Gavar

The town was known as Nor Bayаzet (Նոր Բայազետ) or Novo-Bayazet ({{Langx|ru|Новобаязет}}){{Cite book |url=https://www.prlib.ru/item/417322 |title=Кавказский календарь на 1917 год |publisher=Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom |year=1917 |edition=72nd |publication-place=Tiflis |pages=214–221 |language=Russian |trans-title=Caucasian calendar for 1917 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104233151/https://www.prlib.ru/item/417322 |archive-date=4 November 2021}} until 1959, named after the Western Armenian town of Bayazet (historically known as Daroynk and Arshakavan). Between 1959 and 1995, the town was known as Kamo, named after the Bolshevik revolutionary Kamo (Simon Ter-Petrosian).{{cite book|last= Everett-Heath|author-link= John Everett-Heath|first= John|title= The Concise Dictionary of World Place Names|year= 2017|location= Oxford, United Kingdom|publisher= Oxford University Press|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qgJCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT694|isbn= 9780192556462}} On December 4, 1995, the town was renamed back to its ancient name of Gavar, meaning county in the Armenian language.{{cite book|last= Bournoutian|first= George|author-link= George Bournoutian|title= Armenia and Imperial Decline: The Yerevan Province, 1900-1914|year= 2018|location= New York|series= Routledge Advances in Armenian Studies|publisher= Routledge|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Cb9aDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT48|page= 48|isbn= 9781351062602}}

However, Gavar is colloquially known as Kyavar (Քյավառ){{efn|Classical spelling: Քեաւառ}}{{cite web|title=Գեղարքունիքի ավանդապատումները|url=http://hzham.am/%D5%A3%D5%A5%D5%B2%D5%A1%D6%80%D6%84%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B6%D5%AB%D6%84%D5%AB-%D5%A1%D5%BE%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%A4%D5%A1%D5%BA%D5%A1%D5%BF%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B4%D5%B6%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%A8/|website=hzham.am|quote=Գավառ, որը ժողովրդի մեջ գործածական է Քյավառ ձևով|access-date=2015-03-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210254/http://hzham.am/%D5%A3%D5%A5%D5%B2%D5%A1%D6%80%D6%84%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B6%D5%AB%D6%84%D5%AB-%D5%A1%D5%BE%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%A4%D5%A1%D5%BA%D5%A1%D5%BF%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B4%D5%B6%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%A8/|archive-date=2016-03-03|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Գեղարքունիք [Gegharkunik]|url=http://gegharkunik.agro.am/index.php?id=1996|website=agro.am|language=hy|quote=Նախկինում բնակավայրի Գավառ անվանումը տեղացիների կողմից աղավաղվելով դարձել է Քյավառ:}} since the 19th century.

File:Ancient city of Gavar.jpg

File:Hayravank Monastery.jpg

The modern town of Gavar was founded as Novo-Bayazet (New Bayazit) in 1830 around {{Convert|8|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of the Lake Sevan, on the site of the ancient city of Gavar or Gyavar, following the immigration of 8,557 Armenians from the town of Bayazit (historically known as Daroynk and Arshakavan) of the Ottoman Empire due to the Russo-Turkish war of 1828-1829. The settlement achieved the status of a town in 1850.

However, the area of modern-day Gavar has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. Many historical tombstones, dating back to the 2nd millennium BC are founded in Gavar. The remains of a cyclopean fort dating back to the early Iron Age, are found on a hill at the centre of the town. It is believed that the fortress was the royal capital of the Uelikuhi region within the Urartu kingdom.{{cite journal|last= Melikishvili|first= A.A.|title= Urartian cuneiform inscriptions|location= Moscow: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR|year= 1960|page= 256}} It was surrounded with more than 22 minor fortifications. The region of Uelikuhi was conquered by the Urartian king Sarduri II. His son, Rusa II renamed the fortress in honour of Khaldi; one of the three chief deities of Ararat. Gavar was known as the “City of Khaldi” while the nearby village of Tsovinar was known as the “City of Teisheba.”{{cite book|last= Hmayakan|first= Simon|chapter= The "City of Haldi" in the Land of Uaza|title= Over the Mountains and Far Away: Studies in Near Eastern history and archaeology|editor-last1= Avetisyan|editor-first1= Pavel S.|editor-last2= Dan|editor-first2= Roberto|editor-first3= Yervand H.|editor-last3= Grekyan|year= 2019|publisher= Archaeopress|page= 292|isbn= 9781784919443}} Urartian cuneiform inscriptions of Rusa II commemorating his victory over the kings of Uelikuhi and establishing the fortress of Khaldi in 732 BC were discovered in 1927,{{cite journal|last=Sayce|first= Archibald|author-link= Archibald Sayce|title=The Vannic Inscription of Nor-Bajazet|journal= Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland|volume= 3|year= 1932|pages= 593–595|issn= 0035-869X}} and are now held in the city’s history museum. The Artsvakar neighbourhood of Gavar is also home to another Iron Age fortress, dating back to the 2nd millennium BC.{{cite book|last1= Kiesling|first1= Brady|last2= Kojian|first2= Raffi|author-link1= Brady Kiesling|chapter= Gegharkunik Marz|title= Rediscovering Armenia : an archaeological/touristic gazetteer and map set for the historical monuments of Armenia|edition= 2|location= Yerevan|publisher= Matit|year= 2005|isbn= 9994101218|url= http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Rediscovering_Armenia_Guidebook-_Gegharkunik_Marz}}

