Abovyan
Encyclopedia
Abovyan is a city in Armenia
in the province of Kotayk. It is located 15 km northeast of Yerevan
and 36 km southeast of the province centre Hrazdan
. In 2009, the estimated population of the city was 46,000, down from 59,000 at the 1989 census. The city covers an area of 7.08 km².
With a motorway and railway running through it that connects the capital with the areas of the northeast, Abovyan is considered a satellite city of Yerevan. Therefore, Abovyan is sometimes referred to be the "Northern Gate of Yerevan".
of the 13th century, Elar was awarded to Liparit Orbelian, a n obles of Orbelian Dynasty
, by prince Atabek Ivane. In 1961, the village of Elar was renamed Abovyan in the honour of the Armenian writer Khachatur Abovian
, and 2 years later, the city was formed at the same pitch.
During his researches in 1960, historian "Mesrop Smbatiants" found king Argishti I's Urartian
cuneiform which narrates about the conquest of Daran (pre-Urartian name of the present-day Abovyan area) of Ulusan country. Excavations and found materials proved that the area was inhabited since the end of the 4th century BC. During the excavations, the remains of a fortress, a cemetrey and old shelters were also found with several objects and remnants of three stages of the Bronze Age
.
The Surb Stepanos (Saint Stephen
) medieval church (renovated in 1851) lies on a nearby hill in Elar district.
A small Kurdish community lives in Abovyan.
, Azat and Getar at a height of 1450 meters above sea level
. It is surrounded with Geghama mountain range
from the northwest, Hatis and Gutanasar mountains from the north, Hrazdan gorge from the west and the heights of Nork from the south. The climate is continental
and dry with relatively hot summers and cold winters.
There is a small lake in the city called "Akna".
Arzni
town-resort is located only 6 km west of Abovyan.
and the Institute of Biological Microbes of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.
Many cultural centres operate in the city, such as the cultural palace of Abovyan, the community creative centre of children and teenagers, the musical school, the art school, the public library and the museum of Abovyan.
FC Kotayk Abovian
is one of the oldest clubs in Armenia. Like other football teams in Armenia, FC Kotayk was forced to default from the Armenian football league and consequently from professional football since 2005, due to financial crisis. There is an improved sport school-complex in the city.
Early Modern France 
Villeurbanne
, Rhône, France
(since 1990)
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
in the province of Kotayk. It is located 15 km northeast of Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan 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 industrial center of the country...
and 36 km southeast of the province centre Hrazdan
Hrazdan
Hrazdan is the capital of the Kotayk province of Armenia. The name Hrazdan is derived from the Middle-Persian name Frazdan. Farzdan is connected to the Zoroastrian mythology. With a population of 52,900 it is the fifth-largest city in Armenia by population. It has lost significant population since...
. In 2009, the estimated population of the city was 46,000, down from 59,000 at the 1989 census. The city covers an area of 7.08 km².
With a motorway and railway running through it that connects the capital with the areas of the northeast, Abovyan is considered a satellite city of Yerevan. Therefore, Abovyan is sometimes referred to be the "Northern Gate of Yerevan".
History
Abovyan was founded in 1963. Until 1961, the small village of "Elar" (part of present-day Abovyan) was the only settlement of that area. According to the Armenian historian Stepanos OrbelianStepanos Orbelian
Stepanos Orbelian was a thirteenth century Armenian historian and the Metropolitan of the province of Syunik. He is known for writing his well-researched Patmut'yun Nahangin Sisakan, or History of the Province of Syunik.-Biography:...
of the 13th century, Elar was awarded to Liparit Orbelian, a n obles of Orbelian Dynasty
Orbelian Dynasty
The Orbelian lords of Syunik were a noble family, documented in inscriptions throughout Vayots Dzor and Syunik, and recorded by the family bishop Stepanos in his 1297 History of Syunik....
, by prince Atabek Ivane. In 1961, the village of Elar was renamed Abovyan in the honour of the Armenian writer Khachatur Abovian
Khachatur Abovian
Khachatur Abovian ; ) was an Armenian writer and national public figure of the early 19th century who mysteriously vanished in 1848 and was presumed dead. He was an educator, poet and an advocate of modernization...
, and 2 years later, the city was formed at the same pitch.
During his researches in 1960, historian "Mesrop Smbatiants" found king Argishti I's Urartian
Urartu
Urartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland....
cuneiform which narrates about the conquest of Daran (pre-Urartian name of the present-day Abovyan area) of Ulusan country. Excavations and found materials proved that the area was inhabited since the end of the 4th century BC. During the excavations, the remains of a fortress, a cemetrey and old shelters were also found with several objects and remnants of three stages of the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
.
The Surb Stepanos (Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
) medieval church (renovated in 1851) lies on a nearby hill in Elar district.
A small Kurdish community lives in Abovyan.
Geography
Abovyan is built on Kotayk plateau between the rivers of HrazdanHrazdan River
The Hrazdan is a major river of Armenia. It starts at the northwest extremity of Lake Sevan and flows south through the Kotayk marz and Armenia's capital, Yerevan. It then joins the Aras River along the border with Turkey. A Hydro-electric plant is located on the Hrazdan river...
, Azat and Getar at a height of 1450 meters above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. It is surrounded with Geghama mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
from the northwest, Hatis and Gutanasar mountains from the north, Hrazdan gorge from the west and the heights of Nork from the south. The climate is continental
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
and dry with relatively hot summers and cold winters.
There is a small lake in the city called "Akna".
Arzni
Arzni
Arzni is a town in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. The town was founded in 1925. Until the late 1980s, the village was predominantly Assyrian Christian.- References :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
town-resort is located only 6 km west of Abovyan.
Economy
Abovyan is a rather industrialized city. It has many well-developed factories among which are the factories of concrete construction, stone processing and chemical productions. The city is home to one of the leading beer producers in the Armenian market, "Kotayk Brewery" which is owned by Castle Group since 1997. Several companies in Abovyan export the entire volume of their industrial output.Education and Sports
Abovyan has 10 public education schools, 9 kindergartens and 2 state intermediate colleges. The city hosts 2 significant institutions of science in Amrneia: The Republican Hospital of tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and the Institute of Biological Microbes of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.
Many cultural centres operate in the city, such as the cultural palace of Abovyan, the community creative centre of children and teenagers, the musical school, the art school, the public library and the museum of Abovyan.
FC Kotayk Abovian
FC Kotayk Abovian
FC Kotayk Abovian , was an Armenia football club based in Abovian. The club debuted in the Premier League in 1992, and is one of the oldest clubs in Armenia. They participated in the European Cups for the first time in 1996/97. In the UEFA Cup that year they won 1-0 at home against AEK Larnaca from...
is one of the oldest clubs in Armenia. Like other football teams in Armenia, FC Kotayk was forced to default from the Armenian football league and consequently from professional football since 2005, due to financial crisis. There is an improved sport school-complex in the city.
Sister cities
Early Modern France VilleurbanneVilleurbanne
Villeurbanne is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.It is situated northeast of Lyon, with which it forms the heart of the second-largest metropolitan area in France after that of Paris. Villeurbanne is the second-largest city in the department.-History:The current location of...
, Rhône, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(since 1990)