The collection consists of 17,214 manuscripts of the 5th-19th centuries devoted to the history, science, culture, political and economical life of Armenia and its neighboring and far away countries. 14,123 are Armenian manuscripts and the other 3,091 are in Greek, Latin, Persian, Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopian, Hebrew, Georgian and other languages.
List of cultural values pertaining to the Matenadaran with the right of charge-free utilization
| Name of the Collection | Number of Catalogues | Number of Units | |
| I | Manuscripts | 39 | 17,214 |
| II | Archive Documents | 101/112 | 100,517 |
| III | Printed Books | 55 | 96,524 |
| IV | Old and New Periodicals | 10 | 29,318 |
| V | Other Cultural Values | 1 | 17 |
| All Collections Together | 205 | 243,413 |
Works aimed to the realization of the “Program of the Matenadaran Manuscripts Digitalization and Electronic Database Creating” will meantime be carried out only with the 17.000 units of the medieval manuscript collections.
The collections of the Matenadaran Armenian and foreign manuscripts consist of the following:
| Collections |
Quantity as to the 31.12.2006 |
| I. Armenian manuscripts |
11,150 |
| II. Armenian new manuscripts |
367 |
| III. Armenian talismans |
484 |
| IV. Fragments of Armenian manuscripts |
2,122 |
| V. Manuscripts in Arabic script |
2,236 |
| VI. Talismans in Arabic script |
54 |
| VII. Fragments of manuscripts in Arabic script |
138 |
| VIII. Manuscripts in other languages |
345 |
| IX. Fragments of manuscripts in other languages |
141 |
| X. Unprinted catalogues of manuscripts |
177 |
| Total |
17,214 |
Chronological picture of the main collection of Armenian manuscripts
| Centuries |
Units |
| 5th-10th |
25 |
| 11th |
20 |
| 12th |
70 |
| 13th |
377 |
| 14th |
768 |
| 15th |
1243 |
| 16th |
1040 |
| 17th |
3880 |
| 18th |
2431 |
| 19th |
1824 |
| 20th |
25 |
| Total |
11703* |
* This list takes into consideration the cases of two manuscripts of different times bound together. Such manuscripts have only one inventory number in the Matenadaran lists, entry registers, main catalogues, inscriptions and electronic database, but in manuscript descriptions they are divided in alphabetic order. So in chronological order the number of manuscripts is 11,703 instead of 11,150 of the first list.
Contents picture of the main collection of Armenian manuscripts
| Name of the manuscript |
Quantity |
| Book of Adam |
2 |
| Genealogy of Armenian Kings |
2 |
| Astrology, Pharmacopoeia, Fortune telling |
91 |
| Astrology |
12 |
| Open Source |
37 |
| Prayer Book |
73 |
| ABC Book |
3 |
| Analogy |
15 |
| Useless to Ignorant |
17 |
| Forest of Allegories |
5 |
| Forest of New Reflections |
29 |
| Theology |
47 |
| Bible |
60 |
| Art and Crafts |
11 |
| Gospel |
1785 |
| Poetry, Poems, Riddles |
96 |
| Dictionary |
81 |
| Medical Book, Natural Sciences |
361 |
| Gandzaran (Festive Chants) |
186 |
| Book of Questions |
83 |
| Miscellany |
4428* |
| Missal |
137 |
| Book of Armenian Canons |
65 |
| Talisman |
92 |
| Lectionary |
165 |
| Homilies |
120 |
| Manrusmunk (Theory of Musical Composition) |
57 |
| Ritual Mashtots |
992 |
| Fragment of Bible |
72 |
| Book of Lamentation |
76 |
| Bibliography |
121 |
| Commentary |
570 |
| Synaxary |
303 |
| Hymnal |
429 |
| Psalter |
176 |
| Holy Fathers’ Life |
52 |
| Chants |
185 |
| Tonatsuyts (Church Calendar) |
110 |
| Book of Sermons |
445 |
| Grammar |
62 |
| Samples of Writing |
50 |
| Total |
11703 |
* A noticeable part of valuable texts are contained in Miscellanies. A part of the abovementioned texts are repeated in Miscellanies alongside with historical, philosophical, biological, medical texts, translations and commentaries of philosophical works, as well as texts devoted to the theory of calendar.
