History
Gyumri is one of the oldest places in Armenia and in the world and its history is worth being known, especially by those interested in visiting this place. Specialists discovered artefacts mentioning this region even since the 8th century BC. It is estimated that the first settlement at this location dates from the 5th century BC and it is believed that the area was firstly populated by Greek colonists. Some other theories claim that the city was founded by Cimmerians when they had conquered the place in the 8th century BC and who named it Kumayri. Also, historians believe that Gyumri was passed by Xenophon when he was returning to the Black Sea, a return that as immortalized in his Anabasis. The history of this place became even more interesting in the Middle Ages when it became a great settlement and the centre of Armenian rebellion against the Islamic regime.In the 19th century, the city continued to develop along its surroundings but in the right beginning of the century it has became integrated in the Russian Empire. Gyumri became part of Russia with approximately 25 years earlier than Eastern Armenia and specialists think this thing has played an important role in the further development of the area. During Russian occupancy the town was renamed Alexandropol, in the honour of the Russian’s Czar Nicholas I’s wife, Alexandra Fyodorovna. Moreover, the town became an important outpost for the Imperial Russian military and it kept on growing.
The history of Gyumri became more troubled in the 20th century when the city was occupied by the Turks, in 1920. The Turks withdrew their troops however when Armenia signed an ultimatum known as the Treaty of Batum and which was aimed at preventing the Turkish troops from invading the country’s capital Yerevan.
This history is what made Gyumri what it is today and it made it interesting because tourists may experience different pieces of this history while visiting the city.
photo
by Hayk
Adamyan
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