View source for Yerevan

{{other uses}}
{{short description|Capital and largest city of Armenia}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2023}}
{{pp-30-500|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{refimprove|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Yerevan
| native_name        = Երևան
| native_name_lang   = hy
| settlement_type    = [[Capital city]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
  | total_width              = 300
  | border                   = infobox
  | perrow                   = 1/3/3/2/1
  | caption_align            = center
  | image1                   = Mount Ararat and the Yerevan skyline (June 2018).jpg
  | alt1                     = Yerevan skyline
  | caption1                 = Yerevan skyline with [[Mount Ararat]]
  | image2                   = Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex shot from air, May 2019.jpg
  | alt2                     = Karen Demirchayn Complex
  | caption2                 = [[Karen Demirchyan Complex|Hamalir]]
  | image3                   = Cathedral of Yerevan Armenia msu-2018-2640.jpg
  | alt3                     = Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral
  | caption3                 = [[Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Yerevan|Cathedral]]
  | image4                   = Exterior of Opera house of Yerevan Armenia msu-2018-2434.jpg
  | alt4                     = Yerevan Opera Theatre 
  | caption4                 = [[Yerevan Opera Theatre|Opera Theatre 
]]
  | image5                   = Yerevan Cascade (02).jpg
  | alt5                     = The Yerevan Cascade
  | caption5                 = [[Yerevan Cascade|Cascade]]
  | image6                   = 2014 Erywań, Erebuni, Muzeum Erebuni, Budynek muzeum (02).jpg
  | alt6                     = Erebuni Museum 
  | caption6                 = [[Erebuni Museum|Erebuni]]
 | image7                   = Կառավարական նոր մասնաշենք (1).jpg
  | alt7                     = Armenian ministry of foreign affairs building
  | caption7                 = Armenian [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Armenia)|MFA]]
  | image8                   = Genocide Memorial complex from air on a sunny day, September 2017.jpg
  | alt8                     = Armenian Genocide Memorial
  | caption8                 = [[Tsitsernakaberd]]
  | image9                   = Matenadaran aerial 2023.jpg
  | alt9                     = Matenadaran 
  | caption9                 = [[Matenadaran]]
  | image10 = Հանրապետության Հրապարակ.jpg
  | alt10 = Republic Square at night
  | caption10 = [[Republic Square, Yerevan|Republic Square]] and [[Government House, Yerevan|Government House]]
  }}
| imagesize          = 300px
| image_flag         = Flag of Yerevan.svg
| image_seal         = Coat of аrms of Yerevan.svg
| nickname           = "The Pink City",{{refn|<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Billock|first1=Jennifer|title=How Ancient Volcanoes Created Armenia's Pink City|journal=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]|date=28 December 2016|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/yerevan-armenias-pink-city-180961506/|access-date=2 January 2017|archive-date=3 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103165426/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/yerevan-armenias-pink-city-180961506/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Hovasapyan|first1=Zara|title=When in Armenia, Go Where the Armenians Go|url=http://www.ancawr.org/when-in-armenia-go-where-the-armenians-go/|publisher=[[Armenian National Committee of America]]|date=1 August 2012|quote=Made of local pink tufa stones, it gives Yerevan the nickname of "the Pink City.|access-date=28 October 2014|archive-date=28 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028052547/http://www.ancawr.org/when-in-armenia-go-where-the-armenians-go/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Dunn|first=Ashley|title=Pink Rock Comes as Gift From Homeland in Answer to Armenian College's Dreams|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-21-me-44260-story.html|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=21 February 1988|quote=To Armenians, though, the stone is unique. They often refer to Yerevan, the capital of their homeland, as "Vartakouyn Kaghak," or the "Pink City" because of the extensive use of the stone, which can vary from pink to a light purple.|access-date=28 October 2014|archive-date=16 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216135715/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-21/local/me-44260_1_armenian-college|url-status=live}}</ref>}}{{efn|{{langx|hy|վարդագույն քաղաք|vardaguyn k’aghak’|[[Rose (color)|rosy]] city}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Տուֆ [Tuff]|url=http://www.encyclopedia.am/pages.php?bId=1&hId=822|website=[[Armenian Encyclopedia Publishing House|encyclopedia.am]]|language=hy|quote=Երևանն անվանում են վարդագույն քաղաք, որովհետև մեր մայրաքաղաքը կառուցապատված է վարդագույն գեղեցիկ տուֆե շենքերով:|access-date=28 October 2014|archive-date=15 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715182217/http://www.encyclopedia.am/pages.php?bId=1&hId=822|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Old Yerevan|url=http://www.yerevan.am/en/old-yerevan/|website=yerevan.am|publisher=Yerevan Municipality|quote=Since this construction material gave a unique vividness and specific tint to the city, Yerevan was called "Rosy city".|access-date=28 October 2014|archive-date=28 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028034936/http://www.yerevan.am/en/old-yerevan/|url-status=live}}</ref>}} "Mother City"<ref>{{cite news |title=the Maison des étudiants arméniens |url=https://www.ciup.fr/en/discover-the-maison-des-etudiants-armeniens/ |publisher=[[Cité internationale universitaire de Paris]] |quote=...built a new “Mother-City”, Yerevan, to make it the capital of Armenia.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Shagoyan |first1=Gayane |title=Urban Spaces After Socialism: Ethnographies of Public Places in Eurasian Cities |date=2011 |publisher=Campus Verlag |isbn=9783593393841 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=9k9pXQZ6oiEC&dq=yerevan&pg=PA69 69] |chapter=The Second City as the First City |quote=When curfew was declared in Yerevan in 1988, it was announced at the rally held in Leninakan that the center of the Karabakh Movement would be moving from the capital (Mother City in Armenian) to the Father City.}}</ref>{{efn|Literal translation of the Armenian word for 'capital' ({{langx|hy|label=none|մայրաքաղաք|mayrak’aghak’}}, or {{langx|hy|label=none|քաղաքամայր|k’aghak’amayr}}).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Manougian |first1=Harout |title=2021 Municipal Elections in Gyumri and Other Cities |url=https://evnreport.com/elections/2021-municipal-elections-in-gyumri-and-other-cities/ |agency=[[EVN Report]] |date=September 14, 2021 |quote=The translation of 'capital city' in Armenian is literally 'mother city'. It is a common refrain that while Yerevan is Armenia’s mother city...}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Քաղաքամայր Երևանը տոնում է 2800-ամյա հոբելյանը. «Էրեբունի-Երևան» տոնակատարությունները մեկնարկում են մարաթոնով |url=https://armenpress.am/arm/news/951618 |agency=[[Armenpress]] |date=21 October 2018 |language=hy}}</ref>}}
| mapsize            = 230px
| map_caption        = Location of Yerevan in Armenia
| pushpin_map        = Armenia#Caucasus mountains#Continental Asia#Europe
| pushpin_relief     = 1
| coordinates        = {{coord|40|10|53|N|44|30|52|E|region:AM|display=inline}}
| coor_pinpoint      = 
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{ARM}}
| parts_type         = [[Districts of Yerevan|Administrative Districts]]
| parts              = 12
| established_title  = Settled ([[Shengavit Settlement|Shengavit]])<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Adam T. |author1-link=Adam T. Smith |editor1-last=Hartley |editor1-first=Charles W. |editor2-last=Yazicioğlu |editor2-first=G. Bike |editor3-last=Smith |editor3-first=Adam T. |title=The Archaeology of Power and Politics in Eurasia: Regimes and Revolutions |date=2012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781107016521 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=UstGrkGNNQcC&dq=shengavit+archaeological&pg=PA59 59] |chapter="Yerevan, My Ancient Erebuni" |quote=A Stratigraphic History of Yerevan [...] the earliest known built settlement in the area is the Early Bronze Age site of Shengavit...}}</ref>
| established_date   = {{circa|3300 BC}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=Simonyan |first1=Hakob |title=Շենգավիթ՝ Երևանի հնագույն քաղաքատեղին [Shengavit: Yerevan's Most Ancient Settlement] |url=https://yhm.am/archives/9841 |website=yhm.am |publisher=[[Yerevan History Museum]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129214757/https://yhm.am/archives/9841 |archive-date=29 November 2020 |language=hy |date=13 December 2018 |quote=... ավելի քան 1200 տարի (Ք. ա. 3300-2100 թթ.) Շենգավիթի անընդմեջ բնակեցմանը [...] Շենգավիթ քաղաքատեղիի շերտերից վերցված փայտածխի՝ ռադիոածխածնային տարրալուծման մեթոդով ստացվող ամենավաղ տարիքը Ք. ա. 3300 թվականն է:}}</ref>
| established_title1 = Founded as Erebuni by [[Argishti I of Urartu]]
| established_date1  = 782 BC
| established_title2 = City status by [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander II]]
| established_date2  = 1 October 1879<ref>{{cite news|last=Sarukhanyan|first=Petros|script-title=hy:Շնորհավո՛ր տոնդ, Երեւան դարձած իմ Էրեբունի|url=http://www.hhpress.am/?sub=hodv&hodv=20110921_35&flag=am|access-date=1 February 2014|newspaper=[[Hayastani Hanrapetutyun]]|date=21 September 2011|language=hy|quote=Պատմական իրադարձությունների բերումով Երեւանին ուշ է հաջողվել քաղաք դառնալ։ Այդ կարգավիճակը նրան տրվել է 1879 թվականին, Ալեքսանդր Երկրորդ ցարի հոկտեմբերի 1—ի հրամանով։|archive-date=20 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720174059/http://www.hhpress.am/?sub=hodv&hodv=20110921_35&flag=am|url-status=bot: unknown}}()</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Երևան [Yerevan] |url=http://www.historyofarmenia-am.armin.am/am/Encyclopedia_of_armenian_history_Yerevan |website=Encyclopedia of Armenian History |publisher=Institute for Armenian Studies of [[Yerevan State University]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405112538/http://www.historyofarmenia-am.armin.am/am/Encyclopedia_of_armenian_history_Yerevan |archive-date=5 April 2021 |language=hy |quote=1870 թ. սահմանված քաղաքային կանոնադրության համաձայն, որը Երևանում կիրառության մեջ է մտել 1879 թ. հոկտեմբերի 1-ից, ստեղծվել են քաղաքային խորհուրդ (դումա), վարչություն և տեղական ինքնակառավարման այլ մարմիններ: |access-date=5 April 2021 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>
| established_title3 = Capital of Armenia
| established_date3  = 19 July 1918 ''(de facto)''<ref>{{cite book|last=Hovannisian|first=Richard|title=The Republic of Armenia: The First Year, 1918–1919|year=1971|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=9780520018051|author-link=Richard G. Hovannisian|url= https://archive.org/details/republicofarmeni0000hova|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/republicofarmeni0000hova/page/41 41]|quote=On July 19 the Armenian cabinet and National Council were greeted at the outskirts of Erevan by Aram, Dro, and General Nazarbekian. Together the entourage rode into the nation's capital.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=[[National Academy of Sciences of Armenia]] |editor1-last=Ayvazyan |editor1-first=Hovhannes |title=Հայաստան Հանրագիտարան [Armenia Encyclopedia] |date=2012 |publisher=[[Armenian Encyclopedia Publishing]] |location=Yerevan |page=[https://hy.wikisource.org/wiki/%D4%B7%D5%BB:Armenia_Encyclopedia.djvu/809 809] |language=hy |chapter=Երևան [Yerevan] |quote=1918-ի հուլիսին Երևան է տեղափոխվել նույն թվականի մայիսի 28-ին Թիֆլիսում հռչակված Հայաստանի Հանրապետության Կառավարությունը։ Երևանը դարձել է Հայաստանի առաջին հանրապետության մայրաքաղաքը։}}</ref>
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–Council]]
| governing_body     = [[Yerevan City Council|City Council]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor of Yerevan|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Tigran Avinyan]]
| unit_pref          = Metric
| area_total_km2     = 223
| dimensions_footnotes = l
| elevation_max_m    = 1390
| elevation_min_m    = 865
| population_as_of   = 2022 census
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2022 Census">{{cite web|url=https://www.armstat.am/en/?nid=82&id=2623|title=The Main Results of RA Census 2022, trilingual / Armenian Statistical Service of Republic of Armenia|website=www.armstat.am|access-date=2024-10-17}}</ref>
| population_total   = 1,086,677
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_metro_footnotes = <small>(2001 estimate)</small><ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Bell |editor1-first=Imogen |title=Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia 2003 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |location=London |isbn=9781857431377 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=EPP3ti4hysUC&dq=yerevan+population+with+suburbs&pg=PA84 84] |edition=3rd |chapter=Armenia}}</ref>
| population_metro   = 1,420,000
| population_demonym = Yerevantsi(s),<ref>{{cite book|title=The Archaeology of Power and Politics in Eurasia: Regimes and Revolutions|date=2012|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=Cambridge|isbn=9781107016521|page=72|editor1=Hartley, Charles W. |editor2=Yazicioğlu, G. Bike |editor3=Smith, Adam T. |quote=...of even the most modern Yerevantsi.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Ishkhanian|first=Armine|title=Central Asia and the Caucasus: Transnationalism and Diaspora|date=2005|publisher=[[Routledge]]|location=New York|isbn=9781134319947|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_EeHWWBpn14C&dq=yerevantsis+residents&pg=PA122 122]|editor=[[Touraj Atabaki|Atabaki, Touraj]] |editor2=Mehendale, Sanjyot|quote=...Yerevantsis (residents of Yerevan)...}}</ref> Yerevanite(s)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Connelly |first1=Andrew |title=Syria conflict: A century after the 'genocide', Armenians flee war and return to land of their ancestors |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-conflict-a-century-after-the-genocide-armenians-flee-war-and-return-to-land-of-their-ancestors-10173968.html |work=[[The Independent]] |date=13 April 2015 |quote=...cafés as Yerevanites have taken to smoking nargile water pipes. |access-date=15 September 2018 |archive-date=15 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915234039/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-conflict-a-century-after-the-genocide-armenians-flee-war-and-return-to-land-of-their-ancestors-10173968.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Azadian |first1=Edmond Y. |title=Armenian Politics in Yerevan Taxicabs |url=https://mirrorspectator.com/2014/12/05/armenian-politics-in-yerevan-taxicabs/ |work=[[Armenian Mirror-Spectator]] |date=4 December 2014 |quote=Most of Yerevanites are enjoying better living conditions.... |access-date=15 September 2018 |archive-date=15 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915225908/https://mirrorspectator.com/2014/12/05/armenian-politics-in-yerevan-taxicabs/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| demographics_type2 = GDP <ref>{{citation|title=Համախառն ներքին արդյունքն (ՀՆԱ) ըստ ՀՀ մարզերի եւ Երեւան քաղաքի 2015-2017թթ|url=https://armstat.am/file/article/sv_08_19a_112.pdf|website=armstat.am}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = [[Capital city]]
| demographics2_info1 = [[Armenian dram |֏]] 3,032   billion<br/>([[US$]] 6.286 billion) · [[Economy of Armenia#Regional GDP|1st]]
| demographics2_title2 = Per capita
| demographics2_info2 = ֏ 2,816,433 <br/>(US$ 5,838) · [[Economy of Armenia#Regional GDP|1st]]
| timezone1          = [[Armenia Time|AMT]]
| utc_offset1        = +04:00
| area_code          = +374 10
| blank_name_sec1    = [[International airport]]
| blank_info_sec1    = [[Zvartnots International Airport]]
| blank_name_sec2    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2022)
| blank_info_sec2    = 0.821<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/table/shdi/ARM/?levels=1+4&years=2022&interpolation=0&extrapolation=0|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-13}}</ref><br />{{color|green|very high}} · [[List of Armenian provinces by Human Development Index|1st]]
| website            = {{URL|https://www.yerevan.am/}}
}}
'''Yerevan''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˌ|j|ɛr|ə|ˈ|v|æ|n}} {{respell|YERR|ə|VAN}}, {{IPAc-en|US|-|ˈ|v|ɑː|n}}, {{respell|-|VAHN}}; {{langx|hy|Երևան}}{{efn|{{langx|hy|label=[[Classical Armenian orthography|Classical spelling]]|Երեւան}}; spelled {{lang|hy|Յերեվան}} between 1922 and 1940.<ref>{{Cite The Population of Soviet Armenia}}</ref>}} {{IPA|hy|jɛɾɛˈvɑn||Audio_Yerewan.ogg}}; sometimes spelled '''Erevan'''){{efn|From the occasional local pronunciation {{IPA|hy|ɛɾɛˈvɑn|}}, which is phonetically spelled {{langx|hy|Էրևան|Ērevan|label=none}}.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Shekoyan|first1=Armen|author-link1=:hy:Արմեն Շեկոյան|title=Ծերունին եւ ծովը Գլուխ հինգերորդ [The Old Man and The Sea. Chapter Five]|url=http://www.aravot.am/2006/06/24/325215/|website=[[Aravot]]|language=hy|date=24 June 2006|quote=– Ես առավո՛տը ղալաթ արի, որ չգացի Էրեւան,- ասաց Հերոսը.- որ հիմի Էրեւան ըլնեի, դու դժվար թե ըսենց բլբլայիր:|access-date=17 January 2016|archive-date=18 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018101707/http://www.aravot.am/2006/06/24/325215/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|script-title=hy:"Ես քեզ սիրում եմ",- այս խոսքերը ասում եմ քեզ, ի'մ Էրևան, արժեր հասնել աշխարհի ծերը, որ էս բառերը հասկանամ...»|url=http://www.panorama.am/am/news/2011/09/21/armenia/886675|website=panorama.am|language=hy|date=21 September 2011|access-date=17 January 2016|archive-date=18 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018101451/http://www.panorama.am/am/news/2011/09/21/armenia/886675|url-status=live}}</ref>}} is the capital and largest city of [[Armenia]], as well as one of the world's [[List of oldest continuously inhabited cities|oldest continuously inhabited cities]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Bournoutian |first=George A. |url=https://archive.org/details/concisehistoryof00geor |title=A Concise History of the Armenian People: From Ancient Times to the Present |publisher=Mazda Publishers |year=2003 |isbn=9781568591414 |edition=2nd |location=Costa Mesa, California |author-link=George Bournoutian}}</ref> Situated along the [[Hrazdan River]], Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country, as its [[primate city]]. It has been the [[Historical capitals of Armenia|capital]] since 1918, the [[Historical capitals of Armenia|fourteenth in the history of Armenia]] and the seventh located in or around the [[Ararat Plain]]. The city also serves as the seat of the [[Araratian Pontifical Diocese]], which is the largest diocese of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] and one of the oldest dioceses in the world.<ref name="araratian-tem1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.qahana.am/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016122557/http://www.araratian-tem.am/index.php?page=history|title=Qahana.am|archive-date=16 October 2014|website=Qahana.am|access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref>

The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the fortress of [[Erebuni Fortress|Erebuni]] in 782 BC by King [[Argishti I of Urartu|Argishti I]] of [[Urartu]] at the western extreme of the Ararat Plain.<ref>{{cite book|last=Katsenelinboĭgen|first=Aron|title=The Soviet Union: Empire, Nation and Systems|publisher=[[Transaction Publishers]]|year=1990|location=New Brunswick|page=143|isbn=0-88738-332-7}}</ref> Erebuni was "designed as a great administrative and religious centre, a fully royal capital."<ref name=Barnett>{{cite book|title=The Cambridge Ancient History, Vol. 3, Part 1: The Prehistory of the Balkans, the Aegean World, Tenth to Eighth Centuries BC|year=1982|edition=2nd|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0521224963|page=346|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vXljf8JqmkoC&q=Erebuni+776&pg=PA346|author=R. D. Barnett|editor=John Boardman |editor2=I. E. S. Edwards |editor3=N. G. L. Hammond |editor4=E. Sollberger |chapter=Urartu}}</ref> By the late [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|ancient Armenian Kingdom]], new capital cities were established and Yerevan declined in importance. The city was mostly depopulated by the [[Great Surgun]] of 1603–05, when the [[Safavid Iran|Safavid Empire]] forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of Armenians to Iran. In 1679, the city was mostly destroyed by an [[1679 Armenia earthquake|earthquake]], and then rebuilt on a smaller scale. In 1828, Yerevan became part of the [[Russian Empire]], which led to the repatriation of Armenians whose ancestors had been forcibly relocated in the 17th century. After [[World War I]], Yerevan became the capital of the [[First Republic of Armenia]] as thousands of [[Armenian genocide survivors|survivors]] of the [[Armenian genocide]] in the [[Ottoman Empire]] arrived in the area.<ref>{{cite book | last =Hovannisian | first =Richard G. | title =The Republic of Armenia: The First Year, 1918–1919, Vol. I | publisher = University of California Press | year =1971 | location =Berkeley | isbn=0-520-01984-9 | pages =126–127}}</ref> The city expanded rapidly during the 20th century while [[Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic|Armenia]] was a part of the [[Soviet Union]]. In a few decades, Yerevan was transformed from a provincial town within the [[Russian Empire]] to Armenia's principal cultural, artistic, and industrial center, as well as becoming the seat of national government.

With the growth of the [[Economy of Armenia|Armenian economy]], Yerevan has undergone major transformation. Much construction has been done throughout the city since the early 2000s, and retail outlets such as restaurants, shops, and street cafés, which were rare during Soviet times, have multiplied. {{As of|2011}}, the population of Yerevan was 1,060,138, just over 35% of Armenia's total population. By 2022, the population further increased to 1,086,677.<ref name="2022 Census"/> Yerevan was named the 2012 [[World Book Capital]] by [[UNESCO]].<ref name="UN News Centre">{{Cite web|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2010/07/343992-yerevan-named-world-book-capital-2012-un-cultural-agency|title=Yerevan named World Book Capital 2012 by UN cultural agency|date=6 July 2010|website=UN News|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=6 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206012401/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=35242&Cr=UNESCO&Cr1=|url-status=live}}</ref> Yerevan is an associate member of [[Eurocities]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Members List|url=http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/members/members_list&country=armen&memcat=|website=eurocities.eu|access-date=8 January 2015|archive-date=6 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606102103/http://www.eurocities.eu/eurocities/members/members_list|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Of the notable landmarks of Yerevan, [[Erebuni Fortress]] is considered to be the birthplace of the city, the [[Katoghike Tsiranavor Church of Avan|Katoghike Tsiranavor]] church is the oldest surviving church of Yerevan, and [[Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Yerevan|Saint Gregory Cathedral]] is the largest Armenian cathedral in the world. [[Tsitsernakaberd]] is the official memorial to the victims of the Armenian genocide. The city is home to several opera houses, theatres, museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions. [[Yerevan Opera Theatre]] is the main spectacle hall of the Armenian capital, the [[National Gallery of Armenia]] is the largest art museum in Armenia and shares a building with the [[History Museum of Armenia]], and the [[Matenadaran]] contains one of the largest depositories of ancient books and manuscripts in the world.

