Yerevan: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 02:55, 6 January 2006

**Yerevan, Armenia**
File:Republic Square, Yerevan, evening.jpg
Flag of Yerevan	Coat of Arms
City flag	City seal
Population	1,088,300 (2004 est.)
Established	782 BC
Time zone	GMT +4
Mayor	Yervand Zakharyan
40°10′N 44°31′E / 40.167°N 44.517°E / 40.167; 44.517
Official website
[1]

Yerevan (Armenian: Երեւան or Երևան; sometimes written as Erevan; former names include Erivan and Erebuni) (population: 1,088,300 (2004 estimate) [2]) is one of the provinces in Armenia and the largest city and capital of Armenia. It is situated on the Hrazdan River, at 40°10′N 44°31′E / 40.167°N 44.517°E / 40.167; 44.517. Yerevan is over 2,780 years old, making it one of the oldest cities in the world.

History

File:View, Yerevan, night.jpg

Yerevan at night

Archaeological evidence indicates that an Urartian military fortress called Erebuni (Էրեբունի) was founded in 782 BC by the orders of King Argistis I at the site of current-day Yerevan, to serve as a fort/citadel guarding against barbarian attacks from the north Caucasus, thus making it one of the oldest cities in the world. Since then the site has been strategically important as a crossroads for the caravan routes passing between Europe and India. It has been called Yerevan since at least the 7th century A.D., when it was the capital of Armenia under Persian rule.

Due to its strategic significance, Yerevan was constantly fought over and passed back and forth between the dominion of Persia and the Ottomans for centuries. In 1827 it was taken by Russia and formally ceded by the Persians in 1828. After the 1917 Russian revolution it enjoyed three years as the capital of independent Armenia, and in 1920 became the capital of the newly formed Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yerevan became the capital of the independent Republic of Armenia in 1991.

Culture

Yerevan is a leading industrial, cultural, and scientific centre in the Caucasus region. As a centre of Armenian culture, Yerevan is the site of Yerevan State University (1920), 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, Syrian, 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 ruins of an Urartu fortress and a Roman fortress. The Zvartnots Airport serves Yerevan. The Armenia Marriott Hotel is situated in the heart of the city at Republic Square (also known as Hraparak).

Development

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. However, this urban renewal plan has been met with opposition and criticismfrom some residents.

City districts

Yerevan is divided into several district communities, each designated with an elected community leader.

Sister cities

Currently, Yerevan has 25 sister cities.

Education

Universities

Universities in Yerevan include:

Notable people

Notable people who are from or have resided in Yerevan:

Vladimir Akopian, chess player
Levon Aronian, chess player
Gevorg Emin, poet
Alexander Arutiunian, composer
Djivan Gasparyan, composer
Shavo Odadjian, bassist for System of a Down
Sergei Parajanov, film director
Sargis Sargsian, tennis player
Alexander Shirvanzade, writer
Robert Kocharyan, current president of Armenia
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, president of Armenia from 1991-1998

Constructions

TV Tower Yerevan

External links

Template:Armenia

Template:Koordinate Artikel

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 | [[Yervand Zakharyan]]
 |-
-| align=center colspan=2| {{coor dm |45|30|N|73|40|W}}
+| align=center colspan=2| {{coor dm |40|10|N|44|31|E}}
 |-
 | align=center colspan=2| [http://www.yerevan.am/ Official website]