Ashtarak
Script error: No such module "Settlement short description".Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Infobox settlement/styles.css has no content.
Ashtarak
Աշտարակ | |
|---|---|
| Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found. From top left: Ashtarak town • Ashtarak bridge of 1664 Karmravor Church • Saint Marianeh Church • Surp Sarkis Church House-museum of Perch Proshyan • the statue of Nerses Ashtaraketsi | |
| Page Template:Infobox settlement/columns/styles.css has no content.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found. Flag Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found. Seal | |
| Script error: No such module "Infobox mapframe". | |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 526: Unable to find the specified location map definition: "Module:Location map/data/Aragatsotn" does not exist. | |
| Coordinates: Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | |
| Country | Armenia |
| Province | Aragatsotn |
| Municipality | Ashtarak |
| First mentioned | 9th century |
| City status | 1963 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Tovmas Shahverdyan |
| Area | |
• Total | Script error: No such module "ConvertIB". |
| Elevation | Script error: No such module "ConvertIB". |
| Population (2022 census) | Template:Fix comma category |
| Population (2022 census) | |
• Total | Template:Fix comma category |
| • Density | Script error: No such module "ConvertIB". |
| Template:Pluralize from text | Template:Pluralize from text |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (AMT) |
| Postal code | 0201-0205 |
| Template:Pluralize from text | (+374) 232Template:Pluralize from text |
| Website | ashtarak |
| Sources: Population[2] | |
Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".
Ashtarak (Template:Langx Script error: No such module "IPA".) is a town in the Ashtarak Municipality of the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, located on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, 20 km northwest of the capital Yerevan. It is the administrative centre of the province and an important crossroad of routes for the Yerevan–Gyumri–Vanadzor triangle.
The town plays a great role in the national economy as well as the cultural life of Armenia through several industrial enterprises and cultural institutions. It has developed as a satellite town of Yerevan. The nearby village of Mughni is part of the Ashtarak municipality.
As of the 2011 census, the population of the town was 18,834. However, as per the 2016 official estimate, the population of Ashtarak is 18,000.[3] As of the 2022 census, the population of the town was 15,686.[1]
The prelacy of the Diocese of Aragatsotn of the Armenian Apostolic Church is headquartered in Ashtarak.
Etymology
The name of Ashtarak is the Armenian word for tower or fortress. However, according to linguist Grigor Ghapantsyan, the name of Ashtarak is derived from Ishtar (Ashtar), the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility. Contrarily, the latest historical research proved that the name of Ishtar was never used in the Armenian mythology during the ancient times. Instead, the goddess of fertility was known as Shardi or Sardi in the ancient kingdom of Urartu, and later became known as Astghik among the Armenian monks.[citation needed]
Other linguists suggest that the name of Ashtarak is related either with the legendary figure in the Armenian history Shidar; the son of king Artavasdes I of Armenia, or with Sarduri II; the king of Urartu.[4]
History
Early history and Middle Ages
The Bronze Age necropolises of Nerkin and Verin Naver are located just outside of modern Ashtarak. Archaeologist Hakob Y. Simonyan believes that they were constructed by an Indo-European culture, potentially early Armenians.[5]
According to Movses Khorenatsi, Armanak, the son of the patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation Hayk, along with his clan, settled in the area of modern-day Aragatsotn.
Historically, the area of modern-day Ashtarak was part of the Aragatsotn canton of Ayrarat province of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia. The town is one of the oldest settlements in Armenia with many historical and cultural monuments that demonstrate the unique aspects of Armenian architecture.
In the history of the Armenian highland, Ashtarak was mentioned as a rural settlement for the first time during the 9th century.[6] However, the importance of Ashtarak has declined during the following centuries under the rule of the foreign powers. Between the 11th and 15th centuries, the entire region of Aragatsotn along with the rest of the historic territories of Armenia suffered from the Seljuk, Mongol, Ag Qoyunlu and Kara Koyunlu invasions, respectively.
Modern history
At the beginning of the 16th century, Ahtarak became part of the Erivan Beglarbegi within the Safavid Persia. During the 17th century, the town was entirely rebuilt. During the first half of the 18th century, Ashtarak became part of the Erivan Khanate under the rule of the Afsharid dynasty and later under the Qajar dynasty of Persia. Ashtarak was the site of the Battle of Oshakan in August 1827, which resulted in a Persian victory, during the Russo-Persian War of 1826-1828.[7] It remained under the Persian rule until 1827–1828, when Eastern Armenia was ceded to the Russian Empire as a result of the same Russo-Persian War of 1826–28 and the signing of the Treaty of Turkmenchay.
After the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917, Ashtarak was included within the First Republic of Armenia declared on 28 May 1918. However, after 2 years of brief independence, Armenia became part of the Soviet Union in December 1920. From 1930 until 1995, Ashtarak was the centre of the Ashtarak raion. During that period, Ashtarak was granted the status of a town in 1963.
