Talin ( hy, Թալին), is a town and urban municipal community in the

Aragatsotn Province Aragatsotn ( hy, Արագածոտն, ) is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. It is located in the western part of the country. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Ashtarak. The Statistical Committee of Armenia reported i ...

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 ''O ...

. As of the 2011 census, Talin had a population of 5,310. According to the 2016 official estimate, Talin currently has a population of around 3,800. The community is notable for the 7th-century Cathedral of Talin.

Etymology

Throughout its history, Talin (), was known in several different pronunciations including ''Talina'' (), ''Talin Mets'' (), ''Talin Verin'' (), (), and ''Hayi Talin'' (). ''Talina'' is most probably the Hellenized version of ''Talin'', used by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

during the 2nd century. Talin is a very common feminine name in the

Armenian diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

History

Ancient history and Middle Ages

Talin is one of the oldest settlements in modern-day Armenia, with ancient foundations dating back to the 2nd millennium BC. The first reference to the town of Talin was made by

during the 2nd century.

referred to the settlement as ''Talina''; the Hellenized version of the Armenian name of ''Talin''. Talin Cathedral

Between the 7th and 10th centuries, Talin has been constantly mentioned by many historians, either as a big village or a town under the rule of

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 ...

Armenian noble family, within the ''Aragatsotn'' canton 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, ...

; the 15th province of

Greater Armenia Greater Armenia ( hy, Մեծ Հայք, translit=Mets Hayk) is the name given to the Armenian state that emerged on the Armenian Highlands during the reign of King Artaxias I at the turn of the 2nd century BC. The term was used to refer prin ...

In 774, Talin has been seized and its population has been ruled by the Arab Muslims. However, the town has been revived with the establishment of the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia by the end of the 9th century. The religious complex of the Cathedral of Talin was founded during the late 7th century, by prince ''Nerseh Kamsarakan''. During the same period, the

Dashtadem Fortress Dashtadem Fortress ( hy, Դաշտադեմի ամրոց) is a substantial fortress of the 10th to 19th centuries located at the southern outskirts of Dashtadem village in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. In a cemetery south of Dashtadem, lies ...

was also built by the Kamsarakan princes at the south of the town. In 1162, Talin has been severely attacked and destroyed by the invading Seljuks. Most of the town's population was either massacred or fell captive to the Seljuk army. Dashtadem Fortress of Talin played a vital role as a strategic point at the north of

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

, during the wars between the Ottomans and Persians.

16th to 19th centuries

In 1514, Talin was occupied by

Selim II Selim II (Ottoman Turkish: سليم ثانى ''Selīm-i sānī'', tr, II. Selim; 28 May 1524 – 15 December 1574), also known as Selim the Blond ( tr, Sarı Selim) or Selim the Drunk ( tr, Sarhoş Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire f ...

after the decisive Ottoman victory over the Safavid Persians in the Battle of Chaldiran. The Armenians of Talin started an uprising against the Ottomans, that led to the massacre of the population of the town by the Ottoman forces. In 1639, based on the

Treaty of Zuhab The Treaty of Zuhab ( fa, عهدنامه زهاب, ''Ahadnāmah Zuhab''), also called Treaty of Qasr-e Shirin ( tr, Kasr-ı Şirin Antlaşması), was an accord signed between the Safavid Empire and the Ottoman Empire on May 17, 1639. The accord e ...

signed between the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

and Persians, Talin became part of the Erivan Khanate under the rule of

Safavid Persia Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

. However, under the Persian rule, the town has gradually lost its significance during the 17th and 18th centuries, eventually turning into a tiny village. During the 1st half of the 19th century, following the Russo-Persian War in 1826–28, and as a result of the Treaty of Turkmenchay, major territories of

Eastern Armenia Eastern Armenia ( hy, Արևելյան Հայաստան ''Arevelyan Hayastan'') comprises the eastern part of the Armenian Highlands, the traditional homeland of the Armenian people. Between the 4th and the 20th centuries, Armenia was partitione ...

-including Talin- became part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

in 1829. Many Armenian families from

Western Armenia Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the eastern parts of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that are part of the historical homeland of the Armenians. Weste ...

, particularly from

Kars Kars (; ku, Qers; ) is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of Kars Province. Its population is 73,836 in 2011. Kars was in the ancient region known as ''Chorzene'', (in Greek Χορζηνή) in classical historiography (Strabo), part of ...

, Daruynk and Alashkert, migrated to Talin in 1829-30.

Modern history

At the beginning of the 20th century, during the years of the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...

, many Armenian refuge families arrived in Talin from the Western Armenian cities of

Van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

, Mush, Alashkert and Karin between 1914-1918. In May 1918, Talin was included within the newly founded Republic of Armenia that lasted until December 1920. Under the Soviet rule, Talin became the administrative centre of ''talin raion'' formed in 1930. In 1964, Talin was given the status of an

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlementrussian: посёлок городско́го ти́па, translit=posyolok gorodskogo tipa, abbreviated: russian: п.г.т., translit=p.g.t.; ua, селище міського типу, translit=selyshche mis'koho typu, ab ...

