Yeghegnadzor

Yeghegnadzor (Armenian: Եղեգնաձոր), is a town in Armenia and the capital of the Vayots Dzor Province. The name of the town means "the valley of canes" in the Armenian language. It is located 123 km south of the capital Yerevan, on the shores of Srkghonk River (Armenian: Սրկղոնք), at a height of 1194 meters above sea level.

As of the 2011 census, the population of the town is 7,944.

History

The settlement was first mentioned as Pondzatagh during the 5th century. Historically, it belongs to the Vayots Dzor canton of Syunik; the 9th province of Greater Armenia (Armenia Major). However, the excavated layer of a cemetery and the remains of a mausoleum from the 1st millennium BC testify that the area has been settled long before the 5th century. The remains of the Urartian fortress near the town dates back to the 7th century BC.

According to historical records from the 1st quarter of the 9th century, when Syunats Prince Philip, son of Vasak, moved his residence from Sisian to Vayots Dzor and fortified in Yeghegis, the name Yeghegnadzor or Yeghegyats Dzor spread across the entire province. During the Middle Ages, the Silk Road passed through the area of Vayots Dzor, particularly the road that currently links the town of Martuni with Yeghegnadzor. Many significant churches, monastic complexes, bridges and caravanserais were built in the region between the 10th and 13th centuries, when Yeghegnadzor was part of the Kingdom of Syunik under the rule of the Siunia dynasty.