Yerevan (Armenian: Երեվան or Երևան; sometimes written as Erevan; former names include Erivan and Erebuni) (population: 1,201,539 (1989 census); 1,088,300 (2004 estimate)[1]) is the largest city and capital of Armenia. It is situated on the Hrazdan River .

Yerevan is a leading industrial, cultural, and scientific centre in the Caucasus region. As a center 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 centers 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.

A major tourist attraction is the ruins of an Urartu fortress and also a Roman fortress. Zvartnots Airport serves Yerevan. The five-star Hotel Armenia is in the heart of the city at Independence Square.

History

Archaeological evidence indicates that an Urartian military fortress called Erebuni was founded (Էրեբունի) on Yerevan's site around 782 B.C. by the orders of Argistis I. 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 it 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, a territory of the Soviet Union. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yerevan became the capital of the independent Republic of Armenia in 1991.

View of Mashtots Avenue from the Matenadaran

Ruins of Erebuni fortress

Stature of Sasountsi David in front of the main railway station

Matenadaran archives

See also

• Radio Yerevan jokes

External links

• Yerevan.Ru - capital of Armenia on-line(russian)
• Yerevan article on Armeniapedia.org
• Yerevan article on Cilicia.com
• Armenia Info Erevan page
• The Yerevan Metro system
• Interactive CD - Yerevan Virtual