It all started with a jug to plant flowers in.

That was five years ago and Narek remembers that the jug, a gift from a friend, never served that purpose. But Narek’s love for old household items grew instead of the flowers.

Narek Davtyan, 24, lives Shirak’s Horom village. He’s turned one of the rooms in the house into a temporary museum featuring scores of old copper items.

Russian and Persian items are also on display next to old Armenian pots, pans, vessels and household implements of every kind.

A copper hammered sherbet jug (photo left) once used in the Persian royal court, is Narek’s pride and joy.

Narek says that most of the items in the collection were made and used in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Most of the saucepans, spinning wheels and items to decorate “gata” cakes are from the villages of Abaran and Talin.

The 20 liter water vessel, weighing eight kilograms, was used in the 1880s to transport water from the local spring.

Armineh, Narek’s wife, displays another large water jug.

The copper trays displayed on the wall are fairly heavy. They were used to carry fruits and presents to the home of the groom on the wedding day.

One of the two cradles in the collection once belonged to Grandpa Haykaz of Horom. He slept in it as a child.

Narek obtained the moccasins from Idjevan.

The wagon stationed in the yard transported invited guests from Aleppo to Akhalkalak for a wedding sometime in the early 19^th century. It was then gifted to the family as a dowry present.

Some of the items in Narek’s collection are for sale. “If I don’t sell some items I won’t be able to get other items for the museum. A few days ago some people from a local village came and purchased a Russian spinning wheel. They were good people. I sold it at cost.”

Narek and Armineh, a young couple, with four kids of their own, want to open a museum in order to properly display their collection.

“The mayor promised he would help,” Narek says.