Nerkin Getashen () is a village in the
Martuni Municipality of the
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 ...
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 ...
, located along the southwestern coast 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 ...
. South of Nerkin Getashen lies
Verin Getashen (), founded 1828-29 by migrants from
Mush
In multiplayer online games, a MUSH (a backronymed variation on Multi-user dungeon, MUD most often expanded as Multi-User Shared Hallucination, though Multi-User Shared Hack, Habitat, and Holodeck are also observed) is a text-based online social m ...
and
Alashkert, in present-day
Eastern Turkey
The Eastern Anatolia region () is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous province in the region is Van Province. Other populous provinces are Malatya, Erzurum and Elazığ.
It is bordered by the Black Sea Region and Georgia in th ...
.
Etymology
The village was known as ''Nerkin Adyaman'' and ''Nizhniy Adyaman'' prior to 1945.
History
In the village is the 9th-century monastery and church of
Kotavank overlooking the village and the Argitchi River with a large cemetery adjacent. Turkic rune inscriptions are located nearby. Within the village is a ruined "Jam" or funeral chapel with
khachkar
A ''khachkar'' (also spelled as ''khatchkar'') or Armenian cross-stone (, , խաչ ''xačʿ'' "cross" + քար ''kʿar'' "stone") is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosette (design), rosettes ...
s built into its walls, and not far away is a small shrine. An old mill sits along the Argitchi River. There are also two large stone forts from the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
located two kilometres to the east and three kilometres to the west of the village.
Kot
In the early
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, the site of what is now modern Nerkin Getashen served as the capital of the ancient Syunyats region, known at that time as Kot. The settlement was located along the Dvin-Partav historical trade route, which allowed it to become an important 9th-10th century trade center. It also served as a
fishery
Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish far ...
for the medieval
Bagratuni 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 th ...
due to the large quantity of
trout
Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...
that were once abundant in the Argitchi River. The written record of Prince Grigor Supan notes that Kot served as the capital of his
princedom
A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "principality" is often ...
. Aside from this, there is no further mention of Kot found in his writings. The monastery and church of Kotavank were also erected by Prince Grigor Supan during his reign. Both Kotavank and Kot were partially destroyed by invasions in the 10th-11th centuries and later by an earthquake. After its capture by Turkish invaders, Kot was renamed Adyaman.
Gallery
Kotavank November.JPG, Kotavank (St. Holy Mother Church of Kot) and the adjacent cemetery
Ներքին Գետաշենի սուրբ Գրիգոր Լուսավորիչ եկեղեցի 143.jpg, St. Gregory the Illuminator Church (Lusavorich Church)
Խաչքարադաշտ Ներքին Գետաշեն գյուղում 41.jpg, Khachkars and a view of Nerkin Getashen
Ջրաղաց Ներքին Գետաշեն գյուղում 01.jpg, Mill in Nerkin Getashen
Saint Holy Mother church of Kot 01.jpg, A view of Nerkin Getashen and Kotavank
Կոթավանք, Ներքին Գետաշեն գյուղ 36.jpg, A view of Nerkin Getashen
References
External links
*
VirtualArmenia.am: ''Nerkin (lower) Getashen - Gegharkunik''
Populated places in Gegharkunik Province
{{Gegharkunik-geo-stub