. In 1995, the government of independent Armenia reaffirmed the status of Talin as an urban settlement within the

. In 2019 Talin won Armenian title of the "Clean community of the year".

Geography

Talin is situated at the western foot of Mount Aragats within the

Shirak Plain Shirak Plain, ( hy, Շիրակի դաշտ ''Shiraki dašt''), is a plain located in the Armenian Plateau, at the northwest of Armenia. It roughly occupies almost the entire area of Shirak Province, the southwestern parts of Lori Province, as wel ...

, at a height of 1,585 meters above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

, near the Arteni Volcano which is located around 6 km west of Talin. The capital Yerevan is at a road distance of 68 km southeast of Talin. The town is surrounded with dry steppes. Talin has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

, characterized with hot/warm summers and extremely cold and snowy winters. The average annual precipitation is 450 mm.

Demographics

The population of Talin are mainly

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 ...

whose ancestors migrated from the cities of

, Doğubeyazıt and Eleşkirt in modern-day

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

, in 1829-30. The town's main church is the church of Surp Gevork (Saint George) dating back to the 19th century. The church in Talin is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Aragatsotn. The town is also home to a small

Yazidi Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. The ma ...

community. Here is the population timeline of Talin since 1831: The dialect of Talin belongs to the

Karin dialect The Karin dialect ( hy, Կարնոյ բարբառ, ''Karno barbař'') is a Western Armenian dialect originally spoken in and around the city of Erzurum (called Karin by Armenians), now located in eastern Turkey. Before World War I, the Karin di ...

, closely related to Western Armenian. The healthcare service is provided by the Talin Medical Centre.

Culture

Being one of the oldest centres of civilization in the history of Armenia, the area of Talin is rich with historical monuments. The 7th-century Cathedral of Talin built by the Kamsarakan princes, is a typical example of

Armenian church architecture Armenian church architecture is the architectural style of the Armenian church buildings created since the Apostolic era of Christianity in the Armenian Highland during the 1st century. It was developed over the last 1900 years. According to profes ...

of the early Christian period of the Armenian nation. Another historical monument in Talin is the 13th-century caravanserai located at the southern vicinity of the town. During the Soviet period, being the centre of ''Talin raion'', many cultural institutions were opened in the town. Nowadays, Talin has its house of culture, the public library, a school of music, and a geological museum. The town has its local "Talin Ashkharh" weekly newspaper.

Transportation

Talin is an important intersection in Armenia between north and south. The M-1 Motorway passes through Talin from the southeast to the northwest. Additionally, the M-9 Motorway passes across Talin from the south to the north, separating the town into two parts. Regular mini bus trips facilitate the transportation between Talin and

Gyumri Gyumri ( hy, Գյումրի, ) is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city w ...

, Ashtarak and the surrounding villages.

Economy

The citizens of Talin are mainly involved in agriculture. Cattle-breeding is common in the rural areas around Talin. Beekeeping farms are also found at higher woodlands. On the other hand, gemstones production is quite developed in Talin. Currently, the "DiamoTech" Factory for gemstones and jewelry is operating in the town since 2004. Additionally, Talin is home to the "Bonilat" factory for dairy products founded in 2005, on the basis of the former Talin cheese factory. The town is also home to the "Avetsiyan Aghek" plant for soft drinks. An asphalt and bitumen plant is also operating since the Soviet days. The town has many small enterprises for dairy and bakery products. As of November 2017, Talin is home to the largest

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovolta ...

plant in Armenia. The 1 MW "Talin-1" solar power plant was officially opened on November 7, 2017, as a private project initiated by local investors and financed by the KfW German development bank.Armenian Prime Minister attends the opening of the largest solar power station in Armenia "Talin-1"
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Education

As of 2017, Talin is home to 2 primary schools and a high school. Many pre-school kindergartens are also operating in the town. The Aragatsotn Regional State college is a state-owned intermediate technical college based in Talin.

Sport

Like the rest of the regions in Armenia,

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

is the most popular sport in Talin. A sports school run by the municipality is currently operating in the town with a football training field located at the northwest of the town centre.

People

Samvel Mkrtchyan Samvel Suren Mkrtchyan (''Armenian language, Armenian: Սամվել Մկրտչյան'') (25 February 1959 – 7 December 2014) was an Armenian translator, editor and writer. Early life Mkrtchyan was born in Talin, Armenia, Talin in the Armeni ...

References

External links

Talin Cathedral at Armenica.org
{{Authority control Populated places in Aragatsotn Province Populated places established in the 2nd century Yazidi populated places in Armenia