The province is named after the ancient city ofArmavir founded in 331 BC. The province is also the site of the decisiveBattle of Sardarabad in 1918 that resulted in the foundation of theRepublic of Armenia. The battle is seen as a crucial historical event not only in stopping the Turkish advance into the rest of Armenia but also preventing the completedestruction of the Armenian nation.[5]
Armavir has an area of 1,242 km2 (4.2% of total area of Armenia) making it the smallest province of the country in terms of the total area. It is bordered by theTurkish provinces ofKars from the west andIğdır from the south, with a length of 130.5 km borderline, whereAras River separates Armenia from Turkey. Domestically, it is bordered byAragatsotn Province from the north,Ararat Province from the east and the capitalYerevan from the northeast.
Historically, the current territory of the province mainly occupies the canton ofAragatsotn, along with small parts ofArsharunik andMasyatsotn cantons of theAyrarat province of Ancient Armenia.
The province is entirely located at the heart of theArarat plain, mainly consisted of agricultural lands, with an average height of 850 meters above sea level, with some plains reaching up to 1,200 meters.
Metsamor river (also known as Sevjur river) is the only river that originates from the province. The smalllake of Ayger located near theAknalich village, is among the few water surfaces of the province.
Armavir Province is characterized with drycontinental climate, with hot summers and mildly cold winters.
Standing stones at the ruins ofMetsamor Castle dating back to the 5th millennium BC
The territory of ancient Armavir was inhabited since the 5th millennium BC. Many sites including theMetsamor Castle, Shresh hill and Mokhrablur hill date back to theNeolithic period. The ancientUrartian settlement ofArgishtikhinili was founded in 776 BC by kingArgishti I. One of the oldest written records about the region was found in the inscriptions left by theUrartian kingRusa II (685–645 BC). It is believed that the town ofVagharshapat was founded by kingRusa II in 685 BC asKuarlini (Կուարլինի).
According toMovses Khorenatsi, the territories of modern-day Armavir Province mainly occupy the central part of the historicAyrarat province at the centre of theArmenian Highland. It contains parts of theAragatsotn canton along with small parts of theArsharunik andMasyatsotn. The territory was among the most important regions of ancient Armenia since the Urartu period. Its strategic importance had significantly grown with the establishment of theKingdom of Armenia in 331 BC by theOrontid dynasty.
3 of the historic capital of Armenia are located in modern-day Armavir. The ancient city ofArmavir became the capital in 331 BC until 210 BC. It was replaced by the nearby city ofYervandashat which remained the capital of the kingdom until 176 BC, under the reign of theArtaxiad dynasty. Between 120 and 330 AD, the capital of the kingdom was the city ofVagharshapat under theArsacid dynasty.
After the Christianization of Armenia in 301, Vagharshapat became the spiritual centre of the Armenians worldwide. In 405,Mesrop Mashtots introduced the newly createdArmenian alphabet to the Armenians in Vagharshapat. After the fall of the Armenian Kingdom in 428, the region became part of theSasanian Empire of Persia until theArab conquest of Armenia in the mid-7th century.
By the end of the 9th century, the region became part of the newly establishedBagratid Kingdom of Armenia. Between the 11th and 15th centuries, the region suffered from the Seljuk, Mongol,Ag Qoyunlu andKara Koyunlu invasions, respectively. However, the town of Vagharshapat restored its importance in 1441 when the seat of the Armenian Catholicosate was transferred from theCilician city ofSis back toEtchmiadzin.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the territory of modern-day Armavir became part of theErivan Beglarbegi within theSafavid Persia except brief Ottoman rules duringOttoman-Persian Wars between 1514 and 1736. During the first half of the 18th century, the territory became part of theErivan Khanate under the rule of theAfsharid dynasty and later under theQajar dynasty of Persia. It remained under the Persian rule until 1827–1828, when Eastern Armenia was ceded by theRussian Empire as a result of theRusso-Persian War of 1826–28 and the signing of theTreaty of Turkmenchay.
Thememorial dedicated to the Armenian victory at the battle of Sardarabad nearAraks
After the fall of theRussian Empire in 1917, theOttoman Army intended to crush Armenia and seize the Russian Transcaucasia and the oil wells ofBaku. In May 1918, the Ottoman forces attacked Eastern Armenia in 3 fronts. At the northern front, the Ottomans reached Karakilisa (nowadaysVanadzor) on May 20 almost without resistance. The 2nd front was through the town ofAparan while the 3rd and largest front was through the town of Sardarabad (nowadaysAraks) in the Armavir region. On May 21, the detachment ofZihni Bey defeated an Armenian unit composed of 600 infantry and 250 cavalry, and then took over Sardarabad.[6] Afterwards, the Ottoman forces advanced towards the village ofYeghegnut. The Armenian offensive led byDaniel Bek-Pirumian andMovses Silikyan was launched in 22 May. As a result of the decisive Armenian victories over the Turks on the 3 fronts ofSardarabad,Abaran, andGharakilisa, the Armavir region became part of theindependent Armenia by the end of May 1918.
