Settlements - Guide to Armenia. Settlements of Armenia - cities and villages Year of foundation of Kapan
Kapan is the largest city in southern Armenia. It is located in the Syunik marz (region), on the slopes of the Zangezur ridge, between its spurs - the Megri and Bargushat ridges. The city is surrounded by mountains and forests. The distance from Yerevan is approximately 320 kilometers. The symbol of the city is the beautiful Mount Khustup, whose height is about 3200 meters. Two rivers flow through the city - Voghchi and Vachagan. The city has a local history museum, an archaeological and ethnographic museum and a theater. The area of the town is 36 km², the population is 40 thousand people. Kapan was founded in the 19th century after several villages were connected.
In history, Kafan was mentioned for the first time since the 5th century. In the 10th century, the owner of Syunik, Prince Smbat 2, having proclaimed himself ruler in 970, moved his own residence here from Vayk and founded the Kingdom of Syunik. Back in 1103 
the city was captured and destroyed by the Seljuks. As a result of this conquest, the city loses its significance and the capital of the Syunik kingdom is transferred to Baghaberd, and Kapan itself is gradually transformed into a village. At the beginning of the 18th century, the famous David Bek fought in these spaces opposite the Persian and Turkish invaders. The liberation campaign started back in 1722, and in the shortest possible time, 1000 patriots gathered under his leadership, with the help of whom Syunik was liberated. An equestrian statue of the legendary David Beg was unveiled in the center of Kapan. Not far from the city there is a monument to another Armenian hero - Garegin Nzhdeh.
Until today, it is the main area for the extraction of non-ferrous metals. Initially, mining engineers from France and entrepreneurs from Armenia began studying and developing it. Just then, an enrichment plant and a molybdenum plant were implemented (they are still operating today).
A 13th-century Arab writer, in his own book Wonders of the World, writes of a certain “difficult region of mountains and forests” that contains a large number of fortresses. 
Sights of Kapan
Vaganavank Monastery
The Vaganavan temple was built back in 911. The author of the construction was the youngest son of Prince Dzagik - Vahan. It is considered the tomb of Syunik rulers and princes. It is located seven kilometers from the city.
Mount Khustup
The height of the peak is 3200 meters. The mountain is popular because the Armenian military leader Garegin Nzhdeh fought in its districts and was buried at the foot of the mountain. It is the 3rd highest in Armenia, second only to Aragats and Kapujukh.
Halidzor Fortress
Halidzor Castle is located 5 kilometers from Kapan, located on the right bank of the Voghji River. It was founded in the 10th century as a monastery, and back in 1723 David Bek turned it into a fortress.
Monument to Garegin Nzhdeh
It is located not far from the town, up the Vachagan River. Located at the foot of Mount Khustup. Dedicated to the great commander Garegin Nzhdeh. 
Kapan is covered with sparse forests; it is located in the east of the Syunik region in the valley of the Voghchi River on the southeastern slopes of the Zangezur ridge between its spurs - the Bargushat and Meghri ridges.
To the south of the city is Mount Khustup (3206 m). It is located 316 km from Yerevan and about 1 km from Kashatagh.
Story
In the history of Armenia, Kapan was first mentioned in the 5th century as an ordinary settlement. Ancient Kapan was located 14-15 km northwest of the modern city on the right bank of the Voghchi River, and was the capital of the Kapan (Dzork) gavar.
VartanMarkaryan, CopyrightBy the 10th century, Kapan gradually turned into a feudal city and became the residence of the Dzagikyan princes. At the end of the 9th and beginning of the 10th centuries, the city was rebuilt by Prince Dzagik III and surrounded by a fortress wall.
In the 10th century, the owner of Syunik, Prince Smbat, having proclaimed himself king in 970, moved his residence here from Vayk and founded the Syunik, or Bakhk, kingdom. The kingdom of Syunik was part of the Armenian state of the Bagratids. Kapan flourished in the 11th century, when its population numbered approximately 15-20 thousand people.
Yakovlev Sergey, Public Domain In 1103, Kapan was captured and destroyed by the Seljuks. After this conquest, the city loses its significance, the capital of the Syunik kingdom is moved to Baghaberd. Today, fragments of the fortress wall and a few forest-covered remains of buildings have been preserved from ancient Kapan.
