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Yerevan (Armenian: Երևան or Երեւան, Armenian
pronunciation: [jɛɾɛvɑn]) is the capital and largest
city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest
continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan
River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural,
and industrial center of the country. It has been the capital since 1918, the thirteenth in the history of Armenia.
The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century B.C., with the founding of the
fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC
by king Argishti I at the western extreme of the Ararat plain. After World
War I, Yerevan
became the capital of the Democratic Republic of Armenia as thousands of
survivors of the Armenian Genocide settled in the area. The city expanded
rapidly during the 20th century
as Armenia became one of
the fifteen republics in the Soviet Union.
In fifty years, Yerevan was transformed from a
town of a few thousand residents during the "first republic," to Armenia's
principal cultural, artistic, and industrial center, as well as becoming the
seat of national government.
With the growth of the economy
of the country, Yerevan
has been undergoing major transformation as many parts of the city have been
the recipient of new construction since the early 2000s. Today, the appearance of new buildings, roads,
restaurants, boutiques, living quarters, etc., have started to give the city
a modern, cosmopolitan appearance.
In 2009, the population of Yerevan
was estimated to be 1,111,300
people with the agglomeration around the city regrouping 1,245,700 people (2007 official estimate), more than a third
of all the population of Armenia.
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, Yerevan
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, population became 80
percent Muslim (Persians, Turco, Kurds) and 20
percent Armenian. Muslims were either sedentary, semi-sedentary, or nomadic.
Armenians lived in Erevan or in 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, Qajars 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 7
June, 1679, a devastating
earthquake razed the city to the ground.
During the Safavid & Qajar
Dynasty rule, Yerevan
and adjacent territories were part of the Khanate of Erevan (Čoḵūr Saed)
administrative territory and was ruled by Khans of Erevan from Qajar tribe
under Persian sovereignty. This lasted until 1828,
when the last Khan of Erevan (Sardar of Erevan) was captured after 6 months defence without any support of
Persian government during the 2nd
Russo-Persian War 1826-1828. He was held for 4 months in Tiflis
and was released under article XIII of the Treaty of Turkmanchai and the
region was incorporated into Russian Empire.
Yerevan in 1796
Coat of Arm
Khanate of Erevan
Yerevan Fortress
Sardar’s Palace in Yerevan
Fortress (18th - 19th century)
Sardar’s garden (on the
other side of Zangi or Hrazdan river)
Sardar’s Palace late 19th century
Russian conquest 1828
Yerevan Fortress under Russian fire
over 6 months
Russian army at fortress walls
Hasan Khan Sardar Iravani
defended Yerevan
fortress for over 6 months
against Russian modern army without
any support from Persian government !!!
Russian Soldier
Fall of Yerevan Fortress. Sardar of Erevan is
captured
Russian & Persian
representatives sign the treaty of Turkamanchay!
Old districts
of Yerevan
(18th century)
Since the 17th century Yerevan, without the fortress and nearby
villages (Noragyugh, Dzoragyugh and Nork) was divided into three main
quarters (mahals):
1. Shahar (The Old City),
2. Demir-Bulagh
(Karahank)
3. Kond (Tapabash).
The market (Ghantar) was
separate, between Kond and Shahar.
Shahar:
Shahar (Persian: شهر , šahr) was the oldest and biggest quarter of Yerevan. It located in
the north-eastern part of the city, between Amiryan St. and Khorenatsi St.
Probably, it was populated since ancient times, during the Kingdom of Urartu.
During later centuries it was destroyed many times, but it was always
populated. First time it was mentioned as “old Yerevan”
or “the old city of Yerevan”
by bishop Pilipos of Bjni in 1631.
“Բազում որոնմամբ խուզեալ գտաք, զգանձս զայս անգին ի հին քաղաքն Երեւան՝ բազում ժամանակաւ գերի տարեալ ումեք իբրեւ եօթանասնօք”
“…after many searches I found it [the Bible] in the old city of Yerevan…”
Kond:
Kond (Armenian: Կոնդ), so-named because
of its high position, was called Tapabashi (Turkish and Azerbaijani for
"top of the hill") during the period of Persian rule. Kond located
in the western part of Yerevan.
According to Hovhannes Shahkhatunyants, an Armenian historian, Kond located
in the western and southern hillsides and foot of a rocky hill with similar
name. Its western border was Hrazdan
River, and the northern border was
the Kozern Cemetery. Kond, alike as Shahar, was
populated by Armenians. The population of Kond became multiethnic, when about
100 Armenian Boshas moved to
Kond.
Demir-Bulagh (Karahank):
The third large quarter was
Demir-Bulagh (Turkish: Demir Bulağ, meaning “iron souce”) or
Karahank (Armenian: Քարահանք, meaning "rock
quarry" - there was a quarry of tufa and basalts there). It located in
the south-eastern Yerevan.
