Armenian prayer scrolls (hmayils)
Published: 1690
Language: arm
Subjects: Prayers and devotions; Medicine, Magic, mystic, and spagiric; Armenian Manuscripts; Armenian Church
Other titles: Hmayils; Hmayilner
Description: 1. Prayer scroll, 1690 AD (ALMA 1992.108.1) “This elaborate example is comparable to an illuminated manuscript, and would have been commissioned by a wealthy merchant. An inscription notes ‘Made in Istanbul by the monk Giragos in September 1139 [1690 CE].’” 2. Prayer scroll, 19th century (ALMA 1991.128) “Crudely executed, this scroll was probably created by a poorly educated parish priest .... It was placed under the pillow of newborns to ward off harm.” 3. Printed prayer scroll, 19th century (ALMA 1995.112) “Hand-copied prayer scrolls were expensive due to the time, artistic ability and effort required to produce it and were originally limited to the wealthy classes. In the late 18th century Armenian printers began to produce printed copies that were less expensive. These followed the traditional format of prayers. These printed copies were widely distributed, but few copies survive due to their fragility, heavy use and poor-quality paper.”--From ALMA's captions for the museum items.
Notes: Scroll [1] (paper), ALMA 1992.108.1 (1991.358): 11 cm x 8.1 m; scroll [2] (paper), ALMA 1991.128: 10 cm x 5.5 m (with cloth case); scroll [3] (paper), ALMA 1995.112: 11 cm x 6 m (with cloth case); scroll [4] (paper), ALMA 1993.226: 11 cm x 5.9 m; scroll [5] (parchment), ALMA 1986.420: 7 cm x 3.6 m; scroll [6] (paper), ALMA 1986.404: 7 cm x 1.6 m; scroll [7] (paper; incomplete), ALMA 1986.405: 8 cm x 2.6 m.

Digital images created under agreement with the scrolls' owner, the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA), 2012-2013.