Ararat (, ) is a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

(''

marz Marz may refer to: People * Marz (surname), notable people surnamed either Marz or März * Marz (rapper), American rapper * Marz Lovejoy, American hip hop musician and rapper Places * Marz, Austria, a town in the district of Mattersburg, Burgenla ...

'') of

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 ...

. Its capital and largest city is the town of

Artashat Artashat (), Hellenized as Artaxata () and Artaxiasata (), was a major city and commercial center of ancient Armenia that served as the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia from its founding in 176 BC to 120 AD, with some interruptions. It was fo ...

. The province is named after the biblical

Mount Ararat Mount Ararat, also known as Masis or Mount Ağrı, is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in Eastern Turkey, easternmost Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest p ...

. It is bordered by

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

from the west and

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (, ) is a landlocked country, landlocked Enclave and exclave, exclave of the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. The region covers Official portal of Nakhchivan Autonomous RepublicNakhchivan Autonomous Republi ...

from the south. It surrounds the Karki

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

of Nakhichevan which has been controlled by Armenia since its capture in May 1992 during the

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nag ...

. Domestically, Ararat is bordered by

Armavir Province Armavir (, ), is a administrative divisions of Armenia, province (''marz'') in the western part of Armenia. Located in the Ararat plain dominated by Mount Ararat from the south and Mount Aragats from the north, the province's capital is the tow ...

from the northwest,

Kotayk Province Kotayk (, ), is a provinces of Armenia, province (''Administrative divisions of Armenia, marz'') of Armenia. It is located at the central part of the country. Its capital is Hrazdan and the largest city is Abovyan. It is named after the Kotayk c ...

from the north,

Gegharkunik Province Gegharkunik (, ) is a provinces of Armenia, province (''Administrative divisions of Armenia, marz'') of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is Gavar. Gegharkunik is inhabited by approximately 209,669 people and the majority are ethnic Armenian ...

from the east,

Vayots Dzor Province Vayots Dzor (, ) is a province (''marz'') of Armenia. It lies at the southeastern end of the country, bordering the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan to the west and the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan to the east. It covers an area of . With a ...

from the southeast and the city of

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) 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. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

from the north. Two former capitals of Armenia are located in the modern-day Ararat Province,

Artaxata Artashat (), Greek language, Hellenized as Artaxata () and Artaxiasata (), was a major city and commercial center of ancient Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity), Armenia that served as the capital of the Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity), Kingdom of Ar ...

and Dvin. It is also home to the

Khor Virap Khor Virap () is an Armenian Apostolic Church, Armenian monastery located in the Ararat Plain in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, about south of Artashat, Armenia, Artashat, Ararat Province, within the territory of ancient Artaxata. The mon ...

monastery, significant as the place of

Gregory the Illuminator Gregory the Illuminator ( – ) was the founder and first official Catholicos of All Armenians, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He Christianization of Armenia, converted Armenia from Zoroastrianism in Armenia, Zoroastrianism to Chris ...

's 13-year imprisonment and the closest point to

within Armenian borders.

Etymology

Ararat Province is named after the historic

Ayrarat Ayrarat () was the central province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia, located in the plain of the upper Aras River. Most of the historical capitals of Armenia were located in this province, including Armavir, Yervandashat, Artashat, Vagharsha ...

province of

Ancient Armenia Ancient Armenia refers to the history of Armenia during Classical antiquity, Antiquity. It follows Prehistoric Armenia and covers a period of approximately one thousand years, beginning at the end of the Iron Age with the events that led to the dis ...