In the XIII-early XV centuries - part of the possessions of the Orbelyans - the overlord princes of Syunik.
Lori-m, Public Domain An Arab author of the 13th century, in his work “Wonders of the World,” speaks of a certain “hard-to-reach region in forests and mountains” that has many fortresses. According to the assumption of N.D. Miklouho-Maclay, we are talking about the district of the city of Kapan.
“a difficult-to-reach area in forests and mountains, has many fortresses. The infidels owned it, atabek Ildegiz took it, and completely destroyed the infidels.”
At the beginning of the 18th century, the legendary David Bek fought against Turkish and Persian invaders in these places. His liberation campaign with a handful of brave men began in 1722, and soon thousands of patriots gathered under his banner and liberated Syunik.
Economy
Kapan, formed in the 19th century from the merger of several villages, was and remains a center for the extraction of many non-ferrous metals.
The industrial development of the local deposits began in the 1890s. Armenian entrepreneurs and French mining engineers who founded a copper mine concession in Kapan.
In Soviet times, Kapan was the center of the mining industry, with a copper-molybdenum plant and an enrichment plant operating here. They are still working.
In addition to the copper ore plant, the city also has food processing enterprises, a lighting plant, furniture and knitting factories and a hydroelectric power station.
Transport
The highway connecting Iran and Armenia passes through the city. At the end of 2008, in addition to the existing section of the Kapan-Kajaran-Meghri highway, an alternative section of the Kapan-Shikaokh-Meghri highway was also built.
The inactive Kapan-Kovsakan-Mijnavan railway line leaves the city.
Before the start of the Karabakh war, there was air communication with Kapan. The small airport received Yak-40 aircraft and AN-14 cargo aircraft.
The nearest airport is located 62 km to the north, but there are no regular passenger flights there.
Photo gallery
Based: 5th century
Population: 40,000 people (2009)
Postcode: 3301-3308
Telephone code: +374 (285)
Time: UTC+4
Helpful information
Kapan
Arm. Կապան
Etymology
Kapan translated from Armenian means “narrow, impassable gorge,” gorge, pass.
Attractions
The city has an archaeological and ethnographic museum, a local history museum and a theater. An equestrian statue of David Beg stands tall in the city center.
The monument to another Armenian hero - Garegin Nzhdeh - is located a few kilometers from the city center, upstream of the Vachagan River.
On the way to it you can see a modern church built from pink tuff. This is a whole memorial complex located at the foot of Mount Khustup (3206 m), reigning over Kapan.
Football
Currently, in the Armenian football championship, the city, as well as the entire south of the country, is represented by the Gandzasar club, the official sponsor of which is the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine.
The city of Kapan (before 1990 - Kafan, 45.7 thousand people) is the administrative center of the Syunik region. Located on the south-eastern slopes of the Zangezur ridge at an altitude of 800 m, in the valley of the Voghcha River, 316 km from Yerevan.
The city extends for 10 kilometers along the Voghji river. Its central part occupies the entire plane of the gorge. On the left bank of the Voghji you can see examples of the so-called landscape development - several multi-storey buildings built on a slope of 40 degrees. At night these houses look like skyscrapers. In the history of Armenia, Kafan was first mentioned in the 5th century. In the 10th century the owner of Syunik, Prince Smbat II, proclaimed himself king in 970, moved his residence here from Vayk and founded the Syunik, or Bakhk, kingdom.
At the beginning of the 18th century. in these places the legendary David Beg fought against the Turkish and Persian invaders. His liberation campaign with a handful of brave men began in 1722, soon thousands of patriots gathered under his banner and liberated Syunik. An equestrian statue of David Beg stands tall in the city center. Actually Kafan, formed in the 19th century. from the merger of several villages, it was and remains a center for the extraction of many non-ferrous metals. The industrial development of the local deposits began in the 1890s. Armenian entrepreneurs and French mining engineers who founded a copper mine concession in Kafan. In Soviet times, Kafan was the center of the mining industry, with a copper-molybdenum plant and a processing plant operating here. They are still working.
The monument to another Armenian hero, Garegin Nzhdeh, is located a few kilometers from the city center, upstream of the Vachagan River. (On the way to it you can see a modern church built from pink tuff.) This is not even a monument, but an entire memorial complex located at the foot of Mount Khustup (3214 m), which reigns above Kapan. Even further upstream of Vachagan is the village of Verin-Vachagan. One of the routes to climb Khustup begins from here.
