Chronology

4th – 2nd millennia BC

The Shengavit fortified settlement was located on the territory of present-day Yerevan. In 1986, on the right bank of the Hrazdan River which flows through the city, archeologists found Karmir Amrots’ Red Castle) which dates back to the 2nd millennium BC. And not far from the Yerevan Zoo, in the Avan Gorge, Aghvesaberd (Fox Castle) cyclopean masonry dates back to the 2nd -1st millennia BC.

782 BC

In the southeastern part of the modern capital, King Argishti I founded the fortress town of Erebuni, the capital city of the Van Kingdom (Urartu), “to show the power of the country and to frighten enemies”. The cuneiform inscription that attests to the establishment of the city, signed by his son Menua, is kept in the fortress, which is known a museum. Erebuni had a population of 6.600 people. It also had water supply and sewage systems.

7th century BC

The whole area was under development. Irrigation canals were dug, artificial storage ponds were created, and Teishebayini fortress on Karmir Blur (Red Hill) was founded. The fortress town that was established on 4 hectares by King Russa II (685 – 645 BC) stood on the left bank of the Hrazdan River for for a century until 585 BC, when the fortress, named after the God of War Teysheba, was occupied and burnt by Scythians.

7th century AD

After the collapse of the Van Kingdom in the 6th century BC, Yerevan disappeared from historical records and reappeared only in a 7th century AD manuscripts, when the historian Sebeos mentioned a town full of flowers and inhabited by merchants. Yerevan was besieged by Arab armies in 650 AD, but it was not captured.

11th – 13th centuries AD

Yerevan became an important trading center, directly connected to Ani, Armenia’s capital city at the time. Prince Apirat ordered the construction of the Mamri irrigation channel (1031). St. Astvatsatsin (Katoghike) Church was founded. A chapel was erected in the place where the remains of St. Anania were buried in the 7th century. This is now St. Zoravor (Almighty) Church on Parpetsi Street. The Gephsiman Chapel was erected, which was destroyed in a 1697 earthquake. It was later restored, then destroyed again during the construction of the Opera House.

1265

The Amenaprkich khachkar (cross stone) was erected in Kanaker. It is among the few that withstood the devastating earthquake of 1679.

1387

Tamerlane’s army conquered and destroyed Yerevan.

1467 – 1497

Yerevan was more and more frequently mentioned in written sources as “the capital of Ararat land”.

1555

Sultan Suleiman conquered Yerevan. The military campaigns that followed lasted for 222 years in total – from 1513 to 1735. During this period, Yerevan changed its “official registration” for 14 times passing from Persia to Turkey and vice versa every 16 years at average.

1582 – 1583

Turkish commander Fahrad Pasha built the Yerevan Fortress, which stood until the end of the 1860s.

1604

The Persian army of Shah Abbas I conquered the Yerevan Fortress after 9 months of siege, whereas the other towns of the Eastern Caucasus surrendered to the Shah with practically no resistance. 600,000 Armenians, including residents of Yerevan, were taken captive and sent to Persia.

1652 – 1705

A wealthy Yerevan resident, Khodja Grigor, installed a supply of spring water from the upper parts of the Getar River to the Old District (nowadays, the center of Abovyan Street). Vardapet Hovhannes allocated money to construct a stone bridge over the Getar River. Khodja Panos started the construction of St. Zoravar in the place of the dilapidated Anania Chapel.

1679

On June 4, a strong earthquake completely destroyed the town.

1679 – 1680

The fortress and town were restored with expenses covered by the Shah’s treasury. Kanaker resident Khodja Plava reconstructed the Karmir (Red) Bridge, one of the three bridges over the Hrazdan River.

1724

Yerevan was besieged by the Ottoman military. Residents heroically resisted the Ottomans at the call of Vardapet Grigor, but the Turkish army, with the reinforcement of 32,000 people, defeated them. For a dozen years, Yerevan was under the protectorate of the Ottoman Empire. In 1735, Nadir Shah restored Persian dominion, which lasted until 1827.

1765 – 1766

Yerevan Khanate ruler, Sardar Hussein Ali Khan, erected the town’s largest mosque, Geok Jami (Blue Mosque).

1765 – 1779

Georgian King Irakli II started his campaigns against the vassal settlement of Erivan.

1804 – 1813

The third Russian campaign against Yerevan started under the command of General Paskevich in April 1809. On September 26, Russian soldiers besieged the fortress and on October 1, they took it with the help of Armenian volunteers.

1826 – 1828

The second Russian – Persian war took place. In 1827, Yerevan was conquered by the Russian army.

1828

On February 10, the Treaty of Turkmenchay was signed, according to which Eastern Armenia became part of the Russian Empire. Erivan became the administrative center of the Armenian Province.

1833

The imperial Russian government confirmed the coat of arms of the Armenian Province and divided it into 4 regions: Erivan, Sharur, Sardarapat and Surmalu.

1837

In August, Russian engineers designed the first detailed plan of Yerevan.

1840

The Armenian Province was renamed the Erivan District of the Georgian–Imeretiniyan Province, and in 1850 it was renamed the Erivan Province which included 7 regions: Alexandropol, Nakhichevan, Nor–Bayazet, Surmalin, Shauro–Daralegh, Erivan and Echmiadzin.

1850 – 1860

The Women’s Charity Society opened St. Hripsime Girl’s College in Yerevan. A drainage system was installed and the English Park was established in the swampy place of Damir Bulag, next to the Main Market Square.

