Goris

Goris (Armenian: Գորիս), is a town in the southern Syunik Province of Armenia. Located in the valley of river Goris (or Vararak), it is 254 km away from the Armenian capital Yerevan and 67 km from the provincial center Kapan. Goris is an urban community and the second largest city in Syunik. In the 2011 census its population was 20,591, down from 23,261 reported at the 2001 census. Goris was formerly known as Kores and Gorayk.

Etymology

There are different explanations of the name. It is supposed that the name comes from the Indo-European prelanguage words "gor" (rock), "es" (to be), i.e. Goris "Kores" means a rocky place. There was a dwelling in the ancient times in the same area of the town.

History

The humankind settled in Goris since the Stone Age. Goris was first mentioned in the history by the Urartian period. King Rusa I (8th century B.C.) left a cuneiform, where he mentioned that among the 23 countries conquered by him, "Goristsa" country was one of them. The scientists suppose that it is the same Goris.