==Etymology==

[[File:Erevan - La forterese d'Erebouni 07.JPG|thumb|The "birth certificate" of Yerevan at the [[Erebuni Fortress]]—a [[cuneiform]] inscription left by King [[Argishti I of Urartu]] on a basalt stone slab about the foundation of the city in 782 BCE]]
[[File:Tsaghkadzor, Kecharis, S. Nshan, timpano (Yerevan in inscription).jpg|thumb|"YEREVAN" (ԵՐԵՒԱՆ) in an inscription from [[Kecharis Monastery|Kecharis]], dating back to 1223<ref>[[Marie-Félicité Brosset]]. [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_LZkLAAAAYAAJ Rapports sur un voyage archéologique dans la Georgie et dans l'Aarménie exécuté en 1847–1848]. — Académie Impériale, 1849. — P. 116</ref>]]{{See also|Names of European cities in different languages (U–Z)#Y|l1=Names of Yerevan in different languages}}The exact origin of the name is unknown. One theory regarding the origin of Yerevan's name is the city was named after the Armenian king, [[Orontes IV|Yervand (Orontes) IV]], the last ruler of Armenia from the [[Orontid dynasty]], and founder of the city of [[Yervandashat (ancient city)|Yervandashat]].<ref name="SAE"/> However, it is likely that the city's name is derived from the [[Urartian]] military fortress of [[Erebuni Fortress|Erebuni]], which was founded on the territory of modern-day Yerevan in 782 BC by [[Argishti I of Urartu|Argishti I]].<ref name="SAE"/> "Erebuni" may derive from the Urartian word for "to take" or "to capture," meaning that the fortress's name could be interpreted as "capture," "conquest," or "victory."<ref>{{cite book |last=Israelyan |first=Margarit A. |title=Էրեբունի: Բերդ-Քաղաքի Պատմություն |publisher=Hayastan Publishing Press |year=1971 |location=Yerevan |pages=12–13 |language=hy |trans-title=Erebuni: The History of a Fortress-City}}</ref> As elements of the [[Urartian language]] blended with that of the Armenian one, the name eventually evolved into ''Yerevan'' (Erebuni = Erevani = Erevan = Yerevan). Scholar Margarit Israelyan notes these changes when comparing inscriptions found on two [[cuneiform]] tablets at Erebuni:{{quotation|The transcription of the second cuneiform ''bu'' [original emphasis] of the word was very essential in our interpretation as it is the Urartaean ''b'' that has been shifted to the [[Armenian language|Armenian]] ''v'' (b > v). The original writing of the inscription read «er-bu-ni»; therefore the prominent Armenianologist-[[oriental studies|orientalist]] Prof. G. A. Ghapantsian justly objected, remarking that the Urartu ''b'' changed to ''v'' at the beginning of the word (Biani > Van) or between two vowels (ebani > avan, Zabaha > [[Javakhk]])....In other words ''b'' was placed between two vowels. The true pronunciation of the fortress-city was apparently ''Erebuny''.<ref>Israelyan (1971), p. 137.</ref>}}

Early Christian Armenian chroniclers connected the origin of the city's name to the legend of [[Noah's Ark]]. After the ark had landed on [[Mount Ararat]] and the flood waters had receded, [[Noah]], while looking in the direction of Yerevan, is said to have exclaimed "Yerevats!" ("it appeared!" in [[Armenian language|Armenian]]), from which originated the name Yerevan.<ref name="SAE">{{in lang|hy}} Baghdasaryan A., Simonyan A, et al. ''"Երևան"'' (Yerevan). [[Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia]] Volume 3. Yerevan, Armenian SSR: [[Armenian Academy of Sciences]], 1977, pp. 548–564.</ref>

In the late medieval and early modern periods, when Yerevan was under Turkic and later Persian rule, the city was known in Persian as {{Transliteration|fa|Iravân}} ({{langx|fa|ایروان}}).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bournoutian |first1=George A. |author1-link=George Bournoutian |title=Eastern Armenia in the Last Decades of Persian Rule, 1807-1828: A Political and Socioeconomic Study of the Khanate of Erevan on the Eve of the Russian Conquest |date=1982 |publisher=Undena Publications |isbn=978-0890031223 |page=3 (note 3) |quote=Erevan is pronounced Yerevan and was called Iravan by Persian sources, and Erivan by Western and Russian sources of the time.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bournoutian |first1=George A. |author1-link=George Bournoutian |title=From the Kur to the Aras: A Military History of Russia's Move into the South Caucasus and the First Russo-Iranian War, 1801-1813 |date=2021 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-44515-4 |page=xvii |quote=After the sixteenth century, almost all Armenian sources, including manuscripts, consistently refer to the present-day capital of Armenia as Yerevan. Russian sources in the period under discussion call it Erivan and the Iranians Iravan.}}</ref> The city was officially known as Erivan ({{langx|ru|Эривань}}) under Russian rule during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The city was renamed back to Yerevan (Ереван) in 1936.<ref>{{cite web |author=ЭРИВАНИ Мирза Кадым Мамед-Гусейн оглы ЭРИДА |url=http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc3p/337666/%D0%AD%D0%A0%D0%98%D0%92%D0%90%D0%9D%D0%AC |title=ЭРИВАНЬ – это... Что такое ЭРИВАНЬ? |publisher=Dic.academic.ru |access-date=2017-12-11 |archive-date=28 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928123116/https://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enc3p/337666/%D0%AD%D0%A0%D0%98%D0%92%D0%90%D0%9D%D0%AC |url-status=live }}</ref> Up until the mid-1970s the city's name was spelled Erevan more often than Yerevan in English sources.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yerevan, Erevan (1900–2008)|url=https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Yerevan%2CErevan&year_start=1900&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CYerevan%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CErevan%3B%2Cc0|publisher=[[Google Ngram Viewer]]|access-date=17 January 2016|archive-date=15 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915194925/https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Yerevan%2CErevan&year_start=1900&year_end=2008&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2CYerevan%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2CErevan%3B%2Cc0|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Lottman|first=Herbert R.|author-link=Herbert Lottman|title=Despite Ages of Captivity, The Armenians Persevere|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/02/29/archives/despite-ages-of-captivity-the-armenians-persevere-armenia-a-hint-of.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=29 February 1976|page=287|quote=...Erevan, capital of Armenia.|access-date=26 February 2017|archive-date=23 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623193943/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/02/29/archives/despite-ages-of-captivity-the-armenians-persevere-armenia-a-hint-of.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Symbols==
[[File:Mount Ararat and the Yerevan skyline.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Ararat]], the national symbol of Armenia, dominates the Yerevan skyline.<ref name="Worldwide Destinations">{{cite book|last1=Boniface|first1=Brian|last2=Cooper|first2=Chris|last3=Cooper|first3=Robyn|title=Worldwide Destinations: The Geography of Travel and Tourism|date=2012|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-52277-9|page=338|edition=6th|quote=The snow-capped peak of Ararat is a holy mountain and national symbol for Armenians, dominating the horizon in the capital, Erevan, yet it is virtually inaccessible as it lies across the border in Turkey.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Avagyan|first1=Ṛafayel|title=Yerevan—heart of Armenia: meetings on the roads of time|date=1998|publisher=[[Union of Writers of Armenia]]|page=17|quote=The sacred biblical mountain prevailing over Yerevan was the very visiting card by which foreigners came to know our country.}}</ref>]]
The principal symbol of Yerevan is Mount Ararat, which is visible from any area in the capital. The [[Seal (device)|seal]] of the city is a crowned lion on a pedestal with a shield that has a depiction of Mount Ararat on the upper part and half of an [[Armenian eternity sign]] on the bottom part. The emblem is a rectangular [[shield]] with a blue border.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yerevan.am/index.php?page=emblem&lang=eng |title=Symbols and emblems of the city |publisher=Yerevan.am |access-date=2 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113182323/http://www.yerevan.am/index.php?page=emblem&lang=eng |archive-date=13 January 2009  }}</ref>

On 27 September 2004, Yerevan adopted an anthem, "Erebuni-Yerevan", using lyrics written by [[Paruyr Sevak]] and set to music composed by [[Edgar Hovhannisyan]]. It was selected in a competition for a new anthem and new flag that would best represent the city. The chosen flag has a white background with the city's seal in the middle, surrounded by twelve small red triangles that symbolize the twelve historic capitals of Armenia. The flag includes the three colours of the [[Flag of Armenia|Armenian National flag]]. The lion is portrayed on the orange background with blue edging.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/am-yerev.html |title=Yerevan (Municipality, Armenia) |publisher=CRW Flags |access-date=2 July 2010 |archive-date=10 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010191846/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/am-yerev.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==

{{Main|History of Yerevan}}
{{For timeline}}

===Pre-history and pre-classical era===
{{see also|Kura–Araxes culture}}
[[File:Shengavit Settlement 2.jpg|thumb|Foundations of [[Shengavit Settlement|Shengavit historical site]] (site settled 3200 BC cal to 2500 BC cal) ]]
The territory of Yerevan has been inhabited since approximately the 2nd half of the [[4th millennium BC]]. The southern part of the city currently known as [[Shengavit District|Shengavit]] has been populated since at least 3200 BC, during the period of [[Kura–Araxes culture]] of the early [[Bronze Age]]. The first excavations at the [[Shengavit Settlement|Shengavit historical site]] was conducted between 1936 and 1938 under the guidance of archaeologist Yevgeny Bayburdyan. After two decades, archaeologist Sandro Sardarian resumed the excavations starting from 1958 until 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/details/118010/|title=Շենգավիթ. Հին Երևանի ամենավաղ և բացառիկ վկայությունը. Հայտնի հնավայրի 2012 թ-ի պեղումների և նշանակության մասին|website=PanARMENIAN.Net|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=16 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116141209/https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/details/118010/|url-status=live}}</ref> The 3rd phase of the excavations started in 2000, under the guidance of archaeologist Hakob Simonyan. In 2009, Simonyan was joined by Mitchell S. Rothman from the [[Widener University]] of [[Pennsylvania]]. Together they conducted three series of excavations in 2009, 2010, and 2012 respectively.{{cn|date=March 2023}} During the process, a full stratigraphic column to bedrock was reached, showing there to be 8 or 9 distinct stratigraphic levels. These levels cover a time between 3200 BC and 2500 BC. Evidences of later use of the site, possibly until 2200 BC, were also found. The excavation process revealed a series of large round buildings with square adjoining rooms and minor round buildings. A series of ritual installations was discovered in 2010 and 2012.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

===Erebuni===
{{main|Erebuni Fortress}}
[[File:Yerevan - Armenië (2901349237).jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|Painting showing the founding of Yerevan by [[Argishti I of Urartu|Argishti I]] in 782 BC ([[Erebuni Museum]])]]
[[File:Erebuni Fortress, Yerevan, Armenia 01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|[[Erebuni Fortress]], founded by King [[Argishti I of Urartu|Argishti I]] in 782 BC]]
The ancient kingdom of [[Urartu]] was formed in the 9th century BC by King [[Arame of Urartu|Arame]] in the basin of [[Lake Van]] of the [[Armenian Highland]], including the territory of modern-day Yerevan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yerevan.am/main.php?page_id=278&lang=3|title=Yerevan Municipality:Old Yerevan|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002075814/http://www.yerevan.am/main.php?page_id=278&lang=3|archive-date=2 October 2011}}</ref> Archaeological evidence, such as a [[cuneiform]] inscription,<ref>Brady Kiesling, {{cite web|url=http://yerevan.usembassy.gov/armenia.pdf |title=''Rediscovering Armenia'' |year=2000 |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926164336/http://yerevan.usembassy.gov/armenia.pdf |archive-date=26 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> indicates that the [[Urartian]] military fortress of Erebuni was founded in 782 BC by the orders of King [[Argishti I of Urartu|Argishti I]] at the site of modern-day Yerevan, to serve as a fort and citadel guarding against attacks from the north [[Caucasus]].<ref name="SAE"/> The cuneiform inscription found at Erebuni Fortress reads:
{{quotation|By the greatness of the God [[Khaldi (god)|Khaldi]], Argishti, son of [[Menuas of Urartu|Menua]], built this mighty stronghold and proclaimed it Erebuni for the glory of Biainili [Urartu] and to instill fear among the king's enemies. Argishti says, "The land was a desert, before the great works I accomplished upon it. By the greatness of Khaldi, Argishti, son of Menua, is a mighty king, king of Biainili, and ruler of Tushpa."<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Van, Turkey|Van]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>.<ref>Israelyan. ''Erebuni'', p. 9.</ref>}}

During the height of the Urartian power, [[irrigation]] canals and artificial reservoirs were built in Erebuni and its surrounding territories.
[[File:Karmir Blur Town.JPG|thumb|Foundations of [[Teishebaini]] building commenced in mid-7th century BC]]
In the mid-7th century BC, the city of [[Teishebaini]] was built by [[Rusa II]] of Urartu, around {{convert|7|km|abbr=off}} west of Erebuni Fortress.<ref>Ian Lindsay and Adam T. Smith, ''A History of Archaeology in the Republic of Armenia'', Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 31, No. 2, Summer, 2006:173.</ref> It was fortified on a hill -currently known as Karmir Blur within [[Shengavit District]] of Yerevan- to protect the eastern borders of Urartu from the barbaric [[Cimmerians]] and [[Scythians]]. During excavations, the remains of a governors palace that contained a hundred and twenty rooms spreading across more than {{convert|40000|m2|acre|abbr=on|0}} was found, along with a [[citadel]] dedicated to the Urartian god [[Theispas|Teisheba]]. The construction of the city of Teishebaini, as well as the palace and the citadel was completed by the end of the 7th century BC, during the reign of [[Rusa III]]. However, Teishebaini was destroyed by an alliance of [[Medes]] and the [[Scythians]] in 585 BC.

===Median and Achaemenid rules===
{{See also|Satrapy of Armenia}}
[[File:AchaemenidGoblet01.jpg|thumb|upright|Achaemenid [[rhyton]] from Erebuni]]
{{unreferencedsect|date=February 2023}}
In 590 BC, following the fall of the Kingdom of Urartu at the hands of the Iranian [[Medes]], Erebuni along with the Armenian Highlands became part of the Median Empire.

However, in 550 BC, the [[Medes|Median Empire]] was conquered by [[Cyrus the Great]], and Erebuni became part of the [[Achaemenid Empire]]. Between 522 BC and 331 BC, Erebuni was one of the main centers of the [[Satrapy of Armenia]], a region controlled by the [[Orontid dynasty]] as one of the [[satrapy|satrapies]] of the Achaemenid Empire. The Satrapy of Armenia was divided into two parts: the northern part and the southern part, with the cities of Erebuni (Yerevan) and Tushpa (Van) as their centres, respectively.

Coins issued in 478 BC, along with many other items found in the [[Erebuni Fortress]], reveal the importance of Erebuni as a major centre for trade under Achaemenid rule.

===Ancient Kingdom of Armenia===
{{see also|Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)}}
{{unreferencedsect|date=February 2023}}
After [[Alexander the Great|Alexander the Great's]] victory over the Achaemenid Empire, the Orontid rulers of the Armenian satrapy achieved independence as a result of the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC, founding the [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Kingdom of Armenia]]. With the establishment of new cities such as [[Armavir (ancient city)|Armavir]], Zarehavan, [[Bagaran (ancient city)|Bagaran]] and [[Yervandashat (ancient city)|Yervandashat]], the importance of Erebuni gradually declined.

With the rise of the [[Artaxiad dynasty]] of Armenia who seized power in 189 BC, the Kingdom of Armenia greatly expanded to include major territories of [[Asia Minor]], [[Atropatene]], [[Kingdom of Iberia (antiquity)|Iberia]], [[Phoenicia]] and [[Syria (region)|Syria]]. The Artaxiads considered Erebuni and Tushpa as cities of Persian heritage. Consequently, new cities and commercial centres were built by Kings [[Artaxias I]], [[Artavasdes I of Armenia|Artavasdes I]] and [[Tigranes the Great]]. Thus, with the dominance of cities such as [[Artaxata]] and [[Tigranocerta]], Erebuni significantly lost its importance as a central city.
[[File:Sb Astvatsatsin Chapel, Avan, Yerevan1.JPG|thumb|The ruins of the 4th-century Holy Mother of God Chapel in Avan, north of Yerevan]]

Under the rule of the [[Arsacid dynasty of Armenia]] (54–428 AD), many other cities around Erebuni including [[Vagharshapat]] and [[Dvin (ancient city)|Dvin]] flourished. Consequently, Erebuni was completely neutralized, losing its role as an economic and strategic centre of Armenia. During the period of the Arsacid kings, Erebuni was only recorded in a [[Manichaeism|Manichaean]] text of the 3rd century, where it is mentioned that one of the disciples of the prophet [[Mani (prophet)|Mani]] founded a [[Manichaeism|Manichaean]] community near the Christian community in Erebuni.

According to the medieval Armenian geography ''[[Ashkharhatsuyts]]'', Erebuni was part of the canton ({{Transliteration|xcl|gawaṙ}}) of Kotayk (not to be confused with the current Kotayk Province) of the province of [[Ayrarat]], within Armenia Major.

Armenia became a Christian nation in the early 4th century AD, during the reign of the Arsacid king [[Tiridates III of Armenia|Tiridates III]].

===Sasanian and Roman periods===
{{see also|Persian Armenia|Marzpanate Armenia}}
[[File:Avan 1.JPG|thumb|[[Katoghike Tsiranavor Church of Avan]], 6th century]]
Following the partition of Armenia by the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and [[Sasanian Empire|Sasanian]] empires in 387 and in 428, Erebuni and the entire territory of Eastern Armenia came under the rule of Sasanian Persia.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hacikyan|first=Agop Jack|title=The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From the Oral Tradition to the Golden Age|volume=1|year=2000|publisher=Wayne State University Press|location=Detroit|isbn=978-0-8143-2815-6|author-link=Agop Jack Hacikyan|author2=Basmajian, Gabriel|author3=Franchuk, Edward S.|author4=Ouzounian, Nourhan|page=[https://archive.org/details/heritageofarmeni00ajha/page/168 168]|url=https://archive.org/details/heritageofarmeni00ajha/page/168}}</ref> The Armenian territories formed the province of [[Persian Armenia]] within the [[Sasanian Empire]].

Due to the diminished role of Erebuni, as well as the absence of proper historical data, much of the city's history under the Sasanian rule is unknown.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

In 587, during the reign of [[Maurice (emperor)|emperor Maurice]], Yerevan and much of Armenia came under Roman administration after the Romans defeated the [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanid Persian Empire]] at the [[battle of the Blarathon]].{{cn|date=March 2023}} Soon after, [[Katoghike Tsiranavor Church of Avan|Katoghike Tsiranavor Church]] in [[Avan district|Avan]] was built between 595 and 602. Despite being partly damaged during the [[1679 Armenia earthquake|1679 earthquake]]), it is the oldest surviving church within modern Yerevan city limits.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

The province of Persian Armenia (also known as Persarmenia) lasted until 646, when the province was dissolved with the [[Muslim conquest of Persia]].

===Arab Islamic invasion===
{{see also|Arminiya}}
{{unreferencedsect|date=February 2023}}
[[File:Katokhike before.png|thumb|The 7th-century church of the Holy Mother of God, demolished in 1936]]
In 658 AD, at the height of the Arab Islamic invasions, Erebuni-Yerevan was conquered during the [[Muslim conquest of Persia]], as it was part of Persian-ruled Armenia. The city became part of the [[Arminiya|Emirate of Armenia]] under the [[Umayyad Caliphate]]. The city of Dvin was the centre of the newly created emirate. Starting from this period, as a result of the developing trade activities with the Arabs, the Armenian territories had gained strategic importance as a crossroads for the Arab [[Camel train|caravan]] routes passing between Europe and India through the Arab-controlled Ararat Plain of Armenia. Most probably, "Erebuni" has become known as "Yerevan" since at least the 7th century AD.

===Bagratid Armenia===
{{see also|Bagratid Armenia}}
{{unreferencedsect|date=May 2023}}
After two centuries of Islamic rule over Armenia, the [[Bagratuni dynasty|Bagratid]] prince [[Ashot I of Armenia]] led the revolution against the [[Abbasid Caliphate]]. Ashot I liberated Yerevan in 850, and was recognized as the Prince of Princes of Armenia by the Abbasid Caliph [[al-Musta'in]] in 862. Ashot was later crowned King of [[Bagratid Armenia|Armenia]] through the consent of Caliph [[al-Mu'tamid]] in 885. During the rule of the Bagratuni dynasty of Armenia between 885 and 1045, Yerevan was relatively a secure part of the Kingdom before falling to the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]].

However, Yerevan did not have any strategic role during the reign of the Bagratids, who developed many other cities of [[Ayrarat]], such as [[Shirakavan (ancient city)|Shirakavan]], [[Dvin (ancient city)|Dvin]], and [[Ani]].

===Seljuk period, Zakarid Armenia and Mongol rule===
{{see also|Zakarid Armenia|Mongol Armenia}}
{{unreferencedsect|date=May 2023}}
[[File:Avan, Hovhannes-chapel1.jpg|thumb|The remains of Surp Hovhannes Chapel, dating back to the 12–13th centuries]]
After a brief Byzantine rule over Armenia between 1045 and 1064, the invading [[Seljuk Empire|Seljuks]]—led by [[Tughril]] and later by his successor [[Alp Arslan]]—ruled over the entire region, including Yerevan. However, with the establishment of the [[Zakarid Armenia|Zakarid Principality of Armenia]] in 1201 under the [[Kingdom of Georgia|Georgian]] protectorate, the Armenian territories of Yerevan and Lori had significantly grown. After the Mongols captured [[Ani]] in 1236, Armenia turned into a [[Mongol Armenia|Mongol protectorate]] as part of the [[Ilkhanate]], and the Zakarids became vassals to the [[Mongol Empire|Mongols]]. After the fall of the Ilkhanate in the mid-14th century, the Zakarid princes ruled over Lori, Shirak and the Ararat Plain until 1360 when they fell to the invading Turkic tribes.

===Aq Qoyunlu and Kara Koyunlu tribes===
{{See also|Kara Koyunlu}}
[[File:Argavand Tower Back.JPG|thumb|upright|The [[Mausoleum of Kara Koyunlu emirs]] in [[Argavand, Ararat|Argavand]], near Yerevan]]
During the last quarter of the 14th century, the [[Aq Qoyunlu]] Sunni [[Oghuz Turks|Oghuz Turkic]] tribe took over Armenia, including Yerevan. In 1400, [[Timur]] invaded Armenia and Georgia, and captured more than 60,000 of the survived local people as slaves. Many districts including Yerevan were depopulated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rbedrosian.com/atmi4.htm |title=The Turco-Mongol Invasions |publisher=Rbedrosian.com |access-date=2012-05-22 |archive-date=22 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722083934/http://rbedrosian.com/atmi4.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1410, Armenia fell under the control of the [[Kara Koyunlu]] Shia Oghuz Turkic tribe. According to the Armenian historian [[Thomas of Metsoph]], although the Kara Koyunlu levied heavy taxes against the Armenians, the early years of their rule were relatively peaceful and some reconstruction of towns took place.<ref>Kouymjian, Dickran (1997), "Armenia from the Fall of the Cilician Kingdom (1375) to the Forced Migration under Shah Abbas (1604)" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times, Volume II: Foreign Dominion to Statehood: The Fifteenth Century to the Twentieth Century'', ed. [[Richard G. Hovannisian]], New York: St. Martin's Press, p. 4. {{ISBN|1-4039-6422-X}}.</ref> The Kara Koyunlus made Yerevan the centre of the newly formed ''Chukhur Saad'' administrative territory. The territory was named after a Turkic leader known as ''Emir Saad''.

However, this peaceful period was shattered with the rise of [[Qara Iskander]] between 1420 and 1436, who reportedly made Armenia a "desert" and subjected it to "devastation and plunder, to slaughter, and captivity".<ref>Kouymjian. "Armenia", p. 4.</ref> The wars of Iskander and his eventual defeat against the [[Timurid Empire|Timurids]], invited further destruction in Armenia, as many more Armenians were taken captive and sold into slavery and the land was subjected to outright pillaging, forcing many of them to leave the region.<ref name="Kouymjian. Armenia, p. 5">Kouymjian. "Armenia", p. 5.</ref>

Following the fall of the [[Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia]] in 1375, the seat of the Armenian Church was transferred from [[Sis (ancient city)|Sis]] back to [[Vagharshapat]] near Yerevan in 1441. Thus, Yerevan became the main economic, cultural and administrative centre in Armenia.

===Iranian rule===
{{See also|Iranian Armenia (1502–1828)|Erivan Khanate}}
[[File:Chardin Yerevan 1811.jpg|thumb|An illustration of Yerevan by French traveler [[Jean Chardin]] in 1673 while he was travelling through the [[Safavid Empire]]]]

In 1501–02, most of the [[Eastern Armenia]]n territories including Yerevan were swiftly conquered by the emerging [[Safavid dynasty]] of Iran led by Shah [[Ismail I]].<ref>Steven R. Ward. [https://books.google.com/books?id=MOuVAgAAQBAJ&dq=shah+ismail+conquers+armenia+in&pg=PA43 ''Immortal, Updated Edition: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005033710/https://books.google.nl/books?id=MOuVAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA43&dq=shah+ismail+conquers+armenia+in&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=qktRVeLjO4i07gbns4CwCg&ved=0CD0Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=shah%20ismail%20conquers%20armenia%20in&f=false |date=5 October 2017 }} pp 43. Georgetown University Press, 8 January 2014 {{ISBN|1626160325}}</ref> Soon after in 1502, Yerevan became the centre of the [[Erivan Province (Safavid Empire)|Erivan Province]], a new administrative territory of Iran formed by the Safavids. For the following 3 centuries, it remained, with brief intermissions, under the Iranian rule. Due to its strategic significance, Yerevan was initially often fought over, and passed back and forth, between the dominion of the rivaling [[Safavid Empire|Iranian]] and [[Ottoman Empire]], until it permanently became controlled by the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavids]]. In 1555, Iran had secured its legitimate possession over Yerevan with the Ottomans through the [[Peace of Amasya|Treaty of Amasya]].<ref>''A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East'', Vol. II, ed. Spencer C. Tucker, (ABC-CLIO, 2010). 516.</ref>

In 1582–1583, the Ottomans led by [[Serdar Ferhad Pasha]] took brief control over Yerevan. Ferhad Pasha managed to build the [[Erivan Fortress]] on the ruins of one thousand-years old ancient Armenian fortress, on the shores of Hrazdan river.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.religions.am/files/788/library/historic/H006.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073943/http://www.religions.am/files/788/library/historic/H006.pdf|title=History of Eastern Armenia|archive-date=4 March 2016|access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref> However, Ottoman control ended in 1604 when the Persians regained Yerevan as a result of [[Ottoman–Safavid War (1603–18)|first Ottoman-Safavid War]].{{cn|date=March 2023}}

Shah [[Abbas I of Persia]] who ruled between 1588 and 1629, ordered the [[Great Surgun|deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenians]] including citizens from Yerevan to mainland [[Persia]]. As a consequence, Yerevan significantly lost its Armenian population who had declined to 20%, while Muslims including Persians, Turks, Kurds and Tatars gained dominance with around 80% of the city's population. Muslims were either sedentary, semi-sedentary, or nomadic. Armenians mainly occupied the Kond neighbourhood of Yerevan and the rural suburbs around the city. However, the Armenians dominated over various professions and trade in the area and were of great economic significance to the Persian administration.<ref name="v8f5">[http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v8f5/v8f561.html Encyclopaedia Iranica] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009205010/http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v8f5/v8f561.html |date=9 October 2007 }} (George A. Bournoutian and Robert H. Hewsen, Erevan)</ref>
[[File:Kond 1.JPG|thumb|left|[[Kond]], a historic neighbourhood of Yerevan, formed during the 17th century]]
[[File:Erivan1796.jpg|thumb|Yerevan in 1796 in the [[Qajar dynasty|Qajar era]], by G. Sergeevich. An Armenian church can be seen on the left and a Persian mosque on the right.]]
During the [[Ottoman–Safavid War (1623–39)|second Ottoman-Safavid War]], Ottoman troops under the command of Sultan [[Murad IV]] conquered the city on 8 August 1635. Returning in triumph to [[Constantinople]], he opened the "Yerevan Kiosk" (''Revan Köşkü'') in [[Topkapı Palace]] in 1636. However, Iranian troops commanded by [[Safi of Persia|Shah Safi]] retook Yerevan on 1 April 1636. As a result of the [[Treaty of Zuhab]] in 1639, the Iranians reconfirmed their control over Eastern Armenia, including Yerevan. On 7 June 1679, [[1679 Armenia earthquake|a devastating earthquake]] razed the city to the ground.

