Kapan

The name Kapan derives from the Classical Armenian common noun {{Transliteration|xcl|kapan}} (կապան), meaning {{gloss|mountain pass}} (related to the verb {{Transliteration|xcl|kapel}} {{gloss|to tie}}).{{cite book |last=Hübschmann |first=Heinrich |url=https://archive.org/details/diealtarmenisch00hbgoog/page/n253 |title=Die Altarmenischen Ortsnamen. Mit Beiträgen zur historischen Topographie Armeniens und einer Karte |publisher=Verlag von Karl J. Trübner |year=1904 |isbn=9783111258621 |location=Amsterdam |page=438 |trans-title=The old Armenian place names. With contributions to the historical topography of Armenia and a map |author-link=Heinrich Hübschmann}}{{cite book |last1=Awde |first1=Nicholas |title=Western Armenian Dictionary & Phrasebook |last2=Davidian |first2=Vazken-Khatchig |publisher=Hippocrene Books |year=2006 |isbn=9780781810487 |location=New York |page=86 |author-link1=Nick Awde}} In later centuries, the name evolved into {{Transliteration|hy|Ghap’an}} ({{Lang|hy|Ղափան}}), which was in use until 1991, when the older form of the name was restored.{{Cite book |last1=Hakobyan |first1=Tʻ. Kh. |title=Hayastani ev harakitsʻ shrjanneri teghanunneri baṛaran |last2=Melikʻ-Bakhshyan |first2=St. T. |last3=Barseghyan |first3=H. Kh. |publisher=Erevani hamalsarani hratarakchʻutʻyun |year=1991 |volume=3 |location=Erevan |pages=549–551 |language=hy |script-title=hy:Հայաստանի և հարակից շրջանների տեղանունների բառարան |trans-title=Dictionary of toponymy of Armenia and adjacent territories |chapter=Ghapʻan |script-chapter=hy:Ղափան |chapter-url=http://nayiri.com/imagedDictionaryBrowser.jsp?dictionaryId=61&dt=HY_HY&pageNumber=2613}}

File:Baghaberd.jpg fortress near Kapan]]

The area of modern-day Kapan was first mentioned in the 5th century as a small settlement within the properties of the Siunia dynasty.{{cite book|last1= Stone|first1= Michael E.|author-link1= Michael E. Stone|last2= Topchyan|first2= Aram|title= Jews in Ancient and Medieval Armenia: First Century BCE - Fourteenth Century CE|year= 2022|location= New York|publisher= Oxford University Press|pages= 78–79|chapter= Jews in Kapan|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DMBuEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA78|isbn= 9780197582077}}{{cite encyclopedia|editor-last= Osipov|editor-first= Yuri|editor-link= Yuri Osipov|title= Kapan|encyclopedia= Great Russian Encyclopedia|volume= 13|location= Moscow|year= 2009|page= 12|url= https://bigenc.ru/geography/text/2042758|lang= ru|isbn= 978-5-85270-344-6|access-date= September 19, 2022|archive-date= December 12, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191212150718/https://bigenc.ru/text/2042758|url-status= dead}} Historically, it was part of the {{Transliteration|xcl|Baghk’}} canton of Syunik, the ninth province of the historic Greater Armenia.{{cite book|last= Hewsen|first= Robert|author-link= Robert Hewsen|title= The Geography of Ananias of Sirak (Asxarhacoyc): The Long and the Short Recensions|url= https://archive.org/details/TheGeographyOfAnaniasOfSirak/|year= 1992|location= Wiesbaden|publisher= Reichert|page= 193|oclc= 643843083}} Though originally a small settlement, by the late 9th and early 10th century, it was fortified by Prince Dzagik, becoming the residence of the Dzagikian princes. By the end of the 10th century, the ruler of Syunik, Prince Smbat II, moved to the town of Kapan and founded the Kingdom of Syunik, proclaiming himself a king under the protectorate of the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia. As the capital of the Kingdom of Syunik, Kapan flourished throughout the 11th century, reaching around 20 thousand inhabitants, composed of mostly Armenians with a prominent Jewish minority, and being a center of trades, crafts, and metallurgy.