1857

The first pharmacy was opened, which belonged to the Shahnazarovs. Construction began of a fountain in the town park, whose source was the Krkubulag (“40 springs”).

1860

Erivan was divided into 7 districts: Kond, Shagar, Damirbulag (Shorbulag, Shorakhbyur), Dzoragyugh, Nortax, Malakani–tagh and Nork.

1863

According to the General plan of 1856, the main street was constructed and named Astafyevskaya, after the governor (today, Abovyan Street).

1866

Stage coaches, multi–seat carriages pulled by horses and carrying both passengers and mail, began to regularly shuttle from Erivan to Tbilisi and Kutaisi.

1874

Yerevan’s first publishing house opened. It belonged to Zahariya Gevorkyan.

1877

Erivan officially received the status of a town and the construction of Tairov’s Wine and Brandy Factory began in the place of the Yerevan Fortress.

1879

The construction of Yerevan’s first town hall began, as did the construction of the city’s first theatre. The latter was under the patronage of St. Poghos–Petros (Peter and Paul) Church.

1883

The Yerevan Hotel (now the Golden Tulip) and the photo studio and workshop of its owner, famous photographer Levites from Tbilisi, opened on Astafyevskaya Street.

1890

Tairov’s Wine and Vodka Factory began the production of Armenia’s first brandy. In 1898, Nikolai Shustov, the founder of the now internationally renowned Ararat Brandy Factory, purchased Tairov’s enterprise. He increased brandy production twelve-fold, started a huge PR campaign in Europe and acquired the right to send out brandy to the court of the Russian emperors.

1892 – 1893

The first mineral water and lemonade factory was established, along with the first town hospital.

1902

The official opening ceremony of the railway took place. The line connected Erivan with Alexandropol (present–day Gyumri) and later with Julfa and Tbilisi, on a regular basis.

1906

The first line of the Erivan horse railroad began its work, at first along Astafyevskaya Street, and later to the railway station.

1907

The Shustov & Sons Company set in operation the first power plant on the Hrazdan River. Electrical wiring was installed on the street where St. Sargis Church was located, at the Market Square and on Astafyevskaya Street.

1913

The first telephone station began operating. It was for 80 people. In the same year, the demonstration flight of the “Blerio” plane was organized in the square, between the rampart and the Orthodox graveyard. The first car appeared in the city.

1918

On March 28, Erivan was declared the capital city of the First Independent Republic of Armenia.

1920

Erivan became the capital city of Soviet Armenia. The opening ceremony of Yerevan Public University, which received the status of State University since 1923, took place.

1924

The general plan of Yerevan was created by Alexander Tamanyan.

1933

The airport opened and the first tram began operating. The Opera and Ballet Theatre began its work with “Almast” opera, by Alexader Spendiarov.

1936

The town name Erivan, which was its Russian name, was officially replaced with Yerevan. Athree – story department store opened on Abovyan Street. The Children’s Railroad was built in the Hrazdan Gorge. Moscow Cinema was built in the place of St. Poghos–Petros (Paul and Peter) Church.

1939

The population of the capital city reached 204,200 people.

1940

The Yerevan Botanical Gardens were opened.

1941

The Yerevan Zoo was established.

1957

The Armenian Television Studio began its work. In the Opera Square, bronze monuments of Hovhannes Tumanyan and Alexander Spendiarov (sculptors Ara Sarkisyan and Ghukas Chubaryan) were erected.

1958

The construction of a complex of buildings in Lenin Square (architects Alexander Tamanyan, Rafo Israelyan) and the Matenadaran repository for ancient manuscripts (architect Mark Grigoryan) which rose above Lenin Avenue (present – day Mashtots) was completed. The Armenia Hotel (now the Marriott Armenia) opened.

1959

The opening of the David of Sassoun statue (sculptor Yervand Kochar) took place in the square near the railway station.

1967

The Tsitsernakabers hill, the monument to the victims of the Armenian Genocide was built.

1968

Yerevan residents and guests celebrated the city’s 2750th anniversary. The Erebuni museum was opened at the foot of Arin Berd hill. Armenian weavers created the famous Erebuni carpet and the Yerevan Experimental Tobacco Factory started the production of “Arin Berd” and “Erebuni” cigarettes, which became very popular.

1970

The Center of Children’s Aesthetic Education was founded and the Ani Hotel was opened.

1971

Hrazdan Stadium, which seats 75,000 people, was built in the Hrazdan Gorge. The Museum of Modern Art opened on Lenin Avenue.

1975

The monument of the Avarayr war hero, General Vardan Mamikonyan (sculptor Yervand Kochar, architect Stepan Kyurkchyan) was erected.

1976 – 1986

The Sports and Concert Complex was built on Tsitsernakaberd hill. Zvartnots airport opened, as well as the Cascade Complex and the first line of the Yerevan subway.

1991

On September 21, Yerevan was proclaimed the capital city of Independent Armenia.

1992 – 1996

The capital of blockaded Armenia had no gas, heating, or electricity. Lenin’s monument was destroyed. Many parks and forests were cut down in the city.

2007

The official opening ceremony of Northern Avenue took place, the construction of which began in 2002.

Today’s modern Yerevan is a large and beautiful city built around two main squares, Republic Square (Hanrapetutyan Square) and Freedom Square (Azatutyan Square). Republic Square is surrounded by Government ministries, the Armenian Mariott Hotel, and the State Museum of Armenian History and National Art Gallery. Freedom Square, usually just called the “Opera”, encompasses the building housing the national ballet, orchestra and opera, and is surrounded by parks, cafes and discotheques.