Yerevan, the Capital of Armenia

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, is situated in the Ararat Valley, among the mountains at an altitude of 950 to 1,300 metres above sea level on the river Hrazdan. It has a population of about 1.122 million (2011 estimates), making up to 34% of the total population of Armenia. Yerevan is one of the oldest cities in the world. 2798 years have passed since the foundation of this city. The name of the city of Yerevan goes back to the period of Urartu and originates from the name "Erebuni". It is known from the Urartian studies that the Urartian sound "B" sounds like "V" in Armenian. Thus, the name “Erebuni” has been transformed to “Yerevan”. The city is situated at the heart of the Armenian Highland within historic Armenia Major. The upper part of the city is surrounded with mountains on three sides while it descends to the banks of the river Hrazdan at the south. Hrazdan divides Yerevan into two parts through a picturesque canyon.

Yerevan is home to dozens of museums, art galleries, and libraries. The most prominent of these are the National Gallery of Armenia, the History Museum of Armenia, the Cafesjian Museum of Art, the Matenadaran library of ancient manuscripts, and the Armenian Genocide museum. Others include the Modern Art Museum, the Children’s Picture Gallery, and the Martiros Saryan Museum. Moreover, many private galleries are in operation, with many more opening every year, featuring rotating exhibitions and sales.

The city is home to many cinema halls; among them the famous Moscow Cinema.
The Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theatre consists of two concert halls: Aram Khatchaturian concert hall and the hall of the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after Alexander Spendiarian.

Numerous cultutal centres and halls allow the audience to enjoy a multitude of various shows and performances, such as the modern Complex named after Karen Demirchyan. Other significant theatres include: Sundukyan State Academic Theatre, Paronyan Musical Comedy Theatre, Stanislavski Russian Theatre, Drama and Comedy Theatre named afterEdgar Elbakyan, Yerevan State Dramatic Theatre named after Hrachia Ghaplanian, Yerevan State Hamazgain Theatre and the State Pupppet Theatre named after Hovhannes Tumanyan.

Numerous places in Yerevan are attractive for tourists, such as the dancing fountains of the Republic Square, the State Opera House, the Cascade complex, the ruins of theUrartian city of Erebuni (Arin Berd), the historical site of Karmir Blur (Teishebaini), etc.

The location of Yerevan itself is an inspiring factor for the foreigners to visit the city in order to enjoy the view of the biblical mount of Ararat, as the city lies on the feet of the mountain forming the shape of a Roman amphitheatre.

There are plenty of historical sites, churches and citadels in areas and regions surrounding the city of Yerevan, such as the (Garni Temple, Zvartnots Cathedral, andKhor Virap, etc.).

The climate of Yerevan is a humid continental semi-arid climate, with the influence of mountain climate, with hot and dry summers and cold and snowy winters. This is attributed to the fact that Yerevan is located on a plain surrounded by mountains and to its distance to the sea and its effects. The summers are usually very hot with the temperature in August reaching up to 40 °C (104 °F), while winters generally carry snowfall and freezing temperatures with January often being as cold as −15 °C (5 °F). Yerevan experiences an average of 2,700 sunlight hours per year.

Please find more info on Yerevan at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerevan
http://www.myyerevan.am/en

Video Presentation of Armenia and Yerevan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGTj3HGtEqI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhBmQn3AsZ4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH8iexlkjk4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUA4HAoiUK8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8lt085QcxQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSMm6RKDHrk