Karchevan () 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 ...

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 ...

. The village is located in the southern part of the Syunik Province, a short distance from the

Aras 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 ...

- the main tributary of the Kura River, which forms the 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 ...

and the

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 ...

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 ...

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 292 in 2010, down from 353 at the 2001 census.

History

The village of Karchevan was first mentioned in the 10th century AD. It was bought by

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 ...

king Smbat Bagratuni (890-914) and donated to the domain of the

Tatev Monastery The Tatev Monastery () is a 9th-century Armenian Apostolic Christian monastery located on a large basalt plateau near the village of Tatev in the Syunik Province in southeastern Armenia. The term "Tatev" usually refers to the monastery. The mo ...

. Historically, it formed part of the ''Arevik gavar'' (district) of the Syunik region of Greater Armenia and was mentioned in sources as a significant settlement. 13th century tax records from Tatev mention the settlement in its domain. It was the location of the Karchevan fortress and a

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...

. According to the Geographical and Statistical Dictionary of the Russian Empire, published in 1865, 260 people lived in the village at that time. In addition, there was an old Armenian church, and nearby the village was the monastery of Surb Stepanos. The settlement has the Surb Astvatsatsin Church (12th century) and the ruins of the monastery of Surb Stepanos. In the vicinity of the village are the ruins of the Karchevan fortress as well as old cemeteries and tombs. During 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 ...

, Karchevan was part of the

Nakhichevan uezd The Nakhichevan ''uezd'' was a county (''uezd'') of the Erivan Governorate of the Caucasus Viceroyalty (1801–1917), Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It bordered the governorate's Sharur-Daralayaz uezd to the north, the Zangezur uez ...

of the

Erivan Governorate The Erivan Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its centеr in Erivan (present-day Yerevan). Its area was 27,830 sq. kilometеrs, roughly corresponding to what is now most of central ...

Culture

The locals speak a special Karchevan dialect of the

Eastern Armenian Eastern Armenian () is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Western Armenian. The two standards form a pluricentric language. Eastern Armenian is spoken in Armenia, Russia, as well as Georgia, and by the Armeni ...

language, similar to that spoken in

Meghri Meghri ( ; ) is a town and the centre of the Meghri Municipality of the Syunik Province in southern Armenia, near the border with Iran. As of the 2011 census, the population of the town was 4,580. According to the 2020 official estimate, Meghri's ...

and formerly in Agulis.

Gallery

Karchevan village, Armenia.jpg, Karchevan Կարճևանի Սբ. Աստվածածի եկեղեցի.jpg, Surb Astvatsatsin Church Լեզվաբան Էդուարդ Աղայանի տունը Կարճևանում.jpg, Linguist Eduard Aghayan's house in Karchevan ԵԱԶ հուշարձան Կարճևանում.jpg, World War II memorial

References

Populated places in Syunik Province {{Syunik-geo-stub