In 1103, Kapan was entirely ruined by the Seljuk invaders. The medieval Armenian historian Stephen Orbelian of Syunik states that the Seljuks began massacring from the Jewish quarter of Kapan. After the fall of the Kingdom of Syunik in 1170, Syunik and the rest of the historic territories of Armenia suffered from the Seljuk, Mongol, Aq Qoyunlu and Kara Koyunlu invasions, in that order, between the 12th and 15th centuries.{{cite book|last= Petrushevsky|first= Ilya|author-link= Ilya Pavlovich Petrushevsky|title= Очерки по истории феодальных отношений в Азербайджане и Армении в XVI-начале XIX вв|trans-title= Essays on the history of feudal relations in Azerbaijan and Armenia in the 16th-early 19th centuries|year= 1949|publisher= Publishing house of Leningrad State University|page= 35|url= https://religions.am/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/History-of-feudal-relations-in-Azerbaijan-and-Armenia.pdf|oclc= 29734923}}

At the beginning of the 16th century, Kapan became part of the Erivan Province within the Safavid Iran. In 1722, the Armenian principality of Kapan was established by uniting the noble families of Syunik into one state in order to fight against Muslim oppression.{{cite journal|last= Hewsen|first= Robert|author-link= Robert Hewsen|title= The Meliks of Eastern Armenia II|journal= Revue des Études Arméniennes|publisher= Sorbonne University|location= Paris|volume= 10|year= 1973–1974|page= 219|issn= 1783-1741}} By the beginning of the 18th century, Kapan was associated with the Armenian military leader David Bek, who led the liberation campaign of the Armenians of Syunik against the Iranians and the invading Ottoman Turks. David Bek started his battles in 1722 with the help of thousands of local Armenians, including Avan Yuzbashi and Mkhitar Sparapet, taking control of Syunik.{{cite book|last= Dum-Tragut|first= Jasmine|chapter= Syunik from the 17th century until Soviet Period|title= Monastic Life in the Armenian Church: Glorious Past - Ecumenical Reconsideration|editor-last= Winkler|editor-first= Dietmar W.|editor-link= Dietmar W. Winkler|year= 2018|location= Zurich|publisher= LIT Verlag|pages= 107–108|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yKx9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA107|isbn= 9783643910660}} The centre of Bek's struggle was the Baghaberd Fortress northwest of Kapan and the Halidzor Fortress southwest of Kapan, where he died in 1728. In 1747, Kapan was incorporated into the Nakhichevan Khanate and by 1750, Kapan became part of the newly formed Karabakh Khanate. It was turned into a significant urban settlement during Qajar Iranian rule by the end of the 18th century.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

In 1813, the territory of historic Syunik, including the region of Kapan, officially became part of the Russian Empire as a result of the Russo-Persian War of 1804–13 and the following Treaty of Gulistan signed between Russia and Iran. In 1828–30, many Armenian families from the Iranian cities of Khoy and Salmast migrated to the region. In 1868, it became part of the Zangezur uezd within the Elizavetpol Governorate of the Russian Empire. By the last quarter of the 19th century, Kapan formed an important urban community for the region as a result of merging several villages together.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

File:Հուշակոթող՝ Մեծ եղեռնի, 1988 թ. Սումգայիթի և Բաքվի զոհերին.jpg

Both the Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic claimed Kapan between 1918 and 1920. As a result of the sovietisation of Armenia in December 1920, Kapan was included in the Republic of Mountainous Armenia under the commandment of Garegin Nzhdeh, who fought against the Bolsheviks between 26 April and 12 July 1921. After the Soviet Red Army entered the Zangezur region in July 1921, Kapan, along with the towns of Goris, Sisian and Meghri, fell under the Soviet rule, where it was administered as part of the Armenian SSR.{{cite book|last= Panossian|first= Razmik|author-link= Razmik Panossian|chapter= The Independent Republic and Sovietisation|title=The Armenians: From Kings and Priests to Merchants and Commissars|year=2006|publisher=Columbia University Press|location=New York|isbn=9780231139267|page=259|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/armeniansfromkin00razm}}