. According to

Movses Khorenatsi Movses Khorenatsi ( 410–490s AD; , ) was a prominent Armenians, Armenian historian from late antiquity and the author of the ''History of Armenia (book), History of the Armenians''. Movses's ''History of the Armenians'' was the first attempt at ...

and the ''

Ashkharatsuyts ''Ashkharhatsuyts'' (), often translated as ''Geography'' in English sources, is an early medieval Armenian geography attributed to Anania Shirakatsi. It believed to have been written sometime between 610 and 636. According to Elizabeth Redga ...

medieval Armenia Medieval Armenia refers to the history of Armenia during the Middle Ages. It follows Ancient Armenia and covers a period of approximately eight centuries, beginning with the Muslim conquest of Armenia in the 7th century. Key events during this ...

n geographical book of

Anania Shirakatsi Anania Shirakatsi (, , anglicized: Ananias of Shirak) was a 7th-century Armenian polymath and natural philosopher, author of extant works covering mathematics, astronomy, geography, chronology, and other fields. Little is known for certain of his ...

, Ayrarat was one of the 15 provinces of Armenia Major. It was considered the central province of the

Armenian Highland The Armenian highlands (; also known as the Armenian upland, Armenian plateau, or Armenian tableland) Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiquit ...

. It is believed that the name ''Ararat'' is the

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

equivalent of the toponym ''

Urartu Urartu was an Iron Age kingdom centered around the Armenian highlands between Lake Van, Lake Urmia, and Lake Sevan. The territory of the ancient kingdom of Urartu extended over the modern frontiers of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Armenia.Kleiss, Wo ...

''.

Geography

Ararat has an area of 2,090 km² (7% of total area of Armenia). It occupies the east of the central part of modern-day Armenia. From the north, it has borders with

and

. From the east, its bordered by Gegharkunik and

Vayots Dzor Vayots Dzor (, ) is a province (''marz'') of Armenia. It lies at the southeastern end of the country, bordering the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan to the west and the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan to the east. It covers an area of . With a p ...

Iğdır Province Iğdır Province (, , , ) is a Provinces of Turkey, province in eastern Turkey, located along the borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan (the area of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic), and Iran. Its adjacent provinces are Kars Province, Kars to the north ...

and

respectively form the western and southern borders of the province. Historically, the current territory of the province mainly occupies the ''Vostan Hayots'' canton of

province of Ancient Armenia. The province is located at the southeast of the Ararat plain, surrounded by the Yeranos mountains from the north, the mountains of Gegham, Dahnak and Mzhkatar from the east, Urts mountains from the south and the

Araks river The Aras is a transboundary river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, between Iran and both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and, fin ...

from the west. The mountains of Yerakh are located at the centre of the province. Approximately, 30% of the territory is plain, while the rest is dominated by mountains. The highest point of Ararat province is the Spitakasar peak of Gegham mountains with a height of 3560 meters. The lowest point is 801 meters at the Araks valley. Araks,

Hrazdan Hrazdan ( ) is a town and urban municipal community in Armenia serving as the administrative centre of Kotayk Province, located northeast of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 census, the population of the town is 44,231. During the Soviet Uni ...

Azat Azat (; plural ազատք ''azatkʿ'', collective ազատանի ''azatani'') was a class of Armenian nobility; the term came to designate the middle and lower nobility originally, in contrast to the '' naxarark'' who were the great lords. From ...

and Vedi, are the 4 major rivers the flow through the province. The climate within the territory of the province is highly diversified. It ranges between extremely arid climate at the lower plains and cold snowy climate at the heights. The cliffy terrain of Khosrov Forest located at the northeast of the province, used to be the stronghold of the

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

Caucasian leopards in Armenia. Between October 2000 to July 2002 tracks of no more than 10 individuals were found in an area of .

