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Yerevan

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Yerevan (Armenian: Երևան or Երեւան), sometimes written as Erevan, former names include Erebuni and Erivan - is the largest city and capital of Armenia. It is situated on the Hrazdan River, and is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country. The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the Urartian fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC. Eventually, the name Erebuni evolved in the Armenian language in the 5th or 4th century BC, with the letter b in the name, for example, becoming v .

History

Early history

According to Armenian tradition, the name of Yerevan is derived from an expression exclaimed by Noah in Armenian while looking in the direction of Yerevan, after the ark had landed on Mount Ararat and after the flood waters had receded: "Yerevants!" ("it appeared!"). The more plausible theory on the origin of the name is that the city was named after the Armenian king, Yervand the Third (the Last), the last leader of the Orontid Dynasty and founder of the city of Yervandashat.

The territory of Yerevan was settled in the fourth millennium BC, fortified settlements from the Bronze Age include Shengavit, Tsitsernakaberd, Karmir Blur, Arin Berd, Karmir Berd and Berdadzor. Archaeological evidence indicates that an Urartian military fortress called Erebuni (Էրեբունի) was founded in 782 BC by the orders of King Argishtis I at the site of current-day Yerevan, to serve as a fort and citadel guarding against attacks from the north Caucasus. Yerevan is thus one of the most ancient cities in the world. During the height of Urartian power, irrigation canals and an artificial reservoir were built on Yerevan's territory.

Between the sixth and fourth centuries BC, Yerevan was one of the main centers of the Armenian satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire. In 585 BC, the fortress of Teishebaini (Karmir Blur), thirty miles to the north of Yerevan, was destroyed by the Scythians.

Due to the absence of historical data, the timespan between fourth century BC and third century AD is known as the Yerevan Dark Ages. The first church in Yerevan, the church of St. Peter and Paul, was built in the fifth century however it collapsed in 1931.

Foreign occupation

In 658 AD, Yerevan was conquered, during the height of Arab invasions. Since then the site has been strategically important as a crossroads for the caravan routes passing between Europe and India. It has been known as "Yerevan" since at least the seventh century AD. Between the ninth and eleventh centuries, Yerevan was a secure part of the Armenian Bagratuni Kingdom, before being overrun by Seljuks. The city was seized and pillaged by Tamerlane in 1387 and subsequently became an administrative center of the Ilkhanate. Due to its strategic significance, Yerevan was constantly fought over and passed back and forth between the dominion of Persia and the Ottomans.

At the height of the Turkish-Persian wars, the city changed hands fourteen times between 1513 and 1737. In 1604, under the order of Shah Abbas I, tens of thousands of Armenians (including citizens of Yerevan) were deported to Persia. As a consequence, Yerevan's khanat population became 80 percent Muslim (Persians, Turco-Mongols, Kurds) and 20 percent native Armenian. Muslims were either sedentary, semi-sedentary, or nomadic. Armenians lived in Erevan or the villages. The Armenians dominated the various professions and trade in the area and were of great economic significance to the Persian administration. The Ottomans, Safavids and Ilkhanids all maintained a mint in Yerevan. During the 1670s, the Frenchman Jean Chardin visited Yerevan and gave a description of the city in his Travels of Cavalier Chardin in Transcaucasia in 1672-1673. On June 7, 1679, a devastating earthquake razed the city to the ground. During the Safavid Dynasty rule, Yerevan and adjacent territories were part of the Chukhursaad (Irevan) Beglerbekate. Starting from 1747, it was part of the Erivan khanate, a Muslim principality under the dominion of the Persian Empire. This lasted until 1828 when the region was incorporated into Russian Empire.

Russian governance

During the second Russian-Persian war, Yerevan was liberated, by Russian troops under Ivan Paskevich on 1 October, 1827. It was formally ceded by the Persians in 1828. Following the Treaty of Turkmenchay, Tsarist Russia sponsored Armenian resettlement from Persia and Turkey; by the turn of the twentieth century, Yerevan's population was over 29,000, of which 49% were Azerbaijani (described by Russian sources as "Azerbaijani Tatars"), 48% Armenian and 2% Russian. It served as the seat of the newly-formed Armenian oblast and subsequently the Erivan Governorate.

The city began to grow economically and politically, with old buildings torn down and new buildings in European style erected in their place. In 1829, Armenian repatriates from Persia were resettled in the city and a new quarter was built. By the time of Nicholas I's visit in 1837, Yerevan had become a uyezd.

The first general plan of the city was made in 1854, during which time the women's colleges of St. Hripsime and St. Gayane were opened and the English Garden built. In 1874, Zacharia Gevorkian opened Yerevan's first printing house and in 1879 the first theatre, sited near the church of St. Peter and Paul, was established. Two years into the twentieth century, a railway line linked Yerevan with Alexandropol, Tiflis and Julfa, the same year Yerevan's first public library opened. In 1913, a telephone line with eighty subscribers became operational.