After the independence of Armenia in 1991, Ashtarak became the capital of the newly-formed Aragatsotn Province as a result of the territorial administration reform of 1995.
Geography
Ashtarak is located on the left bank of Kasagh River, 13 km to the northwest of the capital Yerevan, at an approximate height of 1110 meters above sea level.
The town occupies the central point between the Ararat plain from the south and the mountains of Aragats from the north. The area is rich with water resources. The fountains of Saghmosavan, Nazrevan and Shroshor are the main sources of drinking water for the town.
The town is divided into 4 districts: Old Ashtarak on the right bank of Kasagh river, Dzakhap (literally meaning left bank) on the left side of Kasagh, Gitavan and Bagavan. The village of Mughni -included within the municipality of Ashtarak- is located to the north of the town.[8] The valley of Ashtarak commonly known as Ashtaraki dzor is a major destination for visitors from Yerevan and other nearby settlements.
Climate
Ashtarak has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dsa). The city has a hot and dry weather in summers, especially in August and September, the driest months. Spring is the wettest time of the year. Hail is a rare event which can happen in warmer months.[9] Script error: No such module "weather box".
Demographics
Page Module:Historical populations/styles.css has no content.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1831 | 826 | — |
| 1891 | 2,550 | +1.90% |
| 1914 | 4,867 | +2.85% |
| 1926 | 4,853 | −0.02% |
| 1959 | 7,563 | +1.35% |
| 1972 | 13,900 | +4.79% |
| 2001 | 20,636 | +1.37% |
| 2011 | 18,834 | −0.91% |
| 2022 | 15,686 | −1.65% |
<timeline>
Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.3) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.664, 0.664, 0.930) ImageSize = width:200 height:180 PlotArea = left:44 bottom:27 top:20 right:10 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:25000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:10000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:5000 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo TextData = pos:(100,20) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:"year" pos:(85,182) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:"population" BarData= bar:1800 text:1800 bar:1801 bar:1802 bar:1803 bar:1804 bar:1805 bar:1806 bar:1807 bar:1808 bar:1809 bar:1810 bar:1811 bar:1812 bar:1813 bar:1814 bar:1815 bar:1816 bar:1817 bar:1818 bar:1819 bar:1820 bar:1821 bar:1822 bar:1823 bar:1824 bar:1825 bar:1826 bar:1827 bar:1828 bar:1829 bar:1830 bar:1831 bar:1832 bar:1833 bar:1834 bar:1835 bar:1836 bar:1837 bar:1838 bar:1839 bar:1840 bar:1841 bar:1842 bar:1843 bar:1844 bar:1845 bar:1846 bar:1847 bar:1848 bar:1849 bar:1850 bar:1851 bar:1852 bar:1853 bar:1854 bar:1855 bar:1856 bar:1857 bar:1858 bar:1859 bar:1860 text:1860 bar:1861 bar:1862 bar:1863 bar:1864 bar:1865 bar:1866 bar:1867 bar:1868 bar:1869 bar:1870 bar:1871 bar:1872 bar:1873 bar:1874 bar:1875 bar:1876 bar:1877 bar:1878 bar:1879 bar:1880 bar:1881 bar:1882 bar:1883 bar:1884 bar:1885 bar:1886 bar:1887 bar:1888 bar:1889 bar:1890 bar:1891 bar:1892 bar:1893 bar:1894 bar:1895 bar:1896 bar:1897 bar:1898 bar:1899 bar:1900 bar:1901 bar:1902 bar:1903 bar:1904 bar:1905 bar:1906 bar:1907 bar:1908 bar:1909 bar:1910 bar:1911 bar:1912 bar:1913 bar:1914 bar:1915 bar:1916 bar:1917 bar:1918 bar:1919 bar:1920 text:1920 bar:1921 bar:1922 bar:1923 bar:1924 bar:1925 bar:1926 bar:1927 bar:1928 bar:1929 bar:1930 bar:1931 bar:1932 bar:1933 bar:1934 bar:1935 bar:1936 bar:1937 bar:1938 bar:1939 bar:1940 bar:1941 bar:1942 bar:1943 bar:1944 bar:1945 bar:1946 bar:1947 bar:1948 bar:1949 bar:1950 bar:1951 bar:1952 bar:1953 bar:1954 bar:1955 bar:1956 bar:1957 bar:1958 bar:1959 bar:1960 bar:1961 bar:1962 bar:1963 bar:1964 bar:1965 bar:1966 bar:1967 bar:1968 bar:1969 bar:1970 bar:1971 bar:1972 bar:1973 bar:1974 bar:1975 bar:1976 bar:1977 bar:1978 bar:1979 bar:1980 text:1980 bar:1981 bar:1982 bar:1983 bar:1984 bar:1985 bar:1986 bar:1987 bar:1988 bar:1989 bar:1990 bar:1991 bar:1992 bar:1993 bar:1994 bar:1995 bar:1996 bar:1997 bar:1998 bar:1999 bar:2000 bar:2001 bar:2002 bar:2003 bar:2004 bar:2005 bar:2006 bar:2007 bar:2008 bar:2009 bar:2010 bar:2011 bar:2012 bar:2013 bar:2014 bar:2015 bar:2016 bar:2017 bar:2018 bar:2019 bar:2020 bar:2021 bar:2022 bar:2023 bar:2024 bar:2025 bar:2026 bar:2027 bar:2028 bar:2029 bar:2030 bar:2031 bar:2032 bar:2033 bar:2034 bar:2035 bar:2036 bar:2037 bar:2038 bar:2039 bar:2040 text:2040 PlotData= color:barra width:2 align:left bar:1831 from: 0 till:826 bar:1891 from: 0 till:2550 bar:1914 from: 0 till:4867 bar:1926 from: 0 till:4853 bar:1959 from: 0 till:7563 bar:1972 from: 0 till:13900 bar:2001 from: 0 till:20636 bar:2011 from: 0 till:18834 bar:2022 from: 0 till:15686</timeline> | ||
