Shirak (Armenian:Շիրակ,Armenian pronunciation:[ʃiˈɾɑk]ⓘ) is aprovince (marz) ofArmenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering the provinces ofLori to the east andAragatsotn to the south and southeast, and the countries ofTurkey to the west andGeorgia to the north. Its capital and largest city isGyumri, which is the second largest city in Armenia. It is as much semi-desert as it is mountain meadow or high alpine. In the south, the high steppes merge into mountain terrain, being verdant green in the spring, with hues of reddish brown in the summer. The province is served by theShirak International Airport ofGyumri.
Shirak Province is named after the Shirak canton of the historicalAyrarat province ofAncient Armenia. The early medieval Armenian historianMovses Khorenatsi writes that the name Shirak derives from Shara, who was the great-grandson ofHayk, the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation.[4][5] Modern scholars connect Shirak with the name of theSiraces (Sirakenoi, Σιρακινοί ingreek), a North Caucasian people who may have settled in Shirak and given it its name.[5][6] According to another view, Shirak derives fromEriakhi/Eriaḫe, which is the name given to the region in a cuneiform inscription of theUrartian kingArgishti I.[7]
Historically, the current territory of the province mainly occupies the Shirak canton ofAyrarat province of Ancient Armenia.
Shirak is mainly dominated by the Ashotsk Plateau (1900 to 2100 meters height) in the north and the Shirak Plain (1400 to 1800 meters height) in the centre and south of the province. The vast plains of the province are surrounded with the Bazum and Pambak mountains from the east,Javakheti Range and Yeghnakhagh mountains from the north and theAragats mass from the south.Akhurian River at the east, separates Shirak from theKars Province ofTurkey.
The Akhurian River with its reservoir is the main water resource in the province.Lake Arpi at the northwest of Shirak is the only lake of the province. The area is protected by the government as theLake Arpi National Park.
Shirak is the coldest province of Armenia,[8] with the air temperature sometimes reaching under -30 °C in the Shirak Plain and -46 °C on the Ashotsk Plateau.[9] The climate is characterized by extremely cold, snowy winters and mild summers. Precipitation is abundant, with the annual precipitation level reaching up to 700 mm (28 in).[10] In the northern part of the province, winters are long (7 to 8 months) and snow coverage can reach up to a meter.[9]
Many ancient human settlements have been found in theAkhurian valley dating back to around 9000 BC.[11] The territory of Shirak has been settled since the earlyStone Age. At the higher areas that are above 2000 meters, many remains have been found from the earlyBronze Age. Other remains from the 2nd millennium BC, revealed that a civilization was founded between the 20th and 12th centuries BC. With the start of the Iron Age during the 12th century BC, relations among the various ethnic groups of Armenian Highland were developed. Soon after the establishment of theUrartu Kingdom of Van at the end of the 9th century BC, Shirak became part of the kingdom. Two cuneiform inscriptions have been found in Shirak left by KingArgishti I (r. 786 – 764 BC) ofUrartu, where he wrote about the invasion of the land ofEriakhi (the name that Shirak is derived from, according to many historians). According to the inscriptions, the region was home to a well developed civilization based on agriculture and cattle-breeding.[7]
in 720 BC, theCimmerians conquered the region and probably founded theKumayri settlement (nowGyumri), which bears a phonetic resemblance to the word used by ancient Armenian in reference toCimmerians.[12] Historians believe thatXenophon passed through the territories of Shirak during his return to the Black Sea, a journey immortalized in hisAnabasis.[13]
By the second half of the 6th century BC, Shirak became part of theAchaemenid Empire. The remains of a royal settlement found near the village ofBeniamin dating back to the 5th to 2nd centuries BC, are an example of the Achemenid influence in the region. By the beginning of the 5th century BC, Shirak became part of theSatrapy of Armenia under the rule of theOrontids. Later in 331 BC, the entire territory was included in theAyrarat province ofAncient Armenian Kingdom as part of the Shirak canton.
