Tigranakert ( hy, Տիգրանակերտ) or Tigranavan ( hy, Տիգրանավան) was an ancient Armenian city founded by
Tigranes the Great
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 ...
, King 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 ...
in the 1st century BCE. It was located near the village of
Bananiyar (Aparanner) in present-day
Nakhchivan,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
.
It was one of four cities established by Tigranes the Great which carry his name.
The one at
Nakhchivan is said to have served as a residence for Tigranes' sister, Tigranuhi.
[Armeniapaedia: Nakhijevan - Third chapter Նախիջևան` Գլուխ երրորդ]
(in Armenian)
Etymology
The name Tigranakert consists of the name of
Tigranes the Great
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 ...
with the Armenian suffix ''-kert'', meaning “made by”. Therefore, the literal translation of the city name is “Made by Tigran.” Additionally, the name Tigranavan comes from the same origin but instead uses the Armenian suffix ''-avan'', meaning town.
In later periods, the site was commonly known as Aparank (also Aparan, Aparanner), which is the Armenian word for palace.
History
This settlement, often mentioned in both Armenian and non-Armenian sources as Aparan/Aparank,
was located in the present day village of
Bənəniyar in the
Julfa region. With the combination of historical-bibliographic data from historians
Mikayel Chamchian
Mikayel Chamchian)․ ( hy, Միքայէլ Չամչեան, 4 December 1738 – 30 November 1823), known also in English as Michael Chamich, was an Armenian Mekhitarist monk, historian, grammarian and theologian. He is best known for writing a c ...
and
Ghevont Alishan __NOTOC__
Ghevont Alishan () (1820-1901; also spelled Ghevond Alishan, or Leonzio Alishan in Italian or Léonce Alichan in French) was an ordained Armenian Catholic priest, historian and a poet. He was awarded by the Legion of Honour of the Frenc ...
, we can conclude that this city was located on the site of Tigranakert, where Tigranes settled his sister Tigranuhi (not to be confused with
Tigranakert, the capital city founded by Tigranes further to the west).
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 ...
writes about this in his book titled ''The History of Armenia'', that "... (Tigran) sends his sister Tigranuhi to Armenia as a king and in large numbers, the settlement that Tigranes built in his name, that is, Tigranakert, the provinces call for his service to put in. And the aristocratic class called the Vosta of those parts says that it originated from this generation, as if it were a royal generation."
Later, this settlement has been mentioned as a city since the 1st century, during the invasions of the Roman general Corbulo on the city 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 ...
, due to the resistance organized by the Armenians.
In the Middle Ages, Tigranavan had a population of 500,000-600,000
Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...
and occupied a
large area within its fortified walls. The vestiges of some
of the buildings, winepresses, and cemeteries of the earlier town can still be seen today in the vineyards and the fields surrounding the present-day village.
[
17th century traveler, John Tavernier, who passed through
Aparank, wrote admiringly of it, stating that: “with its delightful vineyards, fruit-bearing trees, and all the amenities of life, it was one of the most beautiful places
in Asia.”][
This town is mentioned in the History of Step'anos Orbelian, as Aparank' in the district of Yerjank. Beginning with the fourteenth century, the historical sources speak about it frequently as the center of the Unitores (Armenians who converted to Catholicism). According
to the colophon of a manuscript copied by Mxit'ar of Aparan, the religious monuments of Aparaner were named after the "Holy Mother of God, Saint Stephen the Protomartyr, the Apostle Saint James and All Saints." Unfortunately these monuments are now completely destroyed and razed to the ground.][ The sources do not give us any descriptive or historical information on them.
There is only limited information about the All Saints Church, which was the seat of the Unitor diocesan bishop, the episcopal see of the Catholic Congregation.][
The grandiose complex of the All Saints Church of Aparank stood on a small hill in the central area of the old town. The ruined traces of the latter were visible until 1970.][ Visiting Aparank at the end of the nineteenth century, A. Sedrakian described the semidilapidated
church: "The church is built of stones and lime mortar to the level of the arches. The arches and the roof are built of baked bricks. The vaulted church is divided into three chapels of which the middle one, with its four pillars, is
the largest; each chapel has a cupola." 31 According to Ghewond Alishan, the roof and the cupolas were destroyed during the earthquake of 1848.][
A number of ]khachkar
A ''khachkar'', also known as a ''khatchkar'' or Armenian cross-stone ( hy, խաչքար, , խաչ xačʿ "cross" + քար kʿar "stone") is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosettes, in ...
s[ and tombstones erected in other parts of the apse building of the All-Saints Church had lithographs dating to the 12th-14th centuries. Inside the church, there was a secret ambush, from where in 1870, a number of vessels, jewelry and other items were found.
Judging by the lithographs of the All-Saints Church, it should be considered acceptable that the former church of this monument was founded before the 10th-11th centuries, on the ruins of which the episcopal church of the monks was built in the 14th century.
]
See also
*Goghtn Goght'n ( hy, Գողթն; also mentioned in sources as Goght'an, Գողթան, and spelled Gołt'n by modern scholars) was a canton (''gavaṛ'') located in the province of Vaspurakan in historical Armenia. Its borders roughly corresponded to the m ...
* Armenians in Nakhchivan
*Armenian Catholic Church
, native_name_lang = hy
, image = St Elie - St Gregory Armenian Catholic Cathedral.jpg
, imagewidth = 260px
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminat ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tigranakert
Armenian culture
Armenian Highlands