Shvanidzor (, ) is a village in the

Meghri Municipality Meghri Municipality, referred to as Meghri Community ( ''Meghri Hamaynk''), is an urban community and administrative subdivision of Syunik Province of Armenia, at the south of the country bordering Iran. Consisted of a group of settlements, its ad ...

of the

Syunik Province Syunik (, ) is the southernmost province of Armenia. It is bordered by the Vayots Dzor Province to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave to the west, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran to the south. Its capital and larg ...

in southeastern

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

, near Armenia's border with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Toponymy

The village was also known as ''Shirvanadzor'' () and ''Astazor'' ().

History

According to local historical sources, Shvanidzor was founded in the 13th century, and at the time counted more than 700 households, and was located in the place of the historic settlement of ''Areviq''. The lands of the community were cultivated for more than 700 years, which resulted in the formation of agricultural landscapes. Due to the lack of irrigation and lowland fertility, the community was relocated several times. In the vicinity of the village, there are numerous remnants of 17th- and 18th-century dwellings. The community is known for its medieval ''kahrezes'' (

qanat A qanāt () or kārīz () is a water supply system that was developed in ancient Iran for the purpose of transporting usable water to the surface from an aquifer or a well through an underground aqueduct. Originating approximately 3,000 years ...

), a system of underground water channels and intake facilities. These deep channels are located 50-60m from each other. There are 5 kahrezes in Shvanidzor. Four of them were constructed in the 12th-14th centuries, even before the village was founded. The fifth kahrez was constructed in 2005. Potable water runs through the first, the second and the fifth kahrezes. Kahrez III and IV are in a quite poor condition. In the summer, especially in July and August, the amount of water reaches its minimum, creating a critical situation in the water supply system.

Culture

Shvanidzor is famous for its historical monuments. Close to the community there is an old bridge (17th century), as well as ''Gyumerants'', ''St. Stepanos'' (17th-19th centuries), ''Berdikar'' (12th-13th century) churches and the Baba-Hadji Mausoleum (17th century). There is also an aqueduct of 16th century. This currently functioning aqueduct is the most important historical monument of such type remaining from the medieval times in Armenia. Having a long history, Shvanidzor has preserved several specific traditions and rituals. The most celebrated holidays were Easter,

Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is the Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Its name originates from the palm bran ...

, Wine Blessing etc. Pilgrimage was also quite spread among the inhabitants. For many centuries Shvanidzor has been a residence of ''

meliks Мelik (, from ) was a hereditary Armenian nobility, Armenian noble title used in Eastern Armenia from the Late Middle Ages until the nineteenth century. The meliks represented some of the last remnants of the old Armenian nobility, as well as ...

'', which is reflected in many legends and traditions. The community members were traditionally engaged in hunting, fishing, animal husbandry, gardening, winery. Part of the community were skillful craftsmen, especially smiths, tailors, carpenters, masons, mat weavers etc.

Demographics

The

Statistical Committee of Armenia The Statistical Committee of Armenia (), or ArmStat in short, is the national statistical agency of Armenia. History The statistical institution started its main activities on 7 January 1922 and was previously known as the Statistical Departme ...

reported its population was 306 in 2010, down from 330 at the 2001 census. The population is mainly engaged in agriculture, animal husbandry and beekeeping.

Geography and nature

The distance from Shvanidzor to Yerevan is , the distance to

Kapan Kapan ( ) is a town in southeast Armenia, serving as the administrative centre of the Kapan Municipality and also as the provincial capital of Syunik Province. It is located in the valley of the Voghji (river), Voghji River and is on the norther ...

, the regional center is , the distance to the main highway is and the distance to the newly built Tsav-Shikahogh highway (which is an alternative route to Iran) is . Community lands stretch from , on the southern slopes of the ''Meghri'' mountain range (the ''Tsav-Shvanidzor'' pass), whereas the settlement itself is located in the forested area at the bottom, at above sea level, in the ''Astghadzor (Astazor)'' gorge. Shvanidzor is located 10 km away from Shikahogh State Preserve. Vicinity of the village have been designated as Prime Butterfly Area.Butterfly Conservation Armenia http://www.butterfly-conservation-armenia.org/shvanidzor.html

Flora

Shvanidzor is located in dry tropics. The indicators of tropics are wild

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...

