Noyemberyan () is a town and urban municipal community in the Noyemberyan Municipality of the

Tavush Province Tavush (, ) is a administrative divisions of Armenia, province of Armenia located at the northeast of Armenia, bordered by Georgia (country), Georgia from the north and Azerbaijan from the east. Internally, Tavush borders the Gegharkunik Province ...

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 ...

. It is located 2 km west of the Armenia-

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 ...

border and 9 km south of the Armenia-

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

border. As of the 2011 census, the population of the town was 5,310. As per the 2023 official data, the population of Noyemberyan is 4,327.

Etymology

Noyemberyan was known as ''Barana'' () until 1937. According to historian Makar Barkhudaryants, the old name ''Barana'' or ''Parana'' () is a dialectical form of the Armenian word ''aparan'' (), meaning ''palace''. In 1938, it was renamed ''Noyemberyan'' (meaning the ''city of November'') by the

Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...

to commemorate the entry of the Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

into

that took place on November 29, 1920.

History

Historically, the area of modern-day Noyemberyan was part of the ''Koghbapor'' () canton of

Gugark Gugark (, , ) was the 13th province of the ancient kingdom of Armenia. It now comprises parts of northern Armenia, northeast Turkey, and southwest Georgia. Etymology Etymologically, Gugark in Armenian language denotes land of Gugars. word ...

, the 13th province of Greater Armenia. Not much information is known about the origins of the settlement. However, the region was part of the Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget between the 10th and 12th centuries. The region was devastated during the

Mongol invasions The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire, the Mongol Empire (1206–1368), which by 1260 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...

in 1236. Later, it was ruled by the Zakarids in the 13–14th centuries. The 13th-century Mshkavank Monastery and Surp Sarkis Church, which are located in the immediate vicinity of the town, suggest that the settlement was formed during the 13th century. In 1501–02, most of the Eastern Armenian territories including the settlement of Barana (modern-day Noyemberyan) were swiftly conquered by the emerging

Safavid dynasty The Safavid dynasty (; , ) was one of Iran's most significant ruling dynasties reigning from Safavid Iran, 1501 to 1736. Their rule is often considered the beginning of History of Iran, modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder em ...

of Iran led by Shah

Ismail I Ismail I (; 17 July 1487 – 23 May 1524) was the founder and first shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1501 until his death in 1524. His reign is one of the most vital in the history of Iran, and the Safavid period is often considered the beginn ...

. The territories of present-day Lori and

Tavush Tavush (, ) is a province of Armenia located at the northeast of Armenia, bordered by Georgia from the north and Azerbaijan from the east. Internally, Tavush borders the Gegharkunik Province from the south, Kotayk Province from the southwest, and ...

provinces along with the neighboring

, became part of 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 ...

in 1800–01. The territories became an official region of Russia as per the

Treaty of Gulistan The Treaty of Gulistan (also spelled Golestan: ; ) was a peace treaty concluded between the Russian Empire and Qajar Iran on 24 October 1813 in the village of Gülüstan, Goranboy, Gulistan (now in Goranboy District, the Goranboy District of Azerb ...

signed between Imperial Russia and Qajar Persia in October 1813, following the Russo-Persian War of 1804–13. In 1840, the Elizavetpol uezd was formed and most of the territories of Tavush became part of the newly founded administrative division of the Russian Empire. Later in 1868, the Elisabethpol Governorate was established and Tavush became part of the newly formed Kazakh uezd of the governorate. After the short-lived independent Republic of Armenia in 1918–20, the Soviet Red Army entered the Armenian village of Barana on 29 November 1920 and 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 ...

was officially declared on 2 December 1920. In 1937, the Noyemberyan raion of Soviet Armenia was formed. One year later, the village Barana was renamed Noyemberyan to become the centre of the raion. In 1971, Noyemberyan received the status of an

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

. During the Soviet days, food-processing—mainly dairy products—was the most developed industrial sector in Noyemberyan. Following the independence of Armenia in 1991, Noyemberyan was given the status of a town within the newly founded

as per the administrative reforms of 1995. In 2016, the municipality of Noyemberyan was enlarged to include the nearby rural settlements of Baghanis, Barekamavan, Berdavan, Dovegh, Jujevan, Koti, Voskepar and Voskevan.