This district was inhabited, comparatively, later than other districts.
Firstly, a quarry located here and was not inhabited. Later, Karahank was
inhabited with newcomer Tatars (Azerbaijanis) and became part of Yerevan forming a
separate district. Demir-Bulagh become crowded in 17th century, when terrified of the Persian
invasions, many Turks from Nakhichevan moved to the areas north to the
Yerevan Fortress. The majority of the population of the district were
Muslims, few Armenians lived here. Because there was a spring with
composition of the iron, it was called
Ghantar (the market):
The word Ghantar (Armenian: Ղանթար, meaning "big
scales in a marketplace", from Arabic: قنطار, qinṭār). This quarter was the
active and business center of old Yerevan.
Ghantar belonged to the City Administration. Later, in place of Ghantar was
built a close market and was called Ghantar. In 1938 in the place of Ghantar was built the Children's
Park (it was called Kirov
Park during the Soviet
era).
Expansion in the mid-19th century:
After Erivan
was taken over by the Russian troops in 1827,
the city was expanded.
Thus, in the mid-19th century Yerevan had 7
districts:
1.
Shahar,
2.
Kond,
3.
Demir-Bulagh,
4.
Dzoragyugh,
5. Nor tagh,
6. Shen tagh and
7. Nork.
About Shahar, Kond and
Demir-Bulagh see above. Yerevan
has been expanded at the expense of two surrounding villages: Dzoragyugh and
Nork.
Dzoragyugh:
In the right side at the edge
of the cliff overlooking the valley St. Sarkis Church. The upper terrace of
the slope occupied houses, steps down to the Hrazdan River.
Along the coast, near the river, concentrated production facilities, which
attract the attention of simple silhouettes volumes with flat roofs.
Dzoragyugh (Armenian: Ձորագյուղ, Dara-kend in
Turkish and Azerbaijani) was a suburb and later a district of Yerevan. It
located in the Hrazdan gorge, in the left steep coast. During the Persian
rule it was officially translated as Dara-kend. According to Zakaria Sarkavag
this village - which before becaming a district of Yerevan was a suburban
village - was called Khnkelo dzor.<Zakaria Sarkavag, Պատմագրութիւն (History), volume
II, pp. 32, 51>. According to Simeon Yerevansti this
village was called with two names: Dzoragyugh and Khnkadzor.The
Surb Sargis
Church located in Dzoragygh and
commonly was called the Church
of Dzoragyugh.
Dzoragyugh was called Khnkadzor or Khnkelo, because it wsa Yerevan’s bishop’s seat, the
word “khunk”means ‘incense’ in Armenian. The
population of Dzoragyugh was completely Armenian. Dzoragyugh had three
smaller neighborhoods:
* Verin tagh (Վերին թաղ, “Upper
district”) or Karapi tagh (Քարափի թաղ, “District of
Bluff”) located in the left upland of Hrazdan, north-west from the
fortress, in the surrounding area of the St. Sargis church.
* Storin tagh (Ստորին թաղ, “Lower
district”) or Dzori tagh (Ձորի թաղ, “District of
Gorge”) located in the left side of Hrazdan, in a precipitous gorge.
* The district of Karbi (Կարբիի թաղ) was, probably, the
southern continuation of Storin tagh. In the district of Karbi lived
villagers of the Karbi village of the Aragatsotn province. They moved there,
because their village was destroyed.
Nork:
Nork (Armenian: Նորք, Turkish:
Çömlekçi, meaning ‘potter’) was the second
suburb villages of Yerevan,
that became its part, it was in 1830s.
Because the pottery was common labor, the Turks called it Cholmakci
(Çömlekçi). The population was completely Armenian. They
were working in agriculture, vegetable-growing, farming, and pottery. There
were smaller districts (mahlans) in Nork, too. Though Nork was inhabited
since ancient times, but it was mentioned comparatively late. There were two
churches in Nork: Surb Astvatsatsin and Surb Simeon Tseruni (XIX century).
And other two new districts
were built: Nor tagh and Shen tagh.
Nor tagh:
Nor tagh (Armenian: Նոր թաղ, meaning “new
district”) located in the eastern part of Kond, in the surrounding are
of the Hovhannes Tumanyan House-Museum. It was called ‘new’,
because many immigrants from Atropatene were moved here after the 1828 Treaty of Turkmenchay. During the
Persian rule, in the place of the Nor tagh were the Gardens of the Sardars,
called Khanlubagh (Persian: باغ خان)
Shen tagh:
Shen tagh (Armenian: Շեն թաղ) located in the
surrounding areas of the English
Park.
Yerevan
Today (Armenia)
3D map of Yerevan
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