Aparan

Aparan ( (Armenian Ապարան ) also Abaran; until 1935 Basch Aparan; earlier Aparanbol, Abaranbol, Aparan Verin, Verin Abaran, Paraznavert, Kazakhstan and Kasagh ) is a city in the province Aragazotn in Armenia.

Aparan is located on the M3 highway, which connects with the city of Yerevan Vanadzor and continue with Tbilisi, located about 59 km from Yerevan. The city lies on the shores of Kasak River, at the foot of Aragats Mountain. The town has about 6,500 inhabitants of Armenian and Kurdish nationality.

The geographer Claudius Ptolemy mentioned the city in the 2nd century under the name Casala, modified by the then Armenian Kasagh. The current name of the city dates from the 10th century and is from the Armenian word Aparank ( Ապարանք, "palace" ) is derived.

In the 5th century, a preserved to this day and renovated in 2001, three-aisled basilica was erected. It documents along with the resulting around the same time basilicas of Jereruk ( Yererouk, Shirak province ) and Dvin that the earliest Armenian churches were Längsbauten.

During the genocide of the Armenians in 1915, Armenian refugees sought from the occupied territories by the Turks in Apran refuge. On 21 May 1918 the city was the site of the victorious battle of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Armenia against the advancing Turkish army in Yerevan. The battle was dedicated a monument. The former commander, General Dro ( Drastamat Kanajan ) was buried on a hill.

The Museum of the Armenian alphabet

One kilometer north of the village Artaschawan and about 20 kilometers south of Aparan beside highway an unusual sculpture park ( Ajbuben Park, Այբուբենի Այգի, ​​" Park of the alphabet " ) was built. It was dedicated to the Mesrop Mashtots created by Armenian alphabet. To the figure of the monk canonized the 36 letters of his alphabet were drawn up, gouged out of 2 meter high stone slabs. The place shows that the Armenians consider their alphabet as part of their national identity.