The alphabet was not born in Yerevan

Mesrop Mashtots was born in western historic Armenia.

He was born around 362 in Hatsekats, in Taron, near Mush. He put the letters in order in Edessa (Urha, today Urfa).

In Samosata, with the calligrapher Hropanos, he refined the shapes of the 36 letters, around 405.

In 1915, the Armenian genocide emptied these lands of their Armenian inhabitants. Their language, Western Armenian, is still alive.

Did you know? In Yerevan, a statue of Mashtots stands in front of the Matenadaran, the ancient manuscripts institute named after him.

Words to listen to

Romanization	Armenian	Meaning
Mush	Մուշ	Mush, near Mashtots’s birthplace
Urha	Ուռհա	Urha, Edessa
Samosat	Սամոսատ	Samosata
arevmtahayeren	արևմտահայերեն	Western Armenian

Tap a row’s button to hear the word. Romanization and audio come from the app (Eastern Armenian).