"Yerevan, Armenia - October 28, 2009. Eternal flame in Tsitsernakaberd. Tsitsernakaberd is a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide in 1915. Yerevan, Armenia. The eternal flame inside the memorial."

Getty Images

Armenian Genocide Memorial & Museum

Top choice in Yerevan


Commemorating the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1922, this institution uses photographs, documents, reports and films to deliver a powerful museum experience similar to that of Israel's Yad Vashem (Holocaust Museum). Free tours are available for five or more. On the hill above is a 44m-high spire memorial next to a circle of 12 basalt slabs leaning over to guard an eternal flame.

Built in 1967, the memorial's 12 tilted slabs represent the lost provinces of western Armenia, land lost to Turkey in a post-WWI peace deal between Ataturk and Lenin, while the spire has a fine split dividing it into larger and smaller needles, the smaller one representing western Armenia. From the museum, a broad pathway flanked by a 100m-long wall engraved with the names of massacred communities leads to the memorial.

In the grounds, there is a stand of trees planted by foreign leaders who use the term genocide to describe the events that occurred.

The complex is on Tsitsernakaberd Hill (Fortress of Swallows) across the Hrazdan Gorge from central Yerevan. The easiest way to get here is via a ride-hailing app (about AMD600) or taxi (AMD800 to AMD1200 from the city centre). There won't be any taxis waiting when you leave unless you prearrange one, so having the GG or Yandex app is a good idea. Alternatively, take marshrutka (minivan) 46 from Mesrop Mashtots Ave and alight at the steps of Hamalir (the sports and concert complex). From here you can walk up the steps to the end of the park where the memorial and the museum are located. If driving, head towards the Hrazdan stadium, turn right onto Athena St and look for a blue sign with white lettering signalling the route.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Yerevan attractions

1. Sergei Parajanov Museum

0.74 MILES

For something totally unique, head to this museum near Hrazdan Gorge. Crammed with collages, drawings, photographs and assemblages created by the…

2. Modern Art Museum of Yerevan

1 MILES

When it opened in 1972, this was the first specialised museum of contemporary and modern art in the Soviet Union, and a source of enormous pride for the…

3. Blue Mosque

1.03 MILES

There has been a mosque on this site since 1765, but like the other eight or so mosques that operated in Yerevan at the beginning of the 20th century it…

4. Zoravor Church

1.12 MILES

Through a dalan (archway) on Parpetsi St tucked between Soviet apartment blocks is a late-17th-century church on the site of a 9th- to 13th-century…

5. Martiros Sarian Museum

1.14 MILES

This museum preserves the studio and some of the works of 20th-century painter Martiros Sarian, known for his vibrant colour-saturated canvases. On the…

6. Hovhannes Tumanyan Museum

1.17 MILES

This museum celebrates the life and work of the extraordinary writer, translator and humanist who is often described as Armenia’s greatest poet. The…

7. Martiros Sarian Statue

1.37 MILES

This marble sculpture by D Yerevantsi honours the painter Martiros Sarian (1880–1972). Around the statue is a vernissage with many imitations of Sarian's…

8. Republic Square

1.39 MILES

From dawn till late into the night, Republic Sq is Yerevan's focal point and beating heart. Designed by architect Alexander Tamanyan as part of his 1924…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "armenia/yerevan/attractions/armenian-genocide-memorial-museum/a/poi-sig/444011/358583",
      "destination": "Yerevan",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Armenia",
      "city": "Yerevan",
      "position": "superzone"
    }