Brief independence (1917–1920)

The Russian Empire ended in the October Revolution of 1917. In the aftermath, Armenian, Georgian and Muslim leaders of Transcaucasia united to form the Transcaucasian Federation and proclaimed Transcaucasia's secession.

The Federation, however, was short-lived and on May 28, 1918, Yerevan became the capital of the Democratic Republic of Armenia. On November 29, 1920, the Bolshevik 11th Red Army occupied Yerevan during the Russian Civil War. Although nationalist forces managed to retake the city in February 1921, the city once again fell to Soviet forces on April 2, 1921.

Soviet Yerevan

Yerevan became the capital of the newly formed Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union. The Soviet era transformed the city into a modern industrial metropolis of over a million people, developed according to the prominent Armenian architect Alexander Tamanian's designs. Yerevan also became a significant scientific and cultural center.

Tamanian incorporated national traditions with contemporary urban construction. His design presented a radial-circular arrangement that overlaid the existing city. As a result, many historic buildings were demolished, including churches, mosques, the Persian fortress, baths, bazaars and caravanserais. Many of the surrounding districts around Yerevan were named after former Armenian communities that were decimated by the Ottoman Turks during the Armenian Genocide. The districts of Malatya-Sebastia and Nork Marash, for example, were named after the towns Malatya, Sivas, Turkey, and Marash, respectively. Following the end of the Second World War, German POWs were used to help in the construction of new buildings and structures, such as the Kievyan Bridge.

In 1965, during the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Yerevan was the center of a 24-hour mass anti-Soviet protest, the first such demonstration in the Soviet Union, to demand recognition of the Genocide by the Soviet authorities. In 1968, the city's 2,750th anniversary was commemorated.

Post-USSR independence

Following the end of the Soviet Union, Yerevan became the capital of the Republic of Armenia on September 21, 1991. Maintaining supplies of gas and electricity proved difficult; a constant elecricity was not restored until 1996. Also in the last five years, central Yerevan has been transformed into a vast construction site, with cranes seemingly outnumbering trees. Officially, the scores of multi-storied buildings are part of large-scale urban planning projects. Roughly $1.8 billion was spent on such construction in 2006, according to the national statistical service. Prices for downtown apartments have increased by about ten times over the last decade, realtors say. However some experts have voiced their opinions, and have asserted that many of the new edifices violate urban planning and earthquake safety requirements.

The long history of ethnic conflict and border-shifting between Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Persia, and Turkey deeply embittered the relations between the two first countries, even going to the point that one country denies the other’s right to exist. In 2008, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev declared that “Nagorno Karabakh will never be independent; the position is backed by international mediators as well; Armenia has to accept the reality” and that “in 1918, Yerevan was granted to the Armenians. It was a great mistake. The khanate of Iravan was the Azeri territory, the Armenians were guests here”.

Geography

Yerevan is located in Eastern Armenia in the north-eastern part of the Ararat Valley. The upper part of the city is surrounded by mountains on three sides while to the south it descends to the banks of the river Hrazdan, a tributary of the river Arax. The Hrazdan divides Yerevan in two within a picturesque canyon. The city's elevation ranges between 900 to 1,300 m (3,000 to 4,300 ft) above sea level.

As the capital of Armenia, Yerevan is not part of any marz ("province"). Instead, it borders the following marzer: Kotayk (north), Ararat (south), Armavir (southwest) and Aragatsotn (northwest).

Climate

The climate of Yerevan is relatively continental, with dry, hot summers and cold and short winters. The temperature in August can reach 40 °C (104 °F), while January may be as cold as -15 °C (5 °F). The amount of precipitation is small, amounting annually to about 350 mm (14 in).

Culture

As a centre of Armenian culture, Yerevan is the site of Yerevan State University (1919), the Armenian Academy of Sciences, a historical museum, an opera house, a music conservatory and several technical institutes. The Matenadaran archives hold a rich collection of valuable ancient Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, Hebrew, Roman and Persian manuscripts. Yerevan has several large public libraries, a number of museums and theaters, botanical gardens and zoos. It is also at the heart of an extensive rail network and is a major trading centre for agricultural products. In addition, industries in the city produce metals, machine tools, electrical equipment, chemicals, textiles and food products. Two major tourist attractions are the Opera House, the ruins of an Urartu fortress and a Roman fortress. The Armenia Marriott Hotel is situated in the heart of the city at Republic Square (also known as Hraparak).

Transportation

Air

Yerevan is served by the Zvartnots International Airport, located 10 km west of the city center. The airport was bought by multi-millionaire Argentine-Armenian businessman Eduardo Eurnekian. It went through a facelift starting in 2004, with the opening of a new terminal in 2007, costing more than $100 million USD.

A second airport, Erebuni Airport, is located just south of the city, but is mainly used by the military.

Bus

Since 1949, trolleybuses operate the streets of Yerevan. The city used to have tramways as well, but these were decommissioned in January, 2004.