History

The region of modern-day Ararat Province is among the earliest locations that was settled by the people of the

. It mainly includes the 3 cantons of ''Vostan Hayots'', ''Urstadzor'' and ''Arats'' of the historic

province. ''Vostan Hayots'' was known since the establishment of the Artaxiad Kingdom of Armenia at the beginning of the 2nd century BC. The ancient Armenian capitals of

founded in 176 BC, and Dvin founded during the 4th century AD, were both located within the ''Vostan Hayots'' canton. The other cantons of ''Urtsadzor'' and ''Arats'' were first mentioned in the 5th century AD by

Yeghishe Elishe (, , 410 – 475) was an Armenian historian from the time of late antiquity, best known as the author of ''History of Vardan and the Armenian War'', a history of the fifth-century Armenian revolt led by Vardan Mamikonian against the ...

the historian in his "History of Vardan and the Armenian War" historical work. After the fall of the Armenian Kingdom in 428, the region became part of the

Sasanian Empire The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

of Persia until the

Arab conquest of Armenia The Muslim conquest of Armenia occurred in the mid-7th century, with the first Arab raids into the country occurring in 639/640. At that time, the Byzantine and Sasanian sections of Armenia had just been united under the Byzantine-aligned Armen ...

in the mid-7th century. According to the 8th-century historian ''Ghevond'', the Armenian princes of ''Urtsadzor'' canton participated in the failed revolution of 775 in

Erciş Erciş (; ; , historically , ''Arčeš'') is a municipality and district of Van Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,133 km2, and its population is 171,000 (2022). It is located at the northern end of Lake Van. History of Artchesh During Cl ...

against the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...

rulers of

Arminiya Arminiya, also known as the Ostikanate of Arminiya (, ''Hayastani ostikanut'yun'') or the Emirate of Armenia (, ''imārat armīniya''), was a political and geographic designation given by the Muslim Arabs to the lands of Greater Armenia, Cauca ...

. At the end of the 9th century, the 3 cantons became part of the newly established

Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia Bagratid Armenia was an independent Armenian state established by Ashot I of the Bagratuni dynasty in the early 880s following nearly two centuries of foreign domination of Greater Armenia under Arab Umayyad and Abbasid rule. With each of t ...

. However, between the 11th and 15th centuries, the region suffered from the Seljuk, Mongol,

Ag Qoyunlu The Aq Qoyunlu or the White Sheep Turkomans (, ; ) was a culturally Persianate,Kaushik Roy, ''Military Transition in Early Modern Asia, 1400–1750'', (Bloomsbury, 2014), 38; "Post-Mongol Persia and Iraq were ruled by two tribal confederations: ...

and

Kara Koyunlu The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu (, ; ), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, English Black Sheep, Turkmen tribal federation th ...

invasions, respectively. At the beginning of the 16th century, the territory of modern-day Ararat became part of the ''Erivan Beglarbegi'' within the

Safavid Persia The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the beg ...

. During the first half of the 18th century, the territory became part of the

Erivan Khanate The Erivan Khanate (), also known as , was a Khanates of the Caucasus, khanate (i.e., province) that was established in Afsharid dynasty, Afsharid Iran in the 18th century. It covered an area of roughly 19,500 km2, and corresponded to most o ...

under the rule of the

Afsharid dynasty The Afsharid dynasty () was an Iran, Iranian dynasty founded by Nader Shah () of the Qirqlu clan of the Turkoman (ethnonym), Turkoman Afshar people, Afshar tribe, ruling over the Afsharid Empire. List of Afsharid monarchs Family tree ...

and later under the

Qajar dynasty The Qajar family (; 1789–1925) was an Iranian royal family founded by Mohammad Khan (), a member of the Qoyunlu clan of the Turkoman-descended Qajar tribe. The dynasty's effective rule in Iran ended in 1925 when Iran's '' Majlis'', conven ...

of Persia. It remained under the Persian rule until 1827–1828, when Eastern Armenia was ceded by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

as a result of the Russo-Persian War of 1826–28 and the signing of the

Treaty of Turkmenchay The Treaty of Turkmenchay (; ) was an agreement between Qajar Iran and the Russian Empire, which concluded the Russo-Persian War (1826–1828). It was second of the series of treaties (the first was the 1813 Treaty of Gulistan and the last, the ...

