History of Erevan

The History of Erevan , capital of the Arménie itself, is spread out antiquity at our days.

Origins & Antiquity

Sauf contrary precision, dates of this section " Origins & Antiquité" are implied “before Jesus-Christ”.

Erevan is regarded as one of the oldest cities of the world. Archeologists found traces of the Neolithic time at the edge of the river Hrazdan. Towards 4th and 3rd millenium, before the time urartéenne, there was a district surrounded by a wall and made of rectangular small houses. Towards 782, important date, the king of the Urartu Argishti Ier founds a fortress called “Erebouni”. The historians regard this date as “the year of birth” of Erevan, from which the name derives from Erebouni . The proof of these facts is brought by the presence of a wedge-shaped inscription engraved to this date on a stone: “ Argishti which with the dignity of God Khaldé, the Menoua son built this inaccessible fortress and called it Erabouni ”.

One century later, not far from Erebouni (with a few kilometers) was built the fortress of Teishebani by the king Roussa II. This same fortress is destroyed in 585 by the Scythes. After the time urartéenne, the kingdom of Arménie, directed by the dynasty of Ervandounis (or Orontides, of 336 with 212) continued to build the city. Thereafter, two dynasties continued to reign on Arménie: the Artaxiades and the Arsacides.

The Middle Ages at the XVIIe century

With the whole beginning of the Middle Ages, towards 5th and 6th century, Erevan was a city where the trade was very present. Towards 591, the city is from now on enough powerful to build a large church; and this power was confirmed by resistance vis-a-vis the Arab in the Années 640. The latter did not succeed in seizing the city (thing which they will make a little later). In the middle of the the Middle Ages, Erevan is really " le" center of Arménie Eastern.

But this happiness is not eternal: Khanat d' Erevan is formed in 1502, which is thus prone Perse. A few decades after, of 1513 with 1735, the city is a battle field between Persians and the Turks. It is one black period for the city. In 1679 occurs a Earthquake violent one which destroys a great number of buildings - we know the aspect of Erevan before the seism in particular thanks to the panoramas drawn by Baptiste Tavernier.

After the seism, several churches are built, five on the whole. In this same dash of construction, two bridges are built and even a blue mosque ( Göy ).

XIXe century

In 1828, the city is under the domination of the Russian - the previous year, the Russian army had made the head office of Erevan. The city thus obtains the statute of capital of the Armenian province, then governorship. At the court of this time, the city is rebuilt little by little.

XXe century

Towards the beginning of this century, the center of the east city rebuilt in an orthogonal plan. Erevan is the capital of Arménie during its two years of transitory independence (1918 - 1920). Thereafter, the city being under the domination of the Soviet Union - as the very whole Arménie -, it becomes logically the capital of the “Soviet socialist République of Arménie”.

Tamanian plan and end of XXe, beginning of XXIe

The plan of whole rebuilding of Erevan elaborate then is adopted in 1924. The architect at the origin of this plan is Alexandre Tamanian. The type of architecture used to Erevan is typically Soviet; and there remains one of the best examples of the kind. The city is modernized little by little at that time. In the following years, several other projects will embellish the city until in 1970. At this same time, the population of the still Soviet capital does not cease increasing. There is little, at the beginning of the Années 1980, a subway was built.

In 1991, the Soviet Union crumbles and Erevan becomes the capital of the independent republic of Arménie. After this event, the economy of the dark country in several consecutive black years and the winters 1992 and 1993 remain in the collective memory like the most difficult periods of Arménie contemporary. The decade 2000 knows better days. A great number of public buildings (schools, academies of music, etc), roads and parks are built or renovated.

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