Goddess Anahit Statue to Be Displayed in Yerevan for First Time

YEREVAN — The head of the statue of Goddess Anahit kept in the British Museum will be exhibited in Yerevan for the first time in September 2024 thanks to an agreement reached between the Museum of the History of Armenia and the British Museum

The worship of the Goddess Anahit in the Armenian Highlands began from time immemorial and was closely related to the worship of motherhood.

The main temple of Anahit was located in Yeriza town in Upper Armenia. The temple was looted in 34 B.C. during the invasion of the Roman general Mark Antony. His soldiers broke the huge golden statue of Anahit and took it to Rome.

Rumors say the first soldier who attacked the statue of Anahit went blind, then went mad and died.

The relics kept in the British Museum were found at the end of the 19th century in Yerznka by a peasant during farming. The relics of the statue were moved to England under unclear circumstances, and the copy is kept in the Museum of the History of Armenia.