. With the fall of the Russian Empire and as a result of the decisive Armenian victories over the Turks in the battles of Sardarabad, Abaran, and Gharakilisa, the region became part of the independent Armenia in May 1918, however, its western reaches remained occupied by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

(by virtue of the

Treaty of Batum The Treaty of Batum was signed in Batumi on 4 June 1918, between the Ottoman Empire and the three Transcaucasian states: the First Republic of Armenia, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Democratic Republic of Georgia. It was the first ...

) until the latter's withdrawal in late 1918. In July 1919, lasting until mid-1920, the

Azerbaijanis Azerbaijanis (; , ), Azeris (, ), or Azerbaijani Turks (, ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group living mainly in the Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. They are predomin ...

-inhabited regions of Ararat, ''Vedibasar'' and ''Zangibasar'', revolted against the Armenian government as part of the

Muslim uprisings in Kars and Sharur–Nakhichevan The Muslim uprisings in Kars and Sharur–Nakhichevan were a series of insurgencies by local Islam in Armenia, Muslims against the administration of the First Republic of Armenia, beginning on 1 July 1919 and ending 28 July 1920. The areas of u ...

. After 2 years of brief independence, Armenia became part of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in December 1920. From 1930 until 1995, modern-day Ararat was divided into 3

raion A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is c ...

s within the

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia bordered the Soviet republics ...

: ''Masis raion'', ''Artashat raion'', and ''Ararat raion'' (known as ''Vedi raion'' until 1968)—there was also the ''Gharabaghlar raion'' which was formed in 1937 but later dissolved and attached to the ''Vedi raion'' in 1951, its administrative center was the town

Urtsadzor Urtsadzor () is a village in the Vedi Municipality of the Ararat Province of Armenia containing the former village of Chimankend. The village was previously the administrative capital of the Gharabaghlar District which existed in 1937–1951 in S ...

. With the territorial administration reform of 1995, the 3 ''raions'' were consolidated into the Ararat Province.

Demographics

Population

According to the

1989 Soviet census The 1989 Soviet census (), conducted between 12 and 19 January of that year, was the final census carried out in the Soviet Union. The census found the total population to be 286,730,819 inhabitants. In 1989, the Soviet Union ranked as the third ...

, the Ararat Province (then part of the Ararat,

, and Masis districts in 1930–1995) had a population of 266,527. 52,429 or 19.67% of which was urban, distributed in the cities of Ararat (20,105) and Artashat (32,324), and 214,098 or 80.33% were rural, distributed in the districts of Ararat (64,657), Artashat (73,269), and Masis (76,172). Dvin and Verin Dvin

According to the 2022 official census, Ararat has a population of 248,982 (122,939 men and 126,043 women), forming around 8.5% of the entire population of Armenia. The urban population is 66,759 (26.8%) and the rural is 182,223 (73.2%). The province has 4 urban and 93 rural communities. The largest urban community is the provincial centre of Artashat, with a population of 19,020. The other urban centres are Ararat, Masis and Vedi. With a population of 8,376, the village of Ayntap is the largest rural municipality of Ararat.

Ethnic groups and religion

The majority of the Ararat Province population are ethnic Armenians who belong to the

Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...

. The regulating body of the church is the

Araratian Pontifical Diocese Araratian Pontifical Diocese ( ''Araratyan Hayrapetakan t'em'') is the largest diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the oldest dioceses in the world, covering the city of Yerevan and the Ararat Province within Armenia. History The ...

, headed by Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan (seat in Yerevan). However, the village of Verin Dvin is predominantly populated by

Assyrians Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...

belonging to the

Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East (ACOE), sometimes called the Church of the East and officially known as the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, is an Eastern Christianity, Eastern Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian denomin ...

, whose ancestors migrated to Armenia from Iran during the 1st half of the 19th century. Almost half of the population of the village of Dimitrov is also Assyrian. The provincial centre Artashat is also home to a small Assyrian community. The approximate number of the Assyrians in Ararat Province is around 2,500.