Following the partition of Armenia in 387 AD between the Byzantines and the Persians, and as a result of the fall of the Arsacid Kingdom of Armenia in 428, the region of Shirak became part of theSasanian Empire of Persia.
In 658 AD, during the height of the Arab Islamic invasions, Shirak -along with the rest of the Armenian territories- was conquered during theMuslim conquest of Persia, as it was part of Persian-ruled Armenia. It became part of theEmirate of Armenia under theUmayyad Caliphate. However, the Kamsarakan family continued to rule the region under the Arab Islamic rule of Armenia.
By the foundation of theBagratid Kingdom of Armenia in 885, Shirak entered a new era of growth and progress, particularly when the city ofAni of Shirak became the capital of the kingdom in 961. By the second half of the 10th century, Shirak was under the influence of the ArmenianPahlavuni family, who were descendants of the Kamsarakans. The Pahlavunis had a great contribution in the progress of Shirak with the foundation of many fortresses, monastic complexes, educational institutions, etc. The monasteries ofKhtzkonk,Harichavank,Marmashen and Horomos were among the prominent religious and educational centres of medieval Armenia.
Saint Paul and Peter Church ofBardzrashen, flourished under the Zakarids
After the fall of Armenia to theByzantine Empire in 1045 and later to theSeljuk invaders in 1064, the region entered an era of decline in all social, educational and cultural aspects.
However, with the establishment of theZakarid Principality of Armenia in 1201 under theGeorgian protectorate, the Eastern Armenian territories, mainly Lori and Shirak, entered a new period of growth and stability, becoming a trade centre between the east and the west. After the Mongols capturedAni in 1236, Armenia turned into aMongol protectorate as part of theIlkhanate, and the Zakarids became vassals to theMongols. After the fall of the Ilkhanate in the mid-14th century, the Zakarid princes ruled over Lori, Shirak and Ararat plain until 1360 when they fell to the invading Turkic tribes.
By the last quarter of the 14th century, theAq Qoyunlu SunniOghuz Turkic tribe took over Armenia, including Shirak. In 1400,Timur invaded Armenia and Georgia, and captured more than 60,000 of the survived local people as slaves. Many districts including Shirak were depopulated.[14] In 1410, Armenia fell under the control of theKara Koyunlu Shia Oghuz Turkic tribe. According to the Armenian historianThomas of Metsoph, although the Kara Koyunlu levied heavy taxes against the Armenians, the early years of their rule were relatively peaceful and some reconstruction of towns took place.[15]
In 1501, most of theEastern Armenian territories including Shirak were conquered by the emergingSafavid dynasty of Iran led by ShahIsmail I.[16] Soon after in 1502, Shirak became part of the newly formedErivan Beglarbegi, a new administrative territory of Iran formed by the Safavids. During the first half of the 18th century, Kumayri became part of theErivan Khanate under the rule of theAfsharid dynasty and later under theQajar dynasty of Persia.
Sev Berd or the Black Fortress nearGyumri, built during the 1830s by the Russians in response to theRusso-Turkish War of 1828–1829
In June 1804, theRussian Empire took control of Shirak region at the beginning of theRusso-Persian War of 1804–1813. The region became officially part of the Russian Empire at theTreaty of Gulistan signed on 1 January 1813. During the period of the Russian rule, the region witnessed a swift growth and the town of Gyumri became one of the developing cities inTranscaucasia. In 1829, in the aftermath of theRusso-Turkish War, there was a big influx of an Armenian population, as around 3,000 families who had migrated from territories in the Ottoman Empire - in particular from the towns ofKars,Erzurum, andDoğubeyazıt- settled in Shirak. The Russian poetAlexander Pushkin visited the region during hisjourney to the Caucasus and eastern Turkey in 1829.
In 1837 RussianTsar Nicholas I arrived in Shirak and re-founded the city of Gyumri as Alexandropol. The name was chosen in honour of Tsar Nicholas I's wife, PrincessCharlotte of Prussia, who had changed her name toAlexandra Fyodorovna after converting toOrthodox Christianity. A majorRussian fortress was built in Alexandropol in 1837. The city was completely rebuilt by 1840 to become the centre of the newly establishedAlexandropol Uyezd, experiencing rapid growth during its first decade. The Alexandropol Uyezd included the northern Armenian territories of Shirak, Lori and Tavush.
