Vardenis ( Armenian Վարդենիս ) is a city in Armenia , Gegharkunik region , on the Masrik Plain . It is located at a distance of 168 km from Yerevan , 75 km from the regional center of Gavar , 5 km from the southeastern shore of Lake Sevan .
| City | |
| Vardenis | |
|---|---|
| Արդենիս | |
 | |
| A country |  Armenia |
| Marz | Gegharkunik region |
| Mayor | Aram Melkonyan |
| History and geography | |
| Based | |
| Former names | Until 1969 , Vasakashen [1] , Basargechar [2] |
| City with | 1995 |
| Square | 7.5 km² |
| Center height | 1943 m |
| Timezone | UTC + 4 |
| Population | |
| Population | 12,700 [3] people ( 2010 ) |
| Nationalities | Armenians, Russians, Kurds |
| Official language | |
| Digital identifiers | |
| Telephone code | +374 (269) |
| Zip Codes | 1601-1603 |
Content
History
Vardenis is located on the territory of the historical Sotq region of the historical and geographical region of Syunik in historical Armenia . According to the legend, was founded by the grandson of the legendary progenitor of the Armenian people, Hayk Gegham ( Armenian Գեղամ), and named by him Geghamabak ( Armenian. Գեղամաբակ ). In the 9th century, the Syuni prince Vasak Gabur rebuilt the village and renamed it Vasakashen ( Armenian ասակաշեն ). In the 16th — 18th centuries, the settlement was called Voskeshen ( Armenian Ոսկեշեն , that is, “golden”). At the beginning of the XIX century, the population migrated to Georgia .
In 1829 - 1830 settlers from the Western Armenian city of Diyadin settled in Vardenis.
According to the census of the Russian Empire in 1897, the population of the village was 2193 people, of which 2108 are Armenians [4] .
Until 1969, it was called Basargechar ( Azeri Basarkeçər , Armenian Բասարգեչար ). After 1988, the Azerbaijanis living here were forced to leave the region, the city itself was bombarded from the Azerbaijani side during the Karabakh war .
Attractions
The city houses the Surb Astvatsatsin church of the late XIX - early XX century , built on the foundation of the church founded by the Prince of Syuni [5] . There are khachkars and tombstones of the 14th - 17th century around the church. In the vicinity of the city - the burial grounds of the third - first millennium BC. er
Economy
18 km to the east of the city is Zodskoe gold deposit - one of the largest in Armenia. Since the Soviet times, only food industry enterprises (dairy and bakery) continued to exist in the city itself.
Famous residents
The Armenian historian Hovhannisik Tsaretsi worked in Astvatsatsin Monastery. Professor Amazasp Ambartsumian, father of Victor Ambartsumian , was born in Vardenis; there is a house-museum of Victor Ambartsumian in the city.
Twin Cities
- Roman-sur-Isere ( France , since 1996, cooperation)
See also
- List of cities of Armenia
Notes
- ↑ Thomas F. Mathews, Avedis Krikor Sanjian. Armenian gospel iconography: the tradition of the Glajor Gospel . - Dumbarton Oaks, 1991. - p. 19.
- ↑ Vardenis in TSB
- ↑ Armenian population - Armstat
- ↑ Provinces and regions of the Caucasus // Populated places of the Russian Empire in 500 and more inhabitants with indication of the total population in them and the number of inhabitants of the prevailing religions, according to the first general census of the population in 1897 / ed. N. A. Troinitsky. - St. Petersburg: Public Benefit, 1905. - p. 52.
- ↑ Hakobyan T. Kh., Melik-Bashhyan Art. T., Barseghyan O. Kh. Dictionary of place names in Armenia and adjacent territories = Հայաստանի և հարակից շրջանների տեղանունների բառարան. - Yer. : Publishing house of Yerevan University , 1998. - Vol. 4. - p. 782.