Yerevan (Armenian: Երևան) is the capital of the Republic of Armenia. It is the largest city in in the country and one of the oldest cities in the world.
General information
City administration website: http://www.yerevan.am/ru
Founded: 782 BC
Area: 223,28 km²
Population: more than 1 070 000 people
Currency: Armenian dram
Language: Armenian
History
Yerevan is considered to have been founded in 782 BC, when King Argishti I, who reigned in the Armenian kingdom of Urartu (located in the Armenian Highlands), founded the fortress-town Erebuni there. [Today, its ruins are located within the city limits of modern Yerevan].
A devastating fate overtook the city: native people of the region managed to declare about their independence only for a short period of time. Arabs, Seljuk Turks, the Central Asian conqueror Tamerlane, all of those people took turns in governing the city. Hunger, demolishing wars and a forced deportation of non-Muslim residents prevented the city from growing and increasing its population.
Yerevan was a provincial city before the October Revolution, which was significantly inferior in importance and development to neighboring Baku and Tbilisi. Dramatic changes came there after the establishment of the Soviet power and when the city was assigned as the capital of the Armenian USSR.
Architecture and attractions
Yerevan is surrounded by the Caucasus Mountains and is located in the northeast of the Ararat Valley. The mountainous landscape shows the diversity of colours of Yerevan and affects the layout of neighborhoods and streets. Interestingly fluctuations in heights within the urban area reach 400 m, and the highest point of the city is in the Nor Nork district.
The image of today’s city was laid in 1924 with a general reconstruction plan, which was developed by the Soviet architect Alexander Tamanyan. Yerevan has a radial-circular structure, which ancient streets and historical monuments are woven into.
The main historical sights are located in the city centre. Lots of buildings in that part of Yerevan are built with pink tuff (in the late «Stalin Empire style»), which is why the capital of Armenia is often called the “pink city”. Its heart is the complex of buildings on the Republic Square. The History Museum of Armenia, with the famous singing fountains in front of it, is located there.
Tumanyan Street ends at a natural mountain slope. The Grand Cascade was built on it in the 60s of the last century, consisting of tribunes, resting places, flower beds and fountains. It is the original town planning decision and a place with a wonderful view of the entire city and mountains surrounding it. You can go up there using stairs or an escalator.
Festivals and jazz concerts are often held at the foot of the cascade for all visitors, and the audience stands on travertine platforms and steps during those performances.
There is a private collection of sculptures created by the famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero at the base of the cascade.
Museums
Yerevan, as a city with ancient history, has fascinating museum collections. Matenadaran is considered to be the most unusual museum in Yerevan. This is a unique repository of ancient manuscripts, which is the pride of Armenian culture. More than 17 thousand manuscripts written in different languages, such as Armenian, Greek, Syrian, Persian and Hebrew, are stored and studied by specialists in Matenadaran. The collection continues to grow today, largely thanks to the representatives of the Armenian Diaspora living in the United States and European countries.
The National Gallery of Armenia is the main Museum of Fine Arts in the country. In addition to the works of Armenian painting and graphics, the gallery hosts and exhibits works by Western European and Russian artists. It is noteworthy that many canvases painted by the famous marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky, as well as paintings by Van Dyck and Pieter Paul Rubens, are kept there.
Christian Temples and Blue Mosque
The largest Armenian temple is the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator. It is also considered one of the largest temples in the Transcaucasia. The temple was erected not that long ago, in 2001, to the 1700-year anniversary of the adoption of Christianity by the country. The huge cathedral complex consists of several churches and includes the cathedral itself, as well as the churches of St. Tiridates III and Holy Queen Ashkhen. These temples are named after the men of faith who helped Gregory the Illuminator in spreading the Christian faith among the Armenians. The cathedral has an area of 3822 m² and 54 meters high.
The building of the Blue Mosque is located in front of the Central Market. It appeared in the city in 1766, and it is a large Muslim complex today. The colour scheme is dominated by dark and light blue and that is why the mosque has got such a name - Blue.
Tourism
Yerevan has been developing as a tourist centre in recent years. Many objects of tourist infrastructure have been built, many interesting tourist routes have been created, and both local travel companies and world giants of this industry work there. The most popular trends are excursion tourism, eco-tours, mountain-skis rest and mountaineering.
Transport
Yerevan is the largest transportation hub in Armenia. A number of important highways and railways converge in the city. There are 2 international airports, a railway station, and a subway in Yerevan.
Science and education
The Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia and most of its subdivisions are located in Yerevan. It is the highest scientific organization that performs and coordinates fundamental and applied researches in various fields of science in the country.
There are such higher educational institutions in Yerevan as:
Armenian National Agrarian University (http://anau.am/ru), which is one of the largest universities in the republic and the only higher educational institution in the agricultural sector,
Yerevan State Medical University,
Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan,
Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts,
Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography,
Yerevan State Linguistic University after V. Brusov.