| Source: [10] | ||
Culture
Ashtarak has a cultural palace, 4 schools of art, and many public libraries, including the Aragatsotn regional library named after Vardges Petrosyan. The town is also home to the house-museum of novelist Perch Proshyan founded in 1948, located at the centre of town within the Proshyan family house. It was last restored in 2008.[11] The 17th-century bridge of Ashtarak on Kasagh River is among the interesting sites of the town. It is located in the gorge just below the church of Saint Sarkis. It was built in 1664 by the efforts of Mahdesi Khoja Grigor; a wealthy merchant from Kanaker. The bridge features 3 arches that are unequal in size.
Historical monuments
Churches of Spitakavor, Karmravor and Tsiranavor
According to a legend, 3 sisters lived in Ashtarak, all of whom fell in love with the same man, prince Sarkis. The elder 2 sisters decided to commit suicide in favour of the youngest one. One wearing an apricot-orange dress and the other wearing a red dress, they threw themselves into the Ashtarak gorge. When the youngest sister found out, she put on a white dress and also threw herself into the gorge. Sarkis then became a hermit and three small churches appeared at the edge of the gorge, named after the sisters' dress colours.
The best preserved one among the three churches is the Karmravor Church (meaning reddish for its dome colour), dating back to the 7th century, dedicated to the Holy Mother of God (Surp Astvatsatsin). It has a small cruciform central-plan, with a reddish/apricot colored dome, and an octagonal drum. Other churches include, Tsiranavor (meaning apricot-colored) dating back to the 5th century,[12] and Spitakavor (meaning whitish) dating back to the 13th century, both are located along the edge of the gorge.
Saint Marianeh Church
The largest church of the town is the Saint Marianeh Church located at the center of Ashtarak. It was built in 1271 and has a rectangular plan from outside and a cruciform type plan from inside with an octagonal drum above. A belfry was added in 1838.
Saint Sarkis Church
The 19th-century church of Surp Sarkis built on an old foundation, is situated on an attractive point at a promontory overlooking the gorge and offers a fine view to the above-mentioned three churches. The external walls of the structure were almost completely restored recently while the interior walls remain the same. Some pieces of the outer walls remain sitting next to the church with carvings on them.
Ashtarak Walnut Festival
The Ashtarak Walnut Festival is taking place every year during the month of October to promote the fame of the delicious walnut of Ashtarak. It was first celebrated in 2012. The festival is organized by the French-Armenian owners of the local Pascal & Diodato café.[citation needed]
Transportation
Ashtarak is a satellite of Yerevan and connected with the capital through the Ashtarak highway. The M-1 Motorway connects Ashtarak with northwestern Armenia, including the city of Gyumri, while the M-3 Motorway connects the town with northeastern Armenia up to the Georgian border.
Taxi services are available in the town while public vans locally-known as marshrutka, operate regular trips between Ashtarak and Yerevan throughout the day.
Economy
Ashtarak is one of the major industrial centre of Aragatsotn Province. The industrial sector of the town is based on food-processing, dairy products and beverages, mainly processing the domestic raw materials and grapes.
Ashtarak is home to the "Ashtarak-Kat" company (founded in 1995), the leading ice-cream and dairy products manufacturer in Armenia. The town is also home to the "Gourmet Dourme" chocolate factory founded in 2007, the "P & D Group Armenia" for plastic containers founded in 2007, as well as the "Milen Art" plant and the "Kharam Cooperative" for building materials production.