In 1724, the Erivan Fortress was besieged by the Ottoman army.{{cn|date=March 2023}} After a period of resistance, the fortress fell to the Turks. As a result of the Ottoman invasion, the Erivan Province of the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavids]] was dissolved.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

Following a brief period of Ottoman rule over Eastern Armenia between 1724 and 1736, and as a result of the fall of the Safavid dynasty in 1736, Yerevan along with the adjacent territories became part of the newly formed administrative territory of [[Erivan Khanate]] under the [[Afsharid dynasty]] of Iran, which encompassed an area of {{convert|15,000|km²|abbr=off}}. The [[Afsharid dynasty|Afsharids]] controlled Eastern Armenia from the mid-1730s until the 1790s. Following the fall of the Afsharids, the [[Qajar dynasty]] of Iran took control of Eastern Armenia until 1828, when the region was [[Russo-Persian War (1826-1828)|conquered]] by the Russian Empire after their victory over the Qajars that resulted in the [[Treaty of Turkmenchay]] of 1828.<ref>Timothy C. Dowling [https://books.google.com/books?id=KTq2BQAAQBAJ&dq=russo+persian+war+1804-1813&pg=PA728 ''Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626144341/https://books.google.nl/books?id=KTq2BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA728&dq=russo+persian+war+1804-1813&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=QnOXVJXpCcz7UPevhPAK&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=russo%20persian%20war%201804-1813&f=false |date=26 June 2015 }} pp 728–729 ABC-CLIO, 2 December 2014 {{ISBN|1598849484}}</ref>

===Russian rule===
{{See also|Armenian Oblast|Erivan Governorate}}
[[File:Capture of Erivan Fortress by Russia, 1827 (by Franz Roubaud).jpg|thumb|left|[[Franz Roubaud]]'s 1893 painting of the [[Erivan Fortress]] [[Capture of Erivan|siege of 1827]] by the Russian forces under leadership of [[Ivan Paskevich]] during the [[Russo-Persian War (1826–28)]]]]
[[File:Ձորագյուղ, Երևան.jpg|thumb|Dzoragyugh neighbourhood of old Yerevan in the 19th century]]
During the second [[Russo-Persian Wars|Russo-Persian War]] of the 19th century, the [[Russo-Persian War (1826–28)|Russo-Persian War of 1826–28]], Yerevan [[Capture of Erivan|was captured]] by Russian troops under general [[Ivan Paskevich]] on 1 October 1827.<ref name="SAE"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Ferro|first=Mark|title=The Use and Abuse of History: How the Past Is Taught to Children|publisher=Routledge|year=2003|location=London|page=233|isbn=0-415-28592-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Kirakossian|first=Arman J.|title=British Diplomacy and the Armenian Question: From the 1830s to 1914|publisher=[[Gomidas Institute]]|year=2003|location=New York|page=142|isbn=1-884630-07-3}}</ref> It was formally ceded by the Iranians in 1828, following the [[Treaty of Turkmenchay]].<ref>Timothy C. Dowling [https://books.google.com/books?id=KTq2BQAAQBAJ&dq=russo+persian+war+1804-1813&pg=PA728 ''Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626144341/https://books.google.nl/books?id=KTq2BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA728&dq=russo+persian+war+1804-1813&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=QnOXVJXpCcz7UPevhPAK&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=russo%20persian%20war%201804-1813&f=false |date=26 June 2015 }} p 729 ABC-CLIO, 2 December 2014 {{ISBN|1598849484}}</ref> After 3 centuries of Iranian occupation, Yereven along with the rest of [[Eastern Armenia]] designated as the "[[Armenian Oblast]]", became part of the [[Russian Empire]], a [[Russian Armenia|period]] that would last until the collapse of the Empire in 1917.

Although not mentioned specifically by name, article XV of the Turkmenchay treaty was intended solely for the repatriation of those Armenians whose ancestors had been forcibly relocated to Iran in the early 17th century during the Safavid period. The Russians sponsored the resettlement process of the Armenian population from Persia and Turkey and spread announcements in Armenian villages.{{sfn|Bournoutian|1980|p=20}} Due to the resettlement, the percentage of the Armenian population of Yerevan increased from 28% to 53.8%. The resettlement was intended to create [[Russia]]n power bridgehead in the Middle East.<ref>The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: A Legal Analysis. Heiko Krger, Heiko Krüger. Springer, 2010. {{ISBN|3-642-11787-2}}, {{ISBN|978-3-642-11787-9}}.</ref> In 1829, Armenian repatriates from Persia were resettled in the city and a new quarter was built.

Yerevan served as the seat of the newly formed [[Armenian Oblast]] between 1828 and 1840. By the time of [[Nicholas I of Russia|Nicholas I]]'s visit in 1837, Yerevan had become an ''[[Erivan Uyezd|uezd]]'' ("county"). In 1840, the Armenian Oblast was dissolved and its territory incorporated into a new larger province; the [[Georgia-Imeretia Governorate]]. In 1850 the territory of the former oblast was reorganized into the [[Erivan Governorate]], covering an area of {{convert|28,000|km²|abbr=off}}. Yerevan was the centre of the newly established governorate.
[[File:Surb grigor lusavorich.png|thumb|left|[[Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church, Yerevan|Saint Gregory Church]], opened in 1900 (later destroyed in 1939)]]
[[File:Erivan Main Square 1916.jpg|thumb|The [[Republic Square, Yerevan|Main Square]] of Yerevan, 1916]]
At that period, Yerevan was a small town with narrow roads and alleys, including the central quarter of ''Shahar'', the ''Ghantar'' commercial centre, and the residential neighbourhoods of Kond, Dzoragyugh, Nork and Shentagh. During the 1840s and the 1850s, many schools were opened in the city. However, the first major plan of Yerevan was adopted in 1856, during which, Saint Hripsime and Saint Gayane women's colleges were founded and the [[English Park, Yerevan|English Park]] was opened. In 1863, the [[Abovyan Street|Astafyan Street]] was redeveloped and opened. In 1874, Zacharia Gevorkian opened Yerevan's first printing house, while the first theatre opened its doors in 1879.

On 1 October 1879, Yerevan was granted the status of a city through a decree issued by [[Alexander II of Russia]]. In 1881, The Yerevan Teachers' Seminary and the Yerevan Brewery were opened, followed by the Tairyan's wine and brandy factory in 1887. Other factories for alcoholic beverages and mineral water were opened during the 1890s. The monumental church of [[Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church, Yerevan|Saint Gregory the Illuminator]] was opened in 1900. Electricity and telephone lines were introduced to the city in 1907 and 1913 respectively. When British traveller [[H. F. B. Lynch]] visited Yerevan in 1893–1894, he considered it an [[Orient]]al city.<ref name="Bournoutian2018Yerevan">{{cite book |last1=Bournoutian |first1=George |author1-link=George Bournoutian |title=Armenia and Imperial Decline: The Yerevan Province, 1900-1914 |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge |page=15}}</ref> However, this started to change in the first decade of the 20th century, in the penultimate decade of Imperial Russian rule, when the city grew and altered dramatically.<ref name="Bournoutian2018Yerevan"/> In general, Yerevan rapidly grew under Russian rule, both economically and politically. Old buildings were torn down and new buildings of European style were erected.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Yerevan city's population was over 29,000.<ref>{{in lang|ru}} [http://gatchina3000.ru/big/119/119478_brockhaus-efron.htm ''Erivan''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915195008/http://gatchina3000.ru/big/119/119478_brockhaus-efron.htm |date=15 September 2018 }} in the [[Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary]], St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890–1907.</ref> In 1902, a railway line linked Yerevan with [[Alexandropol]], [[Tiflis]] and [[Julfa, Azerbaijan (town)|Julfa]]. In the same year, Yerevan's first public library was opened. In 1905, the grandnephew of [[Napoleon I]]; prince Louis Joseph Jérôme Napoléon (1864–1932) was appointed as governor of Yerevan province.<ref>{{cite book|last = Walker|first = Christopher|title = Armenia: A Survival of a Nation, Chapter 3|publisher = Librairie Au Service de la Culture|year = 1980|page = [https://archive.org/details/armeniasurvivalo0000walk_c0v5/page/75 75]|isbn = 978-0-312-04944-7|url = https://archive.org/details/armeniasurvivalo0000walk_c0v5/page/75|df = dmy-all}}</ref> In 1913, for the first time in the city, a telephone line with eighty subscribers became operational.

Yerevan served as the centre of the governorate until 1917, when Erivan governorate was dissolved with the collapse of the Russian Empire.

===Brief independence===
{{Main|First Republic of Armenia}}
[[File:Government-House-of-Republic-of-Armenia-1918-1920.jpg|thumb|left|Government house of [[First Republic of Armenia|Armenia]] from where [[Aram Manukian]] declared independence in May 1918]]
[[File:May 28 1919 celebration Yerevan.jpg|thumb|Celebration of the first anniversary of the [[First Republic of Armenia]] in 1919]]
At the beginning of the 20th century, Yerevan was a small city with a population of 30,000.<ref name="Univ">{{in lang|fr}} Encyclopædia Universalis France S.A., " Erevan ", 1995.</ref> In 1917, the Russian Empire ended with the [[October Revolution]]. In the aftermath, Armenian, Georgian and Muslim leaders of [[South Caucasus|Transcaucasia]] united to form the [[Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic|Transcaucasian Federation]] and proclaimed [[Transcaucasia]]'s [[secession]].

The Federation, however, was short-lived. After gaining control over [[Gyumri|Alexandropol]], the Turkish army was advancing towards the south and east to eliminate the center of Armenian resistance based in Yerevan. On 21 May 1918, the Turks started their campaign moving towards Yerevan via Sardarabad. [[Catholicos of All Armenians|Catholicos]] [[George V of Armenia|Gevorg V]] ordered that church bells peal for 6 days as Armenians from all walks of life – peasants, poets, blacksmiths, and even the clergymen – rallied to form organized military units.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bobelian|first=Michael|title=Children of Armenia: A Forgotten Genocide and the Century-long Struggle for Justice|publisher=Simon & Schuster|location= New York|year=2009|page=34|isbn =978-1-4165-5725-8}}</ref> Civilians, including children, aided in the effort as well, as "Carts drawn by oxen, water buffalo, and cows jammed the roads bringing food, provisions, ammunition, and volunteers from the vicinity" of Yerevan.<ref>Hovannisian. ''Armenia on the Road to Independence'', p. 193.</ref>
[[File:Plan of Yerevan 1920.jpg|thumb|Map of Yerevan in 1920, made before the Soviet reconstruction of the city by [[Alexander Tamanyan]] in 1924. Taken looking west, with the [[Hrazdan River]] at the top rather than the left side.]]
By the end of May 1918, Armenians were able to defeat the Turkish army in the battles of [[Battle of Sardarabad|Sardarabad]], [[Battle of Abaran|Abaran]] and [[Battle of Karakilisa|Karakilisa]]. Thus, on 28 May 1918, the [[Armenian Revolutionary Federation|Dashnak]] leader [[Aram Manukian]] declared the independence of Armenia. Subsequently, Yerevan became the capital and the center of the newly founded [[First Republic of Armenia|Republic of Armenia]], although the members of the [[Armenian Congress of Eastern Armenians|Armenian National Council]] were yet to stay in [[Tbilisi|Tiflis]] until their arrival in Yerevan to form the government in the summer of the same year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ФАКТЫ: Передача Иревана от Азербайджана Армении - 16 "за", 1 "против"|url=https://novosti.az/azerbaijan/3635.html|access-date=18 September 2020|archive-date=2 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102043115/http://novosti.az/azerbaijan/3635.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Armenia became a [[parliamentary republic]] with four administrative divisions. The capital Yerevan was part of the ''Araratian Province''. At the time, Yerevan received more than 75,000 refugees from [[Western Armenia]], who escaped the massacres perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks during the [[Armenian genocide]].

On 26 May 1919, the government passed a law to open the [[Yerevan State University]], which was located on the main [[Abovyan Street|Astafyan (now Abovyan) street]] of Yerevan.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

After the signing of the [[Treaty of Sèvres]] in 1920, Armenia was granted formal international recognition. The [[United States]], as well as many South American countries, officially opened diplomatic channels with the government of independent Armenia. Yerevan had also opened representatives in [[Great Britain]], [[Italy]], [[Germany]], [[Serbia]], [[Greece]], [[Iran]] and [[Japan]].{{cn|date=May 2023}}

However, after the short period of independence, Yerevan fell to the [[Bolshevik]]s, and Armenia was incorporated into [[Soviet Russia]] on 2 December 1920. Although nationalist forces managed to retake the city in February 1921 and successfully released all the imprisoned political and military figures, the city's nationalist elite were once again defeated by the [[Soviet forces]] on 2 April 1921.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

===Soviet rule===
{{See also|Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic}}
[[File:Mayr Hayastan 2017 2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mother Armenia]] erected in 1967, replacing the monumental statue of [[Joseph Stalin]]]]
[[File:David of Sasun Yerevan.jpg|thumb|''[[David of Sassoun (statue)|David of Sassoun]]'' and the [[Yerevan railway station]].]]

The [[Red Army|Red Soviet Army]] invaded Armenia on 29 November 1920 from the northeast. On 2 December 1920, Yerevan along with the other territories of the [[First Republic of Armenia|Republic of Armenia]], became part of [[Soviet Russia]], known as the [[Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic]]. However, the Armenian SSR formed the Transcaucasian SFSR (TSFSR) together with the [[Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic]] and the [[Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic]], between 1922 and 1936.

Under the Soviet rule, Yerevan became the first among the cities in the Soviet Union for which a general plan was developed. The "General Plan of Yerevan" developed by the academician [[Alexander Tamanian]], was approved in 1924. It was initially designed for a population of 150,000.{{cn|date=February 2023}} The city was quickly transformed into a modern industrial metropolis of over one million people.{{cn|date=February 2023}} New educational, scientific and cultural institutions were founded as well.

Tamanian incorporated national traditions with contemporary urban construction. His design presented a radial-circular arrangement that overlaid the existing city and incorporated much of its existing street plan. As a result, many historic buildings were demolished, including churches, mosques, the [[Erivan Fortress]], baths, bazaars and [[caravanserai]]s. Many of the districts around central Yerevan were named after former Armenian communities that were destroyed by the [[Ottoman Turks]] during the [[Armenian genocide]]. The districts of Arabkir, Malatia-Sebastia and Nork Marash, for example, were named after the towns [[Arapgir|Arabkir]], [[Malatya]], [[Sivas, Turkey|Sebastia]], and [[Kahramanmaraş|Marash]], respectively. After the end of [[World War II]], [[Germans|German]] [[POW]]s were used to help in the construction of new buildings and structures, such as the Kievyan Bridge.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

Within the years, the central [[Kentron district]] has become the most developed area in Yerevan, something that created a significant gap compared with other districts in the city. Most of the educational, cultural and scientific institutions were centred in the Kentron district.

In 1965, during the commemorations of the fiftieth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Yerevan was the location of a [[1965 Yerevan demonstrations|demonstration]], the first such demonstration in the Soviet Union, to demand recognition of the Genocide by the Soviet authorities.<ref>{{cite book|last=Suny|first=Ronald Grigor|author-link=Ronald Grigor Suny|title=The Revenge of the Past: Nationalism, Revolution, and the Collapse of the Soviet Union|url=https://archive.org/details/revengepastnatio00suny|url-access=limited|publisher=Stanford University Press|year=1993|location=Stanford|page=[https://archive.org/details/revengepastnatio00suny/page/n144 122]|isbn=0-8047-2247-1}}</ref> In 1968, the city's 2,750th anniversary was commemorated.

Yerevan played a key role in the Armenian national democratic movement that emerged during the [[Mikhail Gorbachev|Gorbachev]] era of the 1980s. The reforms of [[Glasnost]] and [[Perestroika]] opened questions on issues such as the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the environment, [[Russification]], corruption, democracy, and eventually independence. At the beginning of 1988, nearly one million Armenians from several regions of Armenia engaged in demonstrations concerning these subjects, centered in the city's Theater Square (currently [[Freedom Square, Yerevan|Freedom Square]]).<ref>{{cite book|last=Malkasian|first=Mark|title=Gha-ra-bagh!: The Emergence of the National Democratic Movement in Armenia|publisher=Wayne State University Press|year=1996|page=41|isbn=0-8143-2605-6}}</ref>

===Post-independence===
[[File:Yerevan at night.jpg|thumb|left|Nighttime view of Yerevan in September 2013]]
Following the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], Yerevan became the capital of Armenia on 21 September 1991.<ref name="BJFAO">{{cite web|url=http://www.bjfao.gov.cn/yhjw/famous/asia/11311.htm|script-title=zh:埃里温|access-date=2017-07-08|date=2010-12-20|publisher=北京市人民政府外事办公室|language=zh|archive-date=4 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704214212/http://www.bjfao.gov.cn/yhjw/famous/asia/11311.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Maintaining supplies of gas and electricity proved difficult; constant electricity was not restored until 1996 amidst the chaos of the badly instigated and planned transition to a [[market economy|market-based economy]].
[[File:Elite Plaza Business Center at Night.jpg|thumb|The redeveloped Yerevan downtown is the commercial and business centre of the city.]]
Since 2000, central Yerevan has been transformed into a vast construction site, with cranes erected all over the Kentron district. Officially, the scores of multi-storied buildings are part of large-scale urban planning projects. Roughly $1.8&nbsp;billion was spent on such construction in 2006, according to the national statistical service.{{cn|date=February 2023}} Prices for downtown apartments have increased by about ten times during the first decade of the 21st century.{{cn|date=February 2023}} Many new streets and avenues were opened, such as the Argishti street, Italy street, Saralanj Avenue, Monte Melkonian Avenue, and the [[Northern Avenue (Yerevan)|Northern Avenue]].

However, as a result of this construction boom, the majority of the historic buildings located on the central [[Aram Street]], were either entirely destroyed or transformed into modern residential buildings through the construction of additional floors. Only a few structures were preserved, mainly in the portion that extends between [[Abovyan Street]] and [[Mashtots Avenue]].
[[File:Yerevan buildings and Ararat.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Panoramic view from the [[Kentron district]]]]
The first major post-independence protest in Yerevan took place in September 1996, after the announcement of incumbent [[Levon Ter-Petrosyan]]'s victory in the [[Armenian presidential election, 1996|presidential election]]. Major opposition parties of the time, consolidated around the former [[Karabakh Committee]] member and former Prime Minister [[Vazgen Manukyan]], organized mass demonstrations between 23 and 25 September, claiming electoral fraud by Ter-Petrosyan.<ref>{{cite book|last=Astourian |first=Stephan H. |title=From Ter-Petrosian to Kocharian: Leadership Change in Armenia |url=http://iseees.berkeley.edu/bps/publications/2000_04-asto.pdf |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |access-date=29 July 2020 |year=2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620084455/http://iseees.berkeley.edu/bps/publications/2000_04-asto.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2013|page=44}}</ref> An estimated of 200,000 people gathered in the [[Freedom Square, Yerevan|Freedom Square]] to protest the election results.{{sfn|Astourian|2001|p=45}} After a series of riot and violent protests around the Parliament building on 25 September, the government sent tanks and troops to Yerevan to enforce the ban on rallies and demonstrations on the following day.<ref>{{cite book|title=Human rights watch world report 1997: events of 1996|year=1997|publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]]|location=New York|isbn=9781564322074|page=198}}</ref> Prime Minister [[Vazgen Sargsyan]] and Minister of National Security [[Serzh Sargsyan]] announced on the [[Public Television company of Armenia|Public Television of Armenia]] that their respective agencies have prevented an attempted [[coup d'état]].<ref name="Jeffries">{{cite book|last=Jeffries|first=Ian|title=The Caucasus and Central Asian Republics at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century: A guide to the economies in transition|url=https://archive.org/details/caucasuscentrala00jeff|url-access=limited|year=2003|publisher=Routledge|location=New York|isbn=9780203358474|page=[https://archive.org/details/caucasuscentrala00jeff/page/n67 57]}}</ref>
[[File:Garegin Nzhdeh monument, Yerevan, ArmAg (14).jpg|thumb|Statue of Armenian nationalist figure [[Garegin Nzhdeh]] in central Yerevan]]
In February 2008, [[2008 Armenian presidential election protests|unrest in the capital]] between the authorities and opposition demonstrators led by ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan took place after the [[Armenian presidential election, 2008|2008 Armenian presidential election]]. The events resulted in 10 deaths<ref name="ArmLibApr14">[http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2008/04/1012E569-AB17-4FAA-AB68-0CF9FA972F62.asp "Death Toll in Armenia's Post-election Melee Rises to Ten"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725011617/http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2008/04/1012E569-AB17-4FAA-AB68-0CF9FA972F62.asp |date=25 July 2008 }}, Armenia Liberty ([RFE/RL]), 14 April 2008</ref> and a subsequent 20-day [[state of emergency]] declared by President [[Robert Kocharyan]].<ref name="BBCMar2">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7272299.stm Armenia declares emergency rule"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201050025/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7272299.stm |date=1 December 2017 }}, [[BBC News]], 1 March 2008.</ref>

In July 2016, a group of armed men calling themselves the ''Daredevils of Sassoun'' ({{Langx|hy|Սասնա Ծռեր}} ''Sasna Tsrrer'') [[2016 Yerevan hostage crisis|stormed a police station in Erebuni District of Yerevan]], taking several hostages, demanding the release of opposition leader [[Jirair Sefilian]] and the resignation of President Serzh Sargsyan. 3 policeman were killed as a result of the attack.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.azatutyun.am/a/27919472.html|title=Մահացել է ՊՊԾ գնդի տարածքի գրավման ժամանակ վիրավորված ոստիկանը|website=«Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան|date=13 August 2016 |access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=19 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119090605/https://www.azatutyun.am/a/27919472.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Many anti-government protestors held rallies in solidarity with the gunmen.<ref name="ie">{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2016/jul/19/police-officials-held-hostage-for-fourth-day-in-armenia-by-pro-opposition-gunmen-882723.html|title=Police officials held hostage for fourth day in Armenia by Pro-opposition gunmen|website=The New Indian Express|date=19 July 2016 |access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=21 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921100450/https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2016/jul/19/Police-officials-held-hostage-for-fourth-day-in-Armenia-by-Pro-opposition-gunmen-882723.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, after 2 weeks of negotiations, the crisis ended and the gunmen surrendered.

==Geography==
===Topography and cityscape===
[[File:Yerevan in Armenia.svg|thumb|left|Plan of Yerevan in Armenia]]
[[File:Hrazdan river - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|[[Hrazdan River]] flowing through Yerevan]]
Yerevan has an average height of {{convert|990|m|2|abbr=on}}, with a minimum of {{convert|865|m|2|abbr=on}} and a maximum of {{convert|1390|m|2|abbr=on}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]] in its southwestern and northeastern sections, respectively.<ref name="Azatian">{{in lang|hy|ru}} V. Azatian et T. Hakopian, ''Երևան Ереван Yerevan'', ИПО Parberakan, Erevan, 1989, p. 284.</ref> It is among the fifty highest cities in the world with over 1 million inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wallach|first=Omri|date=2020-10-30|title=The 50 Highest Cities in the World|url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-50-highest-cities-in-the-world/|access-date=2020-11-13|website=Visual Capitalist|language=en-US|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108163207/https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-50-highest-cities-in-the-world/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Yerevan is located on the banks of the [[Hrazdan River]], northeast of the [[Ararat Plain]], in the central-western part of the country. The upper part of the city is surrounded with mountains on three sides while it descends to the banks of the river [[Hrazdan River|Hrazdan]] at the south. The Hrazdan divides Yerevan into two parts through a picturesque canyon.

