Arapgir

There are several versions regarding the origin of the name of the city:

• Sometimes the name Arabkira is associated with the ancient settlement of Arabraknua, on the site of which Arabkir was supposedly founded. ^[one]
• Some connect the origin of the name of the city with the Turkish words “Arab” and “gir” (enter), that is, “the city into which the Arabs entered,” referring to the period during which the latter owned Arabkir.
• According to another version, the name of the city comes from the Armenian “ar apin geti” ( armenian առ ափին գետի ).

In the Greek version, the name of the city sounded like "Araprasech."

Historic Western Armenia

In different periods of history, Arabkir was referred to as a fortress, village, fortified city or city. ^[one]

In ancient times, Arabkir was part of Lesser Armenia : in the Second or, according to the administrative division of Justinian II (VI century), in Third Armenia . ^[one]

The foundation (at least restoration in the form that has reached us) is attributed to the last Tsar of Vaspurakan, Senekerim Artsruni , who in 1021-1022 received from Byzantium, in return for his throne, power over Sebastia , the Cappadocian Theme, and also over the vicinity of Arabkir. ^[one]

In the XV century, Arabkir passed to the Turks, remaining the whole time an unremarkable village. ^[one]

Arabkir was one of the centers of Armenian writing, in the XV-XVII centuries a number of manuscripts were created here, from which the works of 1446 and 1640 survived. ^[one]

In the 19th century , industry, especially linen , and trade gained great development in Arabkir. ^[one]

The Armenian population twice ( in 1896–1895 and 1915 ) experienced massacre by the Turkish authorities. ^[one]

According to independent sources and periodicals, the population of Arabkir in 1800-1830 was about 15 thousand people, of which 12 thousand were Armenians . In 1830-1850, the total number of people remained unchanged, but the number of Armenians decreased to 9 thousand. ^[1] On the eve of the Armenian Genocide, the population of the city totaled about 20,000 people, of which half were Armenians. ^{[1] [2]}

By 1919, the Armenian population of Arabkir, at the expense of returnees, amounted to 3,000 people. ^[3]

In 1922, 800 people from the Armenians who survived the massacre returned to their hometown. Many, unable to withstand the persecution by the Kemalist authorities, were forced to flee to Soviet Armenia , where in 1925 they founded the suburb of Nor-Arabkir , which is now one of the districts of Yerevan . ^[one]

In 1945, the Armenian population was about 600 people (out of 6684 residents of the city). However, after 1946, most of the remaining Armenians moved to Syria and Malatya , about 200 Armenians remained in the city. ^[one]

• Official website of the city
• Official site of the district
• More information on the history of Arabkir of the XIX - early XX centuries can be found on genocide.ru