Երեւակելով պատմությունը. Երուսաղեմի հայկական լուսանկարչությունը 19-դարի վերջին և 20-րդ դարի սկզբին

The Armenian photographic heritage of Jerusalem occupies a special place in the history of Middle Eastern photography. As Christians, the Armenians and Greeks founded the first Ottoman studios because, while there was a portrait tradition in royal circles, the Islamic faith frowned on the portrayal of the human body, and Muslims were unwilling to be photographed. The Armenians who were accomplished painters and craftspeople (such as goldsmiths) were also well-known as pharmacists and chemists. Armenians with a knowledge of chemistry were generally required for the Daguerreotype process, thus becoming the first photographers in the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian patriarch of St. James Monastery, Yessayi Garabedian, was the first to practice the photographic craft. He even opened a studio and taught youngsters photography, in this way ensuring the continuation of the craft. The study of the role of Armenians in the ecumenical environment of Jerusalem through the lens of history and the philosophy of photography reveals that they were in the position of mediators. While being photographed by Westerners in the context of Orientalism, they themselves photographed local people, thus Orientalizing them. The position of Armenian photographers in both historical and ontological contexts contributes to a broad understanding of the Armenian diasporic presence in the region over centuries.