Nerkin Getashen ( hy, Ներքին Գետաշեն, lit=Lower Getashen) is a village in the
Martuni Municipality
Gegharkunik ( hy, Գեղարքունիք, ) is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is Gavar.
Gegharkunik Province is located at the eastern part of Armenia, bordering Azerbaijan. It includes the exclave of Artsvash ...
of the
Gegharkunik Province
Gegharkunik ( hy, Գեղարքունիք, ) is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is Gavar.
Gegharkunik Province is located at the eastern part of Armenia, bordering Azerbaijan. It includes the exclave of Artsvas ...
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 ' ...
, located along the southwestern coast of
Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan ( hy, Սևանա լիճ, Sevana lich) is the largest body of water in both Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude (alpine) lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, ...
. South of Nerkin Getashen lies
Verin Getashen (), founded 1828-29 by migrants from
Mush
In multiplayer online games, a MUSH (a backronymed variation on MUD most often expanded as Multi-User Shared Hallucination, though Multi-User Shared Hack, Habitat, and Holodeck are also observed) is a text-based online social medium to which mul ...
and
Alashkert, in present-day
Eastern Turkey
The Eastern Anatolia Region ('' tr, Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi'') is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous province in the region is Van Province. Other populous provinces are Malatya, Erzurum and Elazığ.
It is bordered by the Black Se ...
.
Etymology
The village was known as ''Nerkin Adyaman'' and ''Nizhniy Adyaman'' prior to 1945.
History
In the village is the 9th-century monastery and church of
Kotavank overlooking the village and the Argitchi River with a large cemetery adjacent. Turkic rune inscriptions are located nearby. Within the village is a ruined "Jam" or funeral chapel with
khachkars built into its walls, and not far away is a small shrine. An old mill sits along the Argitchi River. There are also two large stone forts from the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
located two kilometres to the east and three kilometres to the west of the village.
Kot
In the early
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, the site of what is now modern Nerkin Getashen served as the capital of the ancient Syunyats region, known at that time as Kot. The settlement was located along the Dvin-Partav historical trade route, which allowed it to become an important 9th-10th century trade center. It also served as a
fishery for the medieval
Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia due to the large quantity of
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...
that were once abundant in the Argitchi River. The written record of Prince Grigor Supan notes that Kot served as the capital of his
princedom
A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...
. Aside from this, there is no further mention of Kot found in his writings. The monastery and church of Kotavank were also erected by Prince Grigor Supan during his reign. Both Kotavank and Kot were partially destroyed by invasions in the 10th-11th centuries and later by an earthquake. After its capture by Turkish invaders, Kot was renamed Adyaman.
Gallery
Kotavank November.JPG, Kotavank (St. Holy Mother Church of Kot) and the adjacent cemetery
Ներքին Գետաշենի սուրբ Գրիգոր Լուսավորիչ եկեղեցի 143.jpg, St. Gregory the Illuminator Church (Lusavorich Church)
Խաչքարադաշտ Ներքին Գետաշեն գյուղում 41.jpg, Khachkars and a view of Nerkin Getashen
Ջրաղաց Ներքին Գետաշեն գյուղում 01.jpg, Mill in Nerkin Getashen
Saint Holy Mother church of Kot 01.jpg, A view of Nerkin Getashen and Kotavank
Կոթավանք, Ներքին Գետաշեն գյուղ 36.jpg, A view of Nerkin Getashen
References
External links
*
VirtualArmenia.am: ''Nerkin (lower) Getashen - Gegharkunik''
Populated places in Gegharkunik Province
{{Gegharkunik-geo-stub