Arabkir District
Arabkir Արաբկիր | |
---|---|
The Northern Ray residential area at the Arabkir district | |
Arabkir district shown in red | |
Country | Armenia |
Marz (Province) | Yerevan |
Government | |
• Mayor of District | Hrayr Antonyan |
Area | |
• Total | 12 km2 (5 sq mi) |
Elevation | 1,150 m (3,770 ft) |
Population (2011 census) | |
• Total | 117,704 |
• Density | 9,800/km2 (25,000/sq mi) |
Time zone | AMT (UTC+4) |
Arabkir District (Armenian: Արաբկիր), is one of the 12 districts of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. It is bordered by the Hrazdan River from the north and west, Kentron District from the south, and Kanaker-Zeytun District from the east.[1] Its main thoroughfare is the Komitas Avenue. The district is unofficially divided into smaller neighborhoods such as Nor Arabkir, Mergelyan, Aygedzor, Kanaker Hydropower Plant and Raykom.
The district is mainly connected with the rest of Yerevan city through the Komitas Avenue, Kievian street and Barekamutyun (Friendship) Metro Station.
With a population of 117,704 (2011 census), Arabkir is one of the most densely populated districts in Yerevan.
History
Arabkir was founded on November 29, 1925 as a settlement north of the Yerevan city centre. Many of the original residents of the district came from Arapgir (modern day district of Malatya Province in Turkey), which was populated with Armenians before 1915. Also, within Arabkir there is a Molokans street named after the many Spiritual Christian families who moved from the northern regions of Armenia, and settled in different neighborhoods throughout Yerevan but mainly in Arabkir. In this district there are 5 Spiritual Christian Dukhizhiznik congregations, not Molokane. The Molokan congregation is in Central Yerevan. There had been an Arabkir Cemetery at the north end of the district but sometime in the late 20th century families were warned that the cemetery was being converted to a Molokan Park and the remains would need to be moved to other locations. Only a handful of graves remain in the wooded areas of the park, as well as a memorial to soldiers from the Arabkir district who were killed in World War II.
The Arabkir district is home to many of the leading industrial plants of Armenia, including the Rusal Armenal aluminum foil mill located at the rim of the Hrazdan River gorge, the Kanaker Hydroelectric Power Station located to the north of Rusal Armenal mill along the Hrazdan River, the Grand-Sun lamp factory located on the Tbilisi Highway and the Yerevan Watch Factory located on the Vagharsh Vagharshyan street. The defunct automobile factory of ErAZ from the Soviet era is located on the Nicholas Adontz street in the Arabkir district as well.
Arabkir is the 3rd-largest district of Yerevan. As of 2006 the district had:
- 40 hectares of streets and roads.
- 553 hectares of buildings, squares and yards.
- 385 hectares of others areas.
The municipality of Arabkir district made a number of official cooperation agreements with many European mayoralties including:
- Le Plessis-Robinson, Paris, France, since 2005.[2]
- Central District, Riga, Latvia, since 2006.
- Deurne, Antwerp, Belgium, since 2006.
- Şişli, Istanbul, Turkey, since 2006.
Streets and landmarks
Main streets and squares
- Komitas Avenue.
- Nairi Zarian street.
- Hrachya Kochar street.
- Mamikonian street.
- Aleksander Griboyedov street.
- Aram Khachaturian street.
- Tbilisi Highway.
- Kievian street.
- Kasyan Street.
- Vagharsh Vagharshyan street.
- Vahram Papazian street.
- Nicholas Adontz street.
- Barekamutyun square.
- Mher Mkrtchyan square.
Landmarks
- Vahagn Davtyan Park
- Nor Arabkir Park
- Kanaker Hydro Power Plant lake and park
- American University of Armenia
- Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University
- Yerevan State Humanitarian College
- Yerevan University of Management
- Yerevan Computer Research and Development Institute
- Ayb School
- Arabkir church (under construction, due to open in 2016)
- Holy Translators Church (under construction)
See also
References
Coordinates: 40°12′28″N 44°30′21″E / 40.20778°N 44.50583°E