After 2 years of brief independence, Armenia became part of theSoviet Union in December 1920. From 1930 until 1995, modern-day Armavir was divided into 3raions within theArmenian SSR:Baghramyan raion,Hoktemberyan raion, andEtchmiadzin raion. With the territorial administration reform of 1995, the 3 raions were merged to form the Armavir Province.
According to the1989 Soviet census, the Armavir Province (then part of theBaghramyan,Armavir, andEtchmiadzin districts in 1930–1995)[7] had a population of 291,647. 107,397 or 36.82% of which was urban, distributed in the cities of Hoktemberyan (46,857) and Etchmiadzin (60,540), and 184,250 or 63.18% were rural, distributed in the districts of Baghramyan (20,438), Armavir (84,314), and Etchmiadzin (79,498).[8]
According to the 2022 official census, Armavir has a population of 253,493 (122,939 men and 126,043 women), forming around 8.6% of the entire population of Armenia. The urban population is 80,779 (31.9%) and the rural is 172,714 (68.1%). The province has 3 urban and 94 rural communities. The largest urban community is the town of Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), with a population of 44,837. The other urban centres are Armavir and Metsamor.[2]
With a population of 5,584, the village ofParakar is the largest rural municipality of Armavir.
Saint Gregory of Narek CathedralThe Yazidi Temple of AknalichQuba Mere Diwane temple
The majority of the Armavir Province population are ethnic Armenians who belong to theArmenian Apostolic Church. The regulating body of the church is theDiocese of Armavir, headed by Bishop Sion Adamyan. The Saint Gregory of Narek Cathedral in the town of Armavir is the seat of the diocese.
Armavir Province is currently divided into 7 communities (hamaynkner), formed as a result of the local elections held on December 5, 2021, in the province :[13][14][15]
A cross denotes a town (urban settlement), otherwise, the settlements are villages (rural settlements).
Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Manuscript DepositoryMusa Dagh resistance memorial
Armavir is among the richest cultural centres of the Republic of Armenia. The urban settlements of the province are home to cultural palaces as well as many public libraries. However, during the Soviet period, there were 98 public libraries in Armavir with only 21 of them are still functioning.
The town of Vagharshapat is home to a large number of museums including the Vagharshapat ethnographic museum, Khoren Ter-Harutyunyan museum and art gallery, Mher Abeghian museum and art gallery, and Hovhannes Hovhannisyan house-museum. Many museums and libraries are housed in the complex of theMother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, including:
Etchmiadzin Cathedral Museum,
Catholicosal Museum,
Khrimian Museum,
Alex and Marie Manoogian Treasury House,
Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Manuscript Depository,
Printing house and Bookstore of the Mother See.
Rouben Sevak Museum
The village ofMusaler is home to the annual celebration of theMusa Dagh resistance, when thousands of Armenians from all over the world arrive in the village each year during the month of September, to celebrate the event around the Musa Dagh memorial.
The province is connected with Yerevan and southern Armenia through the M-5 Motorway, while the M-3 Motorway connects Armavir with northern Armenia.
The town of Armavir was founded as a railway station connecting Yerevan with Gyumri and northern Armenia. The station was renovated during the 1st decade of the 21st century. In November 2009, the station was provided with anelectric locomotive that connects Armavir with theAragatsavan station and the northwestern Armenia.[23]
Occupying a major part of the fertileArarat plain, Armavir Province has a major contribution in the agricultural sector of the Republic of Armenia. The economy of the province is largely based on agriculture, including farming and cattle-breeding. Around 78% (970 km2) of the total area of the province arearable lands, out of which 40% (388 km2) are ploughed.[24] The main crops are grapes, apricot, peach, plum, grains, dry seeds and vegetables. Currently, the province has a contribution of 17.8% in the annual total agricultural product of Armenia. Armavir is among the leading provinces of Armenia inwine production in terms of grape cultivation and wine export (along with Ararat and Vayots Dzor).
The Baghramyan and Arax poultry farms are located in the villages ofMyasnikyan andJrarbi respectively.