File:Gavar_cuneiform_01.jpg inscription marking the foundation of the ancient fortress city of Khaldi in Gavar]]

After the establishment of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia, the territory of modern-day Gavar was included within the Gegharkunik canton at the north of the historic Syunik province of Armenia Major.

Many other ancient and medieval monuments, including monasteries, Khachkars (cross-stones), cuneiform inscriptions, gravestones and a chapel are also found in the town.{{cite journal|last= Markoff|first= Dr. A.|title= Russian Armenia|journal= Journal of the Society of Arts|location= London|year= 1895|volume= XLIII|page= 228|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=JeRFAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA228|publisher= Royal Society of Arts|issn= 2049-7865}}{{cite book|last= Sagona|first= Antonio|title= The Archaeology of the Caucasus: From Earliest Settlements to the Iron Age|year= 2018|location= New York|publisher= Cambridge University Press|series= Cambridge World Archaeology|page= 367|isbn= 9781107016590}} The Hatsarat neighbourhood (a separate village until the 1960s) is home to the Hatsarat Monastery with 2 churches dating back to the 7th and 19th centuries.{{Cite web|url=http://www.findarmenia.com/eng/sights/hacarat|title=Hatsarat, Gegharkunik|access-date=2016-06-25|archive-date=2016-07-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160705030319/http://findarmenia.com/eng/sights/hacarat|url-status=dead}}

File:Arnegh Monastery (35).jpg

Over the centuries, the area of modern-day Gavar had been severely destroyed, with the latest taking place during the 17th century, when it was ruined by Shah Abbas I of Persia.

In 1828, after the Russo-Persian War, the region of Gegharkunik—as a part of the Erivan Khanate—was handed over to the Russian Empire as a result of the Treaty of Turkmenchay signed on 21 February 1828. In 1830, the Armenian migrants from Bayazit founded the village of Novo-Bayazet. With the establishment of the Erivan Governorate in 1850, Novo-Bayazet became the centre of the newly formed Nor Bayazet uezd.

File:Prince Mkrtich Artsruni with his wife Srbuhi.jpg with his wife Srbuhi in Gavar|231x231px]]

Novo-Bayazet, along with many other regions of Eastern Armenia became part of the USSR in December 1920. After achieving the status of an urban-type settlement in 1950, the town has gradually grown over the years. In 1959, the town was known as Kamo, named after the Bolshevik revolutionary Kamo. It was once home to 36,400 people at the beginning of the 1980s.{{Cite web|url=http://www.kyavartv.am/|title=Քյավառ ՏՎ|website=www.kyavartv.am}}

After the independence of Armenia in, the town was renamed Gavar in 1995 and became the provincial centre of the newly established Gegharkunik Province. However, much of the Soviet-era infrastructure of the town has failed and the industrial capacity has floundered. As a result, the population of Gavar has drastically declined to 23,302 as reported in the 2001 census, 20,765 in the 2011 census and later to 17,741 as reported in the 2022 census.

File:Գյուղատեղի Ագարակ («Մանուչարի դոլակներ») 34.jpg]]

At an average height of 1982 meters above sea level, Gavar is situated on the shores of Gavaraget river. The town is dominated by the Gegham mountains from the west and the Lake Sevan from the east. At a height of 3,597 meters, mount Azhdahak is located around 15 km southwest of Gavar.

The town is surrounded by a number of villages including Noratus from the east, Karmirgyugh and Gandzak from the south.

Gavar features a humid continental (Köppen Dfb) climate, which is characterized by cold winters and warm summers. The annual precipitation level is 450 mm.

