Geography and power
The history of Yerevan begins long before it became a capital. In 782 BCE, King Argishti I of the Kingdom of Van founded the fortress of Erebuni on Arin Berd hill. A cuneiform inscription makes it possible to date the founding of the city precisely. Erebuni was intended to control the northern part of the Ararat Plain and strengthen the authority of the Kingdom of Van in the region.
In 1918, when the First Republic of Armenia was established under the conditions of severe wars, the Armenian Genocide, and mass displacement, Yerevan became the capital of the new state. The choice was determined above all by political reality: most earlier Armenian capitals were located outside the borders of the newly formed republic or had long since become ruins. Although Yerevan was a small city overcrowded with refugees, it possessed administrative structures, communication opportunities, and the necessary foundation for becoming the center of the state.
During the Soviet period, the city was fundamentally transformed. The master plan designed by Alexander Tamanian and approved in 1924 envisioned a new capital with a circular and radial structure. Governmental, cultural, and residential buildings constructed from pink tuff shaped the modern architectural appearance of Yerevan. This reconstruction also brought significant losses to the old urban environment, as a result of which modern Yerevan is simultaneously a new national capital and the heir to a partly vanished older city.
Historical evidence
Three dates answer different questions about Yerevan. The inscription dates Erebuni fortress to 782 BCE. The year 1918 marks Yerevan becoming the republic’s capital, and 1924 the approval of Tamanian’s master plan. The evidence moves from a cuneiform text through state institutions to an urban planning document.
Later history of the city
After the restoration of independence in 1991, Yerevan became the principal political, economic, educational, and cultural center of the Republic of Armenia. It contains the institutions of state administration, scientific and educational establishments, museums, theaters, and memorial complexes of national importance.
Sources and further reading
«Էրեբունի» պատմահնագիտական արգելոց-թանգարան / Erebuni Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve · Երևանի պատմության թանգարան / Yerevan History Museum.