In September 1930, the Kafan raion was formed with Kapan as its administrative center. In 1938, Kapan received city status. Until 1991, the city was called {{transliteration|ru|Kafan}} in Russian and {{Transliteration|hy|Ghap’an}} in Armenian.{{Cite book |title=Bolʹshai︠a︡ sovetskai︠a︡ ėnt︠s︡iklopedii︠a︡ |title-link=Great Soviet Encyclopedia |publisher=Sovetskai︠a︡ ėnt︠s︡iklopedii︠a︡ |year=1973 |editor-last=A. M. |editor-first=Prokhorov |volume=13 |location=Moskva |pages= |script-title=ru:Большая советская энциклопедия |trans-title=Great Soviet Encyclopedia |chapter=Kafan |script-chapter=ru:Кафан |display-editors=etal |chapter-url=http://bse.sci-lib.com/article060065.html}}{{Cite journal|date=2019-01-25|title=Информационный бюллетень изменений географических названий стран-участниц СНГ (1987-2013 г.г.)|url=https://rosreestr.gov.ru/upload/documenty/doc_2%20Armeniy%202013.pdf|journal=Федеральная служба государственной регистрации, кадастра и картографии (Росреестр)|language=ru|pages=6|archive-date=October 17, 2020|access-date=March 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017023345/https://rosreestr.gov.ru/upload/documenty/doc_2%20Armeniy%202013.pdf|url-status=dead}}

Following the independence of Armenia in 1991, Kapan became the centre of the newly formed Syunik Province as per the 1995 administrative reforms of the republic. Many streets bearing the name of Bolshevik activists were changed. The town's central square was renamed after Garegin Nzhdeh, while the central park of the town was named after Vazgen Sargsyan.

During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Kapan was bombarded by artillery coming from the neighboring Zangilan District of Azerbaijan, causing deaths among the civilian population.{{cite book|last=Hakobyan|first=Tatul|author-link=Tatul Hakobyan|year=2021|title=Artsʻakhyan oragir: Kanachʻ u sev|trans-title=Karabakh Diary: Green and Black|location=Yerevan|publisher=Lusakn|pages=229–230|script-title=hy:Արցախյան օրագիր․ Կանաչ ու սև}} This prompted an Armenian operation to capture several nearby Azerbaijani border villages in December 1992.

File:Kapan, Siunik, Armenia.jpg

File:Shikahogh state reserve, Syunik, Armenia.jpg

Kapan is the largest town in the Syunik province as well as the entire region of southern Armenia. It is located in the eastern part of Syunik, within the narrow valley of the Voghji River with a length of {{convert|13|km|0|abbr=on}} from the east to the west, at the southeastern slopes of the Zangezur Mountains, between the Bargushat and Meghri ridges.

The town is about {{convert|80|km|0|abbr=on}} north of the Iranian border. With a height of 3201 meters, Mount Khustup is the highest peak of the region. The elevation of Kapan is 750–1050 meters above sea level, with an average height of 910 meters. Two tributaries of the Voghji River, Vachagan and Kavart, flow through the town.

Kapan has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with very warm summers and cold winters. Temperatures can reach up to {{convert|38|°C|-1|abbr=on}} during summer, and can fall to {{convert|-15|°C|0|abbr=on}} during winter.