[[File:Երեւանի համայնապատկեր արշալոյսին.JPG|thumb|right|Yerevan is situated in the northeastern part of the Ararat Plain.]]
The city is situated at the heart of the [[Armenian Highland]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brunn|first1=Stanley D.|last2=Toops|first2=Stanley W.|last3=Gilbreath|first3=Richard|title=The Routledge Atlas of Central Eurasian Affairs|date=2012-08-21|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781136310478|page=52|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2oubq9yIE_oC&pg=PA52|language=en|access-date=30 June 2020|archive-date=1 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801072753/https://books.google.com/books?id=2oubq9yIE_oC&pg=PA52|url-status=live}}</ref> Historically, Yerevan was located in the Kotayk canton ({{langx|hy|Կոտայք գավառ}} ''Kotayk gavar'', not to be confused with the current [[Kotayk Province]]) of the [[Ayrarat]] province of historic [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Armenia Major]].

According to the current administrative division of Armenia, Yerevan is not part of any ''[[Administrative divisions of Armenia|marz]]'' ("province") and has special administrative status as the country's capital. It is bordered by [[Kotayk Province]] to the north and the east, [[Ararat Province]] to the south and the south-west, [[Armavir Province]] to the west and [[Aragatsotn Province]] to the north-west.

The [[Erebuni State Reserve]], formed in 1981, is located around 8&nbsp;km southeast of the city centre within the [[Erebuni District]] of the city. At a height between 1300 and 1450 meters above sea level, the reserve occupies an area of 120 hectares, mainly consisting of semi-deserted mountain-steppes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.am/arm/news/274751.html|title="Էրեբունի" պետական արգելոցի տարածքն ընդլայնվում է|website=news.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=17 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617065846/https://news.am/arm/news/274751.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:Yerevan 2012 February.JPG|thumb|Winter view of Yerevan]]
Yerevan features a [[continental climate|continental]] influenced [[steppe climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''BSk'' or "cold semi-arid climate"), with long, hot, dry summers and short, but cold and snowy winters. This is attributed to Yerevan being on a plain surrounded by mountains and to its distance from the sea and its moderating effects. The summers are usually very hot with the temperature in August reaching up to {{convert|40|°C|0|abbr=on}}, and winters generally carry snowfall and freezing temperatures with January often being as cold as {{convert|-15|°C|0|abbr=on}} and lower. The amount of [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] is small, amounting annually to about {{convert|318|mm|in}}. Yerevan experiences an average of 2,700 sunshine hours per year.<ref name="Azatian"/> On 12 July 2018, Yerevan recorded a temperature of {{convert|43.7|C|F|abbr=on}}, which is the joint highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Armenia.<ref name=BAMS2018>{{cite journal |author1=Jessica Blunden |author2=Derek Arndt |title=State of the Climate in 2018 |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |year=2019 |volume=100 |issue=9 |pages=Si-S306 |doi=10.1175/2019BAMSStateoftheClimate.1|s2cid=202481135 |doi-access=free |hdl=20.500.12542/276 |hdl-access=free | issn=0003-0007}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Yerevan (1991–2020, extremes 1885–present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 19.5
|Feb record high C = 19.6
|Mar record high C = 27.6
|Apr record high C = 35.0
|May record high C = 36.1
|Jun record high C = 41.1
|Jul record high C = 43.7
|Aug record high C = 42.0
|Sep record high C = 40.0
|Oct record high C = 34.1
|Nov record high C = 26.0
|Dec record high C = 21.0
|year record high C = 43.7
|Jan high C = 1.7
|Feb high C = 6.3
|Mar high C = 13.7
|Apr high C = 19.8
|May high C = 25.1
|Jun high C = 30.9
|Jul high C = 34.5
|Aug high C = 34.4
|Sep high C = 29.2
|Oct high C = 21.6
|Nov high C = 12.8
|Dec high C = 4.2
|year high C = 19.5
|Jan mean C = -3.5
|Feb mean C = 0.0
|Mar mean C = 7.0
|Apr mean C = 12.9
|May mean C = 17.7
|Jun mean C = 23.1
|Jul mean C = 26.8
|Aug mean C = 26.7
|Sep mean C = 21.4
|Oct mean C = 14.0
|Nov mean C = 5.8
|Dec mean C = -0.8
|year mean C = 12.6
|Jan low C = -7.8
|Feb low C = -5.4
|Mar low C = 0.9
|Apr low C = 6.4
|May low C = 10.8
|Jun low C = 15.1
|Jul low C = 19.1
|Aug low C = 18.9
|Sep low C = 13.2
|Oct low C = 7.1
|Nov low C = 0.1
|Dec low C = -4.9
|year low C = 6.1
|Jan record low C = −27.6
|Feb record low C = −26.0
|Mar record low C = −19.1
|Apr record low C = −10.9
|May record low C = −0.6
|Jun record low C = 3.7
|Jul record low C = 7.5
|Aug record low C = 7.9
|Sep record low C = 0.1
|Oct record low C = −6.5
|Nov record low C = −14.7
|Dec record low C = −28.3
|year record low C = −28.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 21
|Feb precipitation mm = 21
|Mar precipitation mm = 60
|Apr precipitation mm = 56
|May precipitation mm = 47
|Jun precipitation mm = 24
|Jul precipitation mm = 17
|Aug precipitation mm = 10
|Sep precipitation mm = 10
|Oct precipitation mm = 51
|Nov precipitation mm = 25
|Dec precipitation mm = 21
|year precipitation mm = 363
| unit precipitation days =  1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days  =4.9
| Feb precipitation days  =4.3
| Mar precipitation days  =6.2
| Apr precipitation days  =8.2
| May precipitation days  =9.3
| Jun precipitation days  =5.7
| Jul precipitation days  =3
| Aug precipitation days  =2.4
| Sep precipitation days  =2.4
| Oct precipitation days  =5.1
| Nov precipitation days  =4.4
| Dec precipitation days  =5
| year precipitation days =
|Jan snow depth cm = 5
|Feb snow depth cm = 3
|Mar snow depth cm = 1
|Apr snow depth cm = 0
|May snow depth cm = 0
|Jun snow depth cm = 0
|Jul snow depth cm = 0
|Aug snow depth cm = 0
|Sep snow depth cm = 0
|Oct snow depth cm = 0
|Nov snow depth cm = 0
|Dec snow depth cm = 1
|year snow depth cm = 5
|Jan humidity = 75.0
|Feb humidity = 67.6
|Mar humidity = 58.3
|Apr humidity = 55.5
|May humidity = 54.6
|Jun humidity = 46.0
|Jul humidity = 42.9
|Aug humidity = 41.1
|Sep humidity = 45.7
|Oct humidity = 57.8
|Nov humidity = 68.6
|Dec humidity = 77.0
|year humidity = 57.2
|Jan rain days = 2
|Feb rain days = 4
|Mar rain days = 8
|Apr rain days = 12
|May rain days = 12
|Jun rain days = 8
|Jul rain days = 5
|Aug rain days = 4
|Sep rain days = 4
|Oct rain days = 8
|Nov rain days = 7
|Dec rain days = 4
|year rain days = 78
|Jan snow days = 7
|Feb snow days = 7
|Mar snow days = 2
|Apr snow days = 0.2
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0.1
|Nov snow days = 1
|Dec snow days = 5
|year snow days = 22
|Jan sun = 104.5
|Feb sun = 136.8
|Mar sun = 186.5
|Apr sun = 206.5
|May sun = 267.1
|Jun sun = 326.6
|Jul sun = 353.9
|Aug sun = 333.7
|Sep sun = 291.5
|Oct sun = 217.0
|Nov sun = 159.9
|Dec sun = 91.0
|year sun = 2675.0
|source 1 = Pogoda.ru.net<ref name= pogoda>{{cite web
| url = http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/37788.htm
| title = Weather and Climate- The Climate of Yerevan
| publisher = Weather and Climate (Погода и климат)
| language = ru
| access-date = 8 November 2021
| archive-date = 19 December 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181219032142/http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/37788.htm
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[NOAA]] (sun, humidity and precipitation days)<ref name=WMOCLINO>{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211009210710/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Armenia/CSV/YerevanAgro_37789.csv
| archive-date = 9 October 2021
| archive-format = CSV
| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Armenia/CSV/YerevanAgro_37789.csv
| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020: Yerevan-Agro
| publisher = [[National Centers for Environmental Information]]
| format = CSV
| access-date = 9 October 2023}}</ref>, <ref name=BAMS2018/>
}}

===Architecture===
[[File:2014 Erywań, Ulica Arama 3 (01).jpg|left|thumb|Traditional 19th-century buildings of Yerevan on [[Aram Street]]]]
The [[Yerevan TV Tower]] is the tallest structure in the city and one of the tallest structures in the [[South Caucasus]].

The [[Republic Square, Yerevan|Republic Square]], the [[Yerevan Opera Theatre]], and the [[Yerevan Cascade]] are among the main landmarks at the centre of Yerevan, mainly developed based on the original design of architect [[Alexander Tamanian]], and the revised plan of architect Jim Torosyan.

A major redevelopment process has been launched in Yerevan since 2000. As a result, many historic structures have been demolished and replaced with new buildings. This urban renewal plan has been met with opposition<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&CID=1258&IID=1042&AID=1054 |title=ArmeniaNow.com |publisher=ArmeniaNow.com |access-date=2 July 2010 |archive-date=12 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812130046/http://www.armenianow.com/?action=viewArticle&CID=1258&IID=1042&AID=1054 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and criticism from some residents, as the projects destroy historic buildings dating back to the period of the [[Russian Empire]], and often leave residents homeless.<ref>{{cite web |author=By&nbsp;Gayane Mirzoyan |url=http://chai-khana.org/en/former-iranian-market-ferdowsi-to-be-demolished-1 |title=Former Iranian Market Ferdowsi – To be Demolished &#124; Gayane Mirzoyan |publisher=Chai Khana |date=2015-08-11 |access-date=2017-12-11 |archive-date=18 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018125224/http://chai-khana.org/en/former-iranian-market-ferdowsi-to-be-demolished-1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://onnik-krikorian.com/2013/09/stepping-back-in-time-in-kond/ |title=Kond: Stepping Back in Time &#124; Onnik James Krikorian |publisher=Onnik-krikorian.com |access-date=2017-12-11 |archive-date=12 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212084348/http://onnik-krikorian.com/2013/09/stepping-back-in-time-in-kond/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Aghajanian |first=Liana |url=http://www.ianyanmag.com/city-of-dust-how-an-ongoing-construction-boom-is-destroying-yerevans-architectural-heritage/ |title=City of Dust: How an Ongoing Construction Boom Is Destroying Yerevan's Architectural Heritage &#124; IANYAN Magazine |publisher=Ianyanmag.com |date=2015-03-19 |access-date=2017-12-11 |archive-date=12 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212031644/http://www.ianyanmag.com/city-of-dust-how-an-ongoing-construction-boom-is-destroying-yerevans-architectural-heritage/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Downtown houses deemed too small are increasingly demolished and replaced by high-rise buildings.
[[File:Yerevan Northern 2010.jpg|thumb|Modern buildings on the [[Northern Avenue (Yerevan)|Northern Avenue]]]]

The [[Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Yerevan|Saint Gregory Cathedral]], the new building of [[Yerevan City Council]], the new section of [[Matenadaran]] institute, the new terminal of [[Zvartnots International Airport]], the [[Cafesjian Museum of Art|Cafesjian Center for the Arts]] at the Cascade, the [[Northern Avenue, Yerevan|Northern Avenue]], and the new government complex of ministries are among the major construction projects fulfilled during the first two decades of the 21st century.

[[Aram Street]] of old Yerevan and the newly built [[Northern Avenue (Yerevan)|Northern Avenue]] are respectively among the notable examples featuring the traditional and modern architectural characteristics of Yerevan.

As of May 2017, Yerevan is home to 4,883 residential apartment buildings, and 65,199 street lamps installed on 39,799 [[street light]] posts, covering a total length of 1,514&nbsp;km. The city has 1,080 streets with a total length of 750&nbsp;km.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.civilnet.am/news/2017/05/14/Թվեր-որ-կհետաքրքրեն-բոլոր-երևանցիներին/314288|title=Թվեր, որ կհետաքրքրեն բոլոր երևանցիներին|website=www.civilnet.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=28 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928123044/https://www.civilnet.am/news/2017/05/14/%D4%B9%D5%BE%D5%A5%D6%80-%D5%B8%D6%80-%D5%AF%D5%B0%D5%A5%D5%BF%D5%A1%D6%84%D6%80%D6%84%D6%80%D5%A5%D5%B6-%D5%A2%D5%B8%D5%AC%D5%B8%D6%80-%D5%A5%D6%80%D6%87%D5%A1%D5%B6%D6%81%D5%AB%D5%B6%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%B6/314288|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Parks===
[[File:Lovers' Park, Yerevan.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Lovers' Park]]]]
Yerevan is a densely built city but still offers several public parks throughout its districts, graced with mid-sized green gardens. The public park of Erebuni District along with its artificial lake is the oldest garden in the city. Occupying an area of 17 hectares, the origins of the park and the artificial lake date back to the period of king [[Argishti I of Urartu]] during the 8th century BCE. In 2011, the garden was entirely remodelled and named as [[Lyon Park, Yerevan|Lyon Park]], to become a symbol of the partnership between the cities of [[Lyon]] and Yerevan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.am/arm/news/68472.html|title=Էրեբունի վարչական շրջանում բացվել է Երեւան-Լիոն բարեկամության խորհրդանիշ Լիոնի ա|website=news.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=19 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619012647/https://news.am/arm/news/68472.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Lovers' Park]] on [[Baghramyan Avenue|Marshal Baghramyan Avenue]] and the [[English Park, Yerevan|English Park]] at the centre of the city, dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries respectively, are among the most popular parks in Yerevan. The [[Yerevan Botanical Garden]] (opened in 1935), the [[Victory Park, Yerevan|Victory Park]] (opened in the 1950s) and the [[Circular Park]] are among the largest green spaces of the city.

[[File:Swan Lake, Yerevan-12.jpg|thumb|The ''Swan Lake'']]

Opened in the 1960s, the Yerevan Opera Theatre Park along with its artificial ''Swan Lake'' is also among the favourite green spaces of the city. In 2019 some of the public space of the park leased to restaurants was reclaimed allowing for improved landscape design.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://armenpress.am/eng/news/960468.html|title=Yerevan to reclaim portions of city-owned leased space around Opera House to restore landscape|website=armenpress.am|date=11 January 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-03-17|archive-date=11 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111160355/https://armenpress.am/eng/news/960468.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A public ice-skating arena is operated in the park's lake area during winters.

The [[Yerevan Lake]] is an artificial reservoir opened in 1967 on [[Hrazdan River|Hrazdan]] riverbed at the south of the city centre, with a surface of {{convert|0.65|km²|2|abbr=on}}.

Each administrative district of Yerevan has its own public park, such as the [[Buenos Aires Park]] and [[Tumanyan Park]] in [[Ajapnyak District|Ajapnyak]], Komitas Park in [[Shengavit District|Shengavit]], Vahan Zatikian Park in [[Malatia-Sebastia District|Malatia-Sebastia]], David Anhaght Park in [[Kanaker-Zeytun District|Kanaker-Zeytun]], the Family Park in [[Avan District|Avan]], and Fridtjof Nansen Park in [[Nor Nork District|Nor Nork]].

==Politics and government==
===Capital===
[[File:2014 Erywań, Budynek Zgromadzenia Narodowego Republiki Armenii.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|The [[National Assembly (Armenia)|National Assembly of Armenia]] on [[Baghramyan Avenue]]]]
Yerevan has been the capital of Armenia since the independence of the First Republic in 1918. Situated in the Ararat Plain, the historic lands of Armenia, it served as the best logical choice for capital of the young republic at the time.

When Armenia became a republic of the Soviet Union, Yerevan remained as capital and accommodated all the political and diplomatic institutions in the republic. In 1991 with the independence of Armenia, Yerevan continued with its status as the political and cultural centre of the country, being home to all the national institutions: the [[Government House, Yerevan|Government House]], the [[National Assembly Building of Armenia|National Assembly]], the [[Presidential Palace, Yerevan|Presidential Palace]], the [[Central Bank of Armenia|Central Bank]], the [[Constitutional Court of Armenia|Constitutional Court]], all ministries, judicial bodies and other government organizations.

===Municipality===
{{See also|List of mayors of Yerevan}}
[[File:Yerevan city hall, vodka & brandy factory.jpg|thumb|[[Yerevan City Council|Yerevan City Hall]] (right)]]
Yerevan received the status of a city on 1 October 1879, upon a decree issued by Tsar [[Alexander II of Russia]]. The first city council formed was headed by Hovhannes Ghorghanyan, who became the first mayor of Yerevan.

The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 5 July 1995, granted Yerevan the status of a [[Marz (Armenia)|marz]] (մարզ, province).<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.president.am/library/constitution/eng/?chapter=7|title=Article 108 of the Armenian Constitution|access-date=16 May 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124085555/http://president.am/library/constitution/eng/?chapter=7|archive-date=24 January 2009}}</ref> Therefore, Yerevan functions similarly to the provinces of Armenia with a few specifications.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.president.am/library/constitution/eng/?chapter=9|title=Article 117 of the Armenian Constitution|access-date=16 May 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123033934/http://president.am/library/constitution/eng/?chapter=9|archive-date=23 January 2009}}</ref>
The administrative authority of Yerevan is thus represented by:
* the mayor, appointed by the President (who can remove him at any moment) upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister,<ref name="autogenerated1"/> alongside a group of four deputy mayors heading eleven ministries (of which financial, transport, urban development etc.),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yerevan.am/index.php?page=structure|title=Yerevan municipality structure|access-date=16 May 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080202051946/http://www.yerevan.am/index.php?page=structure|archive-date=2 February 2008}}</ref>
* the [[Yerevan City Council]], regrouping the Heads of community districts under the authority of the mayor,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.am/legislation.php?sel=show&ID=1305&lang=eng|title=Article 82 of 7 May 2002 Law relative to local autonomy|access-date=16 May 2008|archive-date=26 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026141350/http://www.parliament.am/legislation.php?sel=show&ID=1305&lang=eng|url-status=live}}</ref>
* twelve "community districts", with each having its own leader and their elected councils.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.am/legislation.php?sel=show&ID=1305&lang=eng|title=Article 77 on 7 May 2002 Law relative to local autonomy|access-date=16 May 2008|archive-date=26 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026141350/http://www.parliament.am/legislation.php?sel=show&ID=1305&lang=eng|url-status=live}}</ref> Yerevan has a principal city hall and twelve deputy mayors of districts.

In the modified Constitution of 27 November 2005, Yerevan city was turned into a "community" (համայնք, ''hamaynk''); since, the Constitution declares that this community has to be led by a mayor, elected directly or indirectly, and that the city needs to be governed by a specific law.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.president.am/library/constitution/eng/ |title=Articles 88.1 and 108 of the Armenian Constitution |access-date=16 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013082548/http://www.president.am/library/constitution/eng/ |archive-date=13 October 2008 }}</ref> The first election of the Yerevan City Council took place in [[Yerevan City Council election, 2009|2009]] and won by the ruling [[Republican Party of Armenia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/APFeaturesManager/defaultArtSiteVoir.asp?ID=729|title=Declaration of a member of the Assembly of the Council of Europe.|access-date=16 May 2008|language=fr|archive-date=18 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718090016/http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/APFeaturesManager/defaultArtSiteVoir.asp?ID=729|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panorama.am/en/society/2007/10/18/ereven/|title=Panorama.am, ''Executive prefers to have indirect elections for mayor''|date=18 October 2007|access-date=16 May 2008|archive-date=18 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718080816/http://www.panorama.am/en/society/2007/10/18/ereven/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In addition to the national police and road police, Yerevan has its own municipal police. All three bodies cooperate to maintain law in the city.

===Administrative districts===
[[File:Yerevan-Map-Armenian-Labels.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|right|The twelve districts of Yerevan]]
{{Main|Districts of Yerevan}}
Yerevan is divided into twelve "administrative districts" (վարչական շրջան, ''varčakan šrĵan'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.yerevan.am/1-117-Վարչական%20շրջաններ.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006154556/http://www.yerevan.am/1-117-%D5%8E%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%B9%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%B6%20%D5%B7%D6%80%D5%BB%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%B6%D5%A5%D6%80.html|title=Վարչական շրջաններ|archive-date=6 October 2013|access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref> each with an elected leader. The total area of the 12 districts of Yerevan is {{convert|223|km²|0|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://armstat.am/file/doc/99485218.pdf|title=Armstat:Yerevan population, 2011 census|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=31 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231020351/http://armstat.am/file/doc/99485218.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.yerevan.am/en/administrative-districts/ |title=Administrative districts of Yerevan |access-date=9 February 2017 |archive-date=28 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928122311/http://www.yerevan.am/en/administrative-districts/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.armstat.am/file/Map/MARZ_01.pdf|title=OVERALL CHARACTERISTICS OF YEREVAN DISTRICT COMMUNITIES FOR 2015|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=17 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917164815/http://www.armstat.am/file/Map/MARZ_01.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="2022 Census"/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!District!!Armenian!!Population<br /><small>(2011 census)</small>!!Population<br /><small>(2016 estimate)</small>!!Population<br> <small>(2022 census)</small>!!Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
| [[Ajapnyak District|Ajapnyak]]
| Աջափնյակ
| style="text-align:center;" | 108,282
| style="text-align:center;" | 109,100
| style="text-align:center;" | 111,508
| 25.82
|-
| [[Arabkir District|Arabkir]]
| Արաբկիր
| style="text-align:center;" | 117,704
| style="text-align:center;" | 115,800
| style="text-align:center;" | 118,870
| 13.29
|-
| [[Avan District|Avan]]
| Ավան
| style="text-align:center;" | 53,231
| style="text-align:center;" | 53,100
| style="text-align:center;" | 55,094
| 7.26
|-
| [[Davtashen District|Davtashen]]
| Դավթաշեն
| style="text-align:center;" | 42,380
| style="text-align:center;" | 42,500
| style="text-align:center;" | 43,704
| 6.47
|-
| [[Erebuni District|Erebuni]]
| Էրեբունի
| style="text-align:center;" | 123,092
| style="text-align:center;" | 126,500
| style="text-align:center;" | 124,957
| 47.49
|-
| [[Kanaker-Zeytun District|Kanaker-Zeytun]]
| Քանաքեր-Զեյթուն
| style="text-align:center;" | 73,886
| style="text-align:center;" | 74,100
| style="text-align:center;" | 73,834
| 7.73
|-
| [[Kentron District|Kentron]]
| Կենտրոն
| style="text-align:center;" | 125,453
| style="text-align:center;" | 125,700
| style="text-align:center;" | 119,841
| 13.35
|-
| [[Malatia-Sebastia District|Malatia-Sebastia]]
| Մալաթիա-Սեբաստիա
| style="text-align:center;" | 132,900
| style="text-align:center;" | 135,900
| style="text-align:center;" | 140,784
| 25.16
|-
| [[Nork-Marash District|Nork-Marash]]
| Նորք-Մարաշ
| style="text-align:center;" | 12,049
| style="text-align:center;" | 11,800
| style="text-align:center;" | 11,098
| 4.76
|-
| [[Nor Nork District|Nor Nork]]
| Նոր Նորք
| style="text-align:center;" | 126,065
| style="text-align:center;" | 130,300
| style="text-align:center;" | 134,668
| 14.11
|-
| [[Nubarashen District|Nubarashen]]
| Նուբարաշեն
| style="text-align:center;" | 9,561
| style="text-align:center;" | 9,800
| style="text-align:center;" | 11,794
| 17.24
|-
| [[Shengavit District|Shengavit]]
| Շենգավիթ
| style="text-align:center;" | 135,535
| style="text-align:center;" | 139,100
| style="text-align:center;" | 140,525
| 40.6
|}