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Gavar 1961 m asl (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981-2020)

|Jan record high C= 10.6

|Feb record high C= 11.9

|Mar record high C= 18.6

|Apr record high C= 25.1

|May record high C= 27.6

|Jun record high C= 30.5

|Jul record high C= 32.7

|Aug record high C= 34.1

|Sep record high C= 31.1

|Oct record high C= 24.5

|Nov record high C= 20.6

|Dec record high C= 14.0

|year record high C=

| Jan high C =-0.6

| Feb high C =-0.3

| Mar high C =3.4

| Apr high C =10.7

| May high C =15.4

| Jun high C =19.7

| Jul high C =22.8

| Aug high C =23.1

| Sep high C =20.3

| Oct high C =14.0

| Nov high C =7.0

| Dec high C =1.3

| Jan mean C =-6.3

| Feb mean C =-6.1

| Mar mean C =-1.8

| Apr mean C =5.3

| May mean C =9.5

| Jun mean C =13.2

| Jul mean C =16.3

| Aug mean C =16.4

| Sep mean C =12.7

| Oct mean C =7.5

| Nov mean C =1.5

| Dec mean C =-4.0

| Jan low C =-11.9

| Feb low C =-11.9

| Mar low C =-7.0

| Apr low C =-0.2

| May low C =3.5

| Jun low C =6.6

| Jul low C =9.7

| Aug low C =9.7

| Sep low C =5.1

| Oct low C =1.0

| Nov low C =-4.1

| Dec low C =-9.4

|Jan record low C= -33

|Feb record low C= -32.7

|Mar record low C= -30.9

|Apr record low C= -22.2

|May record low C= -15.2

|Jun record low C= -4.8

|Jul record low C= -3.1

|Aug record low C= -2.2

|Sep record low C= -5.8

|Oct record low C= -21.2

|Nov record low C= -27.2

|Dec record low C= -27.6

|year record low C=

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm =22.7

| Feb precipitation mm =26.0

| Mar precipitation mm =38.9

| Apr precipitation mm =54.5

| May precipitation mm =66.4

| Jun precipitation mm =74.8

| Jul precipitation mm =67.0

| Aug precipitation mm =43.5

| Sep precipitation mm =30.5

| Oct precipitation mm =35.1

| Nov precipitation mm =25.4

| Dec precipitation mm =20.6

|unit precipitation days= 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days= 5

|Feb precipitation days= 5.7

|Mar precipitation days= 8.2

|Apr precipitation days= 10.8

|May precipitation days= 13.3

|Jun precipitation days= 11.4

|Jul precipitation days= 9.1

|Aug precipitation days= 7.4

|Sep precipitation days= 5.9

|Oct precipitation days= 7.6

|Nov precipitation days= 5.5

|Dec precipitation days= 5.5

|year precipitation days=

| Jan humidity =73.6

| Feb humidity =72.2

| Mar humidity =69.9

| Apr humidity =68

| May humidity =68.1

| Jun humidity =68.1

| Jul humidity =68.5

| Aug humidity =66.5

| Sep humidity =67

| Oct humidity =68.4

| Nov humidity =70.7

| Dec humidity =73.5

| year humidity =

|source 1= NCEI{{cite web |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Armenia/CSV/Gavar_37801.csv|title=WMO Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Gavar|format=CSV |publisher=NOAA |access-date=8 March 2024}}

|source 2= Météo Climat stats(Temperature averages for 1981-2010){{cite web |url=http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/listenormale-1981-2010-1-p14.php|title=Moyennes 1981-2010 Arménie|language=fr|access-date=11 November 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=725|title=Météo Climat stats for Gavar |publisher=Météo Climat|access-date=11 November 2019}}

}}

File:Gavar Saint Karapet (02).jpg

File:Բարսեղ Արծրունին և Մարգար Արծրունին ընտանիքներով (Barsegh Artsruni և Margar Artsruni with families).png, 19th century]]

{{Historical populations

|1831|1346

|1897|8486

|1916|14748

|1926|8447

|1939|8277

|1959|8,751

|1974|21382

|1989|31234

|2001|26621

|2011|20765

|2022|17741

|align=none|percentages=pagr|graph-pos=bottom|source={{Cite Republic of Armenia Settlements Dictionary}}{{Cite Kavkazskiy Kalendar 1917}}}}

thumb

File:Gavar Holy Mother of God church (3).jpg

The people of Gavar are mainly Christians and belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The town has many medieval chapels and churches. The Surp Karapet Church of 1848 is among the well-preserved churches in Gavar. The Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God in Gavar is the seat of the Diocese of Gegharkunik of the Armenian Church. It was built in 1905 at the central square of the town, with the efforts of then-bishop Khoren Muradbegian with help of the local citizens. Until the late 1990s, it was the highest church in Armenia in terms of altitudes.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