The Shikahogh State Preserve, founded in 1958, is located around {{convert|14|km|0|abbr=on}} south of Kapan, near the Shikahogh village. The preserve is home to about 1,100 species of plants, 70 of which have been registered in the Red Book of Armenia. The fauna of Shikahogh has not been fully explored, but studies have revealed rare species of animals such as leopard, wild goat, bear, viper, and hedgehog.Igor G. Khorozyan, Pavel I. Weinberg and Alexander G. Malkhasyan: Conservation Strategy for Armenian Mouflon (Ovis orientalis gmelini Blyth) and Bezoar Goat (Capra aegagrus Erxleben) in Armenia. in Status and Protection of globally threatened Species in the Caucasus. CEPF Biodiversity Investments in the Caucasus Hotspot 2004-2009. Edited by Nugzar Zazanashvili and David Mallon (2009).[http://assets.panda.org/downloads/cepf_caucasus_web_1.pdf#page=38 online PDF]{{Cite web|url=http://www.armeniatree.org/environews/enews_shikahogh_update_061405.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427220806/http://www.armeniatree.org/environews/enews_shikahogh_update_061405.htm|url-status=dead|title=Armenia Tree Project - Environmental News and Analysis|archive-date=April 27, 2015}}

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Kapan

| Jan high C =7.1

| Feb high C =8.4

| Mar high C =11.7

| Apr high C =17.1

| May high C =21.8

| Jun high C =25.8

| Jul high C =29.3

| Aug high C =29.3

| Sep high C =24.4

| Oct high C =19.8

| Nov high C =13.1

| Dec high C =9.0

| Jan mean C =-3.0

| Feb mean C =-1.8

| Mar mean C =1.9

| Apr mean C =8.1

| May mean C =12.9

| Jun mean C =16.9

| Jul mean C =20.2

| Aug mean C =20.2

| Sep mean C =15.7

| Oct mean C =10.4

| Nov mean C =3.6

| Dec mean C =-0.5

| Jan low C =-13.0

| Feb low C =-12.0

| Mar low C =-8.0

| Apr low C =-1.0

| May low C =4.0

| Jun low C =8.0

| Jul low C =11.0

| Aug low C =11.0

| Sep low C =7.0

| Oct low C =1.0

| Nov low C =-6.0

| Dec low C =-10.0

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm =28

| Feb precipitation mm =32

| Mar precipitation mm =60

| Apr precipitation mm =80

| May precipitation mm =96

| Jun precipitation mm =68

| Jul precipitation mm =31

| Aug precipitation mm =30

| Sep precipitation mm =43

| Oct precipitation mm =55

| Nov precipitation mm =40

| Dec precipitation mm =27

| source = WMO {{cite web

|url = https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/city.html?cityId=69

|title = World Weather Information Service

|publisher = WMO

|access-date = July 3, 2023}}

}}

File:Kapan, Kavart, Greek church, 1865 Капан, Каварт, Храм во имя Св. священномученика Харалампия, 1865 - panoramio.jpg

Kapan is a major historic centre of the Armenian civilization within historic Syunik. A sizable Jewish community lived in its own quarter in Kapan during the Middle Ages.

During the first half of the 19th century, many Russian and German engineers and workers arrived in Kapan to work in the copper mines of the region. In 1850, Greek specialists also arrived in the town. The Greeks built the Saint Catherine Orthodox church near Kapan in 1865.{{Cite web|url=https://old.syuniacyerkir.am/news_view.php?post_id=16044|title=Հունական մշակույթի հետքերով | Syunacerkir.am|website=old.syuniacyerkir.am}}

The population of Kapan was at its peak with 45,711 citizens as per the 2001 census. However, the population has greatly declined during the first decade of the 21st century to 34,600 as per the 2016 official estimate.

