Artashat ( hy, Արտաշատ), is a town and urban municipal community in

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 ...

serving as the administrative centre of

Ararat Province Ararat ( hy, Արարատ, ), is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is the town of Artashat. The province is named after the biblical Mount Ararat. It is bordered by Turkey from the west and Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan ...

. It is located on the

Araks River , az, Araz, fa, ارس, tr, Aras The Aras (also known as the Araks, Arax, Araxes, or Araz) is a river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan excl ...

in the Ararat plain, 30 km southeast of

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 ...

. Artashat was founded in 1945 by the Soviet government of Armenia and named after the nearby ancient city of Artashat. Modern Artashat is on the

- Nakhchivan-

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

and Nakhchivan-

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...

railway and on Yerevan-

Goris Goris ( hy, Գորիս) is a town and the centre of the urban community of Goris, in Syunik Province at the south of Armenia. Located in the valley of the Goris (or Vararak) River, it is 254 km from the Armenian capital Yerevan and 67 km ...

Stepanakert / az, Xankəndi, italic=no , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = File:StepanakertCollage.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = From top left: Holy Mother ...

highway. The name of the city is derived from

Iranian languages The Iranian languages or Iranic languages are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family that are spoken natively by the Iranian peoples, predominantly in the Iranian Plateau. The Iranian languages are grouped ...

and means the "joy of Arta". Hewsen, Robert H.br>Artaxata
Iranica. Accessed February 25, 2008. Tiratsyan, Gevorg. ''«Արտաշատ»'' rtashat

Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia'' ( hy, Հայկական սովետական հանրագիտարան, ''Haykakan sovetakan hanragitaran''; ASE) publishing house was established in 1967 as a department of the Institute of History of the Armeni ...

. Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1976, vol. 2, pp. 135-136. Founded by King

Artashes I Artaxias I (from gr, Άρταξίας; in hy, Արտաշէս, translit=Artašēs) was the founder of the Artaxiad dynasty of Armenia, ruling from 189 BC to 160 BC. Artaxias was a member of a branch of the Orontid dynasty, the earlier ruling d ...

in 176 BC, ancient Artashat served as the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

of the Kingdom of Armenia from 185 BC until 120 AD, and was known as the "Vostan Hayots" or "court" or "seal of the Armenians". The town of Artashat is northwest of the ancient city of Artashat. As of the 2011 census, the population of Artashat was 22,269. As per the 2016 official estimate, the town has a population of 18,700.

Etymology

Modern Artashat is located around 8 km north of the ancient city of Artashat. Ancient Artashat itself is named after king Artashes; the founder of the Artaxiad Dynasty of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia. The name of the city is derived from

and means the "joy of Arta". Founded by King

Artaxias I Artaxias I (from gr, Άρταξίας; in hy, Արտաշէս, translit=Artašēs) was the founder of the Artaxiad dynasty of Armenia, ruling from 189 BC to 160 BC. Artaxias was a member of a branch of the Orontid dynasty, the earlier ruling d ...

in 176 BC, Artaxata served as the

of the Kingdom of Armenia from 185 BC until 120 AD, and was known as the "Vostan Hayots" ("court/seal of the Armenians.

History

Antiquity

King

founded Artashat in 176 BC in the Vostan Hayots canton within the historical province of

Ayrarat Ayrarat () was the central province of the ancient kingdom Armenia, located in the plain of the upper Aras River. Most of the historical capitals of Armenia were located in this province, including Armavir, Yervandashat, Artashat, Vagharshapat ...

, at the point where Araks river was joined by Metsamor river during that ancient eras, near the heights of

Khor Virap Khor Virap ( hy, Խոր Վիրապ, lit=deep dungeon) is an Armenian monastery located in the Ararat Plain in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, about south of Artashat, Ararat Province, within the territory of ancient Artaxata. The monaster ...

