After years of isolation, the ancient capitals of Yervandashat and Bagaran are now open to visitors
by Tatul Hakobyan

-of-isolation-the-ancient-capitals-of-yervandashat -and-bagaran-are-now-open-to-visitors
Published: Friday April 10, 2009

Yervandashat, Armavir Province, Armenia – The residents of Bagaran
wake up at the crack of dawn every morning to the voices of the
muezzin from the neighboring village of Halimjan. The two villages are
separated by the Akhuryan river, which serves as the Armenian-Turkish
boundary.

"Of course it disturbs us," said Gevorg Margaryan, the head of Bagaran
village.

Bagaran is one of the oldest settlements in Armenia. It was founded by
King Yervand, the last of the Yervandunis, in the 3rd century
B.C.E. It was here that King Yervand, or Orontes, transported pagan
idols from Armavir, constructed pagan temples, and appointed his
brother as high priest.

For centuries – actually until 1920 – Bagaran was spread along the
right and left banks of the Akhuryan and also on the left bank of the
Araks River.

"Our forefathers crossed the Akhuryan twice, once in 1917 and for the
last time in 1920, never to return," said Mr. Margaryan.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Bagaran had about 800
residents. To escape from the Turkish massacres, the residents of
Bagaran crossed the left bank of the Akhuryan River. When the first
Armenian republic was created in 1918 and the territories expanded,
the Bagarantsis returned to the right bank. At that time, Bagaran was
part of the district of Surmalu. After the loss of the republic, the
Western Armenian regions of Surmalu and the region of Kars, along with
the rest of the territories of Western Armenia, became part of Turkey.

The apricots are delicious
"Today the village has 610 resident. Apricots grow very well here. We
are primarily employed in agriculture and dairy farming," the village
head explained.

After the fall of the Yervanduni Kingdom, Bagaran lost its shine and
splendor and for almost a thousand years is not mentioned. In the 9th
century, Bagaran is once again mentioned and the first king of the
Bagratunis, Ashot I, proclaimed Bagaran the capital of the kingdom.

It was only a few years ago that one had to get special permission
from Armenia’s national security and border forces to travel to the
oldest capitals of Armenia, Bagaran and Yervandashat. But today, that
checkpoint has been removed and all those who wish to go and visit
these glorious sites, including diaspora Armenians and tourists, can
now do so.

Before traveling down to Bagaran and Yervandashat, it is necessary to
stop at a certain distance and look at the breathtaking scenery from
above. This is the Yeraskha – dzor Valley, where the Araks and
Akhuryan rivers mix together.

Yervandashat is only one kilometer away from Bagaran. It was the last
capital of the Yervanduni Kingdom, taking over from Armavir. The city,
which is spread over the two banks of the Araks River, used to have a
vibrant population. Yervandashat was destroyed in the 4th century
C.E. by the forces of the Persian King Shabuh.

Today, Yervandashat is a village of 825 residents. Since the collapse
of the Soviet Union, the village has only ever had one village head, –
Hovan Avetisian.

"I have been the village head since 1991 and I don’t belong to any
political party. Those who live in Yervandashat are natives to this
village, but we also have residents from Verin Sasnashen and
Sarnaghpyur of the region of Talin. The people here grow fruit trees
and keep cattle – cows and sheep. The village is about 4,000 hectares
but only 10 percent of it is used in agriculture," Mr. Avetisian said.

The village head recalled how in Soviet times, Yervandashat was a very
closed-off place. To come here one needed to go through several
government departments to get the necessary permission. After
Armenia’s independence, diaspora Armenians expressed great interest in
visiting Bagaran and Yervadashad. However, these villages continued to
remain difficult places to visit, once again tied off because of the
different papers one needed to get.

"In 2001, during the ceremonies commemorating the 1700th anniversary
of the adoption of Christianity, initially there was an intention of
including these two villages in the formal program of activities
because there are many historic sites in the two historic capitals at
the point where the Araks and Akhuryan rivers meet. There is the
fortress of Queen Parantsem, the grave of Gevorg Marzpetuni, which is
right on the banks of the Araks River, but on the Turkish side,"
Mr. Avetisian explained.

For two years, a group of archaeologists have been working in
Yervandashat and they have already discovered remains from the palace
of King Yervand, right on the banks of the Araks.

"There is a program being developed with the U.N., so that some of the
homes in the villages will have the ability to accept guests, tourists
and diaspora Armenians and to welcome them with freshly baked lavash
from the tonir," Mr. Avetisian said.

The village head is convinced that Bagaran and Yervandashat represent
a great historical value. Therefore today, when there is no longer any
restriction or difficulty in visiting this region, which is only 100
kilometers from Yerevan, it will no doubt be a place of great interest
for tourists.