In 1915, my great-grandmother was photographed in Aleppo. That single image — faded, creased, barely 3 inches wide — is the only proof her village existed.

This is why Project Save exists.

Since 1975, we've been collecting, digitizing, and preserving photographs from the Armenian experience around the world. Wedding portraits from Buenos Aires. Street scenes from Beirut. Family albums from Fresno. Church records from Isfahan.

150,000+ photographs. 165 years of history. Six continents.

Most of these images exist nowhere else. When the last copy fades or the last hard drive fails, that history is gone forever.

We're building a community of people who believe this heritage matters — historians, photographers, diaspora families, and anyone who understands that a photograph isn't just an image. It's evidence that someone lived, loved, and mattered.

If that resonates with you, join us. Every donation goes directly to digitization, preservation, and making this archive accessible to future generations.

In 1975, Ruth Thomasian needed photos of Armenian clothing to costume a play. What she found instead changed everything — people didn't just hand over photos, they told her the stories behind them. Families opened drawers they hadn't touched in decades. Grandparents narrated entire lifetimes through faded prints.

50 years later, Project Save holds over 150,000 photographs spanning six continents and 165 years of Armenian life.

Here's the thing most people don't realize about archives: a photograph without a story is just an image. A photograph with a story is proof that someone lived.

In an age of deepfakes and AI-generated content, original historical photographs are more valuable than ever. They're physical artifacts that can't be disputed. When someone holds up a glass plate negative from 1910 Sivas — that's not Photoshop. That's evidence.

We're building a community here for anyone who cares about this mission. Armenian diaspora members, history lovers, researchers, and anyone who believes that preserving the past is how we protect the future.

If that's you, we'd love to have you.