" Kapan. Dear old Kapan. At the very entrance to the city you will see a long-closed airport with a runway overgrown with grass. Planes do not fly here. And buses no longer run either. Only cars. It seems as if the city has fallen asleep. We said goodbye to him fifteen years ago. And on that day, the first day of August, he wearily said that he would take a nap. But he didn’t just take a nap. He was exhausted. Exhausted by bloody wars, torn by the shells that were dropped on him twenty years ago. His strength must have left him and he fell asleep..." ( Excerpt from the story “Stars of Armenia” by Evgeny Arzumanov)
The idea of writing this post was born while visiting the Armenian Aviation, where, in a conversation with Razmik Gasparyan, I learned how in the 80s he himself flew to the far south of Armenia, to Kapan. Well, then, already collecting everything that could be found on the Internet, I managed to meet another pilot, Avag Aleksanyan, who flew the Yak-40 on international flights from 1984 to 1997. And now, thanks to his stories and clarifications, today it is possible to talk a little about flights on the route Yerevan "South" (Erebuni) - Kapan...
1.
Kapan is the largest city in southern Armenia. It is located in the east of the Syunik region in the valley of the Voghji River on the southeastern slopes of the Zangezur ridge between its spurs - the Bargushat and Meghri ridges. To the south of the city is Mount Khustup (3201 m). It is located 316 km from Yerevan and about 1 km from Kashatagh. Translated from Armenian, Kapan means “narrow, impassable gorge,” gorge, pass. In the history of Armenia, Kapan was first mentioned in the 5th century as an ordinary settlement. Ancient Kapan was located 14-15 km northwest of the modern city on the right bank of the Voghchi River, and was the capital of the Kapan (Dzork) gavar...
An Arab author of the 13th century, in his work “Wonders of the World,” speaking about the city of Kapan as a region of the Armenian kingdom of Syunik, noted that it was a remote area in forests and mountains, with many fortresses. At the beginning of the 18th century, the legendary David Bek fought against the Turkish and Persian invaders in these places, whose liberation campaign with a handful of brave men began in 1722 and ended with the liberation of Syunik...
2.
(photo by Mamikon Poghosyan)
Formed in the 19th century from the merger of several villages, Kapan was and remains a center for the extraction of many non-ferrous metals. Since the 1890s, Armenian entrepreneurs and French mining engineers established a copper mine concession in Kapan. In Soviet times, the city was a center of the mining industry; there was a copper-molybdenum plant and an enrichment plant, which are still in operation today. In addition, the city also has food industry enterprises, lighting and furniture production, knitting factories and hydroelectric power stations...
The highway connecting Iran and Armenia passes through the city. At the end of 2008, in addition to the existing section of the Kapan-Kajaran-Meghri highway, an alternative section of the Kapan-Shikaokh-Meghri highway was also built. The Kapan-Kovsakan-Mijnavan railway line, which is no longer in operation, leaves the city. Until 1990, the city was called Kafan. The population in 2009 was 40,000 people...
3.
(photo by Angela Vargamyan)
Before the start of the Karabakh war, quite busy air traffic was established with Kapan starting in the 70s. The small airport received Yak-40 aircraft, AN-14 cargo planes and Mi-8 helicopters. Flights were operated from several cities in Armenia, but most of them, of course, from Yerevan...
4.
(photo by RedRipper24)
Yak-40 aircraft were based at Yuzhny airport (Erebuni), and operated flights on international airlines (local air lines) almost all year round...
5.
(photo by RedRipper24)
In addition to flights around Armenia, Yaks flew to Georgia and the Krasnodar Territory. In those years, the intensity of flights really reached its peak...
6.
(photo by RedRipper24)
Life on the Erebuni platform was in full swing. Flights arrived and departed from Goris, Jermuk, Martuni, Gyumri, Stepanavan, Gavar, Vardenis, Sisian, including from Kapan...
7.
(photo by RedRipper24)
The flight from Yerevan was approximately 40-45 minutes. It was carried out at an altitude of 4500-5100 meters above sea level. The decline began already in the Goris region...
8.
The reduction itself was calculated so that in the area of David Bek (a border village in the Syunik region) it would occupy 3000 meters...
9.