Administrative divisions

Ararat is currently divided into 5 municipalities (''hamaynkner''), of which 4 are consolidated and 1 community inhabited by

: During the recent years, many rural settlements in Ararat became abandoned, including the village of

Kakavaberd Kakavaberd or Kaqavaberd (, Eastern Armenian ''Kak'avaberd''), also known as Geghi Berd, Keghi Berd or Kegh ( ), is a fortress on a ridge overlooking the Azat River gorge at Khosrov Forest State Reserve in Ararat Province, Armenia. Kakavaberd is ...

Culture

There are cultural palaces as well as public libraries in the towns of Ararat, Artashat, Masis and Vedi. The provincial centre Artashat is also home to the Amo Kharazyan drama theatre. The province has many art academies, sport schools and musical schools, mainly in the urban settlements. The House-museum of Vazgen Sargsyan is operating in the village of Ararat since 2001.

Fortresses and archaeological sites

* Ancient Artashat archaeological site, * Ancient Dvin archaeological site, *

fortress of the 4th century, * Tapi Fortress of the 10th century, *

Mausoleum of Kara Koyunlu emirs A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of ...

in Argavand, built in 1413.

Churches and monasteries

Aghjots Vank Aghjots Vank (); also known as the Saint Stephen Monastery of Goght (), is a 13th-century monastery situated along a tributary of the Azat River Valley within the Khosrov State Reserve located half a mile walk from the hamlet of Mets Gilanlar, a ...

monastery of the 13th century, * Hovhannes Karapaet Monastery near

Shaghap Shaghap () is a village in the Vedi Municipality of the Ararat Province of 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 bord ...

, from the 13th century, *

monastery of the 17th century.

Transportation

The M-2 Motorway that connects the capital Yerevan with southern Armenia and the Iranian border, passes through the Ararat Province. The towns of Artashat and Ararat used to have a railway station that connected Yerevan with the

during the Soviet years.

Economy

Agriculture and viticulture

Being located at the fertile Ararat plain, the province contributes with 15% in the annual total agricultural product of Armenia. Around 75% (1,567 km²) of the total area of the province are

arable land Arable land (from the , "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the purposes of a ...

s, out of which 17.23% (270 km²) are ploughed. Orchards mainly produce grapes, apricot and peach. Other products include pear, apple, melon, watermelon, eggplant, grains and dry seed. Ararat is among the leading provinces of Armenia in

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

production in terms of grape cultivation and wine export (along with the provinces of Ararat and Vayots Dzor). The irrigation infrastructure of the province is quite developed. 90% of the farmlands are irrigated, mainly using canals opened from the rivers of Vedi and

. The Geghanist village has a specialized plant in producing fertilizers and irrigation system design. The province has 2 large poultry farms in the village of Kaghtsrashen and the town of Masis. Recently,

fish farming Fish farming or pisciculture involves commercial breeding of fish, most often for food, in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds. It is a particular type of aquaculture, which is the controlled cultivation and harvesting of ...

has significantly developed in the province. The largest fish farming ponds are located at the vicinity of Armash village.

Industry

Ararat is among the most industrialized provinces of Armenia with many large industrial firms. It currently has a contribution of 10% in the annual total industrial product of Armenia. Shahumyan Vin3

*Production of alcoholic drinks is among the leading sectors in Ararat with a large number of factories spread all over the communities of the province. Major producers of the province include: **Aregak Brandy Factory, founded in 1889 in Dalar (privatized in 1992). **Ararat Wine Factory, founded in 1903 in Ararat village. **Artashat Vincon Winery, founded in 1905 in Mkhchyan (privatized in 1995). **Ararat Cognac Factory AKZ for brandy and wine, opened in 1932 in Avshar. **Aygezard Wine Factory, founded in 1936 in Aygepat. ** Vedi Alco Winery for wine, brandy and vodka, founded in 1956 in Ginevet (privatized in 1994). ** Avshar Wine Factory for wine, brandy and vodka, founded in 1968 in Avshar (privatized in 1995). **Yeraskh Wine Factory, founded in 1970 in

Yeraskh Yeraskh () is a village in the Ararat Municipality of the Ararat Province of Armenia. Yeraskh is the closest Armenian village to the closed border with Azerbaijan. The settlement is adjacent to Heydarabad, Azerbaijan across the border, is bes ...

