OVERVIEW OF  ARMAVIR PROVINCE
COUNTRY	Amenia
CAPITAL	Vagharshapat
GOVERNOR	Ashot Ghahramanyan
TOTAL AREA	1,242 km2 (480 sq mi)
POPULATION	265,770
TIME ZONE	AMT (UTC+04)
POSTAL CODE	0901-1149
WEBSITE	Official web

GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION

• Metsamor or Sevjur river is the only river of the province, that originates from here.
• Aygherlich is the small lake located on the Ararat plain, the west part of Ejmiatsin. So, it is near the Aknalich village, and from here is the name of the lake.

According to the official sources, the population of the province is 265,770 people, of which 130,078 are men and 135,692 are women. So, the 85,050 (32%) of the population is urban and the 180,720 (68%) is rural.

There are 3 urban and 94 rural communities in the Armavir province. The main urban communities are the town of Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armavir and Metsamor. Among the rural communities, the largest village is Parakar with 5,584 population.

MOTHER SEE OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN

The Armavir province is a spiritual center for Armenian people. Here you can visit Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.  So, it is the head seat and governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It includes historical museums and libraries. So, they are:

• Etchmiadzin Cathedral Museum,
• Catholicosal Museum,
• Khrimian Museum,
• Alex and Marie Manoogian Treasury House,
• Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Manuscript Depository,
• Printing house and Bookstore of the Mother See.
• Rouben Sevak Museum

Additionally, some Armenian churches from different locations are directly regulated by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. They are:

• Churches of the Mother See complex: Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Saints Vartan and Hovhannes Baptistery and the Church of the Holy Archangels.
• Churches of Etchmiadzin: Saint Hripsime Church, Saint Gayane, and Shoghakat Church
• Sevanavank monastic complex from the Gegharkunik Province
• Khor Virap Monastery from Ararat Province
• Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral from Yerevan
• Surp Hakob Chapel of Vaskenian Theological Academy from Gegharkunik Province
• Surp Anna Church in Yerevan

OTHER CULTURAL MUSEUMS

So, other popular cultural museums, which locate in Vagharshapat are:

• Vagharshapat ethnographic museum,
• Khoren Ter-Harutyunyan museum and art gallery,
• Mher Abeghian museum and art gallery,
• Hovhannes Hovhannisyan house-museum.

MUSA DAGH MEMORIAL

Thousands of Armenians from all over the world each year arrive in the village Musaler to celebrate the event at the Musa Dagh memorial. It takes place in the month of September. In 1915 the Musaler village was the location of a successful resistance to the Armenian Genocide. However, this event inspired an Austrian-Bohemian novelist Franz Werfel to write the novel The Forty Days of Musa Dagh.

SARDARAPET MEMORIAL

Sardarapat Memorial is a memorial complex to the Battle of Sardarapat in 1918. It is in the village of Araks. So, this memorial complex includes the Armenia Ethnography Museum.

The Battle of Sardarabad is a result of the foundation of the Republic of Armenia. Additionally, thius battle prevented the complete destruction of the Armenian nation.

The Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport is also in Armavir province, near the village of Parakar.

Metsamor Castle is in the village of Taronik. The standing stones at the ruins of the Metsamor remain of Neolithic stone circles dating back to ca. 5000 BC.  So, it was an astronomical “observatory”.

Zvartnots Cathedral or literally known as a cathedral of angels. It was built by the order of Catholicos Nerses, from 643-652. It is in the center of Vagharshapat. So, this cathedral together with the churches of Etchmiadzin is included to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000.

The Vordan Karmir

A popular Armenian insect that formerly used to produce a red dye color. Since ancient times, it was largely used in miniatures as well as other types of artworks.

INDUSTRY

4%  of the total industrial production of the country is a contribution of Armavir province. So, the main developed industries are food-processing and alcoholic drinks. Catholicos Simeon I founded the Etchmiadzin Paper Factory in 1780.

The Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant is the largest plant not only in Armavir but also in the entire republic. Since 1969, approximately 40% of the whole consumed electricity of the country is produced by this plant.

The wine industry was popular here from the ancient time. The archaeologists confirmed it by founding the immense storage for wins and grains. So, the ancient city of Argishtikhinili is a result of this, dating back to the 8th century BC.

However, the popular winery companies of the province are:

• 1928 – Echmiadzin Winery offers wine, brandy, and vodka, in Vagharshapat,
• 1942 – MAP Winery offers brandy and wine, in Lenughi.
• 1966 -Armavir branch of the Yerevan Brandy Company, in Armavir,
• 1998 – Merdzavan Brandy Factory offers cognac, wine, and vodka, in Merdzavan,
• 2003 – Karas Winery (Tierras de Armenia), in Arevadasht,
• 2004 – Winar Winery (Brest Wine Factory), in Norapat,
• 2005 – Parakar Wine-Brandy House, in Parakar,
• 2008 – Armen Alco offers brandy, in Aygeshat,
• 2008 – Voskeni Wines, in Araks,
• 2009 – Arpenik Winery offers wine and brandy, in Arshaluys,
• 2010 – Alvan Alco Winery offers wine and brandy, in Lukashin,
• 2014 – Interalco Winery offers brandy, in Aygeshat,
• 2014 – Armavir branch of the Proshyan Brandy Factory, in Armavir.

Beside winery, there are also other largest industrial companies. So they are:

• Echmiadzin Instrument Making Factory operated since 1966
• E.P.G. Echmiadzin Cannery since 1969,
• Echmiadzin Kat dairy factory since 1997,
• Sonimol plant for grains, since 2001
• Ekologia V.K.H.” biological plant since 2009.

INDUSTRIAL VILLAGES

Additionally, let’s discover the most popular villages of the province. So they are:

• The villages of Parakar and Tairov are popular by a large number of small and medium companies. Mostly, they offer furniture, polymeric materials etc.
• In the village of Musaler there are factories for polyethylene products and also plants for heavy-duty paper products.
• So, in the village of Merdzavan you can meet the factories of the clothing and sewing.
• The Villages of Myasnikyan and Jrarbi are also popular, mainly by the poultry farms. So, they are Baghramyan and Arax poultry companies.
• Additionally, the newly developed area of the province is fish farming.

In conclusion, explore the best historical destinations of the Armavir province in your next visit to Armenia.

Article Armavir Province is the first on iArmenia: Armenian History, Holidays, Sights, Events.