Currently, Kapan is almost entirely populated by ethnic Armenians who belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The town's Saint Mesrop Mashtots Church opened in December 2001 and is regulated by the Diocese of Syunik of the Armenian Apostolic Church, based in the nearby town of Goris.{{Cite web|url=https://armenpress.am/arm/news/372174|title=Օծվեց Կապանի սբ Մեսրոպ Մաշտոց եկեղեցին | ԱՐՄԵՆՊՐԵՍ Հայկական լրատվական գործակալություն|website=armenpress.am}}

{{historical populations

|1831|196

|1897|2272

|1926|2658

|1939|8511

|1959|19315

|1976|36351

|2001|45711

|2011|43190

|2022|32780

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

The town is served by the Kapan Medical Center, which was fully modernized in 2015.

File:Vahanavank (35252737694).jpg Monastery]]

The historic part of Kapan is located around {{convert|10|km|0|abbr=on}} km west of the modern-day town. As one of the historic settlements of Armenia, Kapan and the surrounding areas are home to many heritage monuments of Armenian architecture, including:

• Baghaberd Fortress of the 4th century, also known as the castle of Davit Bek.
• The medieval bridge of Kapan dating back to 871.
• Tatev Monastery of the 9th century, founded in the place of an ancient tabernacle well known in ancient times.
• Vahanavank Monastery of the 11th century.
• Halidzor Fortress of the 17th century.

File:Հուշարձան՝ Երկրորդ աշխարհամարտում զոհվածների.jpg memorial in Kapan]]

The town has several statues of prominent Armenian patriotic figures, such as the equestrian statue of Davit Bek erected in 1983, and Garegin Nzhdeh's memorial opened in 2001. Other decorative statues in the town include the bear statue of Kajaran's Key erected in 1966, the statue of the Girl from Zangezur erected in 1978, the World War II memorial opened in 1987, and the memorial to Armenian genocide erected in 1988.

File:Qajarani banali.jpg

Currently, the town is home to the Kapan Museum of Geology and the Kapan history museum named after Shmavon Movsisyan. Other cultural institutions of Kapan include the Children's School of Fine Arts opened in 1972, the House of Culture opened in 1977, the Children's School of Arts opened in 1981, the public library, the children's and youth creativity centre opened in 1990, the Alexander Shirvanzade drama theatre of Kapan, as well as two schools of music, which opened in 1977 and 1986. A branch of the Modern Art Museum of Yerevan is also operating in Kapan.

The Wings of Tatev cableway connecting Halidzor village with the Tatev Monastery is located {{convert|24|km|0|abbr=on}} north of Kapan. It is the longest reversible aerial tramway built in one section only.[http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-10-world-longest-cable-car-line.html World's longest cable car line opens to Armenia]. PhysOrg.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.

Kapan has two local TV companies: Khustup TV and Sosi TV. Khustup TV was founded in 2004 and covers the entire region of Syunik.[http://khustup.tv/mer-masin/ About Khustup TV] Sosi TV was founded in 2012 and covers the central and southern parts of Syunik.

File:Bridge Kapan.jpg

The M-2 main road that connects the capital Yerevan with southern Armenia and the Iranian border passes through Kapan.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

In late 2008, the road between Kapan and Meghri on the Iranian border was redeveloped. However, the Kapan-Zangilan-Mincivan railway line is currently inactive.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Prior to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the nearby airport accommodated the YAK-40 and AN-14 cargo aircraft. In February 2017, the governor of Syunik Province, Vahe Hakobyan, announced that the airfield would become a modern airport serving the town of Kapan and southern Armenia, and on June 6 a test landing was conducted at the airfield with the governor on board.{{Cite web |date=2017-08-06 |title=First test landing at Syunik Airport carried out in Armenia with governor on board |url=https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2017/06/08/Syunik-Airport/1790415 |website=Panorama.am}} According to the plan, the reconstruction of Kapan Airport was expected to be completed in 2018, with an estimated cost of US$2 million.{{Cite web|url=https://hetq.am/en/article/82306|title=Company Tied to Syunik Government Gets 25-Year Lease to Operate Kapan Airport|website=Hetq.am|date=September 30, 2017 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.tert.am/am/news/2017/03/22/Vahe-Hakobyan/2316991|title=Մեծ հույսեր ունեմ, որ մեկ տարվա ընթացքում կկտրենք Կապանի օդանավակայանի ժապավենը. Վահե Հակոբյան|website=www.tert.am|access-date=June 12, 2022|archive-date=June 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612015624/https://www.tert.am/am/news/2017/03/22/Vahe-Hakobyan/2316991|url-status=dead}} The airport was reopened in 2023 and operates flights between the town and the capital city of Yerevan,{{cite web | url=https://armenianweekly.com/2023/09/13/flying-from-yerevan-to-syunik/ | title=Flying from Yerevan to Syunik | date=September 13, 2023 }} thus making Kapan the third city in Armenia with an operating airport after Yerevan and Gyumri.