. **Van 777 Winery for wine and brandy, founded in 1992 in Taperakan. **Agatat-Gold Winery for wine, brandy and vodka, founded in 2007 in Nor Kyurin. **Shato Arno Winery for wine and brandy, founded in 2002 in Ayntap. **Tavinko Winery for wine and brandy, founded in 2006 in Taperakan. **Mrganush Brandy Factory for vodka and brandy, opened in 2002 in Mrganush **Shaumyan-Vin Winery (wine, brandy, vodka), opened in 2006 in

Shahumyan Shahumyan Province (, also spelled ''Shaumyan'' and ''Shahumian'') was a province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, ''de jure'' part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The capital of the province was Karvachar. Shahumyan Province had 17 commu ...

. **Shaumyan Alco for brandy and vodka, opened in 2007 in

. **Abrikon Distillery for apricot vodka, opened in 2010 in Ararat village. **" Proshyan Brandy Factory-Aygestan Branch", in Aygestan. *Preserved food production is also developed in the province. The "Artfood" Artashat Cannery (since 1961), the "Araratyan LLC" for dairy products in Kaghtsrashen, the "Lula LLC" for dairy products in Dalar, and the "Armenian Dried Fruits" plant of Surenavan (since 2007) are the leading firms in this sector. *The town of Masis has an industrial hub that is home to many large firms. The town is a major centre for tobacco products in Armenia with its two factories: the "Masis Tobacco" company (SINCE 1999) and the "International Masis Tabak" company (since 2002). Other industries of Masis include the "ElektraMachTrade" factory for industrial equipments (since 1979), the "Grand-Master" corrugated cardboard packaging manufacturing ang label printing factory (since 1995), the "Masis Garun" clothing factory (since 1995), the "Berma" plant for asphalt concrete (since 1997), and the "Medical Horizon" factory for drugs and pharmaceuticals (since 2005). Ararat gold tailings dump - Ararat town in background

Ararat gold tailings dump - Ararat town in background

*The town of Ararat is home to the "

Ararat Cement Ararat Cement Factory CJSC, is one of two companies in Armenia producing Portland cement. It is owned by Gagik Tsarukyan Gagik Kolyayi Tsarukyan (), also known as Dodi Gago (), is an Armenian businessman, politician, and former athlete. Tsarukya ...

" factory and the "Geopromining Gold" recovery plant. However, there is a major controversy over the pollution and the toxic waste caused by the various enterprises based on the manufacturing of building materials and the gold processing facility in the town of Ararat. The Ararat Gold Recovery extracts gold from the raw ore sent from the

gold mine Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to more comple ...

in Sotk located east of

Lake Sevan Lake Sevan () is the largest body of water in both Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater Alpine lake, high-altitude (alpine) lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, at an altitude of abov ...

.''Behind Gold's Luster Lie Lands Torn Asunder and Urgent Questions''
, Hetq Online, May 19, 2008. About 0.46 grams of gold is extracted from each ton of sand unearthed at the mines. The extraction process involves first pulverizing the raw material, and then filtering out the gold using a cyanide nitrate chemical process. The soupy byproduct of the cyanide nitrate chemical process is both toxic and radioactive and collects in a tailing dam. There have been numerous incidents of animals dying near and around the plant's area. Also, within the years 2003 and 2008, there have been at least 10 accidents at the plant, some of which have resulted in the discharge of the cyanide soup into neighboring agricultural lands and fisheries, killing off cows and fish stock. *Other major firms in the province include the "AraratShin" construction company and building materials producers in Ararat (since 1984), the "Manana Stone" plant for building materials in

Surenavan Surenavan () is a village in the Ararat Municipality of the Ararat Province of Armenia. The village was renamed in 1946 in honor of Suren Spandaryan Suren Spandari Spandaryan (; 1882 in Tiflis – 24 September 1916) was an Armenian revolutionary ...