In 1849, the Alexandropol Uyezd became part of theErivan Governorate, and Shirak became an important outpost for the Imperial Russian armed forces in the Transcaucasus where their military barracks were established.
During theRusso-Turkish War of 1877–78 Shirak became one of the major centres of the Russian troops. After the establishment of the railway station in Alexandropol in 1899, Shirak witnessed a significant growth as centre of trade and industry, becoming the most developed region within eastern Armenia.
Severe damage in Leninakan as a result of the1988 earthquake
After theOctober Revolution of 1917 and the Russian withdrawal from Transcaucasia, theFirst Republic of Armenia was proclaimed on 28 May 1918, which included Shirak. On 10 May 1920, the local Bolshevik Armenians aided by the Muslim population, attempted acoup d'état in Alexandropol against theDashnak government of Armenia. Theuprising was suppressed by the Armenian government on May 14 and its leaders were executed. However, duringanother Turkish invasion, Turkish troops again attacked Shirak and occupied Alexandropol on 7 November 1920. Armenia was forced to sign theTreaty of Alexandropol on December 3 to stop the Turkish advance towards Yerevan, however a concurrent Soviet invasion led to the fall of the Armenian government on December 2. The Turkish forces withdrew from Alexandropol after theTreaty of Kars was signed in October 1921 by the unrecognized Soviet and Turkish governments.[17]
Under the Bolsheviks, Alexandropol was renamed Leninakan in 1924, after the deceased Soviet leaderVladimir Lenin. Shirak became a major industrial region within theArmenian Soviet Socialist Republic. Leninakan was the second largest city, after the capital Yerevan. However, Shirak, and particularly Leninakan, suffered major damage during the1988 Armenian earthquake which devastated many parts of northern Armenia. The earthquake occurred along a known thrust fault with a length of 60 kilometers (37 mi). Itsstrike was parallel to the Caucasus range and dipped to the north-northeast.[18]
From 1930 until 1995, modern-day Shirak was divided into 5raions (districts) and 1 city of republican subordination within the Armenian SSR: Amasia, Ghukasyan (Ashotsk), Akhurian, Ani, Artik and the city of Leniankan. With the territorial administration reform of 1995, the 5 raions and the city of Gyumri (Leninakan) were merged to form the Shirak Province.
According to the1989 Soviet census, the districts that would later make up Shirak Province (theAmasia,Ani,Artik,Akhuryan, andAshotsk districts)[19] had a population of 261,217, 147,713 or 56.55% of which was urban, distributed in the cities of Artik (25,126) and Leninakan (122,587), and 113,504 or 43.45% were rural, distributed in the districts of Amasia (6,342), Ani (23,877), Artik (33,665), Akhuryan (38,952), and Ashotsk (10,668).[20]
According to the 2011 official census, Shirak had a de jure population of 251,941 (121,615 men and 130,326 women), forming around 8.3% of the entire population of Armenia. The urban population is 146,908 (58.3%) and the rural is 105,033 (41.7%). The province has 3 urban and 116 rural communities. The largest urban community is the provincial centre of Gyumri, with a population of 121,976. The other urban centres of Artik and Maralik have a population of 19,534 and 5,398 respectively. With a population of 4,838, the village ofAzatan is the largest rural municipality of Shirak.
There is a significant minority ofArmenian Catholics in Shirak. The number of the Catholic population in the province is around 30,000. Gyumri is home to around 20,000, while the rest are found in the surrounding rural settlements. The villages ofArevik,Arpeni,Bavra,Ghazanchi,Marmashen,Mets Sepasar,Panik andSizavet have a majority of Armenian Catholics, while the village ofAzatan has around 1,500 Catholics (30% of village's population). As of 2016, Shirak is home to 9 catholic operating churches. TheCathedral of the Holy Martyrs in Gyumri is the seat of theArmenian Catholic Ordinariate of Eastern Europe headed by Archbishop Raphaël François Minassian.
