Hayots Dzor (, literally "the valley of the Armenians") or Eruandunik/Yervandunik (, from the name of the Orontid dynasty) was a canton (''gavar'') of the province of Vaspurakan of historical Armenia encompassing the area to the southeast of

Lake Van Lake Van ( tr, Van Gölü; hy, Վանա լիճ, translit=Vana lič̣; ku, Gola Wanê) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the far east of Turkey, in the provinces of Van and Bitlis in the Armenian highlands. It is a saline soda lake ...

, namely the valley of the Khoshab (Hoşap) River. It was bordered by the cantons of

Rshtunik Rshtunik ( hy, Ռշտունիք) was a canton (''gavar'') of the province of Vaspurakan of historical Greater Armenia, Armenia, encompassing the area on the southern coast of Lake Van, which was also referred to as ''Ṛshtuniatsʻ Tsov'' ("Sea of ...

to the southwest,

Tosp Tosp (Տոսպ in Armenian) is a district of Vaspurakan province of Historical Armenia. The name came from the name Tushpa known as the capital of Araratian Kingdom aka Urartu. Tushpa was a name of Van city, and district called as Biaina or Bia ...

to the north, and Kughanovit to the east. Armenian folk tradition holds the region to be the site of the legendary battle between the Armenian patriarch

Hayk Hayk ( hy, Հայկ, ), also known as Hayk Nahapet (, , ), is the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation. His story is told in the '' History of Armenia'' attributed to the Armenian historian Moses of Chorene (Movses Khorenatsi ...

and the Babylonian ruler Bel. Hayk is said to have founded the fortress of Haykʻ or Haykaberd (traditionally identified with the ruins of the Urartian fortress of Sardurihinili) at the site of the battle, in honor of which Hayots Dzor was named. The inhabitants of region irrigated their fields using the Khoshab River and the Shamiram Canal, which was built during the time of the Kingdom of Urartu. Hayots Dzor was populated almost entirely by Armenians until the 1890s, when Kurdish tribes began to settle in the area following the

Hamidian massacres The Hamidian massacres also called the Armenian massacres, were massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the mid-1890s. Estimated casualties ranged from 100,000 to 300,000, Akçam, Taner (2006) '' A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide an ...

. As of 1911, there were 12 monasteries monasteries in the region of Hayots Dzor, five of which were standing and seven of which were in ruins. Around 10,000 Armenians lived in Hayots Dzor before the Armenian genocide, when the Armenian villages were destroyed and their inhabitants massacred or deported. According to Manvel Mirakhoryan, who traveled to the region in the late nineteenth century, the Armenian-populated villages of Hayots Dzor were as follows (modern-day Turkish names and district in parentheses): * Agrak * Atʻanantsʻ (Atalan, Gevaş) * Anggh (Dönemeç, Edremit) * Ankshtantsʻ (Parmakkapi, Gürpınar) * Aṛegh (Bozyiğit, Gürpınar) * Astvatsashen (Çavuştepe, Gürpınar) * Aradentsʻ (Çakinli, Gürpınar) * Berdak (Doğanlar, Edremit) * Zernak * Trkʻashen (Uğurveren, Gevaş) * Ishkhani Gom (Bakimli, Edremit) * Kaṛnurd (Değirmendüzü, Gürpınar) * Khachʻ * Kharakantsʻ (Engisu, Edremit) * Khekʻ (Yatağan, Gürpınar) * Khndrakatar * Khosp (Sakalar, Gürpınar) * Khorgom (Dilkaya, Edremit) * Kalbalasan (Arkboyu, Gürpınar) * Karmrakʻar * Kem (Köprüler, Edremit) * Kendanantsʻ * Kězěldash (Kiziltaş, Gevaş) * Kghzi (Gürpınar) * Hermeru * Hilunkʻ * Hirch (Gündoğan, Gevaş) * Hndstan (Erkaldi, Gürpınar) * Mashkatak (Gölbaşı, Edremit) * Margs (Andaç, Edremit) * Mulkʻ (Mülk, Edremit) * Nanik * Norgyugh (Yolaşan, Gürpınar) * Vochkharantsʻ Verin, Vochkhrantsʻ Nerkʻin (Koyunyataği, Gürpınar) * Pahantsʻ * Pzhnkert Verin, Pzhnkert Nerkʻin * Pltentsʻ (Aladüz, Gevaş) * Spitak Vankʻ * Surb Vardan (Kiyicak, Edremit) * Vahrantsʻ, Toni (Gölardı, Gürpınar) * Urtʻuk * Pʻakakatuk (Bölmeçalı, Gürpınar) * Kʻaravantsʻ (Çayırbaşı, Edremit) * Kʻerts (Abali, Gevaş) * Kʻeoshk (Köşk, Edremit and Ongün, Gürpınar)

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See also