Armenian community in Singapore tells its story with new museum

Heritage Centre aimed at raising awareness of role as one of S'pore's oldest communities

The new Armenian Heritage Gallery features rare artefacts, books, photos and other historical items. Church trustees (back row from left) Pavel Karapetyan and Gevorg Sargsyan with trustee Pierre Hennes and volunteer Sandra Basmadjian.
The new Armenian Heritage Gallery features rare artefacts, books, photos and other historical items. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
The new Armenian Heritage Gallery features rare artefacts, books, photos and other historical items. Church trustees (back row from left) Pavel Karapetyan and Gevorg Sargsyan with trustee Pierre Hennes and volunteer Sandra Basmadjian.
Church trustees (back row from left) Pavel Karapetyan and Gevorg Sargsyan with trustee Pierre Hennes and volunteer Sandra Basmadjian. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
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Armenians are behind some of most commonly-used machines today - including the automated teller machine and magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI. They were also pioneers in plastic surgery and colour television.

In Singapore, members of this diaspora include Catchick Moses who started The Straits Times in 1845, the Sarkies who founded Raffles Hotel in 1887, and Agnes Joaquim who in the late 1800s hybridised Singapore's national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 24, 2018, with the headline Armenian community in Singapore tells its story with new museum. Subscribe