Amasia, Shirak

Amasia's name is traditionally connected with the name of Amasia Haykazuni, a great-grandson of Hayk, the legendary progenitor of the Armenians.{{Cite web|title=Պատմական ակնարկ Ամասիայի և հարակից բնակավայրեր մասին|trans-title=Historical review of Amasia and nearby settlements|url=http://amasia.am/Pages/CustomPage/?CustomPageID=a01f5a47-e9ae-4183-ad51-62957b54e73a|url-status=live|website=amasia.am|publisher=Amasia Community of Shirak Province (official website)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404032744/http://amasia.am:80/Pages/CustomPage/?CustomPageID=a01f5a47-e9ae-4183-ad51-62957b54e73a |archive-date=2019-04-04 }}

Historically, the area that Amasia is located in was a part of the canton of Ashotsk of the province of Gugark of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia. Approximately two kilometers to the northwest of the village is a ruined ancient fortress built in Cyclopean style that the villagers refer to as Chatin Dara, dated to approximately the 3–2 millennia BCE. Two kilometers to the west of the village is an abandoned settlement that the villagers call Kharabalar (from Turkish Harabeler, or "Ruins") which according to folk tradition was inhabited by Greeks. There are also a number of medieval Armenian churches in the area around the village. Most of the current inhabitants of Amasia and the nearby villages are descended from Armenians who came from Basen and Kars and other parts of Western Armenia starting from 1829, when Eastern Armenia was conquered by the Russian Empire. Until the 1920s the core village of Amasia was populated almost entirely by Turkic-speaking Sunni Muslims (Qarapapaqs).{{Cite web|last=|date=10 June 2021|title=Ամասիա ավանի բնակչությունը 1886-2013 թվականներին|trans-title=Population of the settlement Amasia from 1886-2013|url=http://www.aniarc.am/2021/06/10/amasya-and-neighboring-villages-population-korkotyan/|url-status=live|access-date=24 June 2021|website=ANI Armenian Research Center|language=hy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624235500/http://www.aniarc.am/2021/06/10/amasya-and-neighboring-villages-population-korkotyan/ |archive-date=2021-06-24 }} According to the 1912 edition of the Caucasian Calendar reference book, 528 people, mainly Qarapapaqs, lived in Amasia, then located in the Kars Okrug of the Kars Oblast of the Russian Empire.{{Cite web|title=Кавказский календарь. Тифлис 1912|url=http://irakly.org/plugins/editors/xinha/plugins/ImageManager/demo_images/5Population/124.jpg|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304101057/http://irakly.org/plugins/editors/xinha/plugins/ImageManager/demo_images/5Population/124.jpg|archive-date=2016-03-04|access-date=2012-11-25}} By 1931, Armenians outnumbered the Turkic population, and eventually the village became exclusively Armenian-populated.

In 1893, the British explorer and author of a two volume work on Armenia, H. F. B. Lynch, visited the village. During Soviet times, Amasia was the capital of the Amasia District of Soviet Armenia. From 1951–1956 the village was officially known as Ghukasyan (or Ghukasyan Nerkin to distinguish it from Ashotsk, then also called Ghukasyan), after the Armenian Young Communist Ghukas Ghukasyan who died during the May Uprising.

Amasia is the center of the municipality (enlarged rural community) of Amasia, which, as of 2023, encompasses 25 other villages: Aregnadem, Bandivan, Byurakn, Gtashen, Kamkhut, Hovtun, Voghji, Hoghmik, Meghrashat, Jradzor, Alvar, Aghvorik, Ardenis, Garnarij, Lorasar, Darik, Yeghnajur, Aravet, Zarishat, Tsaghkut, Shaghik, Zorakert, Berdashen, Yerizak, and Paghakn.{{Cite web |title= |script-title=hy:Համայնքի անձնագիր |trans-title=Community's ID |url=https://www.amasia.am/Pages/CustomPage/?CustomPageID=722b890c-cc0b-4c5d-bdf2-30fbebab4291 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726091731/https://www.amasia.am/Pages/CustomPage/?CustomPageID=722b890c-cc0b-4c5d-bdf2-30fbebab4291 |archive-date=2023-07-26 |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=amasia.am}}

