Yerevan

Yerevan, also spelled Erevan, Erivan, or Jerevan, capital of Armenia. It is situated on the Hrazdan River, 14 miles (23 km) from the Turkish frontier. Though first historically recorded in 607 CE, Yerevan dates by archaeological evidence to a settlement on the site in the 6th–3rd millennia BCE and subsequently to the fortress of Yerbuni in 783 BCE. From the 6th century BCE it formed part of the Armenian kingdom.

Modern Yerevan, which climbs the hillsides from the deep trench of the Hrazdan, is an attractive city in a fine natural setting framed by the extinct volcanic peaks of Mount Aragats and Mount Azhdaak to the north and Mount Ararat across the Turkish frontier to the south. Many modern buildings along its tree-lined streets have been constructed in traditional Armenian styles and of variously coloured local stone. Yerevan is a major cultural centre, with a university founded in 1919 and many other institutions of higher education. The Armenian Academy of Sciences (est. 1943) is the most prominent of the many research institutions in the city. The Matenadaran archives (founded 1920) hold a rich collection of ancient Armenian manuscripts, such as the Lazarus Gospel of 887. Yerevan also has many theatres and museums.