Users can also explore first-hand accounts under the “Eye-Witnesses” and “Survivors Stories” pages. This helps humanize this conversation, as it can be easy to reduce genocides to statistics and coordination while forgetting the human victims.  

The Armenian genocide holds significance not just for Armenians but for world history in general. This genocide displays the global reach of World War I, and the brutality of modern warfare. The Armenian genocide is also a precursor to the Holocaust and many of the same lessons can be applied to other conflicts in the 20th and 21st centuries. As the AGMI states in its mission statement, it “teaches universal lessons to combat hatred, discrimination, prejudice and apathy.” This website is a great resource to introduce students to a sensitive topic and to explore one of the atrocities of World War I.