The town is also home to many other churches including:

• Hatsarat Monastery with the churches of the Holy Mother of God (7th century) and Saint Gregory the Illuminator (19th century).
• Hayravank Monastery of the 9th century: located 7 kilometers north of Gavar on the shores of Lake Sevan.
• Surp Khach (Holly Cross) chapel of the 17th century, renovated in 1969.
• Surp Karapet Church built by Barsegh Artsruni in 1848 and entirely renovated in 2012.{{Cite web|url=https://armenpress.am/arm/news/699929/|title=Գավառում հիմնանորոգվել եւ վերաօծվել է Սուրբ Կարապետ եկեղեցին|website=armenpress.am|date=19 November 2012 }}

The Noratus cemetery archaeological site is located in the Noratus village just 4 kilometers east of Gavar. It is home to a large number of impressive medieval khachkars (cross-stones).{{cn|date=February 2023}}

File:Nor-Bayazet 1914.jpg

Gavar has a history museum, a cultural palace, a drama theatre, many public libraries and monument dedicated to the victims of the Great Patriotic War during World War II.

The town has an educational teaching centre (1923), school of music (1945), palace of culture (1970), school of art (1982), public library (2002), and a special school of duduk named after Gevorg Dabaghyan (2010). The municipality runs a youth creativity centre as well.

Gavar has a portal which is used by many citizens abroad. The name of the portal is Kyavar, as the locals pronounce the name of the city with a "ky" sound instead of a "g" sound at the beginning of the name.

The cuisine of Gavar is closely related with the oriental cuisine elements, characterized with various spices, vegetables, fish, and fruits combination.

Kyavari Kyufta (kofta of Gavar), the town's most favourite dish, is made from minced meat spiced with onions and rolled into balls before boiling in water. Served in slices, it is garnished with butter. People of Gavar like to eat bread with almost everything, and the two traditional types of bread in Gavar are lavash and matnakash.

The Kyavar baklava is a many-layered pastry with tissue-thin sheets of phyllo dough, filled with nuts and sugar and finished with a dousing of hot honey.

Gavar is located on the M-10 Motorway that connects the town with northeastern Armenia. The H-39 Road connects Gavar with the surrounding town and villages.

Gavar has an airstrip since the Soviet years, located to the north of the town.

File:Gavar general view.jpg

After being granted the status of an urban-type settlement in 1950, the town became one of the major industrial centres of the Armenian SSR. It was home to a large electrical cable factory known as Kamokabel as well as a machines manufacturing plant.

However, after the independence of Armenia in 1991, most of the Soviet-era industry has dreadfully declined. However, the local economy is improving within slow rates as many native businessmen are returning to Gavar from Russia in the hope of finding new chances of investments.

Currently, Gavar is home to the "Gavar Furniture Factory" since 1948, the "Sevan Mineral Water Plant" founded in 1953 (reopened in 2015), the "Aquatic LLC" for processed crayfish founded in 2002, the "Kirakosyan" furniture factory founded in 2006, and the "Shushan Production Cooperative" for soft drinks.

Gavar has a medical centre, a central hotel known as Khaldi, a local TV station known as Kyavar TV and many branches of local Armenian banks.

File:Artlernejo de Gavar.jpg

Education continues to be one of the main values in the society of Gavar. A literacy rate of 99% was reported as early as 1960. Nowadays, there are nine public education schools, six nursery schools, four specialized technical intermediate colleges, one sports school, two music and art schools, one special school for children with special educational needs and one university in the town of Gavar.

The Gavar State University was opened in 1993 after the independence of Armenia. With its five faculties the Gavar University is a major educational centre for the entire province of Gegharkunik. The University provides degrees in Philology, Natural Sciences, Humanities, Economics and Education. Nowadays, more than 2,400 students are attending the university.

The Gavar Special School is the only school for mentally and physically handicapped children in the region. It is currently carrying out steps towards improvement and development with the assistance of its partners and sponsors on its way to become a leading institution among the special schools in Armenia.