. The story of the foundation is given by the Armenian historian

Movses Khorenatsi Movses Khorenatsi (ca. 410–490s AD; hy, Մովսէս Խորենացի, , also written as ''Movses Xorenac‘i'' and Moses of Khoren, Moses of Chorene, and Moses Chorenensis in Latin sources) was a prominent Armenian historian from the late an ...

of the fifth century: "Artashes traveled to the location of the confluence of the

Yeraskh Yeraskh ( hy, Երասխ, formerly, Arazdayan) is a village in the Ararat Province of Armenia. Yeraskh is the closest Armenian village to the closed border with Azerbaijan. The settlement is adjacent to Heydarabad, Azerbaijan across the border ...

and

Metsamor Metsamor ( hy, Մեծամոր, ), is a town and urban municipal community in the Armavir Province of Armenia. It is famous for being home to Armenia's Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, the only nuclear plant in the Transcaucasian region. As of the ...

ivers Ivers is the Name of the following people: * Donald L. Ivers (born 1941), former judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims *Eileen Ivers (born 1965), Irish-US-American musician *Julia Crawford Ivers (1869 - 1930), US-American ...

and taking a liking to the position of the hills djacent to Mount Ararat he chose it as the location of his new city, naming it after himself." According to the accounts given by Greek historians

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''P ...

and

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

, Artashat is said to have been chosen and developed on the advice of the

Carthaginian The term Carthaginian ( la, Carthaginiensis ) usually refers to a citizen of Ancient Carthage. It can also refer to: * Carthaginian (ship), a three-masted schooner built in 1921 * Insurgent privateers; nineteenth-century South American privateers, ...

general

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

. However, modern historians argue that there is no direct evidence to support this. Artashes also built a citadel (which was later named

and gained prominence as the location where

Gregory the Illuminator Gregory the Illuminator ( Classical hy, Գրիգոր Լուսաւորիչ, reformed: Գրիգոր Լուսավորիչ, ''Grigor Lusavorich'';, ''Gregorios Phoster'' or , ''Gregorios Photistes''; la, Gregorius Armeniae Illuminator, cu, Svyas ...

was to be imprisoned by Trdat the Great) and added other fortifications, including a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

During the reign of

Tigranes II Tigranes II, more commonly known as Tigranes the Great ( hy, Տիգրան Մեծ, ''Tigran Mets''; grc, Τιγράνης ὁ Μέγας ''Tigránes ho Mégas''; la, Tigranes Magnus) (140 – 55 BC) was King of Armenia under whom the ...

, the Armenian kingdom expanded and conquered many territories in the south and west, ultimately reaching the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. Due to the remoteness of Artashat in the greater context of the empire, Tigranes built a new capital called Tigranakert. However, in 69 the Roman general

Lucullus Lucius Licinius Lucullus (; 118–57/56 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, closely connected with Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In culmination of over 20 years of almost continuous military and government service, he conquered the eastern kingdom ...

invaded Armenia, defeated Tigranes' forces at the outskirts of Tigranakert, and sacked the new capital. As the harassed Roman forces continued to move northeast in pursuit of the Armenian king, a second prominent battle took place, this time at Artashat where, according to Roman sources, Tigranes II was defeated once again. Artashat was restored as capital of Armenia in 60 B.C. In 449, just before the

Battle of Avarayr The Battle of Avarayr ( hy, Ավարայրի ճակատամարտ ''Avarayri čakatamart'') was fought on 2 June 451 on the Avarayr Plain in Vaspurakan between a Christian Armenian army under Vardan Mamikonian and Sassanid Persia. It is conside ...

, the city witnessed the "Artashat Council" where the political and religious leaders of Christian Armenia gathered to discuss the threats of the Persian Sassanian king

Yazdegerd II Yazdegerd II (also spelled Yazdgerd and Yazdgird; pal, 𐭩𐭦𐭣𐭪𐭥𐭲𐭩), was the Sasanian King of Kings () of Iran from 438 to 457. He was the successor and son of Bahram V (). His reign was marked by wars against the Eastern Roman ...

. However, after losing its status as a capital to

Vagharshapat Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...

and later Dvin, Artashat gradually lost its significance. The exact location of ancient Artashat was identified during the 1920s, with archaeological excavations beginning in 1970. The archaeological site of Ancient Artashat is south of the modern city of Artashat, near the monastery of

Modern history

The modern town of Artashat was founded by the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

government in 1945 as an urban community, with the merger of three villages: ''Upper Ghamarlu'', ''Lower Ghamarlu'' and ''Novruzlu'', with Upper Ghamarlu being the largest one. It was named after the historical city of Artashat, located 8 km northwest of the modern town. Until the 1920s, Upper Ghamarlu had many small manufacturers of Armenian cognac. During the Soviet Days, the town has gradually grown as an industrial hub, mainly in the sphere of food-processing and building materials production. In 1970, Artashat was given the status of a "city of republican subordination" within the

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...

