Yerevan

Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia.

It serves as the nation's primary administrative, cultural, and industrial hub. The city is located along the Hrazdan River. It sits within the Ararat Plain. Yerevan is also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

It acts as the primate city of the country. This means it is the most important city in the region.

Archaeological evidence shows human activity here for a very long time. The Shengavit historical site shows people lived there since 3200 BC. This was during the Kura–Araxes culture of the early Bronze Age.

Archaeologists have excavated this site in several different phases. They found large round buildings with square adjoining rooms. They also discovered ritual installations during excavations in 2010 and 2012. These findings prove the area was a settled place long before modern cities existed.

The formal history of the city begins with the Erebuni Fortress.

King Argishti I of Urartu founded this fortress in 782 BC. He designed it to be a royal capital and a religious center.

The fortress was meant to guard against attacks from the north Caucasus. A cuneiform inscription on a basalt stone slab serves as the city's birth certificate. This writing confirms the date and the king who ordered the construction. The name Erebuni might come from an Urartian word meaning "to capture" or "victory."

Over many centuries, the city's importance changed many times. During the Achaemenid Empire, Erebuni was a major center for trade.

However, as new Armenian kingdoms rose, other cities like Artaxata became more important. This caused Erebuni to lose its status as a central city. The city also faced great hardships. In 1603, the Safavid Empire forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of Armenians to Iran. Later, a massive earthquake in 1679 destroyed most of the city.

The city was eventually rebuilt on a smaller scale.

The 20th century brought massive growth and transformation to Yerevan. After World War I, the city became the capital of the First Republic of Armenia. This happened as survivors of the Armenian genocide arrived in the area. During the time of the Soviet Union, the city expanded very quickly. It changed from a provincial town into a principal cultural and industrial center. Since the early 2000s, the economy has grown even more. This has led to much new construction and many new street cafés and shops.

Yerevan is a large and bustling metropolitan area today.

In 2022, the population reached 1,086,677 people. This number represents over 35% of the total population of Armenia. The city is recognized globally for its culture. In 2012, UNESCO named Yerevan the World Book Capital. It is also an associate member of Eurocities. The city's skyline is dominated by the massive Mount Ararat.

This mountain is a national symbol of Armenia.

Visitors can find many notable landmarks throughout the city. The Katoghike Tsiranavor church is the oldest surviving church in Yerevan.

For those interested in religion, Saint Gregory Cathedral is the largest Armenian cathedral in the world. The city is also a center for the arts. The National Gallery of Armenia is the largest art museum in the country.

The Matenadaran is another vital site. It holds one of the largest collections of ancient books and manuscripts in the world. These institutions help preserve the long history of the Armenian people.