Bagaran () is a village in the
Armavir Province
Armavir ( hy, wikt:Արմավիր, Արմավիր, ), is a administrative divisions of Armenia, province (''marz'') in the western part of Armenia. Located in the Ararat plain dominated by Mount Ararat from the south and Mount Aragats from the n ...
of
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 ...
near the
Armenia–Turkey border
The Armenia–Turkey border ( hy, Հայաստան–Թուրքիա սահման, translit=Hayastan–T’urk’ia sahman, tr, Ermenistan–Türkiye sınırı) is 311 km (193 m) in length and runs from the tripoint with Georgia (country), G ...
. Its name is derived from the nearby ancient Armenian city of
Bagaran which was a large city and fortress that straddled both banks of the
Akhurian River
The Akhuryan ( hy, Ախուրյան ''Axuryan''; xcl, Ախուրեան ''Axurean''; russian: Арпачай or Ахурян), or Arpachay ( tr, Arpaçay) is a river in the South Caucasus. It originates in Armenia and flows from Lake Arpi, alon ...
, and served as a former capital of medieval Armenia. A small Kurdish-populated village called
Kılıttaşı now partially lies on the
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
side of the closed border.
Toponymy
Known as Haji Bayram, the village was renamed Bakhchalar on January 3, 1935 and later Bagaran on July 3, 1968, respectively.
History
Ancient and medieval
According to 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 ...
, Bagaran was founded during the 3rd century BC by king
Orontes IV
Orontes IV ( Old Persian: ''*Arvanta-'') was the son of King Arsames and is recorded as ruling Armenia from inscriptions found at the historic capital of the Orontid dynasty, Armavir. He was the founder of the city of Yervandashat.
In his reign ...
of Armenia. It quickly became the religious centre of Armenia, replacing
Armavir as the main spiritual site of the Orontid pagan temples. After fall of
Orontid Dynasty and the rise of
Artaxiad dynasty, 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 ...
moved all the pagan monuments from Bagaran and relocated them in his newly built capital of
Artashat
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 ...
, founded in 176 BC.
During the second half of the sixth century, Bagaran along with the entire canton of Arsharunik became the property of the
Kamsarakan
Kamsarakan ( hy, Կամսարական) was an Armenian noble family that was an offshoot of the House of Karen, also known as the Karen-Pahlav. The Karens were one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran and were of Parthian origin.
In the Byzantine-S ...
princes. The Church of Saint Theodore built between 624 and 631, was one of the main landmarks of Bagaran. Inscriptions on the church of Saint Theodore of Bagaran were located at the exterior of the entire building, starting at the northern face of the western apse and running across the northern, eastern and southern faces.
The
Bagratunis took over the city during the eighth century. In 895, after the establishment of the
Kingdom of Armenia, Bagaran became the capital of an independent Armenia under king
Ashot I. His successor king
Smbat I moved the capital Bagaran to
Shirakavan
Shirakavan ( hy, Շիրակաւան); founded as Yerazgavors and later Yerazgavork, was a medieval Armenian city and one of the 13 historic capitals of Armenia, serving as a capital city between 890 and 929 during the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia.
...
in 890. Under the Bagratid rule, Bagaran remained one of the prosperous centers of the Armenian kingdom. Many members of the Bagratuni rulers, including Ashot I, were buried in Bagaran.
However, in 1045, Bagaran along with the Armenian capital
Ani
Ani ( hy, Անի; grc-gre, Ἄνιον, ''Ánion''; la, Abnicum; tr, Ani) is a ruined medieval Armenian city now situated in Turkey's province of Kars, next to the closed border with Armenia.
Between 961 and 1045, it was the capital of th ...
was invaded by the
Byzantines. In 1064, the city was attacked and heavily destroyed by the
Seljuk Turks. During the 12th century, the
Shah-Armens took over Bagaran. In 1211, Bagaran was briefly ruled by the
Zakarid princes of Armenia before being invaded by the
Mongols
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal membe ...
in 1236. In 1394, Bagaran was finally destroyed by
Tamerlane.
Bagaran, one of the 13 capitals of Armenia
/ref>
Modern
At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was an Armenian-populated village near the site of ancient Bagaran with a population of slightly over 300. In 1920, as a result of the Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...
, the territories of Republic of Armenia
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
located west of the Akhurian River
The Akhuryan ( hy, Ախուրյան ''Axuryan''; xcl, Ախուրեան ''Axurean''; russian: Арпачай or Ахурян), or Arpachay ( tr, Arpaçay) is a river in the South Caucasus. It originates in Armenia and flows from Lake Arpi, alon ...
were captured by Turkey. The small group of the Armenian survivors of Bagaran, crossed the river and founded the modern village of Bagaran 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 ...
, just 8 km south of the site of the ancient city.
According to the Armenian historian Joseph Orbeli, the Church of Saint Theodore of Bagaran was one of the most important examples of early medieval Armenian architecture. It was largely intact before 1920 but is now entirely destroyed.
Health
Bagaran has a health post where women are offered free health screenings.
See also
*Armavir Province
Armavir ( hy, wikt:Արմավիր, Արմավիր, ), is a administrative divisions of Armenia, province (''marz'') in the western part of Armenia. Located in the Ararat plain dominated by Mount Ararat from the south and Mount Aragats from the n ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Armavir
Medieval Armenia
Populated places in Armavir Province
Ancient Armenia