With several restaurants and recreation areas, the valley of Kasagh river -locally known as Ashtaraki dzor- is a major destination for visitors from Yerevan and other areas.
Education
Ashtarak is home to 7 public education schools and 6 pre-school kindergartens. It is also home to the Ashtarak State Vocational School, which is an intermediate technical college.
2 major scientific research institutions of Armenia are based in Ashtarak:
- Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics: founded in 1960 as the research and development branch of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences, in the fields of radio engineering, automatic control, theoretical physics, solid state physics, semiconductors and superconductivity.[13]
- Mikael Ter-Mikaelian Institute for Physical Research: founded in 1967 as the physical research organization of the National Academy of Sciences, involved in the fields of laser physics, material science and related areas.[14]
Sport
FC Mika was founded in 1999 on the basis of the merger of 2 football clubs: Mika Ashtarak and Kasagh Ashtarak[15] Under the merger, the name of the new club became Mika-Kasagh Ashtarak. However, the merger only lasted for 1 year; until 2000. Kasagh Ashtarak restored its original name, keeping their logo, history and statistics, while FC Mika settled for being a new club. In 2007, Mika was relocated from Ashtarak to Yerevan. The only stadium of the city is Kasaghi Marzik Stadium with a capacity of 3,500 spectators.
The sport school of Ashtarak is regulated by the Sevan sports public organization. The centre was entirely renovated and opened in July 2017, with an approximate cost of US$1 million. The school has around 350 young athletes specialized in Olympic wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, martial arts, volleyball, basketball, football and chess.[16]
Ashtarak is also home to the "Ayrudzi" horse racing club.
International relations
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote".
Twin towns – Sister cities
Ashtarak is twinned with:
- File:Blason Alfortville 94.svg Alfortville, France (since 1993).
Notable people
- Nerses V Ashtaraketsi (1770–1857), Catholicos of all Armenians[17]
- Perch Proshyan (1837–1907), novelist[18]
- Smbat Shahaziz (1840–1908), poet[citation needed]
- Norair Sisakian (1907–1966) Soviet Armenian biochemist and one of the founders of space biology[citation needed]
- Gevorg Emin (1918–1998), poet[19]
- Emil Gabrielian (1931–2010), Armenian physician[citation needed]
- Vardges Petrosyan (1932–1994), playwright and novelist[citation needed]
- Vazgen Muradian (1921–2018), composer
See also
References
Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Main Results of RA Census 2022, trilingual / Armenian Statistical Service of Republic of Armenia". www.armstat.am. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."2011 Armenia census, Aragatsotn Province" (PDF). armstat.am. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Population estimate of Armenia as of 01.01.2016" (PDF). armstat.am. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ Ashtarak Script error: No such module "webarchive".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Simonyan, Hakob Y. (2012). "New Discoveries at Verin Naver, Armenia". Backdirt (The Puzzle of the Mayan Calendar). The Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA: 110–113. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Armstats:Aragatsotn Marz" (PDF). armstat.am. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ekbal, Kamran (2002). "EʿTEMĀD-AL-DAWLA, ĀQĀ KHAN NŪRĪ". Encyclopaedia Iranica.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ashtarak tert: About Ashtarak". wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ashtarak Climate Normals for 1991-2020" (CSV). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Template:Cite Republic of Armenia Settlements Dictionary
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Charents Museum of Literature and Arts".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Edwards, Robert W., "Aštarak" (2016). The Eerdmans Encyclopedia of Early Christian Art and Archaeology, ed., Paul Corby Finney. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-8028-9016-0.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Welcome to the Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics - Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics, NAS RA". www.irphe.am. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Armenia, Institute for Physical Research of National Academy of Sciences of. "The Institute for Physical Research (IPR)". www.ipr.sci.am. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ History - Mika Football Club Script error: No such module "webarchive"., from fcmika.am, retrieved 1 May 2009
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.LLC, Helix Consulting. "President pays working visit to Aragatsotn Marz of Armenia - Domestic visits - Updates - The President of the Republic of Armenia [the official site]". www.president.am. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.George Bournoutian (1998). Russia and the Armenians of Transcaucasia, 1797-1889: A Documentary Record. Mazda Publishers. p. 256. ISBN 9781568590684.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Manuel Sarkisyanz (1975). A Modern History of Transcaucasian Armenia: Social, Cultural and Political. Udyama Commercial Press. p. 102. ISBN 9789004059115.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ararat". Vol. 28. Armenian General Benevolent Union. 1987. p. 29.
External links
Page Module:Side box/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Sister project/styles.css has no content.
- Ashtarak official website
- Armeniapedia.org article on the region
- Page Template:Sister-inline/styles.css has no content.Script error: No such module "Sister project logo". [[voy:Ashtarak#Template:Wikidata|Ashtarak]] travel guide from Wikivoyage
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Authority control/config' not found.
.jpg){kind=link}