The presence of the small Russian Orthodox community along with the Russian military base personnel in Gyumri is marked with the Saint Alexandra the Martyr's Church, Saint Michael the Archangel's Church and the church of Saint Arsenije.
Prior to the outbreak of theNagorno-Karabakh conflict in 1988 and the departure ofAzerbaijanis from Armenia, Shirak also had an Azerbaijani minority population, almost entirely concentrated in the formerAmasia District, where, in 1972, Azerbaijanis constituted 70% of a population of 19,724 people.[22]
Shirak is served by the internationalShirak Airport, about 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) to the southeast of the Gyumri city centre. It was inaugurated in 1961 and is the second largest airport in Armenia. It is considered an alternative hub for theZvartnots International Airport inYerevan.[24]
At the beginning of 2017, the government of Armenia focused on revitalizing the airport. Multiple new airlines began operating flights to the airport, includingTaron Avia, a new Armenian airline based in Gyumri, andPobeda which is a Russianlow-cost airline and a wholly owned subsidiary ofAeroflot. In order to attract more customers, the Ministry of Nature Protection made meteorological services free for all airlines flying to Gyumri, lowering ticket costs.[25] TheGyumri Technology Center also participated in helping revitalize the airport by adding interior design details to improve the airport's look.[26]
The railway junction of Gyumri is the oldest and the largest one in Armenia. It was formed in 1897 and the first railway link to Alexandropol that connected the city with Tiflis was completed in 1899. The rail line was then extended from Alexandropol to Yerevan (in 1902), Kars (in 1902),Jolfa (in 1906), andTabriz. As a result, Alexandropol became an important rail hub.
Public transport is available in the provincial centre Gyumri. It is mainly served by public vans, locally-known asmarshrutka. The central station of the city serves as bus terminal for inter-city transport, serving outbound routes towards the villages of Shirak, as well as major cities and towns in Armenia and neighbouringGeorgia.
The M-7 Motorway passes across the province from east to west, connecting the city of Gyumri with the rest of Armenia.
The economy of the province is mainly based on agriculture, including farming and cattle-breeding. It has a share of 11.6% in the annual total agricultural product of Armenia. Around 80% (2,145.5 km2) of the total area of the province arearable lands, out of which 36.7% (787 km2) are ploughed.[28]
The fertile Shirak plain is the largest producer of grains and potato in Armenia. The irrigation system in the province is highly developed. 9 water reservoirs of different sizes -with a total capacity of 673,000,000 cubic metres (2.38×1010 cu ft) are able to irrigate around 300 km2 (116 sq mi) of farmlands.
Shirak is the first among the Armenian provinces in cattle breeding. There are alsofish farming ponds near Gyumri and many rural communities.
During the Soviet period, the region was a major industrial hub within theArmenian SSR. After independence, the industrial sector of the region drastically declined. Currently, the province contributes 3.5% of the annual total industrial product of Armenia. Shirak is the largest producer of building materials in Armenia, mainlytufa stones andpumice.
The industrial sector in the provincial centre Gyumri includes the production of building materials (tufa and basalt), hosiery and textile manufacturing, food processing and dairy products, alcoholic drinks, electronic machines, etc. The largest industrial plant in Gyumri is theGyumri-Beer Brewery opened in 1972. The factory produces a variety oflager beer under the brandsGyumri,Ararat andAleksandrapol.[29] The city is also home to the "Factory of Bending Machinses" opened in 1912, the "Arshaluys" hosiery manufacturing enterprise established in 1926, the "Karhat" machine tools plant opened in 1959, the "Chap Chemical LLC" since 1999, the "Armtex Group" clothing factory since 2000, and the "Lentex" hosiery manufacturing plant is operating since 2001. Other industrial firms of the city include the "Aleqpol" factory for dairy products, the "Anusharan" confectionery plant, and the "Gold Plast" plant for building materials.