. In 1995, with the new law of the territorial administration of the Republic of Armenia, Artashat became the provincial centre of the newly formed

Geography

Artashat is situated at the east of the central part of modern-day Armenia, occupying the southeastern part of the Ararat plain, only 3.5 km east of

Araks river , az, Araz, fa, ارس, tr, Aras The Aras (also known as the Araks, Arax, Araxes, or Araz) is a river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan excl ...

on the Armenia-Turkey border. At an approximate height of 830 meters above sea level, the town is dominated by the Yeranos mountains from the north, the mountains of Gegham, Dahnak and Mzhkatar from the east, and the Urts mountains from the southeast. Historically, the current territory of the town was part of the Vostan Hayots canton of

province of

Ancient Armenia Ancient Armenia refers to the history of Armenia during Antiquity. It follows Prehistoric Armenia and covers a period of approximately one thousand years, beginning at the end of the Iron Age with the events that led to the dissolution of the King ...

. Currently, Artashat is divided into 4 districts: Norvzlu, Kentron, Ghamarlu and Southwestern district. Almost half of the population of the town are residing in the Southwestern district. The town is surrounded by the villages of Mrgavan, Vostan and

Shahumyan Shahumyan Province ( hy, Շահումյան, Shahumyan, also spelled ''Shaumyan'' and ''Shahumian'') is a claimed province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, ''de jure'' part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The capital of the province was K ...

from the north, east and the south respectively.

Climate

Artashat has a

cold semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''BSk'').

Demographics

The majority of the population in Artashat are ethnic Armenians who migrated from the

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian cities of

Khoy Khoy (Persian and az, خوی; ; ; also Romanized as Khoi), is a city and capital of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2012 census, its population was 200,985. Khoy is located north of the province's capital and largest city ...

and

Salmas Salmas ( fa, سلماس; ; ; ; syr, ܣܵܠܵܡܵܣ, Salamas) is the capital of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. It is located northwest of Lake Urmia, near Turkey. According to the 2019 census, the city's population is 127,864. ...

, after the Russo-Persian War of 1826–28. They belong to the

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

. The regulating body of the church is the

Araratian Pontifical Diocese Araratian Pontifical Diocese ( hy, Արարատյան Հայրապետական թեմ ''Araratyan Hayrapetakan t'em'') is the largest diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the oldest dioceses in the world, covering the city of Yereva ...

, headed by Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan (seat in Yerevan). The town's new church of Surp Hovhannes (Saint John the Evangelist) was consecrated on 31 May 2015. Artashat is home to tiny Assyrian and Russian communities. Population chart of Artashat since 1945:

Culture

The cultural life of Artashat is enhancing with the presence of several institutions. The town has a cultural palace, an art center named after

Charles Aznavour Charles Aznavour ( , ; born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, hy, Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան, ; 22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018) was a French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor and diplomat. Aznavour was known for his dist ...

, a drama theatre named after Amo Kharazyan and a public library named after Ohan Chubaryan (opened in 1948). In 2004, a new amusement park was inaugurated in the center of Artashat, which is used to host public celebrations, concerts and musical shows at nights. During the events dedicated to the 1600th anniversary of the invention of the

Armenian alphabet The Armenian alphabet ( hy, Հայոց գրեր, ' or , ') is an alphabetic writing system used to write Armenian language, Armenian. It was developed around 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and wikt:ecclesiastical, ecclesiast ...

, sculptors from all over Armenia and the diaspora created many cultural monuments in the center of Artashat. The monument of King Artashes I also stands in the center of the city. Ancient

Artaxata Artashat ( hy, Արտաշատ); Hellenized as Artaxata ( el, Ἀρτάξατα) and Artaxiasata ( grc, Ἀρταξιάσατα), was a large commercial city and the capital of ancient Armenia during the reign of king Artaxias I; the founder of t ...

is city where the first ever theater show has been performed in the history of the Armenian nation. King Artavazd II (55-34 BC) staged and directed

The Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; grc-gre, Βάκχαι, ''Bakchai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. ...