==Demographics==
{| class="floatright" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%; border:1px solid #DCDCDC; background:#fafafa"
|+ {{big|'''Historical ethnic composition of Yerevan'''}}<br /><small>(excluding the [[Erivan Fortress]])</small><ref name="Karapetyan 1600-1724"/>
|-
! scope="col" style="width:70px;" | Year
! scope="col" colspan=2 style="width:110px;" | Armenians
! scope="col" colspan=2 style="width:115px;" | Azerbaijanis{{ref|Azeris|a}}
! scope="col" colspan=2 style="width:100px;" | Russians
! scope="col" colspan=2 style="width:90px;"  | Others
! scope="col" style="width:70px;"| Total
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{Circa|1650}}<ref name="Karapetyan 1600-1724"/>
|colspan=2| absolute majority
| colspan=2|—
| colspan=2|—
| colspan=2|—
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | {{circa|1725}}<ref name="Karapetyan 1724-1800"/>
| colspan=2| absolute majority <!--"XVIII դարի առաջին քառորդի վերջին բուն Երևան քաղաքում բացարձակ մեծամասնություն էր կազմում հայ բնակչությունը։"-->
| colspan=2|—
| colspan=2|—
| colspan=2|—
| '''20,000'''<!-- "Այսինքն քաղաքի և այնտեղ ապաստանած շրջակա ութ հայ գյուղերի բնակչությունը միասին կազմում էին մոտ 40 հազար մարդ, որի գրեթե կեսը, ամենայն հավանականությամբ, պետք է կազմեր քաղաքի մշտական բնակչությունը։"-->
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1830<ref>{{in lang|hy}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20140504050440/http://yhm.am/2011/09/09/%D5%A5%D6%80%D6%87%D5%A1%D5%B6-%D6%84%D5%A1%D5%B2%D5%A1%D6%84%D5%AB-%D5%A2%D5%B6%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%B9%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%A9%D5%B5%D5%A1%D5%B6-%D5%B7%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%AA%D5%A8%D5%B6%D5%A9%D5%A1%D6%81%D5%A8-1824/ Երևան քաղաքի բնակչության շարժընթացը 1824–1914թթ.] [[Yerevan History Museum]]</ref>
| 4,132
| 35.7%
| 7,331
| 64.3%
| colspan=2|
| 195
| 1.7%
| '''11,463'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1831<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Korkotyan |first=Zaven |url=http://haygirk.nla.am/upload/1512-1940/1901-1940/hayastani_bnakchutyuny_1932.pdf |title=Խորհրդային Հայաստանի բնակչությունը վերջին հարյուրամյակում (1831-1931) |publisher=Pethrat |year=1932 |location=Yerevan |pages=164–167 |language=hy |trans-title=The population of Soviet Armenia in the last century (1831–1931) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202085400/http://haygirk.nla.am/upload/1512-1940/1901-1940/hayastani_bnakchutyuny_1932.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2022}}</ref>
|4,484
|37.6%
|7,331
|61.5%
| colspan="2" |
|105
|0.9%
|'''11,920'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1873<ref>{{in lang|ru}} Эривань // Географическо-статистический словарь Российской империи. Сост. по поручению Русского географического общества действ. член Общества ''П. Семёнов'', при содействии действ. члена ''В. Зверинского''. Т. V. Спб., 1885, с. 870.</ref>
| 5,900
| 50.1%
| 5,800
| 48.7%
| 150
| 1.3%
| 24
| 0.2%
| '''11,938'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1886<ref name=":0" />
|7,142
|48.5%
|7,228
|49.0%
| colspan="2" |
|368
|2.5%
|'''14,738'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1897<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/emp_lan_97_uezd.php?reg=570|title=Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей.|website=www.demoscope.ru|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=30 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630190605/http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/emp_lan_97_uezd.php?reg=570|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 12,523
| 43.2%
| 12,359
| 42.6%
| 2,765
| 9.5%
| 1,359
| 4.7%
| '''29,006'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1908<ref name=":0" /> 
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
|'''30,670'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1914<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.prlib.ru/item/417320 |title=Кавказский календарь на 1915 год |publisher=Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom |year=1915 |edition=70th |publication-place=Tiflis |pages=254–257 |language=Russian |trans-title=Caucasian calendar for 1915 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104234033/https://www.prlib.ru/item/417320 |archive-date=4 November 2021}}</ref>
| 15,531
| 52.9%
| 11,496
| 39.1%
| 1,628
| 5.5%
| 711
| 2.4%
|'''29,366'''{{efn|Also appears as 29,766 in the list of populated places in the Caucasus on page 213 of the 1915 publication of the ''Caucasian Calendar''.}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1916<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.prlib.ru/item/417322 |title=Кавказский календарь на 1917 год |publisher=Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom |year=1917 |edition=72nd |publication-place=Tiflis |pages=367–370 |language=Russian |trans-title=Caucasian calendar for 1917 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104233151/https://www.prlib.ru/item/417322 |archive-date=4 November 2021}}</ref>
| 37,223
| 72.6%
| 12,557
| 24.5%
| 1,059
| 2.1%
| 447
| 0.9%
| '''51,286'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1919<ref name=":0" /> 
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
|'''48,000'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1922<ref name=":0" />
|40,396
|86.6%
|5,124
|11.0%
| colspan="2" |
|1,122
|2.4%
|'''46,642'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1926<ref name="ethnocacucasus">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru/rnarmenia.html|title=население армении|website=www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=7 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707075417/http://www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru/rnarmenia.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 59,838
| 89.2%
| 5,216
| 7.8%
| 1,401
| 2.1%
| 666
| 1%
| '''67,121'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1931<ref name=":0" />
|80,327
|90.4%
|5,620
|6.3%
| colspan="2" |
|2,957
|3.3%
|'''88,904'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1939<ref name="ethnocacucasus"/>
| 174,484
| 87.1%
| 6,569
| 3.3%
| 15,043
| 7.5%
| 4,300
| 2.1%
| '''200,396'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1959<ref name="ethnocacucasus"/>
| 473,742
| 93.0%
| 3,413
| 0.7%
| 22,572
| 4.4%
| 9,613
| 1.9%
| '''509,340'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1970<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/resp_nac_70.php?reg=92|title=Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей.|website=www.demoscope.ru|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=26 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826122206/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/resp_nac_70.php?reg=92|url-status=live}}</ref>
| 738,045
| 95.2%
| 2,721
| 0.4%
| 21,802
| 2.8%
| 12,460
| 1.6%
| '''775,028'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1979<ref name="ethnocacucasus"/>
| 974,126
| 95.8%
| 2,341
| 0.2%
| 26,141
| 2.6%
| 14,681
| 1.4%
| '''1,017,289'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 1989<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_lan_89_ar.php|title=Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей.|website=www.demoscope.ru|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=12 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912114438/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_lan_89_ar.php|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng89_reg2.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118160411/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng89_reg2.php|title=Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей.|archive-date=18 January 2012|website=www.demoscope.ru|access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref>
| 1,100,372
| 96.5%
| 897
| 0.0%
| 22,216
| 2.0%
| 17,507
| 1.5%
| '''1,201,539'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2001<ref>[http://www.armstat.am/file/doc/86.pdf Yerevan city: Ethnic Structure of De Jure Population] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019195258/http://www.armstat.am/file/doc/86.pdf |date=19 October 2016 }} National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia</ref>
| 1,088,389
| 98.6%
| colspan=2|—
| 6,684
| 0.61%
| 8,415
| 0.76%
| '''1,103,488'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | 2011<ref>[http://armstat.am/file/doc/99483738.pdf Demographics of Yerevan 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528011813/http://armstat.am/file/doc/99483738.pdf |date=28 May 2014 }} National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia 2011</ref>
| 1,048,940
| 98.9%
| colspan=2|—
| 4,940
| 0.5%
| 6,258
| 0.6%
| '''1,060,138'''
|-
| colspan=10 | {{note|Azeris|a|Called ''Tatars'' prior to 1918}}
|}

{{historical populations|1897|29006|1926|62180|1939|200396|1959|509340|1970|775028|1979|1025959|1989|1201539|2001|1103488|2011|1060138|2022|1086677|align=right|cols=1|source=<ref>{{cite web|title=(USSR) Urban population of the union republics, and their territorial units|url=https://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/census.php}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Population Census |website= Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia|url=https://armstat.am/en/?nid=743}}</ref>}}Originally a small town, Yerevan became the capital of Armenia and a large city with over one million inhabitants.{{cn|date=May 2023}} Until the fall of the Soviet Union, the majority of the population of Yerevan were Armenians with minorities of [[Russians]], [[Kurds]], [[Azerbaijanis]] and Iranians present as well. However, with the breakout of the [[First Nagorno-Karabakh War]] from 1988 to 1994, the Azerbaijani minority diminished in the country in what was part of population exchanges between Armenia and Azerbaijan. A big part of the Russian minority also fled the country during the 1990s economic crisis in the country.{{cn|date=May 2023}} Today, the population of Yerevan is overwhelmingly Armenian.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, due to economic crises, thousands fled Armenia, mostly to Russia, North America and Europe. The population of Yerevan fell from 1,250,000 in 1989<ref name="Azatian"/> to 1,103,488 in 2001<ref>2001 Census : [http://docs.armstat.am/census/pdfs/15.pdf ArmStat] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070502/http://docs.armstat.am/census/pdfs/15.pdf |date=4 March 2016 }}.</ref> and to 1,091,235 in 2003.<ref name="ArmStat 2003">{{cite web|url=http://docs.armstat.am/census/pdfs/12.pdf|title=ArmStat, 2003 Census|access-date=21 March 2008|archive-date=10 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910034121/http://docs.armstat.am/census/pdfs/12.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the population of Yerevan has been increasing since. In 2007, the capital had 1,107,800 inhabitants.

Yerevantsis in general use the [[Yerevan dialect]], an [[Eastern Armenian]] dialect most probably formed during the 13th century. It is currently spoken in and around Yerevan, including the towns of [[Vagharshapat]] and [[Ashtarak]]. [[Classical Armenian]] (''Grabar'') words compose a significant part of the dialect's vocabulary.<ref name="Markossian">{{cite journal|last=Markossian|first=Razmik|title=Արարատյան բարբառ (Araratian dialect)|year=1989|page=390|url=http://lraber.asj-oa.am/3544/|access-date=13 March 2013|publisher=Luys|location=Yerevan|language=hy|journal=|archive-date=23 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923151052/http://lraber.asj-oa.am/3544/|url-status=live}}</ref> Throughout the history, it was influenced by several languages, especially [[Russian language|Russian]] and [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[loan word]]s have significant presence in it today. It is currently the most widespread Armenian dialect.<ref name="Baghdassarian-Tapaltsian">{{cite journal|last=Baghdassarian-Tapaltsian|first=S. H.|script-title=hy:Արարատյան և Բայազետի բարբառների փոխհարաբերությունները|trans-title=Relationship between Araratian and Bayazet dialects|journal=[[Patma-Banasirakan Handes]]|year=1971|issue=4|pages=217–234|url=https://arar.sci.am/dlibra/publication/193292/edition/175633/content|access-date=16 March 2013|publisher=[[Armenian National Academy of Sciences]]|location=Yerevan|language=hy|archive-date=14 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714213843/http://hpj.asj-oa.am/1744/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Ethnic groups===
[[File:St. Nikolai.png|thumb|[[Saint Nikolai Cathedral, Yerevan|Saint Nikolai Russian Cathedral]], destroyed in 1931]]

Yerevan was inhabited first by Armenians and remained homogeneous until the 15th century.<ref name="Karapetyan 1600-1724"/><ref name="Karapetyan 1724-1800">{{in lang|hy}} M. Karapetyan, ''[https://arar.sci.am/dlibra/publication/191253/edition/173714/content Բնակչության էթնիկ կազմը և էթնիկ պրոցեսները Երևանում 1724–1800 թվականներին (Ethnic composition of the population of Yerevan and ethnographic processes in Yerevan from 1724 to 1800)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928123133/http://hpj.asj-oa.am/4699/ |date=28 September 2018 }}'', ''[[Patma-Banasirakan Handes]]'', 1987, Yerevan, [[Armenian National Academy of Sciences]], {{ISSN|0135-0536}}</ref><ref name=worldhistory>{{cite book | last = Ramirez-Faria | first = Carlos | title = Concise Encyclopaedia of World History | year = 2007 | publisher = Atlantic | isbn = 978-81-269-0775-5 | pages = 42–44 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gGKsS-9h4BYC | access-date = 29 October 2015 | archive-date = 30 October 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151030012536/https://books.google.com/books?id=gGKsS-9h4BYC | url-status = live }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=June 2018}} The population of the [[Erivan Fortress]], founded in the 1580s, was mainly composed of Muslim soldiers, estimated two to three thousand.<ref name="Karapetyan 1600-1724">{{in lang|hy}} M. Karapetyan (1986) "[https://arar.sci.am/dlibra/publication/191080/edition/173552/content The Dynamics of the Number and Ethnic Structure of the Population of Yerevan in 1600–1724] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928122212/http://hpj.asj-oa.am/4534/ |date=28 September 2018 }}" ''[[Patma-Banasirakan Handes]]''. pp. 95–109. {{ISSN|0135-0536}}</ref> The city itself was mainly populated by Armenians. French traveler [[Jean-Baptiste Tavernier]], who visited Yerevan possibly up to six times between 1631 and 1668, states that the city is exclusively populated by Armenians.<ref name="Tavernier">Tavernier, Jean-Baptiste. ''Les six voyages en Turquie, en Perse et aux Indes, Volume 1'', p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=J3xJAAAAcAAJ&dq=Comme+Erivan+n%27est+habite+que+par+des+Armeniens&pg=PA623 623] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200912090026/https://books.google.com/books?id=J3xJAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA623&dq=Comme+Erivan+n%27est+habite+que+par+des+Armeniens&hl=en&sa=X&ei=T9YjUrPZNaepsQTF9ICQDA&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Comme%20Erivan%20n'est%20habite%20que%20par%20des%20Armeniens&f=false |date=12 September 2020 }}</ref> Although much of the Armenian population of the city was deported during the 17th century,<ref name="v8f5"/> the city remained Armenian-majority during the [[Ottoman–Hotaki War (1722–1727)]].<ref name="Karapetyan 1724-1800"/> The demographics of the region changed because of a series of wars between the Ottoman Empire, Iran and Russia. In the early 19th century Yerevan had a Muslim majority, mainly with an Armenian and "Caucasian Tatar" population.{{sfn|Bournoutian|1980|page=13}}<ref>{{in lang|ru}} [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/emp_lan_97_uezd.php?reg=570 1897 Census, Erivan City] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502151332/http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/emp_lan_97_uezd.php?reg=570 |date=2 May 2019 }} ''Demoscope Weekly''</ref> According to the traveler [[H. F. B. Lynch]], the city was about 50% Armenian and 50% Muslim ([[Azerbaijani people|Azerbaijanis]] and Persians) in the early 1890s {{sfn|Kettenhofen|Bournoutian|Hewsen|1998|pages=542–551}}

After the [[Armenian genocide]], many refugees from what Armenians call [[Western Armenia]] (nowadays Turkey, then [[Ottoman Empire]]) escaped to Eastern Armenia. In 1919, about 75,000 Armenian refugees from the Ottoman Empire arrived in Yerevan, mostly from the [[Vaspurakan]] region (city of [[Van, Turkey|Van]] and [[Van vilayet|surroundings]]). A significant part of these refugees died of typhus and other diseases.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/republicofarmeni0000hova|title=The Republic of Armenia|first=Richard G.|last=Hovannisian|date=3 January 1971|publisher=Berkeley, University of California Press|access-date=3 January 2021|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

From 1921 to 1936, about 42,000 ethnic Armenians from Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Greece, Syria, France, Bulgaria etc. went to Soviet Armenia, with most of them settling in Yerevan. The second wave of repatriation occurred from 1946 to 1948, when about 100,000 ethnic Armenians from Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, France, United States etc. moved to Soviet Armenia, again most of whom settled in Yerevan. Thus, the ethnic makeup of Yerevan became more [[Monoethnicity|monoethnic]] during the first 3 decades in the Soviet Union. The Azerbaijani population of Yerevan, who made up 43% of the population of the city prior to the [[October Revolution]], dropped to 0.7% by 1959 and further to 0.1% by 1989, during the [[Nagorno-Karabakh conflict]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=yiObBPPjXbYC&q=Language+Policy+in+the+Soviet+Union Language Policy in the Soviet Union] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527195439/https://books.google.com/books?id=yiObBPPjXbYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Language+Policy+in+the+Soviet+Union&sig=I22mQT_vcbgrfEyAy6K6MLbHwgk |date=27 May 2020 }} by Lenore A. Grenoble. Springer: 2003, p.135 {{ISBN|1-4020-1298-5}}</ref>

There is an [[Indian people|Indian]] population in Armenia, with over 22,000 residents recorded in the country. Much of this population resides in Yerevan, where a large proportion run businesses, Indian restaurants, and study in Yerevan universities.<ref name="JamNews">{{cite web|url=https://jam-news.net/indians-in-armenia-why-theyre-coming-and-what-theyre-doing-here/|title=Indians in Armenia – why they're coming and what they're doing here|website=jam-news.net|date=21 January 2019|access-date=19 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tert.am/en/news/2019/01/09/india-armenia/2890126|title=Armenia's migration authorities report unprecedented growth in Indians travelers' number|website=Tert.am|date=1 September 2019|access-date=19 September 2019|archive-date=1 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801205116/https://www.tert.am/en/news/2019/01/09/india-armenia/2890126|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{see also|List of churches in Yerevan|Religion in Armenia}}

====Armenian Apostolic Church====
[[File:Saint Peter and Paul Church, Yerevan.jpg|thumb|left|The 5th-century [[Saint Paul and Peter Church, Yerevan|Saint Paul and Peter Church]]]]

[[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Apostolic Christianity]] is the predominant religion in Armenia. The 5th-century [[Saint Paul and Peter Church, Yerevan|Saint Paul and Peter Church]] demolished in November 1930 by the Soviets, was among the earliest churches ever built in Erebuni-Yerevan. Many of the ancient Armenian and medieval churches of the city were destroyed by the Soviets in the 1930s during the [[Great Purge]].

[[File:Surb Hovanes Mkrtich Church, Kond.JPG|thumb|[[Saint John the Baptist Church, Yerevan|Saint John the Baptist Church]], consecrated in 1710]]
[[File:St.Sarqis.jpg|thumb|[[Saint Sarkis Cathedral, Yerevan|Surp Sarkis]] Church, consecrated in 1842]]

The regulating body of the Armenian Church in Yerevan is the [[Araratian Pontifical Diocese]], with the [[Saint Sarkis Cathedral, Yerevan|Surp Sarkis Cathedral]] being the seat of the diocese. It is the largest diocese of the Armenian Church and one of the oldest dioceses in the world, covering the city of Yerevan and the [[Ararat Province]] of Armenia.<ref name="araratian-tem1"/>

Yerevan is currently home to the largest Armenian church in the world, the [[Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Yerevan|Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator]]. It was consecrated in 2001, during the 1700th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian Church and the adoption of Christianity as the national religion in Armenia.

As of 2017, Yerevan has 17 active Armenian churches as well as four chapels.

====Russian Orthodox Church====
[[File:Православная церковь в Ереване (2).jpg|thumb|Holy Cross Russian Orthodox Church, consecrated in 2017]]
After the capture of Yerevan by the Russians as a result of the [[Russo-Persian War (1826–1828)|Russo-Persian War of 1826–28]], many [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox]] churches were built in the city under the orders of the Russian commander General [[Ivan Paskevich]]. The [[Saint Nikolai Cathedral, Yerevan|Saint Nikolai Cathedral]] opened during the second half of the 19th century, was the largest Russian church in the city. The [[Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God]] was opened in 1916 in [[Kanaker-Zeytun District|Kanaker-Zeytun]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Потто|first=Василий Александрович|title=Кавказская война. Том 3. Персидская война 1826–1828 гг.|year=2000|publisher=MintRight Inc|isbn=9785425080998|page=359|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9XINah2beLwC&pg=PA359}}</ref>

However, most of the churches were either closed or demolished by the Soviets during the 1930s. The Saint Nikolai Cathedral was entirely destroyed in 1931, while the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God was closed and converted first into a warehouse and later into a club for the military personnel. Religious services resumed in the church in 1991, and in 2004 a cupola and a belfry were added to the building.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mospat.ru/en/2010/03/17/news14638/ |title=Russian Orthodox Church, External Church Relations Official Website:Patriarch Kirill visits a Russian church in Yerevan |publisher=Mospat.ru |date=17 March 2010 |access-date=1 May 2011 |archive-date=24 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624010423/https://mospat.ru/en/2010/03/17/news14638/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2010, the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Holy Cross Russian Orthodox church took place with the presence of Patriarch [[Kirill I of Moscow]]. The church was eventually consecrated on 7 October 2017, with the presence of Catholicos [[Karekin II]], Russian bishops and the church benefactor [[Ara Abramyan]].

====Other religions====
According to Ivan Chopin, there were eight mosques in Yerevan in the middle of the 19th century.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chopin|first=Jean-Marie|title=Исторический памятник состояния Армянской области в эпоху ея присоединения к Российской Империи|year=1852|publisher=Императорская Академия Наук|page=468|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzIpAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA468}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Bournoutian|first=George A.|title=The khanate of Erevan under Qajar rule, 1795–1828|year=1992|publisher=Mazda Publishers|isbn=9780939214181|page=173|author-link=Jean-Marie Chopin}}</ref> The 18th-century [[Blue Mosque, Yerevan|Blue Mosque of Yerevan]] was restored and reopened in the 1990s, with Iranian funding,<ref>{{cite book|last = Kiesling|first = Brady|title = Rediscovering Armenia, 2nd edition|publisher =Matit|location= Yerevan|year = 2005|page=37 }}</ref> and is currently the only active mosque in Armenia, mainly serving Iranian [[Shia]] visitors.

Yerevan is home to tiny [[Yazidis in Armenia|Yezidi]], [[Molokan]], [[Hetanism|Neopagan]], [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]] and [[History of the Jews in Armenia|Jewish]] communities, with the Jewish community being represented by the Jewish Council of Armenia. A variety of [[Nontrinitarianism|nontrinitarian]] communities, considered dangerous sects by the Armenian Apostolic Church,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.am/eng/news/72171.html|title=Word of Life is most dangerous sect operating in Armenia – Armenian Apostolic Ch|website=news.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=23 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623193935/https://news.am/eng/news/72171.html|url-status=live}}</ref> are also found in the city, including [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], [[Mormons]], [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]] and [[Livets Ord|Word of Life]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.religions.am/arm/religions/ |title=Religions in Armenia |access-date=9 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208200407/http://www.religions.am/arm/religions/ |archive-date=8 February 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Health and medical care==
[[File:Shengavit Medical Center - Շենգավիթ բժշկական կենտրոն.jpg|thumb|[[Shengavit Medical Center]]]]
Yerevan is a major healthcare and medical service centre in the region. Several hospitals of Yerevan, refurbished with modern technologies, provide healthcare and conduct medical research, such as [[Shengavit Medical Center]], Erebouni Medical Center, [[Izmirlian Medical Center]], Saint Gregory the Illuminator Medical Center, [[Nork-Marash Medical Center]], Armenia Republican Medical Center, Astghik Medical Center, [[Armenian American Wellness Center]], and Mkhitar Heratsi Hospital Complex of the [[Yerevan State Medical University]]. The municipality runs 39 polyclinics/medical centers throughout the city.

The Research Center of Maternal and Child Health Protection has operated in Yerevan since 1937, while the [[Armenicum|Armenicum Clinical Center]] was opened in 1999,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://armenicum.am/clinic/eng |title=Armenicum Clinical Centre |access-date=15 February 2017 |archive-date=18 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718124113/http://armenicum.am/clinic/eng |url-status=dead }}</ref> where research is conducted mainly related to infectious diseases, including [[HIV]], [[immunodeficiency|immunodeficiency disorders]] and [[hepatitis]].

The Liqvor Pharmaceuticals Factory, operating in Yerevan since 1991, is currently the largest medicine manufacturer of Armenia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.president.am/en/domestic-visits/item/2011/10/15/news-322/|title=President Serzh Sargsyan visited the newly opened industrial unit of the Likvor Ltd pharmaceutical company - Domestic visits - Updates - The President of the Republic of Armenia|website=www.president.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=1 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301014228/https://www.president.am/en/domestic-visits/item/2011/10/15/news-322/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Culture==
Yerevan is Armenia's principal cultural, artistic, and industrial center, with a large number of museums, important monuments and the national public library. It also hosts [[Vardavar]], the most widely celebrated festival among Armenians, and is one of the historic centres of traditional [[Armenian carpet|Armenian carpet weaving]].

===Museums===
{{See also|List of museums in Yerevan}}
Yerevan is home to a large number of museums, art galleries and libraries. The most prominent of these are the [[National Gallery of Armenia]], the [[History Museum of Armenia]], the [[Cafesjian Museum of Art]], the [[Matenadaran]] library of ancient manuscripts, and the Armenian Genocide Museum at the [[Tsitsernakaberd]] Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex.
[[File:Armenia Museum of Art and History.jpg|thumb|The National Gallery of Armenia]]
Founded in 1921, the [[National Gallery of Armenia]] and the [[History Museum of Armenia]] are the principal museums of the city. In addition to having a permanent exposition of works by Armenian painters, the gallery houses a collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures by German, American, Austrian, Belgian, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Dutch, Russian and Swiss artists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallery.am/colls.php?ct_id=1&langid=1 |title=Website of the National Gallery of Armenia |access-date=20 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411075406/http://www.gallery.am/colls.php?ct_id=1&langid=1 |archive-date=11 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It usually hosts temporary expositions.

The Armenian Genocide Museum is located at the foot of the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex and features numerous eyewitness accounts, texts and photographs from the time. It comprises a memorial stone made of three parts, the latter of which is dedicated to the intellectual and political figures who, as the museum's site says, "raised their protest against the Genocide committed against the Armenians by the Turks," such as  [[Armin T. Wegner]], [[Anna Hedvig Büll|Hedvig Büll]], [[Henry Morgenthau Sr.]], [[Franz Werfel]], [[Johannes Lepsius]], [[James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce|James Bryce]], [[Anatole France]], [[Giacomo Gorrini]], [[Pope Benedict XV|Benedict XV]], [[Fridtjof Nansen]], and others.
[[File:View of Yerevan and Mount Ararat from Cafesjian Museum of Art.JPG|thumb|left|View from a garden terrace of the Cafesjian Museum of Art at [[Yerevan Cascade|the Cascade]]]]
[[Cafesjian Museum of Art]] within the [[Yerevan Cascade]] is an art centre opened on 7 November 2009. It showcases a massive collection of glass artwork, particularly the works of the Czech artists [[Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová]]. The front gardens showcase sculptures from Gerard L. Cafesjian's collection.