{{Weather box

|location = Amasia, Shirak (1991–2020, extremes 1981-2020)

|metric first = y

|single line = y

|width = auto

|Jan record high C = 6.3

|Feb record high C = 10.5

|Mar record high C = 16.9

|Apr record high C = 22.6

|May record high C = 24.9

|Jun record high C = 29.5

|Jul record high C = 33.3

|Aug record high C = 34.6

|Sep record high C = 31.5

|Oct record high C = 24.0

|Nov record high C = 16.7

|Dec record high C = 12.9

|year record high C =

|Jan high C = 1.8

|Feb high C = 3.7

|Mar high C = 9.3

|Apr high C = 17.2

|May high C = 21.4

|Jun high C = 25.7

|Jul high C = 29.4

|Aug high C = 29.7

|Sep high C = 26.5

|Oct high C = 20.2

|Nov high C = 12.6

|Dec high C = 4.8

|year high C = 16.9

|Jan mean C = -8.0

|Feb mean C = -6.8

|Mar mean C = -1.8

|Apr mean C = 4.5

|May mean C = 9.4

|Jun mean C = 13.8

|Jul mean C = 16.9

|Aug mean C = 17.4

|Sep mean C = 13.2

|Oct mean C = 7.6

|Nov mean C = 0.6

|Dec mean C = -5.4

|year mean C = 5.1

|Jan low C = -20.6

|Feb low C = -20.1

|Mar low C = -15.4

|Apr low C = -7.7

|May low C = -0.6

|Jun low C = 3.4

|Jul low C = 6.8

|Aug low C = 7.0

|Sep low C = 1.4

|Oct low C = -3.7

|Nov low C = -10.8

|Dec low C = -17.5

|year low C = -6.5

|Jan record low C = -26.2

|Feb record low C = -28.4

|Mar record low C = -25.9

|Apr record low C = -15.5

|May record low C = -6.0

|Jun record low C = -2.3

|Jul record low C = 1.9

|Aug record low C = 2.6

|Sep record low C = -5.4

|Oct record low C = -7.7

|Nov record low C = -21.4

|Dec record low C = -24.7

|year record low C = -28.4

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 40.0

|Feb precipitation mm = 34.2

|Mar precipitation mm = 45.5

|Apr precipitation mm = 76.4

|May precipitation mm = 110.5

|Jun precipitation mm = 86.7

|Jul precipitation mm = 53.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 46.3

|Sep precipitation mm = 32.2

|Oct precipitation mm = 49.0

|Nov precipitation mm = 32.5

|Dec precipitation mm = 41.0

|year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 7.5

|Feb precipitation days = 6.7

|Mar precipitation days = 8.6

|Apr precipitation days = 11.8

|May precipitation days = 15.8

|Jun precipitation days = 11.3

|Jul precipitation days = 8.8

|Aug precipitation days = 7.8

|Sep precipitation days = 6

|Oct precipitation days = 7.5

|Nov precipitation days = 6.3

|Dec precipitation days = 7.2

|year precipitation days =

| Jan humidity =84.8

| Feb humidity =83.5

| Mar humidity =81.6

| Apr humidity =78.9

| May humidity =80.2

| Jun humidity =77.7

| Jul humidity =76.6

| Aug humidity =74.5

| Sep humidity =75.2

| Oct humidity =79.9

| Nov humidity =83.2

| Dec humidity =86.2

| year humidity =

| Jan sun =89.9

| Feb sun =113.0

| Mar sun =158.1

| Apr sun =171.0

| May sun =223.2

| Jun sun =306.0

| Jul sun =347.2

| Aug sun =328.6

| Sep sun =276.0

| Oct sun =195.3

| Nov sun =150.0

| Dec sun =93.0

| year sun =

| Jand sun =2.9

| Febd sun =4.0

| Mard sun =5.1

| Aprd sun =5.7

| Mayd sun =7.2

| Jund sun =10.2

| Juld sun =11.2

| Augd sun =10.6

| Sepd sun =9.2

| Octd sun =6.3

| Novd sun =5.0

| Decd sun =3.0

| yeard sun =

|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web |title=World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Amasia-37682 |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Armenia/CSV/Amasia_37682.csv |format=CSV |website=ncei.noaa.gov |publisher=NOAA |access-date=4 March 2024}}

|source 2 =DWD(sun 2005-2019){{Cite web |url=https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_376820_kt.pdf |title=Klimatafel von Amasia (ehem. Gukasjan), Prov. Shirak / Armenien |access-date=6 October 2024 |website=dwd.de |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |page=1 |language=German }}

}}

The population of the village since 1886 is as follows:{{Cite Republic of Armenia Settlements Dictionary}}

{{reflist}}

{{Shirak}}

Category:Communities in Shirak Province

Category:Populated places in Shirak Province

{{Shirak-geo-stub}}