Artashat, Ararat Province, Armenia

🇦🇲 Artashat (Արտաշատ) is a town and administrative centre of the Artashat Municipality and the Ararat Province of Armenia. It is located on the Azat River in the Ararat Plain, 30 km south-east of Yerevan.

Artashat was originally a village called Ghamarlu, established by Armenian migrants from Iran in 1828–29. It grew into a large village by the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1945, it was renamed after the ancient city of Artashat (Artaxata), the ruins of which are located 8 km (5.0 mi) south-east of the city. It received the status of an urban-type settlement in 1946 and that of a city in 1962, growing into an important industrial centre in subsequent years.

Artashat is located on the Yerevan-Goris-Stepanakert highway and the currently inoperative Yerevan-Nakhchivan-Baku and Nakhchivan-Tabriz railway.

Name Modern Artashat is named after the ancient city of Artashat (also known as Artaxata), the ruins of which are located around 8 km south-east of the modern city. Ancient Artashat served as the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia for nearly 350 years, with some interruptions, after its founding in 176 BC. It was named after its founder King Artashes I, the founder of the Artaxiad dynasty. The name of the city is derived from Iranian languages. It can be interpreted as meaning "the joy of Arta (truth)", although it is actually a shortening of Artaxšas-šāt, meaning 'the joy of Artashes.' Old Artashat was also known as Ostan Hayots’, meaning 'court/seat of the Armenians,' which was also the name of the canton in which it was located. The modern settlement was a village called Ghamarlu (from Turkic, popularly understood as 'moonlike' or 'moonlit') or Verin ('upper') Ghamarlu until it was renamed Artashat in 1945.

History According to the Dictionary of Toponymy of Armenia and Adjacent Territories, the site of the modern town of Artashat was uninhabited prior to the conquest of the territory by the Russian Empire in 1828. The new village of Ghamarlu (or Verin Ghamarlu) was founded there in 1828–29 by Armenian immigrating from the districts of Khoy and Salmas in Iran. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ghamarlu had become a large village where gardening, cotton growing, and viticulture were developed. The village produced home-made Armenian brandy and had a winery (founded 1904). These economic activities declined from 1914 to 1920. In 1930, the Ghamarlu District was founded with Ghamarlu as its center. In 1945, the village and district were both renamed Artashat. Artashat received the status of an urban-type settlement in 1946 and a plan for the city was drawn up in 1948. It received the status of a "city of district subordination" city in 1962 and was re-planned in 1968. The former villages of Nerkin (Lower) Ghamarlu and Novruzlu were incorporated into the city. In 1970, Artashat received the status of a "city of republican subordination". During the Soviet period, particularly after World War II, industry was developed in Artashat and the city became an industrial centre, mainly in the spheres of food processing and building materials production. In 1995, with the new law of the territorial administration of the Republic of Armenia, Artashat became the capital of the newly formed Ararat Province.

Geography Artashat is situated in the central part of modern-day Armenia, occupying the south-eastern part of the Ararat plain, only 3.5 km east of the Araks River on the Armenia-Turkey border. It is located on the left side of the Azat River. At an approximate height of 830 meters above sea level, the town is dominated by the Yeranos mountains from the north, the mountains of Gegham, Dahnak and Mzhkatar from the east, and the Urts mountains from the southeast.

Currently, Artashat is divided into 4 districts: Novruzlu, Kentron, Ghamarlu and Southwestern district. Almost half of the population of the town resides in the Southwestern district. The town is surrounded by the villages of Mrgavan, Vostan and Shahumyan from the north, east and the south respectively.

Culture The town has a palace of culture, an art centre named after Charles Aznavour, a drama theatre named after Amo Kharazyan and a public library named after Ohan Chubaryan (opened in 1948).

In 2004, a new amusement park was inaugurated in the centre of Artashat, which is used to host public celebrations, concerts and musical shows at nights.

During the events dedicated to the 1600th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian alphabet, sculptors from all over Armenia and the diaspora created many cultural monuments in the centre of Artashat. A monument to King Artashes I also stands in the centre of the city.

At present, the Artashat Drama Theatre named after Amo Kharazyan regularly performs several Armenian and international classic as well as modern works. In addition, the town has its domestic TV station, as well as a number of local newspapers.

Transport Artashat is a major point on the M-2 Motorway that connects the capital Yerevan with southern Armenia reaching up to the Iranian border.

The town has a railway station that used to connect Yerevan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic during the Soviet years.

Economy After facing serious difficulties during the economic crisis of the 1990s in Armenia, many firms in Artashat overcame the hard situation and started producing their products to serve the domestic and international markets. Currently, Artashat is home to many large industrial firms, mainly involved in food processing and building materials. The Artfood Artashat Cannery (established 1961) is among the leading processed food producers in Armenia. The brandy and vodka producer Shaumyan Alco has operated in the town since 2007. In 2009, the mineral water and soft drinks company Ararat Group opened a factory in Artashat with a total investment of US$27 million. Other industrial plants of Artashat include Izipanel, which specializes in sandwich panel manufacturing, as well as many small plants that produce building materials, textile, and other products. Many large construction companies operate in the town as well.

Education As of 2016, Artashat has 6 public schools, 7 kindergartens, 1 musical school named after Alexander Melik Pashaev (opened in 1956), 1 art academy and 2 sport schools.

Sport Artashat has a municipal football stadium opened in 1960, where many competitions and championships for young football teams and athletics are held. FC Dvin Artashat, founded in 1982 as Olympia Artashat, was the only football club in the city. After the 1999 Armenian Premier League season, the club was dissolved due to financial difficulties and is currently inactive from professional football.

The stadium of Artashat is the regular home of the annual National Athletics Championship of Armenia.