The [[Erebuni Museum]] founded in 1968, is an archaeological museum housing [[Urartu|Urartian]] artifacts found during excavations at the [[Erebuni Fortress]]. The [[Yerevan History Museum]] and the [[ARF History Museum|Armenian Revolutionary Federation History Museum]] are among the prominent museums that feature the history of Yerevan and the First Republic of Armenia respectively. The Military Museum within the [[Mother Armenia]] complex is about the participation of Armenian soldiers in [[World War II]] and the [[Nagorno-Karabakh conflict]].
[[File:Музей Комитаса 1.jpg|thumb|Komitas Museum]]
The city is also home to a large number of art museums. [[Sergei Parajanov Museum]] opened in 1988 is dedicated to [[Sergei Parajanov]]'s art works in cinema and painting.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armeniatour.com/muse.php?id=14&sid=40 |title=ArmeniaTour |access-date=20 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220194151/http://www.armeniatour.com/muse.php?id=14&sid=40 |archive-date=20 February 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Komitas Museum]] opened in 2015, is a musical art museum devoted to the renowned Armenian composer [[Komitas]]. [[Charents Museum of Literature and Arts]] opened in 1921, [[Modern Art Museum of Yerevan]] opened in 1972, and the [[Near East Art Museum|Middle East Art Museum]] opened in 1993, are also among the notable art museums of the city.<ref>Brady Kiesling, ''Rediscovering Armenia'', 2000, [http://yerevan.usembassy.gov/armenia.pdf Read online] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626205330/http://yerevan.usembassy.gov/armenia.pdf |date=26 June 2008 }}</ref>

Biographical museums are also common in Yerevan. Many renowned Armenian poets, painters and musicians are honored with house-museums in their memory, such as poet [[Hovhannes Tumanyan]], composer [[Aram Khachaturian]], painter [[Martiros Saryan]], novelist [[Khachatur Abovian]], and French-Armenian singer [[Charles Aznavour]].

Many museums of science and technology have opened in Yerevan, such as the Museum of Armenian Medicine (1999), the Space Museum of Yerevan (2001), Museum of Science and Technology (2008), Museum of Communications (2012) and the Little Einstein Interactive Science Museum (2016).

===Libraries===
[[File:Matenadaran, Ereván, Armenia, 2016-10-03, DD 22.jpg|thumb|Matenadaran library-museum of ancient manuscripts]]
The [[National Library of Armenia]] located on Teryan Street is the chief public library of the city and the entire republic. It was founded in 1832 and is operating in its current building since 1939. Another national library of Yerevan is the [[Khnko Aper Children's Library]], founded in 1933. Other major public libraries include the [[City Central Library after Avetik Isahakyan|Avetik Isahakyan Central Library]] founded in 1935, the Republican Library of Medical Sciences founded in 1939, the Library of Science and Technology founded in 1957, and the Musical Library founded in 1965. In addition, each administrative district of Yerevan has its own public library (usually more than one library).

The [[Matenadaran]] is a library-museum and a research centre, regrouping 17,000 ancient manuscripts and several bibles from the Middle Ages. Its archives hold a rich collection of valuable ancient [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Ancient Greek]], [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]], [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic|Assyrian]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Latin]], [[Middle Persian|Middle]] and [[Persian language|Modern Persian]] manuscripts. It is located on [[Mashtots Avenue]] at central Yerevan.

On 6 June 2010, Yerevan was named as the 2012 [[World Book Capital]] by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ([[UNESCO]]). The Armenian capital was chosen for the quality and variety of the programme it presented to the selection committee, which met at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris on 2 July 2010.

The [[National Archives of Armenia]] founded in 1923, is a scientific research centre and depositary, with a collection of around 3.5&nbsp;million units of valuable documents.

===Art===
{{Main|Armenian art}}
[[File:Yerevan Vernissage carpets.jpg|thumb|left|Handmade Armenian rugs at the Yerevan Vernissage]]
Yerevan is one of the historic centres of traditional [[Armenian carpet]]. Various rug fragments have been excavated in areas around Yerevan dating back to the 7th century BC or earlier. The tradition was further developed from the 16th century when Yerevan became the central city of [[Persian Armenia (1502-1828)|Persian Armenia]]. However, carpet manufacturing in the city was greatly enriched with the flock of Western Armenian migrants from the [[Ottoman Empire]] throughout the 19th century, and the arrival of Armenian refugees escaping the genocide in the early 20th century. Currently, the city is home to the Arm Carpet factory opened in 1924, as well as the Tufenkian handmade carpets (since 1994), and Megerian handmade carpets (since 2000).
[[File:Yerevan - July 2017 - various topics - 4.JPG|thumb|Paintings exhibited at Saryan Park]]
The [[Yerevan Vernissage]] open-air exhibition-market formed in the late 1980s on [[Aram Street]], features a large collection of different types of traditional Armenian hand-made art works, especially woodwork sculptures, rugs and carpets. On the other hand, the Saryan park located near the opera house, is famous for being a permanent venue where artists exhibit their paintings.

The [[Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art]] founded in 1992 in Yerevan,<ref>{{cite book|title=Art and AsiaPacific|year=2008|publisher=Fine Arts Press|page=144|volume=3|language=en}}</ref> is a creativity centre helping to exchange experience between professional artists in an appropriate atmosphere.<ref>{{cite book|title=Art and Asia Pacific Almanac|year=2010|publisher=Art AsiaPacific Pub.|page=91|volume=5|language=en}}</ref>

====Music====
{{Main|Music of Armenia}}
[[File:Ópera, Ereván, Armenia, 2016-10-03, DD 12.jpg|thumb|[[Yerevan Opera Theater]]]]
[[Jazz]], [[classical music|classical]], [[Armenian folk music|folk]] and traditional music are among several genres that are popular in the city of Yerevan. A large number of ensembles, orchestras and choirs of different types of Armenian and international music are active in the city.

The [[Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra]] founded in 1925, is one of the oldest musical groups in Yerevan and modern Armenia. The [[Armenian National Radio Chamber Choir]] founded in 1929, won the First Prize of the Soviet Union in the 1931 competition of choirs among the [[republics of the Soviet Union]]. Folk and classical music of Armenia was taught in state-sponsored conservatoires during the Soviet days. The Sayat-Nova Armenian Folk Song Ensemble was founded in Yerevan in 1938. Currently directed by Tovmas Poghosyan, the ensemble performs the works of prominent Armenian ''[[gusans]]'' such as [[Sayat-Nova]], [[Jivani]], and [[Sheram]].

In 1939, the [[Yerevan Opera Theater|Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet]] was opened. It is home to the Aram Khatchaturian concert hall and the Alexander Spendiarian auditorium of the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet.
[[File:Հանդիսատեսային շենք. Կոմիտասի անվան Կամերային Երաժշտության տունը (3).JPG|thumb|left|Komitas Chamber Music House]]
The [[Komitas Chamber Music House]] opened in 1977, is the home of [[chamber music]] performers and lovers in Armenia. In 1983, the [[Karen Demirchyan Complex|Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex]] was opened. It is currently the largest indoor venue in Armenia.

The [[National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia]] (founded in 1961), Yerevan State Brass Band (1964), Folk Instruments Orchestra of Armenia (1977), Gusan and Folk Song Ensemble of Armenia (1983), [[Hover Chamber Choir]] (1992), [[Shoghaken Folk Ensemble]] (1995), Yerevan State Chamber Choir (1996), State Orchestra of Armenian National Instruments (2004), and the Youth State Orchestra of Armenia (2005), are also among the famous musical ensembles of the city of Yerevan. The [[Ars lunga]] [[piano]]-[[cello]] duo achieved international fame since its foundation in 2009 in Yerevan.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

Armenian religious music remained liturgical until [[Komitas]] introduced [[polyphony]] by the end of the 19th century. Starting from the late 1950s, religious music became widely spread when [[Armenian chant]]s (also known as ''sharakans'') were performed by the [[soprano]] [[Lusine Zakaryan]].{{cn|date=June 2023}}The state-run Tagharan Ensemble of Yerevan founded in 1981 and currently directed by Sedrak Yerkanian, also performs ritual and ancient Armenian music.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

[[Jazz]] is also among the popular genres in Yerevan. The first [[Jazz in Armenia|jazz band in Yerevan]] was founded in 1936. Currently, many jazz and [[ethno jazz]] bands are active in Yerevan such as Time Report, Art Voices, and [[Nuance Jazz Band]]. The Malkhas jazz club founded by renowned artist Levon Malkhasian, is among the most popular clubs in the city. The Yerevan Jazz Fest is an annual jazz festival taking place every autumn since 2015, organized by the Armenian Jazz Association with the support of the Yerevan Municipality.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mezzoproduction.com/project/yerevan-jazz-fest-2016/|title=YEREVAN JAZZ FEST 2016 - Mezzo Production - Organization of events and concert programs in Armenia|website=YEREVAN JAZZ FEST 2016 - Mezzo Production - Organization of events and concert programs in Armenia|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=23 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623195441/http://mezzoproduction.com/project/yerevan-jazz-fest-2016/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:KOHAR with stars of Armenia-Yerevan-May 2011.jpg|thumb|KOHAR performing at the Freedom Square in 2011]]
[[Armenian rock]] has been originated in Yerevan in the mid-1960s, mainly through [[Arthur Meschian]] and his band ''Arakyalner'' ''(Disciples)''. In the early 1970s, there were a range of professional bands in Yerevan strong enough to compete with their Soviet counterparts. In post-Soviet Armenia, an Armenian progressive rock scene has been developed in Yerevan, mainly through [[Vahan Artsruni]], the [[Oaksenham]] rock band, and the [[Dorians (band)|Dorians]] band. The [[Arto Tunçboyacıyan#Armenian Navy Band|Armenian Navy Band]] founded by [[Arto Tunçboyacıyan]] in 1998 is also famous for jazz, [[avant-garde music|avant-garde]] and folk music. [[Reggae]] is also becoming popular in Yerevan mainly through the [[Reincarnation (band)|Reincarnation]] musical band.

The Cafesjian Center for the Arts is known for its regularly programmed events including the "Cafesjian Classical Music Series" on the first Wednesday of each month, and the "Music Cascade" series of jazz, pop and rock music live concerts performed every Friday and Saturday.

Open-air concerts are frequently held in curtain location in Yerevan during summer, such as the Cafesjian Sculpture Garden on Tamanyan Street, the [[Freedom Square, Yerevan|Freedom Square]] near the Opera House, the Republic Square, etc. The famous [[KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir]] occasionally performs open-air concerts in the city.

====Dance====
[[Armenian dance|Traditional dancing]] is very popular among Armenians. During the cool summertime of the Yerevan city, it is very common to find people dancing in groups at the Northern Avenue or the [[Tamanyan Street]] near the cascade.

Professional dance groups were formed in Yerevan during the Soviet days. The first group was the Armenian Folk Music and Dance Ensemble founded in 1938 by [[Tatul Altunyan]]. It was followed by the State Dance Ensemble of Armenia in 1958. In 1963, the Berd Dance Ensemble was formed. The Barekamutyun State Dance Ensemble of Armenia was founded in 1987 by Norayr Mehrabyan.

The Karin Traditional Song and Dance Ensemble founded in 2001 by Gagik Ginosyan is known for revitalizing and performing the ancient Armenian dances of the historical regions of the [[Armenian Highlands]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://karinfolk.am/?page_id=52&lang=en|title=History &#124; "Karin" folk-dance group|website=karinfolk.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=23 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623193935/http://karinfolk.am/?page_id=52&lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref> such as [[Hemşin|Hamshen]], [[Muş|Mush]], [[Sason|Sasun]], [[Erzurum|Karin]], etc.

====Theatre====
{{See also|List of theaters in Yerevan}}
Yerevan is home to many theatre groups, mainly operating under the support of the ministry of culture. Theatre halls in the city organize several shows and performances throughout the year. Most prominent state-run theatres of Yerevan are the [[Sundukyan State Academic Theatre]], [[Paronyan Musical Comedy Theatre]], [[Stanislavski Russian Theatre of Yerevan|Stanislavski Russian Theatre]], [[Hrachya Ghaplanyan Drama Theatre]], and the Sos Sargsyan Hamazgayin State Theatre. The Edgar Elbakyan Theatre of Drama and Comedy is among the prominent theatres run by the private sector.

Yerevan is also home to several specialized theatres such as the [[Hovhannes Tumanyan Puppet Theatre of Yerevan|Tumanyan Puppet Theatre]], [[Yerevan State Pantomime Theatre]], and the [[Yerevan State Marionettes Theatre]].

====Cinema====
{{Main|Cinema of Armenia}}
[[File:Moscow cinema in Yerevan.jpg|thumb|Moscow Cinema]]
Cinema in Armenia was born on 16 April 1923, when the Armenian State Committee of Cinema was established upon a decree issued by the Soviet Armenian government.

In March 1924, the first Armenian film studio; ''[[Armenfilm]]'' ({{langx|hy|Հայֆիլմ}} "Hayfilm", {{langx|ru|Арменкино}} "Armenkino") was opened in Yerevan, starting with a [[documentary film]] called ''Soviet Armenia''. ''[[Namus (film)|Namus]]'' was the first Armenian [[silent film|silent]] [[black and white]] film, directed by [[Hamo Beknazarian]] in 1925, based on a play of [[Alexander Shirvanzade]], describing the ill fate of two lovers, who were engaged by their families to each other since childhood, but because of violations of ''[[namus]]'' (a tradition of honor), the girl was married by her father to another person. The first produced [[sound film]] was ''[[Pepo (film)|Pepo]]''  directed by [[Hamo Beknazarian]] in 1935.

Yerevan is home to many movie theatres including the [[Moscow Cinema]], [[Nairi Cinema]], Hayastan Cinema, Cinema Star multiplex cinemas of the [[Dalma Garden Mall]], and the KinoPark multiplex cinemas of [[Yerevan Mall]]. The city also hosts a number of film festivals:

* The [[Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival]] has been hosted by the Moscow Cinema annually since 2004.<ref>{{cite web | title=About: History | website=Golden Apricot | date=17 July 2022 | url=https://www.gaiff.am/about-us/history | access-date=23 August 2022 | archive-date=23 August 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823010432/https://www.gaiff.am/about-us/history | url-status=dead }}</ref>
*The ReAnimania International Animation Film & Comics Art Festival of Yerevan launched in 2005, is also among the popular annual events in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reanimania.com/about/|title=About|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=31 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231101452/https://reanimania.com/about/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*The [[Sose International Film Festival]] has been held annually by the Zis Center of Culture since 2014.<ref>{{cite web | title=ABOUT FESTIVAL | website=Sose International Film Festival - Armenia, Yerevan | date=18 April 2014 | url=https://sosefestival.com/about-festival/ | access-date=23 August 2022 | archive-date=23 August 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823055017/https://sosefestival.com/about-festival/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Festivals===
[[File:Vartavar 2014 Yerevan (5).jpg|thumb|People celebrating Vardavar water festival in downtown Yerevan]]
In addition to the film and other arts festivals, the city organizes many public celebrations that greatly attract the locals as well as the visitors. [[Vardavar]] is the most widely celebrated festival among Armenians, having it roots back to the pagan history of Armenia. It is celebrated 98 days (14 weeks) after [[Easter]]. During the day of Vardavar, people from a wide array of ages are allowed to douse strangers with water. It is common to see people pouring buckets of water from balconies on unsuspecting people walking below them. The Swan Lake of the Yerevan Opera is the most popular venue for the Vardavar celebrations.

In August 2015, Teryan Cultural Centre supported by the Yerevan Municipality has launched its first Armenian traditional clothing festival known as the ''Yerevan Taraz Fest''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://armenpress.am/arm/news/814420/tarazy-orpes-mshakuyti-baxadrich-hyusisayin-poxotayum.html|title=Տարազը որպես մշակույթի բաղադրիչ. Հյուսիսային պողոտայում անցկացվեց "Երևան Տարազ ֆեստ" առաջին փառատոնը|website=armenpress.am|date=5 August 2015 |access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=28 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128113014/https://armenpress.am/arm/news/814420/tarazy-orpes-mshakuyti-baxadrich-hyusisayin-poxotayum.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

As one of the ancient [[winemaking]] regions, many wine festivals are celebrated in Armenia. Yerevan launched its first annual wine festivals known as the ''[[Yerevan Wine Days]]'' in May 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://arevakar-travel.com/eng/topic.php?id=73|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729172540/http://arevakar-travel.com/eng/topic.php?id=73|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 July 2017|title=Yerevan Wine Days festival|access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref> The ''Watermelon Fest'' launched in 2013 is also becoming a popular event in the city. The ''Yerevan Beer Fest'' is held annually during the month of August. It was first organized in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=The 3rd Yerevan Beer Fest was held in a pleasant atmosphere|url=https://www.yerevan.am/en/news/ansparh-garejowr-mrts-owyt-ner-tonakan-hacheli-mt-nolort-kayats-av-erewani-garejri-3-rd-p-arhatone/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124064659/https://www.yerevan.am/en/news/ansparh-garejowr-mrts-owyt-ner-tonakan-hacheli-mt-nolort-kayats-av-erewani-garejri-3-rd-p-arhatone/|archive-date=24 November 2020|access-date=3 January 2021|website=www.yerevan.am}}</ref>

===Media===
[[File:Yerevan from Cascade - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Yerevan TV Tower]]]]
Many public and private TV and radio channels operate in Yerevan. The [[Public Television company of Armenia|Public TV of Armenia]] has been in service since 1956. It became a [[satellite television]] in 1996. Other satellite TVs include the [[Armenia TV]] owned by the Pan-Armenian Media Group, [[Kentron TV]] owned by [[Gagik Tsarukyan]], [[Shant TV]] and Shant TV premium. On the other hand, [[Yerkir Media]], Armenia 2, [[Shoghakat TV]], Yerevan TV, 21TV and the TV channels of the Pan-Armenian Media Group are among the most notable local televisions of Yerevan.

Notable newspapers published in Yerevan include the daily newspapers of [[Aravot]], [[Azg (daily)|Azg]], [[Golos Armenii]] and [[Hayastani Hanrapetutyun]].

===Monuments===
{{Main|Monuments of Yerevan|List of statues in Yerevan}}

====Historic====
[[File:-Եկեղեցական համալիր Ավանի Սբ. Աստվածածին (Կաթողիկե, Ծիրանավոր) 23.jpg|thumb|[[Cathedral of Avan]] built in 591]]
[[File:Erevan church.jpg|thumb|[[Katoghike Church, Yerevan|Katoghike Church]] in Yerevan]]
[[File:St Zoravor church in Yerevan 01.JPG|thumb|[[Zoravor Surp Astvatsatsin Church]]]]
Many of the structures of Yerevan had been destroyed either during foreign invasions or as a result of the devastating [[1679 Armenia earthquake|earthquake in 1679]]. However, some structures have remained moderately intact and were renovated during the following years.

[[Erebuni Fortress]], also known as ''Arin Berd'', is the hill where the city of Yerevan was founded in 782 BC by King [[Argishti I of Urartu|Argishti I]]. The remains of other structures from earlier periods are also found in Shengavit.
[[File:2014 Erywań, Błękitny Meczet (09).jpg|thumb|The Blue Mosque]]
The 4th-century chapel of the Holy Mother of God and the 6th-century [[Katoghike Tsiranavor Church of Avan|Tsiranavor Church]] both located in [[Avan District]] at the north of Yerevan, are among the oldest surviving Christian structures of the city. Originally a suburb at the north of Yerevan, Avan was eventually absorbed by the city's gradual expansion. The district is also home to the remains of Surp Hovhannes Chapel dating back to the 12–13th centuries.

[[Katoghike Church, Yerevan|Katoghike Church]]; a medieval chapel (a section of once much larger basilica) in the centre of Yerevan, built in 1264, is one of the best preserved churches of the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://am.chineseembassy.org/chn/lsqw/t1405205.htm|script-title=zh:中国公民赴亚美尼亚注意事项|access-date=2017-07-09|date=2016-04-27|publisher=中华人民共和国驻亚美尼亚共和国大使馆|language=zh|archive-date=8 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908055211/http://am.chineseembassy.org/chn/lsqw/t1405205.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Zoravor Surp Astvatsatsin Church]] is also among the best surviving churches of Yerevan, built 1693–94 right after the devastating earthquake, on the ruins of a medieval church. [[Saint Sarkis Cathedral, Yerevan|Saint Sarkis Cathedral]] rebuilt in 1835–42, is the seat of [[Araratian Pontifical Diocese]] of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]].

The [[Blue Mosque, Yerevan|Blue Mosque]] or "Gök Jami", built between 1764 and 1768 at the centre of the city, is currently the only operating mosque in Armenia.

The [[Red Bridge (Yerevan)|Red Bridge]] of [[Hrazdan River]] is a 17th-century structure, built after the 1679 earthquake and later reconstructed in 1830.

====Contemporary====
[[File:Ցեղասպանության թանգարան.JPG|thumb|Aerial view of Tsitsernakaberd memorial and the [[Armenian genocide|genocide]] museum]]
[[Yerevan Opera Theater]] or the Armenian National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre opened in 1933, is a major landmark in the city along with the [[Matenadaran|Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran]] opened in 1959, and [[Tsitsernakaberd]] monument of the [[Armenian genocide]] opened in 1967.

[[Moscow Cinema]], opened in 1937 on the site of [[Saint Paul and Peter Church, Yerevan|Saint Paul and Peter Church]] of the 5th century, is an important example of the Soviet-era architecture. In 1959, a monument was erected near the Yerevan Railway Station dedicated to the legendary Armenian hero [[David of Sassoun]]. The monumental statue of [[Mother Armenia]] is a female personification of the Armenian nation, erected in 1967, replacing the huge statue of [[Joseph Stalin]] in the [[Victory Park, Yerevan|Victory park]].

[[Komitas Pantheon]] is a cemetery opened in 1936 where many famous Armenians are buried, while the [[Yerablur]] Pantheon, is a military cemetery where over 1,000 Armenian martyrs of the [[Nagorno-Karabakh conflict]] are buried since 1990.

Many new notable buildings were constructed after the independence of Armenia such as the [[Yerevan Cascade]], and the [[Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Yerevan|Saint Gregory Cathedral]] opened in 2001 to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of Christianity in Armenia. In May 2016, a monumental statue of the prominent Armenian statesman and military leader [[Garegin Nzhdeh]] was erected at the centre of Yerevan.

==Transportation==
===Air===
[[File:Zvartnots airport.jpg|thumb|The main entrance to the [[Zvartnots Airport]]]]
Yerevan is served by the [[Zvartnots International Airport]], located {{convert|12|km|0|abbr=off}} west of the city center.

A second airport, [[Erebuni Airport]], is located just south of the city. Since the independence, "Erebuni" is mainly used for military or private flights. The [[Armenian Air Force]] has equally installed its base there and there are several [[MiG-29]]s stationed on Erebuni's tarmac.

===City buses, public vans and trolleybuses===
{{Update section|date=May 2024}}
{{main|Trolleybuses in Yerevan}}
[[File:2014 Erywań, Marszrutka w centrum stolicy (01).jpg|thumb|A [[marshrutka]]]]
Public transport in Yerevan is heavily privatized and mostly handled by around 60 private operators. As of May 2017, 39 city bus lines are being operated throughout Yerevan.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.yerevan.am/am/transport-department/ |title=Transport department of Yerevan Municipality |access-date=5 July 2016 |language=hy |archive-date=15 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815015711/https://www.yerevan.am/am/transport-department/ |url-status=live }}</ref> These lines mostly consist of about 425 [[Bogdan (bus company)|Bogdan]], [[Higer Bus|Higer City Bus]] and [[Hyundai County]] buses. However, the market share these buses in public transit is only about 39.1%.

But the 50.4% of public transit is still served by "public vans", locally known as [[marshrutka]]. These are about 1210 Russian-made [[GAZelle]] vans with 13 seats, that operate same way as buses, having 79 different lines with certain routes and same stops. According to Yerevan Municipality office, in future, marshrutkas should be replaced by ordinary larger buses. Despite having about 13 seats, the limit of passengers is not controlled, so usually these vans carry many more people who stand inside.

The [[Trolleybuses in Yerevan|Yerevan trolleybus system]] has been operating since 1949. Some old Soviet-era trolleybuses have been replaced with comparably new ones. As of May 2017, only 5 trolleybus lines are in operation (2.6% share), with around 45 units in service. The trolleybus system is owned and operated by the municipality.
[[File:Yerevan trolleybus view.jpg|thumb|A trolleybus in Yerevan]]
The tram network that operated in Yerevan since 1906 was decommissioned in January 2004. Its operation had a cost 2.4 times higher than the generated profits, which pushed the municipality to shut down the network,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armeniadiaspora.com/js04/040122tram.html |title=Arminfo, "Last Tram Put Out Of Operation in Yerevan" |date=22 January 2004 |access-date=19 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027234752/http://www.armeniadiaspora.com/js04/040122tram.html |archive-date=27 October 2007 }}</ref> despite a last-ditch effort to save it towards the end of 2003. Since the closure, the rails have been dismantled and sold.

