The Archive of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography is not only a storage for valuable cultural materials gathered by prominent archeologists, anthropologists and folklorists and amateur collectors but also a laboratory for scholarly ideas.

The Archive has 4 basic collections:

1. Materials of archeological expeditions and researches in archaeology;
2. Ethnographic materials;
3. Folk-lore;
4.  Music notes and recordings.
    

Since 2011 the working team of the archive executes the research under the common title “Sacred Places and Pilgrimage in Armenia”. Due to its interdisciplinary character, the research involves many scholars of different departments of the IAE.

Members of the Archive’s team:

Lilit Simonian, PhD in history (ethnography)
Karen Hovhannisyan, PhD in history (ethnography)
Liana Avetisyan
Hayk Hakobyan, PhD in history (epigraphy)

Gohar Ghazaryan also participated in the program “Sacred Manuscripts and Old Print Books”.

At present, a collective monograph entitled “Home saint manuscripts and Early Printed Books” is being prepared including descriptions of the manuscripts and miscellaneous materials on shrines and sanctuaries devoted to the books considered as saints, pilgrimages, rites being performed around them, folk-lore concerning them and oral tradition telling about miracles of them.