Prof. Vahram Shemmassian Gifts Rug Woven by Armenian Genocide Orphans to AGMI

The Armenian Genocide Museum Institute has been gifted a rug woven in the 1920s by orphans of the Armenian Genocide who were housed in the Ghazir Orphanage in Lebanon. The rug was donated by Dr. Vahram Shemmassian, a professor at California State University, Northridge, who initially purchased the piece through an online auction.

The rug, which has a floral motif, is bordered with five bands and was made with traditional Isfahan school techniques—known for their high quality, intricate designs, and tight weaves. It was woven in a rug factory established in 1923 at the American Orphanage in the Lebanon, where over 3,200 rugs were woven between 1923 and 1929.

The opening of the rug factory, which was headed by Hovhannes Tashjian from Urfa, was spearheaded by Swiss missionary Jakob Künzler, director of the Ghazir Girls’ Orphanage, who was known as the “Father of Armenian Orphans” for his pro-Armenian sentiments and efforts. The orphans under his care addressed him as “Papa.”