Due to being dispersed among dozens of private operators, the transportation is barely regulated, with only trip fee is being a subject of regulation. Thus, the quality of vehicles is often inadequate, with no certain regulations for safety. Unlike the majority of world capitals, there is no established ticketing system in Yerevan's public transportation. Passengers need to pay the money directly to the driver when getting out of the vehicle. The fare -being one of the few things that is regulated- is fixed and controlled by authorities.

The central station in Nor Kilikia neighbourhood serves as bus terminal for inter-city transport, serving outbound routes towards practically all the cities of Armenia as well as abroad, notably [[Tbilisi]] and [[Tabriz]].

===Underground===
{{Main|Yerevan Metro}}
[[File:Metro Yerevan Republic Square metro station.jpg|thumb|The [[Republic Square (metro station)|Republic Square underground station]]]]
The [[Yerevan Metro]] named after Karen Demirchyan, ({{langx|hy|Կարեն Դեմիրճյանի անվան Երեւանի մետրոպոլիտեն կայարան}} (''Karen Dyemirchyani anvan Yerevani metropoliten kayaran'')) is a [[rapid transit]] system that serves the capital city since 1981. It has a single line of {{convert|12.1|km|mi|abbr=on}} length with 10 active stations and 45 units in service. The interiors of the stations resemble that of the former western Soviet nations, with [[chandelier]]s hanging from the corridors. The metro stations had most of their names changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of the Republic of Armenia.

A northeastern extension of the line with two new stations is currently being developed. The construction of the first station (''Ajapnyak'') and of the {{convert|1|km|spell=in|adj=on|abbr=off}} tunnel linking it to the rest of the network will cost US$18&nbsp;million.<ref>Announcement by Prime Minister [[Serge Sargsyan]] during a visit to the network in January 2008.</ref> The time of the end of the project has not yet been defined. Another long-term project is the construction of two new lines, but these have been suspended due to lack of finance.

The system transports more than 60,000 people on a daily basis.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

===Railway===
{{Main|Armenian Railway}}
[[File:David of Sasun Yerevan.jpg|thumb|Yerevan railway station, with the [[Sasuntsi Davit (statue)|statue]] of [[David of Sassoun]]]]
Yerevan has a single central railway station (several railway stations of suburbs have not been used since 1990) that is connected to the metro via the ''Sasuntsi Davit'' station. The railway station is made in Soviet-style architecture with its long point on the building roof, representing the symbols of communism: [[red star]], [[hammer and sickle]]. Due to the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades of Armenia, there is only one international train that passes by once every two days, with neighboring Georgia being its destination. For a sum of 9&nbsp;000 to 18&nbsp;000 [[Armenian dram|dram]], it is possible to take the night train to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armeniandiaspora.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-81016.html |title=ArmenPress, "Yerevan - Batumi railway communication to resume in Summer", ArmeniaDiaspora.com |date=15 February 2007 |access-date=19 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404095535/http://www.armeniandiaspora.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-81016.html |archive-date=4 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This train then continues to its destination of [[Batumi]], on the shores of the [[Black sea]] in the summer season.

The only railway that goes to Iran to the south passes by the closed border of [[Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic|Nakhchivan]]. For this reason, there are no trains that go south from Yerevan.

During the first decade of the 21st century, the South Caucasus Railway CJSC — which is the current operator of the railway system in Armenia—announced its readiness to put the Yerevan-Gyumri-Kars railway line in service in case the Armenian-Turkish protocols are ratified and the opening of the borders between the two countries is achieved.

As of July 2017, the following railway trips are scheduled from and to Yerevan:
* Yerevan-Tbilisi-Batumi-Yerevan, with a daily trip operating since 15 June 2017, in coordination with the [[Georgian Railways]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ukzhd.am/batumi2014/arm/schedule.html |title=Yerevan-Tbilisi-Batumi-Yerevan railway trip |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-date=21 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621011934/http://www.ukzhd.am/batumi2014/arm/schedule.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Yerevan-Gyumri-Yerevan, with 3 daily trips operating since 15 June 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ukzhd.am/raspisanie/arm/raspisanie1.html |title=Yerevan-Gyumri-Yerevan railway trips |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-date=18 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618025812/http://www.ukzhd.am/raspisanie/arm/raspisanie1.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Yerevan-Yeraskh-Yerevan, with a daily trip operating since 12 July 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ukzhd.am/raspisanie/arm/raspisanie5.html |title=Yerevan-Yeraskh-Yerevan railway trips |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-date=23 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623023309/http://ukzhd.am/raspisanie/arm/raspisanie5.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Yerevan-Araks-Yerevan, with a daily trip.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ukzhd.am/raspisanie/arm/raspisanie6.html |title=Yerevan-Araks-Yerevan railway trips |access-date=19 July 2017 |archive-date=18 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618025621/http://www.ukzhd.am/raspisanie/arm/raspisanie6.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Yerevan-Shorzha-Yerevan, with weekend trips.

The Yerevan-Ararat-Yerevan route is temporarily not in operation, while the Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan route will operate starting from 2 October 2017.

===Taxi===
Yerevan prides itself on having connections 24/7 as taxis are available at any time of the day or night.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://banks.am/en/news/newsfeed/11412|title=Armenia among the top 10 safest countries|website=Banks.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=13 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213042409/https://banks.am/en/news/newsfeed/11412/|url-status=live}}</ref> Taxicab service companies cover the entire city in addition to many online taxi service providers, including GG Taxi, Utaxi and [[Yandex.Taxi]].

==Economy and services==
===Industry===
[[File:Building in the center of Yerevan.jpg|thumb|left|Yerevan Ararat Brandy Factory]]
{{As of|2013}}, the share of Yerevan in the annual total industrial product of Armenia is 41%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.armstat.am/file/RegStat/marz/MARZ_01.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208132946/http://www.armstat.am/file/RegStat/marz/MARZ_01.pdf|title=Armstat: Yerevan|archive-date=8 December 2015|access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref> The industry of Yerevan is quite diversified including chemicals, primary metals and steel products, [[machinery]], rubber products, plastics, rugs and carpets, textiles, clothing and footwear, jewellery, wood products and furniture, building materials and stone-processing, alcoholic beverages, mineral water, dairy product and processed food. Even though the economic crisis of the '90s ravaged the industry of the country, several factories remain always in service, notably in the petrochemical and the aluminium sectors.

Armenian beverages, especially Armenian [[Cognac (drink)|cognac]] and beer, have a worldwide fame. Hence, Yerevan is home to many leading enterprises of Armenia and the [[Caucasus]] for the production of alcoholic beverages, such as the [[Yerevan Ararat Brandy Factory]], [[Yerevan Brandy Company]], [[Yerevan Champagne Wines Factory]], "Beer of Yerevan" (Kilikia Beer) brewery, Armco Brandy Factory, [[Proshyan Brandy Factory]] and Astafian Wine-Brandy Factory. The 2 tobacco producers in Yerevan are the "Cigaronne" and "Grand Tabak" companies.
[[File:ArmChamapgne.jpg|thumb|Yerevan Champagne Wines Factory]]
[[Armenian carpet|Carpet industry in Armenia]] has a deeply rooted history with ancient traditions, therefore, carpet production is rather developed in Yerevan with three major factories that also produce hand-made rugs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spyur.am/eng/1752.htm |title=Tufenkian Trans Caucasus Co.Ltd |publisher=Spyur.am |date=24 March 2010 |access-date=2 July 2010 |archive-date=13 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013090651/http://spyur.am/eng/1752.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spyur.am/eng/6269.htm |title=Araratrugs Closed Joint-Stock Company |publisher=Spyur.am |access-date=2 July 2010 |archive-date=1 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501211641/http://spyur.am/eng/6269.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spyur.am/eng/6550.htm |title=Megarian Carpet Open Joint-Stock Company |publisher=Spyur.am |date=21 January 2010 |access-date=2 July 2010 |archive-date=14 January 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130114174315/http://www.spyur.am/eng/6550.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The "Megerian Carpet" factory is the leading in this sector.

Other major plants in the city include the "Nairit" chemical and rubber plant, [[Rusal Armenal]] aluminum foil mill, "Grand Candy" Armenian-Canadian confectionery manufacturers, "Arcolad" chocolate factory, "Marianna" factory for dairy products, "Talgrig Group" for wheat and flour products, "Shant" ice cream factory, "Crown Chemicals" for paints, "ATMC" travertine mining company, Yerevan Watch Factory "AWI watches", Yerevan Jewellery Plant, and the mineral water factories of "Arzni", "Sil", and "Dilijan Frolova".

Food products include processed meat, all types of canneries, wheat and flour, sweets and chocolate, dried fruits, soft drinks and beverages. Building materials mainly include travertine, crushed stones, asphalt and asphalt concrete.

===Finance and banking===
{{update|date=June 2020}}
[[File:CBA building.JPG|thumb|The Central Bank of Armenia]]
[[File:Elite Plaza Business Center Main.jpg|thumb|The [[Elite Plaza Business Center]]]]
As an attractive outsourcing location for Western European, Russian and American multinationals, Yerevan headquarters many international companies. It is Armenia's financial hub, being home to the [[Central Bank of Armenia]], the [[Armenian Stock Exchange]] (NASDAQ OMX Armenia), as well as the majority of the country's largest commercial banks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://capitalmarket.banks.am/en-page-nasdaqomx.html |title=NASDAQ OMX Armenia |publisher=Capitalmarket.Banks.am |access-date=2 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414151731/http://capitalmarket.banks.am/en-page-nasdaqomx.html |archive-date=14 April 2010  }}</ref> {{As of|2013}}, the city dominates over 85% of the annual total services in Armenia, as well as over 84% of the annual total retail trade.

Many subsidiaries of [[Russia]]n service companies and banks operate in Yerevan, including [[Gazprom Armenia|Gazprom]], [[Ingo Armenia]], [[Rosgosstrakh]] and [[VTB Bank]]. The [[ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank|ACBA-Credit Agricole]] is a subsidiary of the French [[Crédit Agricole]], while the [[HSBC]] Bank Armenia is also operating in Yerevan.

===Construction===
[[File:Pavstos Buzand street 2015, Yerevan (1).jpg|thumb|left|A 19th-century building in downtown Yerevan, remodeled with modern additions]]
[[File:Cafesjian Center for the Arts (CCA 1).jpg|thumb|left|[[Yerevan Cascade|Cascade]] complex]]
The construction sector has experienced a significant growth during the 1st decade of the 21st century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caucaz.com/home/breve_contenu.php?id=451|title=Haroutiun Khatchatrian, " Un ambitieux agenda économique pour l'Arménie: Le nouveau gouvernement pourra-t-il relever le défi ? " sur ''Caucaz.com'', le 18 juillet 2007|access-date=26 May 2008|language=fr|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231155/http://www.caucaz.com/home/breve_contenu.php?id=451|url-status=live}}</ref> Starting from 2000, Yerevan has witnessed a massive construction boom, funded mostly by Armenian millionaires from Russia and the United States, with an extensive and controversial redevelopment process in which many 18th and 19th-century buildings have been demolished and replaced with new buildings. This growth was coupled with a significant increase in real estate prices.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armenews.com/article.php3?id_article=37217|title=Stéphane/armenews, " Les prix de l'immobilier à Erevan en hausse en 2007 " sur ''Armenews'', le 1er janvier 2008|access-date=26 May 2008|language=fr|archive-date=12 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212024012/http://www.armenews.com/article.php3?id_article=37217|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Pavstos Byuzand street.jpg|thumb|Historical districts being demolished and replaced with modern buildings]]
Many major construction projects has been conducted in Yerevan, such as the [[Northern Avenue (Yerevan)|Northern Avenue]] and the rehabilitation of ''Old Yerevan'' on [[Aram Street]]. The Northern Avenue is completed and was opened in 2007, while the ''Old Yerevan'' project is still under development. In the past few years, the city centre has also witnessed major road reconstruction, as well as the renovation of the Republic square, funded by the American-Armenian billionaire [[Kirk Kerkorian]]. On the other hand, the Argentina-based Armenian businessman [[Eduardo Eurnekian]] took over the airport, while the cascade development project was funded by the US based Armenian millionaire [[Gerard L. Cafesjian]].

However, the sector has significantly dropped by the end of the 1st decade of the 21st century, as a result of the [[Real estate bubble|global real estate crisis]] in 2007–09. In 2013, Yerevan dominated over 58% of the annual total construction sector of Armenia.{{cn|date=June 2023}}

In February 2017, the urban development committee of the government revealed its plans for the upcoming major construction projects in the city. With a total cost of US$300&nbsp;million, a new business district will rise at the centre of the city, to replace the current Firdowsi shopping area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/details/211580/|title=Երևանի 33-րդ թաղամասը. Նոր հրապարակ' Ֆիրդուսի շուկայի փոխարեն|website=PanARMENIAN.Net|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=27 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127094903/https://www.panarmenian.net/arm/details/211580/|url-status=live}}</ref> The committee has also announced the construction of ''Noy'' (Noah) ethnographic residential district at the western vicinity of Kentron District, with an approximate cost of US$100&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mediamax.am/am/news/yerevan/22169/|title="Նոյ" թաղամասը կարժենա $ 100 մլն|website=mediamax.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=28 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928123002/https://mediamax.am/am/news/yerevan/22169/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Energy===
[[File:Канакер.jpg|thumb|Kanaker HPP of Yerevan]]
The location of the city on the shores of Hrazdan river has enabled the production of hydroelectricity. As part of the [[Sevan–Hrazdan Cascade]], three [[hydroelectric power plant]]s are established within the administrative territory of Yerevan: Kanaker HPP,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mek.am/en/QanaqerGes.html|title=CJSC International Energy Corporation|website=www.mek.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=4 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104090514/http://www.mek.am/en/QanaqerGes.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Yerevan-1 HPP,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mek.am/en/YerevanGes1.html|title=CJSC International Energy Corporation|website=www.mek.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228000114/http://www.mek.am/en/YerevanGes1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and Yerevan-3 HPP.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mek.am/en/YerevanGes3.html|title=CJSC International Energy Corporation|website=www.mek.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=4 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104093043/http://www.mek.am/en/YerevanGes3.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The entire plant was privatized in 2003, and is currently owned by [[RusHydro]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mek.am/en/|title=CJSC International Energy Corporation|website=www.mek.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=23 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623193932/http://www.mek.am/en/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>G. Beglaryan, ''Atlas of Armenia and adjacent countries'', Noyan Tapan, 2007, p. 8.</ref>

The city is also home to the [[Yerevan Thermal Power Plant]], a unique facility in the region for its quality and high technology, situated in the southern part of the city. Originally opened in 1961, a modern plant was built in 2007, furnished with a new gas-steam combined cycled turbine, to generate electric power.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arka.am/eng/energy/2010/04/22/19591.html |title=President Sargsyan attends opening of reconstructed Yerevan thermal power plant. Retrieved 22 April 2010 |publisher=Arka.am |date=22 April 2010 |access-date=2 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719125049/http://www.arka.am/eng/energy/2010/04/22/19591.html |archive-date=19 July 2011  }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.minenergy.am/en/page/531|title="Yerevan TPP" CJSC - Companies of the system - Power system - www.minenergy.am|website=www.minenergy.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=23 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623221911/http://www.minenergy.am/en/page/531|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2017, the construction of a new thermal power plant was launched with an initial investment of US$258&nbsp;million and an envisaged capacity of 250 megawatts. The power station will be in service in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.president.am/en/press-release/item/2017/03/20/President-Serzh-Sargsyan-visited-new-building-hydro-power-station-in-Yerevan/|title=President attended the groundbreaking ceremony of Yerevan's new thermoelectric power station - Press releases - Updates - The President of the Republic of Armenia|website=www.president.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=10 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110210125/https://www.president.am/en/press-release/item/2017/03/20/President-Serzh-Sargsyan-visited-new-building-hydro-power-station-in-Yerevan/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Tourism and nightlife===
[[File:Yerevan hotel, Yerevan 02.jpg|thumb|left|Grand Hotel Yerevan operating since 1926]]
[[File:2014 Erywań, Hotel Armenia Marriot (02).jpg|thumb|Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan at the Republic Square, built in 1958 with traditional Armenian arch series at the façade]]
[[Tourism in Armenia]] is developing year by year and the capital city of Yerevan is one of the major tourist destinations.<ref name="FMPRCGOVCN">{{cite web|url=http://wcm.fmprc.gov.cn/pub/chn/gxh/cgb/gj/yz/1206_37/|script-title=zh:亚美尼亚国家概况|access-date=2017-07-08|publisher=中华人民共和国外交部|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708130633/http://wcm.fmprc.gov.cn/pub/chn/gxh/cgb/gj/yz/1206_37/|archive-date=2017-07-08|language=zh}}</ref> The city has a majority of luxury hotels, modern restaurants, bars, pubs and nightclubs. Zvartnots airport has also conducted renovation projects with the growing number of tourists visiting the country. Numerous places in Yerevan are attractive for tourists, such as the dancing fountains of the Republic Square, the State Opera House, the [[Yerevan Cascade|Cascade complex]], the ruins of the [[Urartu|Urartian]] city of Erebuni (Arin Berd), the historical site of Karmir Blur ([[Teishebaini]]), etc. The largest hotel of the city is the [[Ani Plaza Hotel]]. The [[Armenia Marriott Hotel Yerevan|Armenia Marriott Hotel]] is located at the Republic Square at the centre of Yerevan, while the [[Radisson Blu Hotel, Yerevan|Radisson Blu Hotel]] is located near the [[Victory Park, Yerevan|Victory Park]]. Other major chains operating in central Yerevan include the [[Grand Hotel Yerevan]] of the ''Small Luxury Hotels of the World'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://slh.com/hotels/grand-hotel-yerevan/?s|title=Grand Hotel Yerevan, Luxury Hotel in Yerevan, Armenia &#124; Small Luxury Hotels of the World|website=slh.com|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=15 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115232301/https://slh.com/hotels/grand-hotel-yerevan/?s|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Best Western]] Congress Hotel, the [[DoubleTree]] by Hilton, the [[Hyatt]] Place, the [[Ibis (hotel)|Ibis]] Yerevan Center, and The Alexander, a Luxury Collection Hotel of [[Marriott International]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=4712&language=en_US&localeCode=en_US|title=The Alexander, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Yerevan|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=21 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194036/http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=4712&language=en_US&localeCode=en_US|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Armenia - Cafe Society, Yerevan (5034085783).jpg|thumb|Crowded cafés near the Yerevan Opera House]]
The location of Yerevan itself, is an inspiring factor for the foreigners to visit the city in order to enjoy the view of the biblical mount of [[Mount Ararat|Ararat]], as the city lies on the feet of the mountain forming the shape of a Roman [[amphitheatre]].

There are many historical sites, churches and citadels in areas and regions surrounding the city of Yerevan, such as [[Garni Temple]], [[Zvartnots Cathedral]], the monasteries of [[Khor Virap]] and [[Geghard]], etc.

Being among the top 10 safest cities in the world, Yerevan has an extensive nightlife scene with a variety of [[nightclub]]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hi-loc.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701120148/http://hi-loc.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 July 2011 |title=Armenian directing and locating system. |publisher=Hi-loc.com |access-date=8 August 2011 }}</ref> live venues, pedestrian zones, street cafés, jazz cafés, tea houses, [[casino]]s, pubs, [[karaoke]] clubs and restaurants. Casino Shangri La and Pharaon Complex are among the largest leisure and entertainment centres of the city.

Many world-famous music stars, Russian music celebrities, as well as Armenian singers from diaspora, occasionally perform in concerts in Yerevan.

The [[Yerevan Zoo]] founded in 1940, the [[Yerevan Circus]] opened in 1956, and the [[Yerevan Water World]] opened in 2001, are among the popular entertaining centres in the city.
[[File:Dalma Garden Mall.jpg|thumb|Dalma Garden Mall]]
The [[Northern Avenue (Yerevan)|Northern Avenue]] that connects the Opera House with Abovyan street is a popular pedestrian zone in Yerevan with modern residential buildings, business centres, restaurants, bars and cafés. Another popular landmarks is the [[Yerevan Cascade]] and the "Cafesjian Sculpture Garden" on [[Tamanyan Street]] with its pedestrian zone, featuring many coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and pubs at the sidewalks. The "Cafesjian Center for the Arts" regularly organizes art events throughout the year, including classical music series, traditional folk dance events, and live concerts of jazz, pop and rock music.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cmf.am/Programs|title=Programs|website=www.cmf.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=24 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724035923/http://www.cmf.am/Programs|url-status=live}}</ref>

As of 2017, Yerevan has three shopping malls: [[Dalma Garden Mall]] opened in October 2012, followed by [[Yerevan Mall]] in February 2014, and [[Rossia Mall]] in March 2016.

International study conducted by Mercer and published in 2019 identified Yerevan to offer higher quality of living, than other capital cities of Transcaucasia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mobilityexchange.mercer.com/Insights/quality-of-living-rankings|title=Quality of Living City Ranking {{!}} Mercer|website=mobilityexchange.mercer.com|access-date=2019-03-17|archive-date=18 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418074611/https://mobilityexchange.mercer.com/Insights/quality-of-living-rankings|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://massispost.com/2019/03/yerevan-beats-tbilisi-and-baku-in-mercer-quality-of-living-survey/|title=Yerevan Beats Tbilisi and Baku in Mercer Quality of Living Survey • MassisPost|date=2019-03-14|website=MassisPost|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-17|archive-date=4 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304134544/https://massispost.com/2019/03/yerevan-beats-tbilisi-and-baku-in-mercer-quality-of-living-survey/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Education==
{{See also|List of universities in Yerevan}}
[[File:Yerevan State University.jpg|thumb|Yerevan State University]]
Yerevan is a major educational centre in the region. {{As of|2017}}, the city is home to more than 250 schools, of which about 210 are state-owned, with 3/4 of them run by the municipality and the rest run by the ministry of education. The rest of the schools (about 40) are privately owned. The municipality also runs 160 kindergartens throughout the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yerevan.am/am/education/|title=Կրթություն|website=www.yerevan.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=18 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618152311/https://www.yerevan.am/am/education/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[QSI International School of Yerevan|QSI International School]], [[École Française Internationale en Arménie]], [[Ayb School]], [[Mkhitar Sebastatsi Educational Complex]] and [[Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School]] are among the prominent international or private schools in Yerevan.

