Metsamor
Encyclopedia
Metsamor is a city in the Armavir Province
of Armenia
. Armenia's Nuclear Power Plant called Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant
is located in this city. Metsamor was built in 1979 to house workers from the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. The power plant was closed in 1989 after an earthquake prompted officials to reconsider the safety of the location. The plant reopened in 1996 after being retrofitted to make it earthquake-resistant. Today, it generates 40 percent of Armenia's energy needs. The balance of Armenia's energy use is fueled by thermal and hydro-generated power. Metsamor is also notable for the archaeological site at Metsamor castle.
Also on this site is the Metsamor Museum, marking the bronze-age settlement. There is a row of phallus stones just outside the front entrance of the museum. The stones were created as part of a fertility rite. Excavations at the site demonstrate that there had been a vibrant cultural center here from roughly 4000 to 3000 BC, and many artifacts are housed in the museum. The settlement persisted through the Middle Ages.
Armavir (province)
Armavir is a province of Armenia with the capital in Armavir. It is in the west of the country, located in the Ararat valley, between Mount Ararat and Mount Aragats, and shares a 45-mile border with Turkey to the south and west...
of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. Armenia's Nuclear Power Plant called Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant
Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant
The Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant , also known as Oktemberyan or Medzamor, was built during the 1970s, about thirty kilometres west of the Armenian capital of Yerevan in the city of Metsamor. The plant was constructed with two VVER-440 Model V230 nuclear reactors...
is located in this city. Metsamor was built in 1979 to house workers from the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. The power plant was closed in 1989 after an earthquake prompted officials to reconsider the safety of the location. The plant reopened in 1996 after being retrofitted to make it earthquake-resistant. Today, it generates 40 percent of Armenia's energy needs. The balance of Armenia's energy use is fueled by thermal and hydro-generated power. Metsamor is also notable for the archaeological site at Metsamor castle.
Also on this site is the Metsamor Museum, marking the bronze-age settlement. There is a row of phallus stones just outside the front entrance of the museum. The stones were created as part of a fertility rite. Excavations at the site demonstrate that there had been a vibrant cultural center here from roughly 4000 to 3000 BC, and many artifacts are housed in the museum. The settlement persisted through the Middle Ages.