The town of Artik is famous for itstufa stones. It is home to many stone-processing plants that producetravertine, tufa andbasalt, including the "ArtikTuf" form established in 1928, the "TufaBlocks Factory" founded in 1997, and the "Karastgh" stone-processing factory operating since 2005. Artik is also home to the "Vartan-Anahit LLC" for metal-plastic products, the Artik Cheese Factory, the "Eliz Group" for dairy products, the "Artik Factory for Vacuum Stoves", and the "Artik Steklomash" metal casting factory.
During the Soviet period, the town of Maralik had many large industrial firms with a lights and electronics factory and 3 plants for building materials production. Currently, the only surviving plant in the town is the Maralik cotton-spinning factory.
Factories for dairy products are also found in Shirak, with the largest two firms located in the villages ofAzatan (Igit Dairy Factory since 1993) andMusayelyan (Ashotsk Cheese Factory since 1996). The village of Akhuryan is home to the "Lusastgh-Sugar" factory (opened in 2010), the largest sugar producer in the Southern Caucasus region. The village of Shirakavan is home to the "Shirak Wine Factory" opened in 2009.
Football,basketball andchess are the most popular sports in the province. However, other Olympic sports includingwrestling andweightlifting are also popular, mainly in Gyumri. Shirak is home to many former and current World, Olympic and European champions in several types of sports who competed under the flag of Soviet Union and later under the Armenian flag.
The city is represented by theFC Shirak at theArmenian Premier League competition.Aragats FC were the second football club in Gyumri, but they were dissolved in 2002 due to financial difficulties.
FC Tufagorts (dissolved in 1995) andFC Sipan (dissolved in 1993), both from the town ofArtik, had also represented the province in the football competitions of Armenia.
The largest sport venue of the province is theGyumri City Stadium. Gyumri is also home to the FFAFootball Academy. The towns of Artik and Maralik have a football stadium each with minor capacities.
Gyumri is also famous for winter sports. The Gyumri school of winter sports, renovated in 2015–16, is named after Ludvig Mnatsakanyan. The area ofAshotsk has a modernskiing trail hosting an international tournament forcross-country skiing.
^Hakobyan, Tadevos Kh.; Melik-Bakhshyan, Stepan T.; Barseghyan, Hovhannes Kh. (1998).Շիրակ.Հայաստանի և հարակից շրջանների տեղանունների բառարան [Dictionary of Toponymy of Armenia and Adjacent Territories] (in Armenian). Vol. 4. Yerevan State University Publishing House. p. 130.
^abHakobyan, T. Kh. (1984).Հայաստանի պատմական աշխարհագրություն [The Historical Geography of Armenia] (in Armenian) (4th ed.). Yerevan State University Publishing House. p. 124.
^abHakobyan, Tadevos Kh.; Melik-Bakhshyan, Stepan T.; Barseghyan, Hovhannes Kh. (1998).Շիրակի մարզ.Հայաստանի և հարակից շրջանների տեղանունների բառարան [Dictionary of Toponymy of Armenia and Adjacent Territories] (in Armenian). Vol. 4. Yerevan State University Publishing House. pp. 132–133.
^Kouymjian, Dickran (1997), "Armenia from the Fall of the Cilician Kingdom (1375) to the Forced Migration under Shah Abbas (1604)" inThe Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times, Volume II: Foreign Dominion to Statehood: The Fifteenth Century to the Twentieth Century, ed.Richard G. Hovannisian, New York: St. Martin's Press, p. 4.ISBN1-4039-6422-X.
^Hovannisian, Richard, ed. (2003).Armenian Karin/Erzerum. Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publ. p. 48.ISBN9781568591513.Thus, even today the Erzerum dialect is widely spoken in the northernmost districts of the Armenian republic as well as in the Akhalkalak (Javakheti; Javakhk) and Akhaltskha (Akhaltsikh) districts of southern Georgia
^Hovesyan, R.; Bayramov, M. (1975)."Ամասիայի շրջան" [Amasia District]. In Hambardzumyan, V. (ed.).Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia. Vol. 1.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