, wild fig and numerous other plants. The majority of the plants are xerophile, represented by xeromorphous shrubs. Green leafy plants are represented by araxian ('' Quercus araxina'') and oriental oak ('' Q. macranthera''), Georgian maple ('' Acer ibericum''), as well as plane-tree,

ash-tree ''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae, and comprises 45–65 species of usually medium-to-large trees, most of which are deciduous trees, although some subtropical species are evergr ...

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

etc. Shvanidzor and its vicinities are the only places in the South Caucasus, where 2 types of European redbud (Judas tree)- '' Cercis griffithii'' and '' С. siliquastrum''. Dry alpine meadows are covered with scarce shrubs and remind of desert. However, there are numerous wild herbs, including officinal, edible as well as wild relatives of cultivated plants.

Fauna

The mammals living in the area include Caucasian bear (''Ursus arctos syriacus''), Bezoarian goat ('' Capra aegagrus aegagrus''),

Armenian mouflon The Armenian mouflon (''Ovis orientalis gmelini'') is an endangered subspecies of mouflon endemic to Iran, Armenia, Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iraq. Taxonomy The Armenian mouflon was first described in 1840 by Edwar ...

(''Ovis orientalis gmelinii''),

Persian leopard ''Panthera pardus tulliana'', also called Persian leopard, Anatolian leopard, and Caucasian leopard in different parts of its range, is a leopard subspecies that was first described in 1856 based on a zoological specimen found in western Anato ...

(''Panthera pardus tullianus''), as well as

badger Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...

lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

, wild

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

, roe deer, which are listed in the Red Book. Apart from that there are also long-eared hedgehogs and 3 types of bats that are listed as endangered. Hunting and poaching still causes harm to these species, though from mammals, it is only allowed to hunt fox and

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...

. Out of 66 species of birds listed in the Red Book, 15 can be met in Shvanidzor, which are '' Acciper brevipes, Circaetus gallicus, Aquila rapax orientalis,

Aquila chrysaetos The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of p ...

fulva,

Gypaetus barbatus The bearded vulture (''Gypaetus barbatus''), also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a very large bird of prey in the monotypic genus ''Gypaetus''. The bearded vulture is the only known vertebrate whose diet consists of 70–90% bone. ...

aereus,

Gyps fulvus The Eurasian griffon vulture (''Gyps fulvus'') is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. It is also known as the griffon vulture, although this term is sometimes used for the genus as a whole. It is not to be confuse ...

, Merops superciliosus persicus, Sylvia hortensis crassirostris, Oenanthe xanthoprimna chrysopygia, Monticola saxalitis,

Luscinia svecica The bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica'') is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the Thrush (bird), thrush family Turdidae, but is now known to be an Old World flycatcher, in the family Muscicapidae. It, and similar small ...

occidentalis, Remiz pendulinus menzbieri'', and '' Parus lugubris''. Seven types of reptiles from the 11 in the Red Book can be met in Shvanidzor: ''

Testudo graeca Greek tortoise (''Testudo graeca''), also known as the spur-thighed tortoise or Moorish tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. It is a medium sized herbivorous testudinae, widely distributed in the Mediterranean region. ...

'', ''

Eumeces schneiderii ''Eumeces schneiderii'', Common name, commonly known as Schneider's skink, is a species of lizard in the Family (biology), family Scincidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Central Asia, Western Asia, and North Africa. There are five recogniz ...

'', ''

Mabuya aurata ''Mabuya'' is a genus of long-tailed skinks, lizards in the Family (biology), family Scincidae. The genus is restricted to species from various Caribbean islands. Out of 26 recognized species, six species are only found in Caribbean islands. Spec ...

'', '' Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus'', '' Telescopus fallax ibericus'', '' Zamenis hohenackeri'', and '' Montivipera raddei''.

Gallery

Գյուղ Շվանիձոր-1.jpg, A view of the village Գյուղ Շվանիձոր.jpg, A view of the village Shvanidzor, Church, 2013.08.26 (01) - panoramio.jpg, Church in Shvanidzor Գյուղ Շվանիձոր-2,.jpg, A view of the village Գյուղ Շվանիձոր-3.jpg, A view of the village Bridge in Shvanidzor 1.JPG, Bridge in Shvanidzor Bridge in Shvanidzor 5.JPG, Bridge in Shvanidzor Ջրանցույց Շվանիձոր գյուղում.jpg, Bridge in Shvanidzor

References

External links

REC Caucasus. 2008. ''Sustainable Development of Mountain Communities in the Caucasus. Local Agenda 21.'' Report.

Syunik Marz

Shikahogh State Preserve

{{Portal bar, Geography Populated places in Syunik Province