Recently,fish farming has significantly developed in the province.[25]
Starting 2004Children of Armenia Fund started to work in Armavir region,Karakert. While asking for a glass of water from an old man sitting in front of his house, Dr. Armen learned that the villagers had to buydrinking water from the nearest city. This shock and the long conversation that followed determined Karakert as the location for Children of Armenia Fund to begin their work; starting by addressing the lack of water, heating, toilets and other infrastructure improvements necessary for communities and schools. In 2004, with the organization's first donations, COAF began the renovation of the Karakert village school.[26]
The drastic changes in Karakert inspired nearby villages in Armavir to join COAF programs. COAF started to work in a cluster approach, grouping nearby villages for infrastructure improvements and programs. In 2006, COAF grew to 18 villages in Armavir, implementing the organization's style of community engaged programs, growing to include healthy lifestyle curriculum in schools, after school clubs, psychological support, youth empowerment, as well as professional trainings and supervision by COAF experts.
The province has a contribution of 4% in the annual total industrial product of Armenia.[27] The industry of the province is mainly based on food-processing and alcoholic drinks. The town of Vagharshapat was home to the 1st paper factory in the history of Armenia. In 1780, CatholicosSimeon I of Yerevan founded theEtchmiadzin Paper Factory which only served for 6 years.
TheMetsamor Nuclear Power Plant is the largest plant in Armavir and the entire republic. It was opened in 1969 near the town ofMetsamor and produces around 40% of the consumed electricity in Armenia.
The ancient city ofArgishtikhinili located within the territories of Armavir Province, was a major centre for wine production. Large storage areas for wine and grains were found by archaeologists within the fortifications of the ancient town dating back to the 8th century BC.[28] The wine produced in Armavir is mainly from the vineyards of theArarat plain.
Ejmiadzin became an important industrial centre during the Soviet years. It was home to 4 major industrial firms specialized in the production of military technology. However, the productivity of the plants declined after the fall of the Soviet Union. Currently, the largest industrial firms of the town are the "Echmiadzin Instrument Making Factory" founded in 1966, the "E.P.G. Echmiadzin Cannery" founded in 1969, the "Echmiadzin Kat" dairy factory founded in 1997, the "Sonimol" plant for grains founded in 2001, and the "Ekologia V.K.H." biological waste destruction plant founded in 2009.[30]
Being close the capitalYerevan, the villages ofParakar andTairov are home to a large number of small and middle-size plants, including furniture manufacturing workshops and producers of polymeric materials. The village ofMusaler is home to a factory for polyethylene products and a plant for heavy-duty paper products. The village ofMerdzavan has a clothing and sewing factory.
Although it is thespiritual and religious centre of the Armenian nation worldwide, the tourism services in the province are not developed enough.[24] However, being home to theZvartnots International Airport, Parakar is home to many gambling houses and night clubs.
TheVordan Karmir Sanctuary is the only protected natural area in the province. It is home to theArmenian cochineal, an insect that formerly used to produce an eponymous crimson carmine dyestuff known in Armenia as vordan karmir. The red dye of the insect was largely used inArmenian miniatures as well as other types of artworks throughout the history of ancient and medieval Armenia.
The province has the private "Grigor Lusavorich University" in the town of Vagharshapat.[31] As of the 2015-16 educational year, Armavir has 119 schools, as well as 2 schools for special needs.[32] As of the end of 2015, the number of the students in the schools of the province is 31,100.[33]
The Jubilee Stadium in July 2014, during theFIFA "Live Your Goals" program
Football is the most popular sport in the province.FC Armavir represented the town of Armavir in the domestic football competitions between 1965 and 2003 before being dissolved due to financial difficulties. Likewise,FC Vagharshapat represented Etchmiadizn between 1967 and 2005 before being dissolved.
TheJubilee Stadium of Armavir is the 3rd-largest football venue in Armenia. Vagharshapat is also home to a football stadium with a minor capacity. 2 football academies are currently under construction in the towns of Vagharshapat and Armavir. The construction of theVagharshapat Football Academy is due to be completed in October 2017, while theArmavir Football Academy will be ready in October 2009.[34]
Martial arts includingjudo,muay thai,sambo andtaekwondo are also popular in the province. A new sport school is currently under construction in Vagharshapat and is due to be completed in 2019. The village ofAknalich (10 km south of Vagharshapat) is famous for theAra and Aytsemnik equestrian centre.
^Balakian, Peter.The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response. New York: HarperCollins, 2003, p. 321ISBN0-06-055870-9
^(in Turkish) T.C. Genelkurmay Başkanlığı.Birinci Dünya Harbi'nde Türk Harbi Kafkas Cephesi: 3 ncü Ordu Harekâtı [The Turkish Campaign on the Caucasus Front during the First World War: The Operations of the 3rd Army], T.C. Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Basım Evi, 1993, p. 516.
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
