The First Printed Book in Iran Was Published in Armenian

In Isfahan, at the entrance to the Armenian Cathedral of the Savior which the Iranians call Vank (Armenian: monastery), a statue of a man in a hood holding a small object in his hands stands.

“Behind this statue is the story of the great contribution of Armenians to the development of Iran under the Safavids,” writes Italian journalist Simone Zoppellaro in the Iranian “Pars Today.”

“The statue depicts Khachatur Kecharetsi (1590-1646), bishop of New Jugha, once a suburb of Isfahan that merged into the city. Khachatur is associated with one of the most amazing stories of its time – the history of the birth of printing in Iran,” notes Simone Zoppellaro.

According to the journalist, the Armenians began to be interested in the printing business almost from the time of its foundation. They realized that typography was the best way to preserve their language, culture, and religion.

“The first printed book in Iran was the ‘Psalms of David’ in Armenian printed in 1638. And in 1641, a collection was published with the lives of the fathers of the Armenian Church,” writes the Italian journalist.

Read also: The First Iranian Printing Press Was Made by Armenians in the 1630s