Districts of Yerevan


The Districts of Yerevan refers to administrative divisions of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
Yerevan is divided into twelve "administrative districts", each with an elected community leader. Each district is divided into unofficial neighborhoods. The total area of the 12 districts of Yerevan is.
DistrictArmenianPopulation
Population
Area
AjapnyakԱջափնյակ108,282109,10025.82
ArabkirԱրաբկիր117,704115,80013.29
AvanԱվան53,23153,1007.26
DavtashenԴավթաշեն42,38042,5006.47
ErebuniԷրեբունի123,092126,50047.49
Kanaker-ZeytunՔանաքեռ-Զեյթուն73,88674,1007.73
KentronԿենտրոն125,453125,70013.35
Malatia-SebastiaՄալաթիա-Սեբաստիա132,900135,90025.16
Nork-MarashՆորք-Մարաշ12,04911,8004.76
Nor NorkՆոր Նորք126,065130,30014.11
NubarashenՆուբարաշեն9,5619,80017.24
ShengavitՇենգավիթ135,535139,10040.6

History

Persian and Russian eras

Main districts

Since the 17th century, without the fortress and nearby villages, Yerevan was divided into three main quarters :
  1. Shahar,
  2. Demir-Bulagh
  3. Kond.
The market was separate, between Kond and Shahar.

Shahar

Shahar was the oldest and biggest quarter of Yerevan. It located in the north-eastern part of the city, between Amiryan St. and Khorenatsi St. It was, probably, populated since the Urartian times. During later centuries it was destroyed many times, but have always been populated.
First time it was mentioned as old Yerevan or the old city of Yerevan by bishop Pilipos of Bjni in 1631:

Kond

Kond, so-named because of its high position. It was also known as Tapabashi during the Persian rule. Kond located in the western part of Yerevan. According to Hovhannes Shahkhatunyants, an Armenian historian, Kond located in the western and southern hillsides and foot of a rocky hill with similar name. Its western border was Hrazdan River, and the northern border was the Kozern Cemetery. Kond, similar to Shahar, was populated by Armenians. The population of Kond became multiethnic, when about 100 Armenian Boshas moved to Kond.

Demir-Bulagh

The third main quarter was Demir-Bulagh or Karahank. It located in the south-eastern Yerevan. This district was inhabited, comparatively, later than other districts. Firstly, a quarry located here and was not inhabited. Later, Karahank was inhabited with newcomer Tatars and became part of Yerevan forming a separate district. Demir-Bulagh become crowded in the 17th century, when terrified of the Persian invasions, many Turks from Nakhichevan moved to the areas north to the Yerevan Fortress. The majority of the population of the district were Muslims, few Armenians lived there.

Ghantar (the market)

Ghantar was the active and business center of Yerevan. Ghantar belonged to the City Administration. Later, in place of Ghantar was built a close market and was called Ghantar. In 1938, the Children's Park was built in the place of Ghantar.

Expansion in the mid-19th century

After Erivan was taken over by the Russian troops in 1827, many Armenians from northern Persia came to Eastern Armenia, including to Yerevan. The city was expanded.
In the mid-19th century Yerevan had 6 districts:
  1. Shahar
  2. Kond
  3. Demir-Bulagh
  4. Dzoragyugh
  5. Nor tagh
  6. Shen tagh
  7. Nork
Yerevan has been expanded at the expense of two surrounding villages: Dzoragyugh and Nork.

Dzoragyugh

Dzoragyugh was a suburb and later a district of Yerevan. It located in the Hrazdan gorge, in the left steep coast.
During the Persian rule it was officially translated as Dara-kend.
According to Zakaria Sarkavag this village - which before becoming a district of Yerevan was a separate village - was called Khnkelo dzor.
According to Simeon I of Yerevan this village was called with two names: Dzoragyugh and Khnkadzor.
The Surb Sargis Church located in Dzoragygh and commonly was called the Church of Dzoragyugh.
Dzoragyugh was called Khnkadzor or Khnkelo, because it was Yerevan's bishop's seat, the word "khunk" means 'incense' in Armenian.
The population of Dzoragyugh was completely Armenian. Dzoragyugh had three smaller neighborhoods:
Nork was the second villages near Yerevan, that became its part in the 1830s. Because the pottery was common labor, the Turks called it Cholmakci. The population was completely Armenian. They were working in agriculture, vegetable-growing, farming, and pottery. There were smaller districts in Nork, too. Though Nork was inhabited since ancient times, but it was mentioned comparatively late. There were two churches in Nork: Surb Astvatsatsin and Surb Simeon Tseruni.
And other two new districts were built: Nor tagh and Shen tagh.

Nor tagh

Nor tagh located in the eastern part of Kond, in the surrounding are of the Hovhannes Tumanyan House-Museum. It was called ‘new’, because many immigrants from Atropatene were moved here after the 1828 Treaty of Turkmenchay. During the Persian rule, in the place of the Nor tagh were the Gardens of the Sardars, called Khanlubagh

Shen tagh

Shen tagh located in the surrounding areas of the English Park.

Soviet era

The first administrative division of Yerevan took place in 1936. Two raions were formed:
The Spandaryan raion was formed in 1938 and the Molotov raion in 1939.
As of 1940 Yerevan had 4 raions:
The Kirov raion was disintegrated in 1953. In 1957, the Molotov raion was renamed as Lenin raion. In 1958, Shahumyan raion was formed, followed by the Ordzhonikidze raion in 1961. So as of 1971 there were 6 raions in Yerevan:
The Soviet raion was formed in 1972, followed by the Mashtots raion in 1986.
Raions of Yerevan and their populations according to the last Soviet census of 1989:
Raion
Russian
Armenian
Population
Soviet raionСоветский районՍովետական շրջան279,494
Shahumyan raionШаумянский районՇահումյանի շրջան192,899
26 Commissars raionРайон имени 26 комиссаров26 կոմիսարների շրջան186,754
Lenin raionЛенинский районԼենինի շրջան138,926
Ordzhonikidze raionОрджоникидзевский районՕրջոնիկիձեի շրջան133,038
Mashtots raionМаштоцкий районՄաշտոցի շրջան125,620
Spandaryan raionСпандарянский районՍպանդարյան շրջան80,580
Myasnikyan raionМясникянский районՄյասնիկյանի շրջան64,228
City of Yerevanгород Ереванքաղաք Երևան1,201,539