Aram Street ( hy, Արամի Փողոց), is a street at the central

Kentron district Kentron ( hy, Կենտրոն վարչական շրջան, translit=Kentron varčakan šrĵan), is one of the Districts of Yerevan, 12 districts of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. It comprises the downtown, the commercial centre of the city. As of ...

of the

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

n capital

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

, named after

Aram Manukian Aram Manukian, reformed spelling: Արամ Մանուկյան, and he is also referred to as simply Aram. (19 March 187929 January 1919), was an Armenian revolutionary, statesman, and a leading member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation ...

; the leader of the Van Resistance of 1915 and one of the founders of the

First Republic of Armenia The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետութիւն), was the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle ...

. It is one of the oldest streets in modern Yerevan. The street runs from the Khanjyan street at the southeast, to Mashtots Avenue at the northwest, along the

Yerevan Vernissage Yerevan Vernissage ( hy, Վերնիսաժ ''Vernisazh'') is a large open-air market in Yerevan, Armenia. The name of the market is the derived from the French language, French word ''vernissage''. The market lies along Aram Street and Buzand Street ...

market, the

National Gallery of Armenia The National Gallery of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի ազգային պատկերասրահ, ''Hayastani azgayin patkerasrah'') is the largest art museum in Armenia. Located on Yerevan's Republic Square, the museum has one of the most prominent ...

and Missak Manouchian park.

History

The street was opened in 1837 and named Tsarskaya Street in the honour of Tsar Nicholas I who visited the city during that period. In 1919, after the death of the first interior minister of the

, the street was officially renamed after him. After the sovietization of Armenia, the communists renamed the street after the

bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

activist

Suren Spandaryan Suren Spandari Spandaryan ( hy, Սուրեն Սպանդարի Սպանդարյան; 1882 in Tiflis – 24 September 1916 in Krasnoyarsk) was an Armenian revolutionary in the Russian Empire, literatary critic, publicist and one of the founders of th ...

in 1921. With the independence of Armenia in 1991, the name of Aram Manukian was restored and the street was officially renamed as Aram Street (in Armenian: ''Arami Poghots''). Between 1917 and 1919, Aram Manukian lived in the building located at Aram Street 9. The building which belonged to Fadey Kalantaryan, dates back to 1910 and designed by architect Boris Mehrabyan.

Aram Street was home to many old and traditional buildings of Yerevan. However, after the independence of Armenia, the majority of the historic buildings on the street were either entirely destroyed or transformed into modern residential buildings through the construction of additional floors. Only few structures were preserved, mainly in the portion that extends from the

Abovyan Street Abovyan Street ( hy, Աբովյան Փողոց), is a street at the central Kentron district of the Armenian capital Yerevan. It was known as Astafyan Street between 1868 and 1920. The street runs from the central Republic Square to the statu ...

to the

Mashtots Avenue Mashtots Avenue ( hy, Մաշտոցի Պողոտա ''Mashtots'i Poghota''), known as Lenin Avenue until 1990, is an avenue in the central Kentron district of Yerevan, Armenia. The avenue starts with the Victory Bridge at the south and ends up wit ...

"Old Yerevan" project

In 2005, the

Yerevan City Council The Yerevan City Council () is the lawmaking body of the city of Yerevan, the capital and largest city of Armenia. It has 65 members elected by Party-list proportional representation system, headed by the Mayor of Yerevan. The Council serves as a ...

proposed a plan to restore the old buildings on Aram Street, within the frames of "Old Yerevan" project. The initial plan had suggested to rebuild the historic buildings on the section located between the Abovyan Street and Mashtots park, at a length of 320 meters. However, the proposed plan was postponed for several years due to lack of financial resources. The budgeted amount for the investment on this project is around US$ 150 million, with a duration of between 3 and 5 years. In April 2013, the project was revived as the reconstruction process of some old buildings was launched. Based on the revised plan, "Old Yerevan" will be implemented in accordance with the master plan of Yerevan. Thus, the rehabilitated territory will recreate an urban environment that features the historical scene of Yerevan, commercially and culturally integrated into the modern life of the city.The President conducted a tour of the capital and familiarized with the process of implementation of the major investment programs
/ref>

References

External links

Old images of Aram street
{{Yerevan landmarks Transport in Yerevan Roads in Armenia Streets in Yerevan