The name Yerevan derives from the Urartic language where the name Erebuni evolved in Erivani / Erevan, this can be deduced from the cuneiform tablets at the Erebuni fort. According to the early Christian Armenian chroniclers, the name of Yerevan is an expression of Noah, which after the ark had landed on Mount Ararat and the waters had been withdrawn, exclaimed: ‘Jerevats’ (‘it became visible)’.

The territory of Yerevan has been inhabited since the 4th millennium BC. In the 9th century BC. the ancient kingdom of Urartu was formed in the ‘Van’ area (now in eastern Turkey) and modern Yerevan. Archaeological evidence, such as cuneiform scripts, indicate that the Urartan military fort of Erebuni in 782 BC. was founded. This makes Yerevan one of the oldest cities in the world.

After the First World War Yerevan became the capital of the First Republic of Armenia, thirteenth capital in history, when thousands of survivors of the Armenian genocide arrived in the city. The city expanded considerably during the 20th century. In 1920 power came into the hands of the Soviet Union. In general, the city quickly grew under Russian rule. Yerevan was the first city under the Soviet government for which a general plan was developed. In 1924 the design of Alexander Tamanian for the new city was approved and Yerevan was transformed into a modern industrial metropolis with more than one million inhabitants.

The territory of Yerevan has been inhabited since the 4th millennium BC. In the 9th century BC. the ancient kingdom of Urartu was formed in the ‘Van’ area (now in eastern Turkey) and modern Yerevan. Archaeological evidence, such as cuneiform scripts, indicate that the Urartan military fort of Erebuni in 782 BC. was founded. This makes Yerevan one of the oldest cities in the world.

After the First World War Yerevan became the capital of the First Republic of Armenia, thirteenth capital in history, when thousands of survivors of the Armenian genocide arrived in the city. The city expanded considerably during the 20th century. In 1920 power came into the hands of the Soviet Union. In general, the city quickly grew under Russian rule. Yerevan was the first city under the Soviet government for which a general plan was developed. In 1924 the design of Alexander Tamanian for the new city was approved and Yerevan was transformed into a modern industrial metropolis with more than one million inhabitants.

Today, the city is bustling with opera houses, museums, theaters, libraries and other cultural institutions. The ‘Yerevan Opera House’ is at the center of the city, where performances take place almost daily. The historical museum was founded in 1920 and has a rich national collection of 400,000 archaeological, architectural, ethnographic and historical objects. One of the most famous items to see is the oldest leather shoe found in 2010, which is 5500 years old.

Armenian poet Paruyr Sevak:
‘Erebuni, what became Yerevan, passed by for centuries, but you stayed young. “