{{citation needed span|date=February 2024|Kapan is struggling to cope with the realities of post-Karabakh war and post-Soviet society. However, there are signs of growth and development. Kapan is primarily a mining centre, hence its Qajar-era Persian name of {{Transliteration|fa|Ma'dan}}, meaning {{Gloss|mine}}.}}

File:Եկեղեցի - տապանատուն Սբ. Աստվածածին (old version).jpg

{{citation needed span|date=February 2024|Kapan has been a major centre for the production of many non-ferrous metals. The Kapan mining company is currently owned by Chaarat, a British company. It is currently working the Shahumyan deposit and produces around 65,000 ounces of gold equivalent in copper and zinc concentrates per year.}}

{{citation needed span|date=February 2024|Kapan is home to many industrial firms. The largest firms are Kapan CHSHSH for building materials founded in 1947, the Kapan machine tools plant founded in 1972, the Sonatex knitting factory founded in 1985, and Marila LLC for meat and dairy products founded in 2010.}}

Tourism is growing in the region of Kapan. The nearby Wings of Tatev aerial tramway connecting Halidzor village with Tatev Monastery has greatly contributed to the development of the tourism sector. Many hotels and mountain resorts are set to open in the near future, while the upcoming opening of the Syunik Airport of Kapan will increase tourist access. Ark Ecological NGO, headquartered in Kapan, has been working on the development of ecotourism in the Syunik region since 2013, and is currently building hiking trail infrastructure to connect Kapan and the Tatev Monastery.[http://repatarmenia.org/en/engage/inspiration/a/ark-armenia-ngo-to-build-hiking-trails-and-eco-camps-in-southern-armenia]. [Repat Armenia.org]. Retrieved on 2016-03-25.

{{citation needed span|date=February 2024|Kapan is the education centre of southern Armenia. It has 13 public education schools, 3 music schools and 3 sport academies.}}

The Kapan campus of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia{{Cite web |url=http://haphkapan.com/bgevthfakultet.html |title=Faculty of Natural sciences and communication systems, Kapan campus |access-date=October 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104063115/http://haphkapan.com/bgevthfakultet.html |archive-date=November 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://haphkapan.com/tntesagfakultet.html |title=Faculty of Technologies and sectoral economics, Kapan campus |access-date=October 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104060133/http://haphkapan.com/tntesagfakultet.html |archive-date=November 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }} is home to two faculties:

• Faculty of Technologies and Sectoral Economics,
• Faculty of Natural Sciences and Communication Systems.

File:Gandzasar Stadium, Kapan, Armenia, May 2012.jpg]]

{{citation needed span|date=February 2024|Football is the most popular sport in Kapan. FC Gandzasar Kapan, founded in 2004, represented the town in the Armenian Premier League, playing their home games at Gandzasar Stadium. The club has won third place in the Armenian Premier League on three occasions: in 2008, 2011 and 2012–13. Gandzasar have the highest average attendance at home games in the league.}}