{{As of|2018}}, around 60 [[higher education]] institutions are accredited and licensed to operate in the Republic of Armenia. Yerevan is home to about 50 universities, nearly half of which are public. [[Yerevan State University]], [[American University of Armenia]], [[Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University]], [[Yerevan State Medical University]] and [[Armenian State Pedagogical University]] are the top rated universities of Armenia and among the top rated in the region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.webometrics.info/en/Europe/Armenia|title=Armenia &#124; Ranking Web of Universities: Webometrics ranks 30000 institutions|website=www.webometrics.info|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=29 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829094122/http://www.webometrics.info/en/Europe/Armenia|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Science and research===
[[File:Tumo Center for Creative Technologies.jpg|thumb|Tumo Center for Creative Technologies]]
Under the Soviet rule, Yerevan has turned into a major centre for science and research. The [[Armenian National Academy of Sciences]] is the pioneer of scientific research in Armenia. It was founded in 1943 as the Armenian Branch of the [[Russian Academy of Sciences|Soviet Academy of Sciences]] to become the primary body that conducts research and coordinates activities in the fields of science in Armenia. It has many divisions, including Mathematical and Technical Sciences, Physics and Astrophysics, Natural Sciences, Chemistry and Earth Sciences, Armenology and Social Sciences.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sci.am/index.php?langid=1|title=ՀՀ գիտությունների ազգային ակադեմիա|website=www.sci.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126000354/https://www.sci.am/index.php?langid=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

After the independence, many new research centres were opened in the city, such as the [[CANDLE Synchrotron Research Institute]] (2010),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.panarmenian.net/eng/it_telecom/news/48243/|title=RA Government to participate in establishment of CANDLE international center|website=PanARMENIAN.Net|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=25 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125041842/https://www.panarmenian.net/eng/it_telecom/news/48243/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Tumo Center for Creative Technologies]] (2011),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.president.am/en/domestic-visits/item/2011/08/14/news-294/|title=President Serzh Sargsyan participated at the official inauguration of the Tumo Center of Creative Technologies - Domestic visits - Updates - The President of the Republic of Armenia|website=www.president.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=11 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211135835/https://www.president.am/en/domestic-visits/item/2011/08/14/news-294/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Izmirlian Medical Center|Nerses Mets Medical Research and Education Center]] (2013).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.izmirlianfoundation.am/projects/donation_projects/hospital_in_yerevan/|title=Izmirlian Foundation: Izmirlian Medical Center and Nerses Mets Medical Research and Education Center|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=27 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827093604/http://www.izmirlianfoundation.am/projects/donation_projects/hospital_in_yerevan|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, over 40,000 Russian professionals and programmers arrived in Yerevan. Half stayed briefly and then moved on while the rest reestablished themselves using internet connections that kept Armenia connected to the world while Russia was increasingly cut off. In addition to IT experts the exodus included many bloggers, journalists and activists who faced arrest for criticizing the war in Ukraine. Interviews indicated that none of the exiles encountered hostility in Yerevan. They can enter Armenia without visas or passports and remain six months; Russian is widely spoken.<ref>Jane Arraf, "Russia Is Losing Tens of Thousands of Outward-Looking Young Professionals"[https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/20/world/middleeast/ukraine-russia-armenia.html '' New York Times'' March 20, 2022]</ref>

==Sport==
{{See also|List of sports venues in Yerevan}}

===Football===
[[File:Hrazdan Stadium 2013, Yerevan.jpg|thumb|Hrazdan Stadium]] 
[[File:Hanrapetakan stadium.jpg|thumb|Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium]]
[[Association football|Football]] is the most played and popular sport in Yerevan and the entire country. Yerevan city is home to about a dozen of [[:Category:Football clubs in Armenia|football clubs]] competing in the [[Armenian Premier League]] and the [[Armenian First League]], with the most successful clubs being [[FC Pyunik|Pyunik]], [[FC Alashkert|Alashkert]], [[FC Ararat Yerevan|Ararat Yerevan]], [[FC Ararat-Armenia|Ararat-Armenia]], [[FC Urartu|Urartu]] and [[FC Yerevan|Yerevan]].<ref name="Football clubs">{{cite web |url=http://www.ffa.am/en/clubs |title=Football clubs & Futsal clubs |access-date=25 February 2017 |archive-date=24 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724210924/http://www.ffa.am/en/clubs |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Hrazdan Stadium]] in Yerevan is the largest sports venue of Armenia. The 2nd-largest stadium in the city is the [[Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium]] which currently serves as the primary home ground of the [[Armenia national football team]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ffa.am/hy/foundation|title=Հայկական ֆուտբոլի սկզբնավորումը|website=www.ffa.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=5 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305224848/http://www.ffa.am/hy/foundation|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Yerevan Football Academy|Football Academy of Yerevan]] operated by the [[Football Federation of Armenia]] is an up-to-date training academy complex, opened in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ffa.am/en/1414067876|title=FFA Technical centre/Football Academy|website=www.ffa.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129191257/https://www.ffa.am/en/1414067876|url-status=live}}</ref>

As of 2017, there are around 130 mini-football pitches among the courtyards of the Yerevan neighborhoods, built by the municipal authorities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yerevan.am/am/construction-and-improvement/|title=Շինարարություն և բարեկարգում|website=www.yerevan.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=26 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426095930/https://www.yerevan.am/am/construction-and-improvement/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Chess===
[[File:Մշակույթի տուն. Տիգրան Պետրոսյանի անվան Շախմատիստի կենտրոնական տունը (1).JPG|thumb|Tigran Petrosian Chess House]]
Armenia has always excelled in [[chess]] with its players being very often among the highest ranked and decorated. The headquarters of the [[Chess Federation of Armenia]] is located in the [[Tigran Petrosian Chess House]] of Yerevan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chesshouse.am/|title=Tigran Petrosian Chess House|language=hy|access-date=25 March 2017|archive-date=3 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703193440/http://chesshouse.am/|url-status=live}}</ref> Already in primary school, chess education is offered. The city is home to a large number of chess teams and training schools. In 1996, despite the severe economic conditions in the country, Yerevan hosted the [[32nd Chess Olympiad]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.olimpbase.org/1996/1996in.html|title=32nd Chess Olympiad: Yerevan 1996|access-date=2008-05-01|encyclopedia=the encyclopaedia of team chess|language=en|date=|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006072224/http://www.olimpbase.org/1996/1996in.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2006, the four members from Yerevan of the Armenian chess team won the [[37th Chess Olympiad]] in [[Turin]] and repeated the feat at the [[38th Chess Olympiad]] in [[Dresden]]. Armenian won the chess Olympiad for the 3rd time in [[40th Chess Olympiad|2012]] in [[Istanbul]]. The Yerevan-born leader of the chess national team; [[Levon Aronian]], is one of the top chess players in the world.

===Basketball===
[[File:Mika Arena, Yerevan.jpg|thumb|[[Armenia men's national basketball team|Armenia national basketball team]] at the [[Mika Sports Arena|Mika Arena]]]]
The [[2017–18 Armenia Basketball League A|first ever season]] of the professional domestic basketball competition of Armenia, known as [[Armenia Basketball League A]], was launched in October 2017 with 7 participating teams. Yerevan is represented by 4 clubs: Engineer Yerevan, [[FIMA Basketball]], [[BC Grand Sport]] and [[BC Urartu]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://armsport.am/hy/news/2017/10/20/Basketball/832550|title=- Armsport.am|website=armsport.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=11 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011082856/http://www.armsport.am/hy/news/2017/10/20/Basketball/832550|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Tennis===
[[Tennis]] is also among the popular sports in Yerevan. Several tennis clubs operate in the city, with many of them founded during the Soviet days. Incourt Tennis Club –founded in 1974– is the largest in the city, with many indoor and outdoor courts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://incourt.am/en/founded.html|title=Incourt tennis club|website=incourt.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=2 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302065449/https://incourt.am/en/founded.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Ararat Tennis Club founded in 1990, is also among the prominent clubs in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://find.am/en/company/Ararat-tennis-club|title="Ararat" tennis club|website=find.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=21 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221092220/https://find.am/en/company/Ararat-tennis-club|url-status=live}}</ref> Tennis clubs are also found within the Yerevan State Sports College of Olympic Reserve since 1971, and the Yerevan Football Academy since 2010.

[[Sargis Sargsian]] and [[Ani Amiraghyan]] are the most successful tennis players of Armenia and are from Yerevan.

===Artistic gymnastics===
Armenia has produced many Olympic champions in [[artistic gymnastics]] during the Soviet days, such as [[Hrant Shahinyan]], [[Albert Azaryan]] and [[Eduard Azaryan]]. The success of the Armenian gymnasts in the Olympic competitions has greatly contributed in the popularity of the sport. Thus, many prominent competitors represent the country in the European and World championships, including [[Artur Davtyan]] and [[Harutyun Merdinyan]].

Yerevan has many state-owned schools of artistic gymnastics, including the Albert Azaryan School opened in 1964 and the Hrant Shahinyan School opened in 1965.

===Other sports===
[[Karen Demirchyan Complex|Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex]]<ref>{{cite web| title = Yerevak magazine| url = http://www.yerevak.am/mag-business1.html| publisher = Yerevak.am| access-date = 2009-08-12| archive-date = 28 June 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090628165856/http://www.yerevak.am/mag-business1.html| url-status = live}}</ref> is the largest indoor arena in the city and the entire country. It is mostly used for indoor sport events, including [[ice hockey]] and [[figure skating]] shows. On the other hand, Dinamo and Mika indoor arenas are the regular venues for domestic and regional competitions of [[basketball]], [[volleyball]], [[handball]] and [[futsal]].<ref name="arka">{{cite web|url=http://arka.am/en/news/sport/mika_sporting_facility_placed_under_management_of_armenian_finance_ministry/|publisher=arka.am|title=Mika sporting facility placed under management of Armenian finance ministry|access-date=2016-11-08|archive-date=8 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108195156/http://arka.am/en/news/sport/mika_sporting_facility_placed_under_management_of_armenian_finance_ministry/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Armenia Sports Union]] (''Spartak Sports Union'' between 1935 and 1999) is a sports society mainly involved in individual Olympic sports, including [[boxing]], [[Olympic weightlifting|weightlifting]], [[sport of athletics|athletics]], [[wrestling]], [[taekwondo]], [[table tennis]], etc.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=ԻՐՏԵԿ - Իրավական տեղեկատվական կենտրոն|url=http://www.irtek.am/views/act.aspx?tid=6449&sc=p13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707040334/http://www.irtek.am/views/act.aspx?tid=6449&sc=p13|archive-date=7 July 2018|access-date=3 January 2021|website=www.irtek.am}}</ref>

The "Yerevan State Sports College of Olympic Reserve" is a large sports and educational complex located in the Malatia-Sebastia District of the city. It was founded in 1971, and is home to individual as well as team sport schools, such as wrestling, boxing, weightlifting, [[judo]], athletics, [[acrobatic gymnastics]], [[artistic gymnastics]], [[swimming (sport)|swimming]], table tennis, cycling, basketball, volleyball and handball.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dasaran.am/apps/admissioncollege/college/id/21|title=Yerevan State Sports College of Olympic Reserve|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=28 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928123629/https://www.dasaran.am/apps/admissioncollege/college/id/21|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2015, the new Olympic Training Complex of Yerevan, locally known as ''Olympavan'', was opened in Davtashen District. It is a state of the art sports complex, with training facilities for most Olympic individual and team sports, as well as water sports. It is also home to the anti-doping medical centre and a hotel designated to accommodate more than 300 athletes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.armnoc.am/eng/olympavan/|title=Olympavan -|website=www.armnoc.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=28 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628103014/http://armnoc.am/eng/olympavan/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Olympavan (1).jpg|thumb|''Olympavan'', home and training complex of the [[Armenian Olympic Committee]]]]
[[Equestrianism|Equestrian sport]] was introduced to Armenia in 1953. The [[Hovik Hayrapetyan Equestrian Centre]] opened in 2001, occupies an area of 85 hectares at the southern Shengavit District of Yerevan. It is the centre of equestrian sport and [[horse racing]] in Armenia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ararathotel.am/?p=382|title=JOCKEY RESTAURANT – Ararat Hotel|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=28 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928122124/http://www.ararathotel.am/?p=382|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Golf]] has been introduced to the citizens of Yerevan in 1999, with the foundation of the Ararat Valley Country Club in the Vahakni neighbourhood of Ajapnyak District. It is the first-ever [[golf course]] opened in Armenia as well as the Transcaucasian region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vahakni.com/en/ararat-valley-country-club|title=Ararat Valley Country Club &#124; Vahakni Residential Community|website=www.vahakni.com|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=28 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628233852/http://www.vahakni.com/en/ararat-valley-country-club|url-status=live}}</ref>

Arena Bowling and Billiards Club is an up-to-date sports and leisure centre opened in 2004 and located on [[Mashtots Avenue]] in central Yerevan.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://bowling.am/about-us/ |title=Arena Bowling and Billiards Club |access-date=25 March 2017 |archive-date=7 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707062048/http://bowling.am/about-us/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Cycle sport|Cycling]] as a sport is becoming popular among the young generation. The [[Yerevan Velodrome]] is an outdoor [[track cycling]] venue with international standard, opened in 2011 to replace the old venue of the Soviet days.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.renco.it/viewdoc.asp?co_id=133|title=Renco.it:Yerevan Velodrome|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065952/http://www.renco.it/viewdoc.asp?co_id=133|url-status=live}}</ref> Edgar Stepanyan of Armenia became champion of the [[scratch race]] in the [[2015 UEC European Track Championships (under-23 & junior)|2015 junior UEC European Track Championships]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-sports.org/edgar-stepanyan-track-cycling-spf351524.html|title=Track Cycling - Edgar Stepanyan (Armenia)|website=www.the-sports.org|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111074339/https://www.the-sports.org/edgar-stepanyan-track-cycling-spf351524.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In an attempt to promote [[figure skating]] and [[ice hockey]] in Armenia, the [[Irina Rodnina Figure Skating Centre]] was opened in Yerevan, in December 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tert.am/am/news/2015/12/05/school/1865277|title=Yerevan has an up-to-date figure skating and ice hockey centre|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=1 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501063752/https://www.tert.am/am/news/2015/12/05/school/1865277|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Futsal]] is also among the popular sports in Armenia. Many companies as well as universities have their own teams who participate in the [[Armenian Futsal Premier League]]. Currently, ''[[Futsal Club Leo]]'' based in Yerevan, is considered as the most successful team in the [[Armenian Futsal Premier League]].<ref name="Football clubs"/>

Recently, [[Mixed martial arts|MMA]] has gained massive popularity in Armenia, being promoted by ''Armfighting'' Professional Federation based in Yerevan. It was founded in 2005 by ''Hayk Ghukasyan'' and currently runs several branches throughout the provinces of Armenia and [[Nagorno-Karabakh Republic|Artsakh]] with more than 2,000 athletes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sport.slaq.am/arm/news/136161/|title=Վտանգված է Արմֆայթինգ ֆեդերացիայի գործունեությունը (տեսանյութ+լուսանկարներ)|website=sport.slaq.am|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127134305/http://sport.slaq.am/arm/news/136161/|url-status=live}}</ref>

With the increased interest in healthy lifestyle and fitness, many large and modern training complexes with indoor and outdoor swimming pools have recently been opened in the city such as the Davit Hambardzumyan Swimming and Diving Olympic School, Orange Fitness Premium Club, DDD Sports Complex, Aqua Land Sports Complex, [[Gold's Gym]], Grand Sport Complex, [[Reebok]] Sports Club, and Multi Wellness Sport and Health Center.

==International relations==
The city of Yerevan is member of many international organizations: the International Assembly of CIS Countries' Capitals and Big Cities (MAG), the Black Sea Capitals' Association (BSCA), the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF),<ref>{{cite web|title=Les membres: Erevan|url=https://www.aimf.asso.fr/EREVAN.html|publisher=AIMF|access-date=2020-06-29|archive-date=2 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702095051/https://www.aimf.asso.fr/EREVAN.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Organization of World Heritage Cities]] (OWHC), the International Association of Large-scale Communities, and the International Urban Community Lighting Association (LUCI).

===Twin towns – sister cities===
[[File:Բարեկամության ձեռքեր 1.JPG|thumb|The hands of friendship from [[Carrara]] to Yerevan]]
Yerevan is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Sister cities|url=https://www.yerevan.am/en/partner/sister-cities/|publisher=Yerevan Municipality|access-date=2020-06-29|archive-date=29 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329102031/http://www.yerevan.am/en/partner/sister-cities/|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|JOR}} [[Amman]], Jordan (2014)
* {{flagicon|MDG}} [[Antananarivo]], Madagascar (1981)
* {{flagicon|LBN}} [[Beirut]], Lebanon (1997)
* {{flagicon|SVK}} [[Bratislava]], Slovakia (2001)
* {{flagicon|ARG}} [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina (2000)
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], United States (1987)
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Carrara]], Italy (1973)
* {{flagicon|MDA}} [[Chişinău]], Moldova (2005)
* {{flagicon|SYR}} [[Damascus]], Syria (1997)
* {{flagicon|QTR}} [[Doha]], Qatar (2022)
* {{flagicon|IRN}} [[Isfahan]], Iran (1995)
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Los Angeles]], United States (2007)
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Marseille]], France (1992)
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Montreal]], Canada (1998)
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Nice]], France (2007)
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Novosibirsk]], Russia (2014)
* {{flagicon|UKR}} [[Odesa]], Ukraine (1995)
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Qingdao]], China (2023)<ref>{{cite news |title=Yerevan, China's Qingdao twinned |author=<!--not stated--> |url=https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1113685.html |date=20 June 2023 |work=Armenpress News Agency |location=Yerevan |access-date=21 June 2023}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|LVA}} [[Riga]], Latvia (2013)
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Rostov-on-Don]], Russia (2005)
* {{flagicon|BRA}} [[São Paulo]], Brazil (2002)
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Stavropol]], Russia (1994)
* {{flagicon|GEO}} [[Tbilisi]], Georgia (1996)
* {{flagicon|IRN}} [[Tehran]], Iran (2023)
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Venice]], Italy (2011)
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Volgograd]], Russia (2015)
{{div col end}}

===Partnerships===
[[File:Place de France, Yerevan (cropped).jpg|thumb|''Place de France'' with the statue of [[Jules Bastien-Lepage]] by [[Auguste Rodin]] at the centre are among the symbols featuring the partnership between Yerevan and [[Paris]]]]
Yerevan also cooperates with:<ref>{{cite web|title=Partner cities|url=https://www.yerevan.am/en/partner/partner-cities/|publisher=Yerevan Municipality|access-date=2020-06-29|archive-date=19 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819225714/https://www.yerevan.am/en/partner/partner-cities/|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* {{flagicon|TKM}} [[Ashgabat]], Turkmenistan (2014)
* {{flagicon|GRC}} [[Athens]], Greece (1993)
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Beijing]], China (2009)
* {{flagicon|ROU}} [[Bucharest]], Romania (2013)
* {{flagicon|IND}} [[Delhi]], India (2008)
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Île-de-France]], France (2011)
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Khanty-Mansiysk]], Russia (2014)
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Lyon]], France (1993)
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Kaliningrad]], Russia (2009)
* {{flagicon|UKR}} [[Kyiv]], Ukraine (1995)
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Krasnodar]], Russia (2014)
* {{flagicon|BLR}} [[Minsk]], Belarus (2002)
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Moscow]], Russia (1995)
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Paris]], France (2011)
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Pesaro]], Italy (2017)
* {{flagicon|MNE}} [[Podgorica]], Montenegro (1974)
* {{flagicon|IRN}} [[Qazvin]], Iran (2014)
* {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil (2007)
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia (1997)
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Sofia]], Bulgaria (2008)
* {{flagicon|Artsakh}} [[Stepanakert]], Artsakh (2012-2023)
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Tuscany]], Italy (1996)
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Warsaw]], Poland (2013)
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Rome]], Italy (2024)<ref>{{cite web|title=
Yerevan, Rome sign Friendship and Cooperation Agreement|url=https://news.am/eng/news/845162.html|publisher=news.am|access-date=2024-10-14|archive-date=19 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819225714/https://news.am/eng/news/845162.html/|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
{{see also|:Category:People from Yerevan}}
{{Div col}}
* [[Terter Yerevantsi]] (1290–1350), first person from Yerevan with fully known biography; [[scribe]] and poet; author of first known poems about Yerevan
* [[Voskan Yerevantsi]] (17th century), printer
* [[Simeon I of Yerevan]] (1710–1780), Catholicos of All Armenians
* [[Fazil Iravani]] (1782–1885), Shaykh al-Islām
* [[Khachatur Abovian]] (1809–1848), writer
* [[Irakli Gruzinsky]] (1826–1882), Prince of Georgia
* [[Jabbar Baghtcheban]] (1886–1966), Iranian educator
* [[Hamo Beknazarian]] (1891–1965), film director
* [[Silva Kaputikyan]] (1919–2006), poet
* [[Arno Babajanian]] (1921–1983), Soviet composer
* [[Grigor Khanjyan]] (1926–2000), artist and painter
* [[Karen Demirchyan]] (1932–1999), Soviet and Armenian politician
* [[Armen Dzhigarkhanyan]] (born 1935–2020), Soviet and Armenian-Russian actor
* [[Mikhail Piotrovsky]] (born 1944), Russian historian
* [[Ihor Tselovalnykov]] (1944–1986), Ukrainian cyclist
* [[Carlos Sayadyan]] (born 1948), painter
* [[Arthur Meschian]] (born 1949), composer and architect
* [[Têmûrê Xelîl]] (born 1949), Yazidi journalist
* [[Ruben Hakhverdyan]] (born 1950), singer/songwriter<ref>{{Cite book|last=Shoemaker|first=M. Wesley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6gJoagP95cIC&q=Ruben+Hakhverdyan,+yerevan|title=Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States|date=2007-08-01|publisher=Stryker Post Publications|isbn=978-1-887985-87-1|language=en|page=190}}</ref>
* [[Khoren Oganesian]] (born 1955), football player
* [[William Weiner]] (born 1955), composer
* [[Vardan Petrosyan]] (born 1959), actor
* [[Hasmik Papian]] (born 1961), soprano
* [[Tata Simonyan]] (born 1962), pop singer
* [[Ruben Vardanyan (businessman)|Ruben Vardanyan]] (born 1968), entrepreneur and philanthropist
* [[Garik Martirosyan]] (born 1974), Russia-based comedian
* [[Arthur Abraham]] (born 1980), boxer, world champion<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://armenpress.am/eng/news/737579.html|title=Arthur Abraham is sure to win De Caroli|website=armenpress.am|date=23 October 2013 |access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=25 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125134824/https://armenpress.am/eng/news/737579.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Armenchik]] (born 1980), [[pop-folk]] singer<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography |url=http://armenmusic.com/news/?page_id=2 |publisher=Armenchik Official Website |access-date=25 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517041153/http://armenmusic.com/news/?page_id=2 |archive-date=17 May 2011 }}</ref>
* [[Levon Aronian]] (born 1982), chess player<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chess24.com/en/read/players/levon-aronian|title=Levon Aronian player profile|website=chess24.com|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=6 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206011751/https://chess24.com/en/read/players/levon-aronian|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Anna Chicherova]] (born 1982), Russian high jumper<ref>[https://www.worldathletics.org/news/feature/patience-and-perseverance-pay-off-for-chicher1 Patience and perseverance pay off for Chicherova] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223063707/https://www.worldathletics.org/news/feature/patience-and-perseverance-pay-off-for-chicher1 |date=23 February 2020 }} She was actually born near Rostov, but registered in Yerevan</ref>
* [[Sergey Khachatryan]] (born 1985), [[violinist]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sergeykhachatryan.com/biography/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515190415/http://www.sergeykhachatryan.net/khachatryan_bio.php|title=biography|archive-date=15 May 2009|access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref>
* [[Sirusho]] (born 1987), contemporary singer<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eurovision.tv/participant/sirusho|title=Sirusho - Armenia - Belgrade 2008|website=Eurovision.tv|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204080357/https://eurovision.tv/participant/sirusho|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Henrikh Mkhitaryan]] (born 1989), football player<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/09/russia-love-man-utds-mkhitaryan/|title=To Russia with love for Man Utd's Mkhitaryan|date=26 September 2017|access-date=3 January 2021|archive-date=10 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110124003/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/09/russia-love-man-utds-mkhitaryan/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Iveta Mukuchyan]] (born 1986), contemporary singer<ref name="bravo">{{cite magazine|last=Meytarjyan|first=Liana|script-title=hy:Իվետա Մուկուչյան|trans-title=Iveta Mukuchyan|url=http://www.bravo.am/news/%D5%AB%D5%BE%D5%A5%D5%BF%D5%A1-%D5%B4%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%AF%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B9%D5%B5%D5%A1%D5%B6/|access-date=27 December 2012|date=9 November 2010|magazine=[[Bravo (magazine)|Bravo]]|language=hy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103151703/http://www.bravo.am/news/%D5%AB%D5%BE%D5%A5%D5%BF%D5%A1-%D5%B4%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%AF%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B9%D5%B5%D5%A1%D5%B6|archive-date=3 January 2013}}</ref>
*[[Armen Adamjan]] (born 1989 or 1990), TikToker<ref name="The Times 27 May 2023">{{cite news |last1=Brzezinski |first1=Victoria |title=Meet @creative_explained, TikTok's king of plant hacks |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/meet-creative-explained-the-tiktok-king-of-plant-hacks-2j07zzgkg |access-date=27 September 2024 |work=[[The Sunday Times]] |date=27 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
{{Div col end}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Yerevan#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Yerevan}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bournoutian |first1=George |author1-link=George Bournoutian |title=Armenia and Imperial Decline: The Yerevan Province, 1900-1914 |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge}}
* {{cite web |last1=Bournoutian|first1=George A. |title=The Population of Persian Armenia Prior to and Immediately Following its Annexation to the Russian Empire: 1826-1832| url =https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/publication/op91_persian_armenia_annexation_bournoutian_1980.pdf|date=1980|publisher=The Wilson Center, Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies}}
* Hakopian, T. Kh. "The History of Yerevan." ''Old Yerevan'' (2003): 10–39.
* {{cite encyclopedia | article = EREVAN | last1 = Kettenhofen | first1 = Erich | last2 = Bournoutian | first2 = George A. | last3 = Hewsen | first3 = Robert H. | author-link3 = Robert H. Hewsen | encyclopedia  = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. VIII, Fasc. 5 | pages = 542–551 | year = 1998 }}
* Lindsay, Ian, and Adam T. Smith. "A History of Archaeology in the Republic of Armenia." ''Journal of field archaeology'' 31.2 (2006): 165–184. [http://www.academia.edu/download/31917006/Lindsay-Smith_2006.pdf online]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* Vardanyan, Sergey. "The capitals of Armenia",  ''Apolo'' 1995. {{ISBN|5-8079-0778-7}}
* G. Zakoyan, M. Sivaslian, V. Navasardian. "My Yerevan," ''Acnalis'' 2001. {{ISBN|99930-902-0-4}}
* {{GEOnet2|32FA881E67993774E0440003BA962ED3}}
* {{cite book |author=[[Evliya Çelebi]] |year=1834 |location=London |publisher=[[Oriental Translation Fund]] |others=Translated by [[Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall]] |title=Narrative of Travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in the Seventeenth Century |volume= 2 |chapter=Description of the Town of Erivan |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/narrativeoftrave02evli#page/150/mode/2up }}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|Yerevan}}
{{Commons category|Yerevan}}
{{Wikivoyage|Yerevan}}
* [http://www.yerevan.am/ Yerevan Municipality]

{{Yerevan landmarks}}
{{City of Yerevan}}
{{Historic capitals of Armenia}}
{{Cities and towns in Armenia}}
{{Administrative divisions of Armenia}}
{{World Book Capital}}
{{List of European capitals by region}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Yerevan| ]]
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[[Category:Archaeological sites in Armenia]]
[[Category:Provinces of Armenia]]
[[Category:780s BC]]
[[Category:Erivan Governorate]]
[[Category:8th-century BC establishments]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 8th century BC]]