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...

at the Artashat amphitheater in 53 BC with the presence of king

Orodes II of Parthia Orodes II (also spelled Urud II; xpr, 𐭅𐭓𐭅𐭃 ''Wērōd''), was King of Kings of the Parthian Empire from 57 BC to 37 BC. He was a son of Phraates III, whom he murdered in 57 BC, assisted by his elder brother Mithridates IV. The two b ...

. At present, the Artashat Drama Theatre named after Amo Kharazyan regularly performs several Armenian and international classic as well as modern works.

Transportation

Artashat is a major point on the M-2 Motorway that connects the capital Yerevan with southern Armenia reaching up to the

ian border. The town has a railway station that used to connect Yerevan with the

Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic ( az, Naxçıvan Muxtar Respublikası, ), is a landlocked exclave of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The region covers Official portal of Nakhchivan Autonomous RepublicNakhchivan Autonomous Republic with a popula ...

during the Soviet years.

Economy

After facing serious difficulties during the economical crisis of the 1990s in Armenia, many firms in Artashat overcame the hard situation and started producing their products to serve the domestic and international markets. Currently, Artashat is home to many large industrial firms, mainly involved in food processing and building materials. The "Artfood Artashat Cannery" (since 1961) is among the leading processed food producers in Armenia. The "Shaumyan Alco" for brandy and vodka is operating in the town since 2007. In 2009, the "Ararat Group" for mineral water and soft drinks had opened its factory in Artashat with a total investment of US$27 million. Other industrial plant of Artashat include the "Izipanel" company specialized in

sandwich panel A sandwich panel is any structure made of three layers: a low-density core ( PIR, mineral wool, XPS), and a thin skin-layer bonded to each side. Sandwich panels are used in applications where a combination of high structural rigidity and low ...

manufacturing, as well as many small plants that produce building materials, textile, etc. Many large construction companies operate in the town as well.

Education

As of 2016, Artashat has 6 public education schools, 7 kindergartens, 1 musical school named after Alexander Melik Pashaev (opened in 1956), 1 art academy and 2 sport schools. In addition, the town has its domestic TV station, as well as a number of local newspapers.

Sport

Artashat has a municipal football stadium opened in 1960, where many competitions and championships for young football teams and athletics are held.

FC Dvin Artashat Dvin Artashat ( hy, Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ Դվին Արտաշատ), is a defunct Armenian football club from Artashat, Ararat Province. It was founded in 1982 under the name Olympia Artashat. After the independence of Armenia, the ...

, founded in 1982 as Olympia Artashat, was the only football club in the city. After the 1999

Armenian Premier League The Armenian Premier League ( hy, VBET Հայաստանի Պրեմիեր Լիգա, known as the VBET Armenian Premier League for sponsorship reasons) is the top association football, football competition in Armenia. From 1936 to 1991, the compet ...

season, the club was dissolved due to financial difficulties and is currently inactive from professional football. The stadium of Artashat is the regular home of the annual National Athletics Championship of Armenia.

Twin towns – sister cities

Artashat is twinned with: *

Clamart Clamart () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The town is divided into two parts, separated by a forest: ''bas Clamart'', the historical centre, and ''petit Clamart'' with urbaniz ...

, France (2003) * Pestszentlőrinc-Pestszentimre (Budapest), Hungary (2003)

Notable people

Sergo Karapetyan Sergo Karapetyan ( hy, Սերգո Կարապետյան; 6 August 1948 – 18 February 2021) was an Armenian politician. Biography He served as Agriculture Minister between 2010 and 2016. On February 18, 2021, Karapetyan died of complications fr ...

, Armenian politician and former minister of agriculture * Gusan Haykazun, contemporary Armenian composer * Varuzhan Yepremyan, renowned Armenian painter * Gegham Kadymyan, Armenian footballer *

Arayik Gevorgyan Arayik Gevorgyan ( hy, Արայիկ Գեւորգյան, born 22 January 1973) is a retired Armenian Freestyle wrestler. He is an Armenian Champion, European Champion, and three-time World Champion. Gevorgyan was awarded the Master of Sports of th ...

, three time world champion in wrestling