In May 2013, Gandzasar Kapan opened their football pitches, including one with artificial turf. The academy became the first developed technical football centre in the Syunik Province.{{Cite web|url=http://www.armsport.am/hy/news/2013/05/18/%D4%BF%D5%A1%D5%BA%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B4-%D5%A2%D5%A1%D6%81%D5%BE%D5%A5%D6%81/307219|title=Gandzasar football academy}}

{{citation needed span|date=February 2024|Kapan is also home to the Davit Hambardzumyan Children and Youth Sport School, operated by the municipality since its inauguration in 1969. More than 200 athletes are involved in the sport school. The Kapan Futsal Club is a professional futsal team based in Kapan, playing their home games at the Davit Hambardzumyan Children and Youth Sports School in the Armenian Futsal Premier League.}}

{{citation needed span|date=February 2024|The Kapan Sport School of Artistic Gymnastics has been operating since 1977. Currently, about 170 young athletes attend there. In 1989, another sport school specializing in athletics was opened in the town, designated for around 100 young athletes.}}

{{citation needed span|date=February 2024|Basketball and boxing are also popular in Kapan.}}

In October 2022, Iran opened a consulate general in Kapan.{{Cite web |last=Motamedi |first=Maziar |date=2022-10-22 |title=Iran opens mission in strategic Armenia region as it expands ties |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/22/iran-opens-consulate-in-armenias-kapan-to-deliver-a-message |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120221429/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/22/iran-opens-consulate-in-armenias-kapan-to-deliver-a-message |archive-date=2023-11-20 |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} In 2023, Russia{{Cite web |date=2023-11-02 |title=Russia approves agreement on opening consulate general in Armenian town of Kapan |url=https://tass.com/politics/1700977 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103014255/https://tass.com/politics/1700977 |archive-date=2023-11-03 |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=TASS}} and France{{Cite web |date=2023-09-27 |title=France to open consulate in Armenia's Syunik region |url=https://www.civilnet.am/en/news/752403/france-to-open-consulate-in-armenias-syunik-region/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109121309/https://www.civilnet.am/en/news/752403/france-to-open-consulate-in-armenias-syunik-region/ |archive-date=2023-11-09 |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=CivilNet}} announced plans to establish consulates in Kapan.

• 23px Glendale, California, United States{{cite web|title=Interactive City Directory|url=http://www.sister-cities.org/interactive-map/Ghapan,%20Armenia|work=Sister Cities International|access-date=11 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312022050/http://www.sister-cities.org/interactive-map/Ghapan,%20Armenia|archive-date=March 12, 2014|url-status=dead}}
• 23px Borisov, Belarus

• 23px Saint-Etienne, France

• 23px Ningbo, China

File:Գերեզմանոց՝ Արցախյան պատերազմում զոհված կապանցիների.jpg cemetery]]

• David Ambartsumyan, Soviet Armenian diver, European champion
• Tatoul Markarian, Armenian diplomat
• Armen Movsisyan, former Minister of Energy of Armenia
• Karen Sargsyan, principal choirmaster of the Armenian Opera Theater
• Lusine Gevorkyan, lead singer of Russian nu metal bands Tracktor Bowling and Louna
• Artsvik Harutyunyan, singer and Armenia's entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017
• Levon Aghasyan, Olympic athlete
• Vardan Ghazaryan, football coach and former player
• Gor Hakobyan, singer, rapper, actor and television host

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite Armenia and Imperial Decline}}
• {{Cite The Population of Soviet Armenia}}
• {{Cite Atlas of the Ethno-Political History of the Caucasus}}

{{Refend}}

{{Commons category|Kapan}}

{{Wikivoyage|Kapan}}

• [https://archive.today/20121229224030/http://kapan.americancorners.am/ American Corner Kapan]
• [http://armenia-kapan.ru/ Kapan town portal]

{{Syunik|state=expanded}}

{{Cities and towns in Armenia}}

{{Portal bar|Geography}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Syunik Province

Category:Communities in Syunik Province

Category:Populated places established in the 5th century