Related Directory Categories
- Yerevan (146)
- Business and Economy (92)
- Industries (38)
- Travel and Tourism (30)
- Travel Services (19)
- Computers and Internet (15)
- Travel Agents (12)
- Food and Beverage (11)
- Education (11)
- Shopping (10)
Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Yerevan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Yerevan Երեւան |
|||
 |
|||
|
|||
 |
|||
| Coordinates: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Armenia |
||
| Established | 782 BC | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Yervand Zakharyan | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 227 km² (87.6 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 989.4 m (3,246 ft) | ||
| Population (2004)[1] | |||
| - Total | 1,088,000 | ||
| - Density | 5,196.4/km² (13,458.6/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | GMT+4 (UTC+4) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | GMT+5 (UTC+5) | ||
| Website: www.yerevan.am | |||
Yerevan (pronounced /ˌjɛrəˈvɑːn/, Armenian: Երևան or Երեւան (according to the spelling systems); 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.[2] 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".[3]
Contents |
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!").[3] 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.[3]
The territory of Yerevan was settled in the fourth millennium BC,[citation needed] 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.[3] 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.
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 population became 80 percent Muslim and 20 percent native Armenian.[4] 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.
During the second Russian-Persian war, Yerevan was liberated,[3][5][6] 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.[7] 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.
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.
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.[8] In 1968, the city's 2,750th anniversary was commemorated.
 |
This short section requires expansion. |
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 there opinions, and have asserted that many of the new edifices violate urban planning and earthquake safety requirements.
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 chart for Yerevan | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|
29
-2
-9
|
25
1
-8
|
28
10
-1
|
48
19
6
|
53
24
10
|
23
31
14
|
15
34
17
|
8
33
18
|
13
28
13
|
23
21
7
|
31
10
1
|
28
3
-3
|
| temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm source: BBC Weather |
|||||||||||
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).
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).
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.
Since 1949, trolleybuses operate the streets of Yerevan. The city used to have tramways as well, but these were decommissioned in January, 2004.
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.
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.[citation needed] 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.
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 ([1]) 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.
- 1989-1990: Artashes Geghamyan
- 1990-1992: Hambartsoum Galstyan
- 1992-1996: Vahagn Khachatryan
- 1996: Ashot Mirzoyan
- 1996-1998: Vano Siradeghyan
- 1998-1999: Suren Abrahamyan
- 1999-2001: Albert Bazeyan
- 2001-2003: Robert Nazaryan
- 2003-Present: Yervand Zakharyan
| 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. |
Yerevan is divided into several districts, each with an elected community leader:
|
|
* Named for the town Arabkir.
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[9] |
| Marseille | France |
|
| Paris | France |
From 1998 |
| Carrara |  Italy |
From 1965 |
| Florence | Italy |
|
| Kiev |  Ukraine |
|
| Odessa | Ukraine |
|
| Los Angeles |  United States |
From 2006[10] |
| 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 |
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 |
Notable people who are from or have resided in Yerevan:
|
|
|
 Matenadaran archives |
 Statue of David of Sasun |
||
 Water World entertainment park |
 The Baronian Musical Comedy Theater |
 National Gallery, Republic Square, Yerevan |
|
 Fountains in front of the National Gallery, Republic Square, Yerevan |
 Yerevan in 1796 |
 Yerevan's Russian Orthodox Church |
 Minaret of the Urban Mosque of Yerevan |
 The Gök-Jami ("Blue Mosque") in Yerevan. |
- Radio Yerevan
- Zvartnots Airport
- Yerevan Physics Institute
- Yerevan Metro
- Yerevan TV Tower
- Yerevan drive
- ^ Capital city with population by country. Retrieved on 2007-01-25.
- ^ Katsenelinboĭgen, Aron (1990). The Soviet Union: Empire, Nation and Systems. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 143. ISBN 0887383327.
- ^ a b c d e (Armenian) Baghdasaryan A., Simonyan A, et al. Երևան (Yerevan). The Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia. Yerevan, Armenian SSR, vol. III, 1977, 548-564
- ^ Encyclopaedia Iranica (George A. Bournoutian and Robert H. Hewsen, Erevan)
- ^ Ferro, Mark (2003). The Use and Abuse of History: How the Past Is Taught to Children. London: Routledge, 233. ISBN 0415285925.
- ^ Kirakossian, Arman J. (2003). British Diplomacy and the Armenian Question: From the 1830s to 1914. New York: Gomidas Institute Books, 142. ISBN 1884630073.
- ^ (Russian) Erivan in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890-1907.
- ^ Suny, Ronald Grigor (1993). The Revenge of the Past: Nationalism, Revolution, and the Collapse of the Soviet Union. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 122. ISBN 0804722471.
- ^ http://armenpress.am/eng/news/culture.htm
- ^ http://clkrep.lacity.org/councilfiles/05-1748_rpt_cla_10-17-06.pdf
- 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
- Yerevan Municipality webpage in Armenian, English and Russian
- Yerevan.ru - The capital of Armenia online (Russian)*
- About Yerevan
- Erebuni History and excavation description, edited by Rick Ney
- - Online News From Armenia. Edited by John Hughes.
- Yerevan article on Armeniapedia
- Yerevan article on Cilicia.com
- Armenia Info Yerevan page
- The Yerevan Metro system
- Interactive CD - Yerevan Virtual
- 3d Models in Yerevan
|
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Marzer (մարզէր) | Aragatsotn · Ararat · Armavir · Gegharkunik · Kotayk · Lori · Shirak · Syunik · Tavush · Vayots Dzor | |
| City with special status | Yerevan (capital) | |
|
|
|
|---|---|
|
Abovyan · Agarak · Akhtala · Alaverdi · Aparan · Ararat · Armavir · Artashat · Artik · Artsvashen · Ashtarak · Berd · Bjni · Byureghavan · Chambarak · Charentsavan · Dastakert · Dilijan · Echmiadzin · Gavar · Goris · Gyumri · Hrazdan · Ijevan · Jermuk · Kajaran · Kapan · Lernamerdz · Maralik · Martuni · Masis · Meghri · Metsamor · Nor Hachn · Noyemberyan · Oshakan · Qanaqer-Zeytun · Sevan · Shamlugh · Sisian · Spitak · Stepanavan · Talin · Tashir · Tsakhkadzor · Tumanyan · Vanadzor · Vardenis · Vayk · Vedi · Yeghegnadzor · Yeghvard · Yerevan · Zvartnots |
|
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since June 2007 | Articles with sections needing expansion | Articles with unsourced statements since October 2007 | Capitals in Asia | Yerevan | Cities and towns in Armenia | Provinces of Armenia | Archaeological sites in Armenia | Capitals in Europe | Capitals serving as first-level administrative divisions | 780s BC establishments