Geography

Noyemberyan is located at the northeast of Armenia, on the eastern foot of the Gugark mountains, at a road distance of 187 km northeast of the 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 ...

, and 54 km north of the provincial centre Ijevan. The border with

is only 2 kilometers east of the town. Noyemberyan is situated at the southeast of the Koghb River valley, at an average height of 820 meters above sea level. It is surrounded with the Voskepar mountains from the south and the mountains of Gugark from the west. This location is classified as Cfb by the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

. The average temperature of the year is 10.9 °C, in January -1.5 °C, while in July 26.7 °C. The maximum temperature registered ever in Noyemberyan is 35 °C and the minimum is -32 °C (1972). The annual precipitation is 535 mm, with the most rainy period of the year ranging between April and May.

Demographics

The majority of the town's 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 Diocese of Tavush, based in Ijevan. The town's main Surp Sarkis church dating back to 1903 was recently renovated. The town's second Surp Anna church was opened in 2011 through the efforts of Sedrak Mamyan, a native of Noyemberyan based in

Volgograd Volgograd,. formerly Tsaritsyn. (1589–1925) and Stalingrad. (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area of , with a population ...

Culture

The remains of a cyclopean fortress dating back to the

2nd millennium File:2nd millennium montage.png, From top left, clockwise: in 1492, Christopher Columbus reaches the New World, opening the European colonization of the Americas; the American Revolution, one of the late 1700s Enlightenment-inspired Atlantic Rev ...

BCE was found at the northern edge of Noyemberyan. The remains of the 13th-century Jukhtakeghtsi Church are found at the south of the town while the well-preserved Mshkavank Monastery of the same period is located around 2 km southwest of Noyemberyan. Currently, the community of Noyemberyan is served by a cultural centre, a public library, an art school and a school of music. Noyemberyan has the local "Kamut TV" station (since 1994) and "Tavush TV" also based in Noyemberyan (since 2010). The regional Ijevan TV is also well received in Noyemberyan.

Economy

Noyemberyan was an important centre of food and dairy products during the Soviet years. Currently, the town has small plants for canned food, dairy products, flour and bakery products. There are also small firms for furniture, plastic products and candles. The nearby settlement of Berdavan is home to the Berdavan wine Factory. Many of the citizens of Noyemberyan are involved in agriculture. Surrounded with fertile farms, the main crops include peach and grape. Iron and copper mines are found near Noyemberyan. Tourism is among the growing sectors in the region. The town has many boutique hotels as well as B&Bs.

Education

Currently, Noyemberyan is home to 2 public education school as well as 2 pre-school kindergartens. Noyemberyan is also home to a state intermediate college run by the Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia.

Sport

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

is the most popular sport in Noyemberyan. Aznavour FC founded in 1981, represented the town in domestic football competitions until 1997 when the club was dissolved due to financial difficulties. The football field of Noyemberyan known as the "Central" during the Soviet times, was reconstructed between 2008 and 2013 with many intervals. Finally, the new Noyemberyan City Stadium was opened on 18 October 2013, with a capacity of 100 seats only. It is envisaged to install a permanent stand at the northern side of the pitch to increase the capacity up to 1,500 seats. The town has a children and youth sport school run by the municipality.

Transportation

The Ayrum border checkpoint and railway station on the Yerevan-

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

highway, is around 22 km east of Noymeberyan. The town is connected with the main highway as well as the surrounding towns and villages, through the H-26 regional road.

Notable people

* Narek Beglaryan, former footballer

References

{{Portal bar, Geography Populated places in Tavush Province Populated places established in the 13th century Elizavetpol Governorate