Football and chess are popular in the town. The sports school of Gavar was opened in 1971 and currently provides trainings in many team and individual sports, including martial arts, basketball, futsal, boxing, weightlifting, etc.{{Cite web|url=http://www.gavariqaghaqapetaran.am/structures/gavarhi-marzadprots-hoak|title=Gavar sports school|access-date=2017-02-20|archive-date=2020-07-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724213144/http://www.gavariqaghaqapetaran.am/structures/gavarhi-marzadprots-hoak|url-status=dead}}

Hovhannes Goharyan from Gavar, has played as a striker for the Armenia national football team in 2009-10.

In December 2011, the renowned Armenian player Henrikh Mkhitaryan visited the town along with the president of the FFA Ruben Hayrapetyan for charity purposes.{{Cite web|url=https://www.1in.am/49217.html|title=Հենրիխ Մխիթարյանն այցելել է Գավառի մանկատուն. Սպորտ|first=Peyotto|last=Technologies}}

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Asia#Armenia|label 1=List of twin towns and sister cities in Armenia}}

Gavar is twinned with:

• 23px Novorossiysk, Russia, since 2009

Here are some notable people who were born or raised in the town of Gavar:

• Ivan Gevorkian (1907-1989), Soviet-Armenian surgeon and scientist{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}
• Samvel Kocharyants (1909-1993), Soviet Armenian engineer and developer of the first Soviet nuclear warheads for ballistic missiles.{{Cite web|url=http://www.biblioatom.ru/founders/kocharyants_samvel_grigorevich/|title = Персоналии : Кочарянц С. Г. — История Росатома}}
• Frunze Dovlatyan (1927–1997), film director, actor and screenwriter{{cite book|last= Rollerberg|first= Peter|title= Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema|year= 2016|edition= 2|publisher= Rowman & Littlefield|page= 195|isbn= 9781442268425}}
• Hranush Hakobyan (1954-), politician and current minister of diaspora{{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}
• Hovhannes Goharyan, former professional football player
• Heghine Rapyan, pianist

Գավառ քաղաքի հրապարակ.jpg

Gavar Holy Mother of God church (4).jpg

Katedralo de Gavar, Gegharkunik.jpg

Gavar Holy Mother of God church 01.jpg

Holy Mother of God Church, Gavar by ArmAg (10).jpg

Holy Mother of God Church, Gavar by ArmAg (17).jpg

Holy Mother of God Church, Gavar by ArmAg (21).jpg

Սուրբ Խաչ եկեղեցի (Գավառ) 2.jpg

Սուրբ Խաչ եկեղեցի (Գավառ) 4.jpg

Սուրբ Խաչ եկեղեցի (Գավառ) 5.jpg

Arnegh Monastery (2).jpg

-Առնեխի վանական համալիր 5.jpg

Arnegh Monastery (22).jpg

Arnegh Monastery (30).jpg

-Առնեխի վանական համալիր 6.jpg

Arnegh Monastery (63).jpg

-Գավառ, Սուրբ Կարապետ եկեղեցի 1.jpg

Gavar Saint Karapet (03).jpg

Artsvatrich chapel (02).jpg

Artsvatrich chapel (48).jpg

Artsvatrich chapel (49).jpg

Artlernejo de Gavar.jpg

Iama kinejo en Gavar.jpg

Malnova konstruaĵo de Gavar.jpg

Registara konstruaĵo-Gavar.jpg

Rusa koloniisma konstruaĵo.jpg

Stalinisma konstruaĵo de Gavar.jpg

Gavar Saint Stepanos chapel (49).jpg

Հուշարձան Երկրորդ աշխարհամարտում զոհվածներին, Գավառ.jpg

• Doğubayazıt
• Gavar State University

;Notes

{{notelist}}

;References

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Commons category|Gavar}}

• [http://www.gavariqaghaqapetaran.am/ Gavar town council official website]
• [http://norbayazet.am/ Nor Bayazet Community Development Charitable Fund of Gavar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825083707/http://norbayazet.am/ |date=2016-08-25 }}
• [http://www.gsu.am/?lang=en Gavar State University] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623115014/https://gsu.am/?lang=en |date=2021-06-23 }}
• [http://www.kyavari.am/ Kyavari Cuisine in Yerevan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329133614/http://kyavari.am/ |date=2018-03-29 }}
• [http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Gavar Armeniapedia.org: Gavar]

{{Gegharkunik|state=expanded}}

{{Cities and towns in Armenia}}

{{Portal bar|Geography}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Gegharkunik Province

Category:Erivan Governorate

Category:Populated places established in 1830

Category:1830 establishments in the Russian Empire