Nor Hachen
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Nor Hachn ( ) is a town and urban municipal community in the
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 ...
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 ...
, founded in 1953. The town is located on the right bank of
Hrazdan River The Hrazdan (, ) is a major river and the second largest in Armenia. It originates at the northwest extremity of Lake Sevan and flows south through the Kotayk Province and Armenia's capital, Yerevan; the lake in turn is fed by several streams. In ...
, to the west of the Arzni canyon, on the immediate proximity of the Arzni-Shamiram canal. As per the 2011 census, Nor Hachn had a population of 9,307. According to the 2016 official estimate, the population is around 8,400. As per the 2022 census, Nor Hachn had a population of 9,816.


Etymology

The town is named Nor Hachn, meaning ''New Hadjin'', in memory of the Armenian town of
Hadjin Saimbeyli, historically known as Hadjin (), is a town and district of Adana Province in present-day Turkey. Its area is 989 km2, and its population is 13,621 (2022). The town is located at the Taurus mountains of Cilicia region, 157 km north o ...
in
Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...
, where a group of local fedayis organized a military resistance against the Turkish forces in 1920. Prior to the 1915
Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...
, Hadjin had a population of 35,000, of which 30,000 were Armenians and the rest were Turks. Most of the Armenians were either massacred or taken to the Deir ez-Zor concentration camps in the
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
n desert. After the
Armistice of Mudros The Armistice of Mudros () ended hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between Ottoman Turkey and the Allies of World War I. It was signed on 30 October 1918 by the Ottoman Minister of Marine Affairs Rauf Bey and British Admiral Somerset ...
in 1918, Cilicia became a protectorate of
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
as part of the
Triple Entente The Triple Entente (from French meaning "friendship, understanding, agreement") describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It was built upon th ...
. Consequently, around 8,000 Armenian genocide survivors returned to Hadjin with the withdrawal of the Ottoman forces. However, the French troops left Cilicia in 1920, paving the way for the advance of the Turkish forces led by
Mustafa Kemal Mustafa () is one of the names of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world. Given name Moustafa * Moustafa A ...
. On April 1, 1920, Turkish troops led by Kemal Doğan launched an offensive against the Armenians of Hadjin who organized a military resistance, which lasted until October 15, 1920, when the Turks occupied the entire city. Most of the remaining 6,000 Armenians were massacred or killed during the military operations. The surviving 365 Armenians of Hadjin took refuge in
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
and
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
.


History

The geographical location of present-day Nor Hachn corresponds with the location of the historical Kotayk canton of the
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 the ancient Greater Armenia. In 1953, a small settlement was founded near the village of Arzni to accommodate the workers of the nearby hydro power plants, mainly the Arzni Hydro Power Plant which was opened in 1956. Subsequently, the settlement became popularly known as "Silovoy" (the Russian name of the power generator plant). With the establishment of the "Sapfir" stone-processing factory in 1958, along with many other industrial plants, a planned urban settlement was developed in the area of Silovoy settlement. During the 1960s, the new settlement was named Nor Hachn (New Hadjin) in memory of the Armenian town of Hadjin in
Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...
(nowadays known as
Saimbeyli Saimbeyli, historically known as Hadjin (), is a town and district of Adana Province in present-day Turkey. Its area is 989 km2, and its population is 13,621 (2022). The town is located at the Taurus mountains of Cilicia region, 157 km north o ...
in modern-day
Turkish Republic Turkish Republic may refer to: * Turkey, archaically the "Turkish Republic" * Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the ...
). Between 1988 and 1990, 374 Armenian refugees from
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 ...
were resettled in Nor Hachn. Nor Hachn used to be a major industrial centre within the
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia ...
. However, after the independence of Armenia in 1991, very few industrial plants have survived in the town. The town has been home to the "Lori" diamond-processing plant since 1992. The other; "Shoghakn" diamond-processing plant was closed in 2007.


Geography

Nor Hachn is located in
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 ...
on the right bank of
Hrazdan River The Hrazdan (, ) is a major river and the second largest in Armenia. It originates at the northwest extremity of Lake Sevan and flows south through the Kotayk Province and Armenia's capital, Yerevan; the lake in turn is fed by several streams. In ...
, 20 km north of capital
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 ...
. It has an average height of above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
. Mount Hatis is located around 12 km east of Nor Hachn, while the Mount of Ara is around 13 km northwest of the town. Nor Hachn is bordered by the village of Arzni and the town of Byureghavan on the east, the village of Nor Geghi on the north, the village of Nor Artamet on the west and the village of Getamej on the south. The Yeghvard training airfield is located to the west of Nor Hachn. The climate of Nor Hachn is
continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...
and dry with relatively hot summers and extremely cold winters.