(since 1995), the "Vedi Plast" plastic products plant (since 1998) in Vedi, the "Zovashen" company for electrical power plants in Lanjazat (since 2001), the "Abit" Armenian-Russian asphalt factory (since 2009) in Surenavan, the "Izipanel"

sandwich panel A sandwich panel is any structure made of three layers: a low-density core ( PIR, mineral wool, XPS), and a thin skin-layer bonded to each side. Sandwich panels are used in applications where a combination of high structural rigidity and low ...

s manufacturing plant in Artashat (since 2012), the "Ararat Group" mineral water factory in Artashat (since 2012), the "Kavashen" plant for building materials in Ararat, and the "Travertine" stone-processing plant in Vedi.

Tourism

The

monastery is among the regular tourist destinations in Ararat Province. The ancient settlements of

and Dvin are among the attractive sites for archaeologists. The province is home to many protected areas of nature including the

Khosrov Forest State Reserve Khosrov Forest State Reserve () is a nature reserve in Ararat Province of Armenia. The reserve is one of the oldest protected areas in the world having a history of about 1,700 years. It was founded in the 4th century (334–338) by the order o ...

, the Goravan Sands Sanctuary and the Khor Virap Wildlife Sanctuary.

Education

As of the 2015-16 educational year, Ararat Province has 112 schools, out of which 107 are operated by the province administration, while 5 are under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Education and Science. As of the end of 2015, the number of the students in the schools of the province is 31,457. There are many public libraries and cultural houses in the towns of Artashat, Ararat, Masis and Vedi. However, there are no higher education institutions in the province.

Sport

Araks Ararat Araks Ararat FC (), is Armenian association football, football club from the town of Ararat, Armenia, Ararat, Ararat Province. Club history The club was founded in 1960 as FC Ararat to represent the town of Ararat, Armenia, Ararat. With the indep ...

founded in 1960 had represented the province in domestic and international football competitions. However, the club was and dissolved in 2001 due to financial difficulties. At the end of 2001, another football club with the name of

FC Araks Araks Ararat FC (), is Armenian football club from the town of Ararat, Ararat Province. Club history The club was founded in 1960 as FC Ararat to represent the town of Ararat. With the independence of Armenia, the Ararat Cement Factory took ove ...

was founded in Ararat, but lasted only 4 years before being dissolved. FC Dvin Artashat founded in 1982, was also a prominent football club in the province. The remained in professional football until 1999, before being dissolved like most Armenian football clubs outside the capital Yerevan.

Masis FC Masis FC () was an Armenian football club based in the town of Masis, Ararat Province. They played their home games at the Masis City Stadium. History On 7 June 2019, Masis FC was officially founded in by Artur Voskanyan. The club represents ...

played in the domestic completions between 1992 and 1994 when they were also dissolved. There are 2 stadiums in the province: the

Ayg Stadium Ayg Stadium () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater association football, football stadium in Ararat, Armenia, Ararat, Armenia. It was last home to the Armenian Premier League club Impulse FC, Impulse from Dilijan. The all-seater stadium has a c ...

of Ararat and the Artashat City Stadium. The latter is the regular home of the annual National Athletics Championship of Armenia.

Gallery

File:Dvin Capital.jpg, Capital of Saint Gregory Cathedral, ancient Dvin File:Աղջոց վանք 02.jpg, The remains of

monastery File:Ուրծի լեռներ 15.jpg, Mount Kotuts of the Urts mountain range at the centre of the province File:Khosrov forest, Armenia.jpg,

File:Nor Kyurin.JPG, Ararat from Nor Kyurin village

References

{{Authority control Provinces of Armenia Mount Ararat