Armenian-British history display opens soon
Uncover a unique view of Armenian-British history in a display in our Sir John S. Ritblatt Treasures Gallery from 27 September 2025 until 22 February 2026.
9 October 2025
A Sphinx and hieroglyphs matched with Armenian script to mark out the dual identities in this Armenian-Egyptian almanac from 1914. (Egiptahay taretsʿoyts, 17070.d.28).
Britanahay Բրիտանահայ: Armenian and British, the four-case display highlights Armenian-British communities and interactions. It’s an interactive experience with QR codes linking to oral history interviews. These were collected by the Armenian Institute as part of their Heritage of Displacement: Oral History from the UK Armenian Communities (2023-2026) project. The recordings emphasise the evolving nature of Armenian-British identity.
Britanahay is a gateway to the Armeno-British stories that can be discovered in our collections. It is divided into three sections: Armenian communities in the United Kingdom; Armenian-British interactions around the world; and Armenians and the British Library.
The display contains some notable key moments in Armenian-British history, including the first Armenian book printed in London in 1736 and Anciennes et Nouvelles Chroniques de l'Angleterre (Royal MS 14 E IV), which features an illustration of King Richard II of England meeting King Levon V of Cilicia.
But it also draws upon everyday examples of Armenian-British heritage, among them the newspaper Aregak (Արեգակ; Sun), published in Wimbledon in the 1960s and 70s, and a tourist guide of Cyprus produced by two well-known Armenian-Cypriot photographers, the Mangoian brothers.
Britanahay Բրիտանահայ: Armenian and British is free of charge and runs from 27 September – 22 February 2026 in the Sir John S. Ritblatt Treasures Gallery. It is supported by the Armenian Institute and the Benlian Trust.