Then, heading towards the control point, we descended to 550 meters, and with a vertical descent speed of 5 m/s already to the end of the Kapan runway...
10.
It was supposed to be visible when passing the checkpoint at 550 meters. The airfield minimum was 550 meters. The missed approach was carried out in advance and before reaching the end, still from the control tower, with a right turn with a climb...
In 80-81 there was such a case, which one Yak-40 technician spoke about at an aviation forum. One of the Yakovs, piloted by PIC 113 LO Proshkin, was already approaching the end of the Kafan runway. And as soon as the commander opened his mouth to give the command to reverse, a truck suddenly jumped onto the runway... Instead of reversing, the go-around command was immediately given, and although the escape point was left far behind, the crew managed to successfully maneuver and then make a normal landing. The truck was never found...
11.
Fuel consumption was approximately 700-800 kg for a one-way flight. Flights were carried out at any time of the year, both summer and winter, and not only in clear weather. There were usually 3-4 flights per day. The restrictions were minimum visibility and maximum wind speed...
12.
Entry from the city side was also allowed, although this option was quite problematic and many commanders officially refused, and the entry from the other side was much more difficult. Plus, the proximity of the border caused additional complexity...
13.
After boarding and disembarking passengers and cargo, including mail, the return flight was immediately loaded. The takeoff was carried out directly towards the mountain (title frame). After lifting off and retracting the landing gear, an immediate right turn into the gorge was made to climb to 3000 meters and then back along the same route to Yerevan. In addition to Yakov, Mi-8 flights were also carried out from the airfield. The nearest airfield is 62 km away. north of Kapan. With the beginning of the Karabakh conflict, flights to this city were stopped due to shelling of the city from Azerbaijan, and have not been carried out to this day...
Today, the Armenian government is talking about reviving air traffic with Kapan, but so far these conversations have not resulted in any real actions. In any case, the runway and infrastructure of the airfield require significant repairs, and there are no longer flying Yaks in Armenia... On one of my next trips, I will definitely try to get to this city and photograph the airfield in detail, and, at the same time, gain additional information about it past active and interesting aviation life...
14.
To illustrate the post, I came across these beautiful shots of Yakov in Kapan quite by accident while looking through the registers, or rather, I saw several screenshots with tail numbers from a film shot in 1980 at the Armenfilm studio. The action of the television film “Flight Begins from the Ground” takes place at a provincial airport, where the now famous pilot, who began his journey from here, arrives. Much in this narrow family world is now becoming alien and incomprehensible to him... Starring Armen Dzhigarkhanyan. Those who are interested and have time can watch it online or on Youtube. Well, for those who don’t want to waste time watching two episodes of the film, I made a short cut only with Yakam;)
Well, in conclusion, another photo from the museum of the Karabakh conflict in which Avag Aleksanyan recognized his comrades in arms - aviators. On the left is his very close friend from college - Rafael Gevorgyan (Rafo). In the center is Khachik Sumbatyan, a flight mechanic. On the right is Valera Yazidjyan, now an instructor pilot for Air Arabia, working in the UAE. And after the publication of this post, in Valery’s comment it turned out that this photo was taken on May 9, 1992 at Stepanakert airport, on the day of the liberation of Shushi. During this difficult period for Artsakh, the Yak-40 took on the entire burden of providing the blockaded republic with everything necessary for survival! Let it be here too, because it was these machines that saved many human lives back then!
15.
(photo from the Aviation Museum of Armenia)
p.s. I would like to express my gratitude to pilot Avag Aleksanyan for his help in writing this post. Today, having changed from the Yak first to the An-26, and then to the An-12, since 2005 he has continued his flying career as an A320 pilot. Clear skies Avag and soft landings!
p.p.s. With the author of the photo RedRipper24, taken in Erebuni in March 1993, I was never able to contact, but in any case I am publishing them here, as well as photos of the city, with mandatory attribution. This time there are no personal photos of me in this post at all))
The city of Kapan is located on the territory of the state (country) Armenia, which in turn is located on the territory of the continent Asia.In what marz (region) is the city of Kapan located?
The city of Kapan is part of the marz (region) of Syunik.A characteristic of a marz (region) or a subject of a country is the integrity and interconnection of its constituent elements, including cities and other settlements that are part of the marz (region).
The marz (region) of Syunik is an administrative unit of the state of Armenia.