Metro

The Yerevan Metro is a rapid transit system that serves the capital city. Its interior resembles that of western former Soviet nations with chandeliers hanging from the corridors. The metro stations had most of their names changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Independence of the Republic of Armenia.

Economy

Yerevan is Armenia's industrial, transportation, and cultural center. Manufactures include chemicals, primary metals, machinery, rubber products, plastics, textiles, and processed food. Not only is Yerevan the headquarters of major Armenian companies, but of international ones as well, as it's seen as an attractive outsourcing location for Western European, Russian and American multinationals. Recently, Lycos moved its headquarters from Paris to Yerevan. Yerevan is also the country's financial hub, home to the Armenian National Bank, the Armenian Stock Exchange, as well as some of the country's largest commercial banks.

Development

Recently, Yerevan has been undergoing an ambitious redevelopment process in which old Soviet-style apartments and buildings are being demolished and replaced with modern buildings. Armenia is positioning itself as a prime tourist attraction, with Yerevan, among the other large cities, looking to profit from new opportunities. However, this urban renewal plan has been met with opposition and () criticism from some residents. Jermaine Jackson has planned to build an entertainment complex in a new 5-star hotel which is being built in the city.

Mayors of Yerevan

Soviet Armenia (1922-1991)

Republic of Armenia (1991-Present)

Monuments, movie theaters and other buildings

Cascades Massive white steps that ascend from downtown Yerevan towards Haghtanak Park (Victory Park).
Cossack Monument A monument to the Cossacks killed during the Russian-Persian wars in 1826-1827.
Hamalir Concert hall and sports complex.
Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Manuscripts. One of the richest depositories of manuscripts and books in the world.
Moscow Cinema (Kino Moskva) Famous movie theater.
Mother Armenia A statue located in Haghtanak Park (Victory Park).
Nairi Cinema (Kino Nairi) Famous movie theater.
Pantheon Cemetery Cemetery where many famous Armenians are buried.
Sasuntsi Davit A statue dedicated to a famous Armenian hero.
Statue of Hayk Statue of a legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation.
Tsitsernakaberd Monument commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Yerablur Cemetery where Armenians that fought in the Nagorno-Karabakh War are buried.
Yerevan Zoo Yerevan zoo.

City districts

Yerevan is divided into several districts, each with an elected community leader: * Named for the town Arabkir.

Sister cities

Currently, Yerevan has twenty-eight sister cities.

City Country Year

Moscow Russia

Rostov-on-Don Russia

Saint Petersburg Russia

Stavropol Russia

Volgograd Russia From 1998
Lyon France

Nice France From 2007
Marseille France

Paris France From 1998
Carrara Italy From 1965
Florence Italy

Kiev Ukraine

Odessa Ukraine

Los Angeles United States From 2006
Cambridge, MA United States

Buenos Aires Argentina

São Paulo Brazil From 1999
Montreal Canada
Athens Greece

Bratislava Slovakia

Chişinău Moldova

Minsk Belarus

Podgorica Montenegro From 2006
Tbilisi Georgia

Beirut Lebanon

Damascus Syria

Isfahan Iran

Antananarivo Madagascar

Education

Universities

Universities in Yerevan include:

Institute Official website Date
established 		Student
population
American University of Armenia AUA http://www.aua.am 1991 268
Eurasia International University EIU http://eurasiaiu.com/en/eiu 1996 550
State Engineering University of Armenia SEUA http://www.seua.am 1933 10,000
Yerevan State University YSU http://www.ysu.am May 16, 1919 10,450
Yerevan State Linguistic University YSLU http://www.brusov.am February 4, 1935
Yerevan State Medical University YSMU http://www.ysmu.am 1930
Yerevan State Musical Conservatory YSC http://www.conservatory.am 1921
Yerevan State Pedagogical University YSPU 1922
Russian-Armenian State University RAU http://www.rau.am August 29, 1997 1,600

Sports

Football (soccer) teams

Club Stadium
FC Ararat Yerevan Hrazdan Stadium
FC Banants Banants Stadium
FC Kilikia Yerevan Hrazdan Stadium
FC Uliss Yerevan Kazak Stadium
FC MIKA Mika Stadium
FC Pyunik Hanrapetakan Stadium
Yerevan United FC Hanrapetakan Stadium
FC Dinamo Yerevan
Erebuni Yerevan
Kanaz Yerevan
Lernayin Artsakh
Malatia Yerevan
Nairit Yerevan
Van Yerevan
Yerazank Yerevan
FC Yerevan

Notable people

Notable people who are from or have resided in Yerevan:

Gallery

Yerevan

Historical photographs of Yerevan under Imperial Russia

See also

Footnotes

References

  • The capitals of Armenia, Sergey Vardanyan, Apolo 1995 , ISBN 5-8079-0778-7
  • My Yerevan, G. Zakoyan, M. Sivaslian, V. Navasardian, Acnalis 2001, ISBN 99930-902-0-4

External links



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Last updated on Wednesday March 05, 2008 at 05:53:41 PST (GMT -0800)
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