Demographics

Nor Hachn is mainly populated by 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 Holy Saviour's Church consecrated in July 2015, is the main church of the town. Designed by the renowned architect Artak Ghulyan, the church was built through donations from
Gagik Tsarukyan Gagik Kolyayi Tsarukyan (), also known as Dodi Gago (), is an Armenian businessman, politician, and former athlete. Tsarukyan is the founder and leader of the Prosperous Armenia political party. He also owns various large-scale businesses and is b ...
. President
Serzh Sargsyan Serzh Azati Sargsyan (, ; born 30 June 1954)Official biography of Serzh Sargsyan
and Catholicos
Karekin II Catholicos Garegin II (, also spelled Karekin; born 21 August 1951) is the Catholicos of All Armenians, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, since 1999. In 2013 he was unanimously elected the Oriental Orthodox head of the World Cou ...
attended the consecration ceremony.


Culture

Nor Hachn has many cultural institutions, including a central library, a school of arts opened in 1968 and a house of culture opened in 1971. In 1974, a memorial to the
Hadjin Saimbeyli, historically known as Hadjin (), is a town and district of Adana Province in present-day Turkey. Its area is 989 km2, and its population is 13,621 (2022). The town is located at the Taurus mountains of Cilicia region, 157 km north o ...
resistance was erected in Nor Hachn. It was designed by architect
Rafael Israelyan Rafayel "Rafo" Israyelian (; – 8 September 1973) was a Soviet Armenian architect. Seen as a follower of Alexander Tamanian, Israyelian designed some of Soviet Armenia's most prominent structures, including the Sardarapat Memorial, the Yerev ...
. The memorial is home to the museum of "History of the Armenians of Cilicia", operating since 1978. The museum depicts the history of the Armenian
Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, also known as Cilician Armenia, Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia, was an Armenian state formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian ...
, the culture of the
Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...
region, as well as the history of ''Hadjin'' and the 1920 resistance against the Ottomans. The museum is directed by the town council. Every year, on the 2nd Sunday of October, Armenians from all over the world -mainly descendants of historic
Hadjin Saimbeyli, historically known as Hadjin (), is a town and district of Adana Province in present-day Turkey. Its area is 989 km2, and its population is 13,621 (2022). The town is located at the Taurus mountains of Cilicia region, 157 km north o ...
- gather in Nor Hachn to commemorate the 1920 Hadjin Resistance.


Transportation


Roads

The H5 highway runs by the west side of the town, connecting with the larger M4 motorway leading to Yerevan.


Air

Arzni airfield, housing the Armenak Khanperyants Military Aviation University is located to the west of Nor Hachn. There are various training airplanes and helicopters stationed at the base on one of the runways, while a sizable number military vehicles and artillery are located on the other runway.


Railway

Nor Hachn has a small railway station south of the town, however the Yerevan Western bypass railway line on which it is located is currently only used by
South Caucasus Railway South Caucasus Railway (, ) is the sole railway company in Armenia, owned by Russian Railways, responsible for all inter-city, commuter, and freight rail transport in Armenia. The network consists of 780 kilometers (480 mi) of track with all li ...
freight trains.


Economy

Nor Hachn was once famous for its diamond cutting plants with many enterprises operated during the Soviet period and the first years of the independence. Currently, the town is home to a small number of diamond cutting firms, as well as many other manufacturing enterprises.


Education

As of 2017, Nor Hachn is home to 1 pre-school kindergarten, 4 primary schools and 1 high school. The town is home to the Armenak Armenak Khanperyants Military Aviation University of the
Ministry of Defence of Armenia The Ministry of Defence of Armenia () often abbreviated to the RA Ministry of Defence is an Armenian governmental agency in charge of overseeing the development of the Armed Forces of Armenia. The Ministry of Defence is also the executive body wh ...
, operating since 1992. The faculty of general education of the university, provides basic engineering and general military knowledge, while the other 3 faculties are specialized in aviation, signal (aircraft), and anti-aircraft warfare.Armenak Khanperyants Military Aviation University
/ref>


Sport

Hachn FC was a football club from Nor Hachn, used to play their home games at the Hachn City Stadium of 5,000 seats. The club was dissolved in early 1997 due to financial difficulties and is currently inactive from professional football.


See also

*
Saimbeyli Saimbeyli, historically known as Hadjin (), is a town and district of Adana Province in present-day Turkey. Its area is 989 km2, and its population is 13,621 (2022). The town is located at the Taurus mountains of Cilicia region, 157 km north o ...


References

{{Cities and towns in Armenia Populated places in Kotayk Province Cities and towns built in the Soviet Union Populated places established in 1958