Lori Province
Lori (, ), is a province ("marz") of Armenia. It is located in the north of the country, bordering Georgia. Vanadzor is the capital and largest city of the province. Other important towns include Stepanavan, Alaverdi, and Spitak. It is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Haghpat and Sanahin monasteries and the well-preserved Akhtala monastery, where Armenians, Georgians, and Greeks make an annual pilgrimage on September 20–21. The province was heavily damaged during the 1988 Armenian earthquake. The province is served by the Stepanavan Airport. Etymology. The name Lori (Լոռի) is of Armenian origin (from Armenian "quail ), first appeared in the 11th century when King David I Anhoghin founded the fortified city of Lori. The fortress-city became the capital of the Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget in 1065. The name Lori later spread through the region and replaced the original name of Tashir. Geography. Situated at the north of modern-day Armenia, Lori covers an area of (12.7% of total area of Armenia). It is bordered by Tavush Province from the east, Kotayk Province from the southeast, Aragatsotn Province from the southwest and Shirak Province from the west. The province is bordered by the Kvemo Kartli region 	Lori Province
25917746	of Georgia. Historically, the territories of modern-day Lori are associated with the cantons of Tashir, Boghnopor and Dzorapor of Gugark province of Ancient Armenia. Lori is a mountainous region, dominated by the ranges of Javakheti, Bazum, Pambak, Gugark, Halab and Somkheti. The highest point of the province is Mount Achkasar of the Javakheti range with a height of 3196 meters. The lowest point is 380 meters in the valley of Debed in the northeast of the province. The main water resource of the province is the Debed river with its tributaries Dzoraget, Pambak and Martsaget. The climate is characterized 	Lori Province
25917747	with extremely cold snowy winters and mild summers. The annual precipitation level is between . History. Excavations conducted in 1931 testify that the region of modern-day Lori was most probably settled during the 1st half of the 2nd millennium BC. Later, the region became part of the Urartu Kingdom between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. After the Achaemenid invasion, the region became part of the 18th Satrapy of Persia. With the establishment of the Kingdom of Armenia in 331 BC, the region became part of the kingdom within the historic Gugark province, the 13th province of Greater Armenia. In 	Lori Province
25917748	the course of the 4th century, the region was ruled by members of the House of Mihran. Following the partition of Armenia in 387 between the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia, and the subsequent collapse of Arsacid Armenia in 428, Eastern Armenia including Gugark province became under the rule of Sassanid Persia. In 658, Armenia was conquered by the Arab invaders. At the end of the 9th century, most of the Gugark province became part of the newly established Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia. In 979, King Kiurike I founded the Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget under the rule of the Kiurikian 	Lori Province
25917749	dynasty and the protectorate of the Bagratid kings of Armenia. The capital of the kingdom was Matsnaberd (until 1065) and the Lori fortress. The Kiurikians ruled the kingdom until 1118 when Tashir-Dzoraget became part of the Kingdom of Georgia. The Seljuks invaded the region in the early 12th century, but their rule did not last long and in 1118–1122 the Georgian king David the Builder conquered Lori and granted the rule to the House of Orbeli. The Orbeli's revolted unsuccessfully in 1177, after which a Kipchak named Kubasar was appointed spasalari" of Lori. Later in 1185, the province  became ruled by the Mkhargdzeli dynasty after Queen Tamar of Georgia appointed the Sargis Mkhargrdzeli as its governor. However, the region was devastated by the Mongol invasion of 1236, and the Zakarian dynasty declined by the 2nd half of the 14th century. After fall of the Kingdom of Georgia in 1490, Lori remained part of Kingdom of Kartli until the 16th century. Lori was annexed by Safavid Persia as a result of the 1555 Peace of Amasya and became part of Persia's Kartli-Kakheti province. After Nader Shah's murder in 1747, the Georgian kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti  became independent and united into a single kingdom by 1762. In 1800–01, together with the Georgian provinces of Kartli and Kakheti, Lori and Tavush were annexed by the Russian Empire to become part of the Georgia Governorate. Lori became officially part of the Russian Empire at the Treaty of Gulistan signed on 1 January 1813, between Imperial Russia and Qajar Persia, following the Russo-Persian War of 1804–13. In 1862, Lori was transferred into the jurisdiction of the Tiflis Governorate. In 1880, Lori became part of the Borchali uyezd of the Tiflis Governorate. In the early 20th century, Lori was  mostly populated by Armenians, with several Russian and Greek villages. In May 1918, the Ottoman Turkish forces moved towards Yerevan and Karakilisa (now Vanadzor). On 25 May 1918, the Armenians led by Garegin Nzhdeh fought against the Turkish forces led by Wehib Pasha, at the vicinity of Karakilisa. On 28 May 1918, the Turks retreated from Karakalisa, Abaran and Sardarabad, paving way towards the declaration of the Republic of Armenia on the same day. In late 1918, Armenia and Georgia fought a border war over Lori. Lori was claimed by both countries after 1918, when both declared its independence from  Russian empire. Initially, Georgia controlled Lori. After turning down Armenian ultimatum, Georgian forces were attacked by Armenians and pushed back to river Khrami. Georgians consolidated and counterattacked pushing Armeanian forces out of contested area. In January 1919, the British brokered a peace agreement which left northern Lori as a neutral zone between the two countries. When Armenia was invaded by Turkish forces in November 1920, Georgia occupied the whole province, with permission by the Armenian government. Following Armenia's Sovietization in December 1920, Lori was incorporated into Soviet Armenia on 6 November 1921. During the Soviet period, modern-day Lori  was divided into the raions of Kalinino, Tumanyan (Alaverdi until 1969), Kirovakan, Aragats, Spitak and Stepanavan. After the independence of Armenia, the 6 raions were merged as per the 1995 administrative reform, to form the Lori Province. Demographics. Population. According to the 1989 Soviet census, the Lori Province (then part of the Gugark, Tashir, Spitak, Stepanavan, and Tumanyan districts in 1930–1995) had a population of 229,459. 116,180 or 50.63% of which was urban, distributed in the cities of Alaverdi (26,930), Kirovakan (75,616), Spitak (3,740) and Stepanavan (9,894), and 113,279 or 49.37% were rural, distributed in the districts of Gugark (20,368 ), Tashir (30,645), Spitak (8,613), Stepanavan (17,474), and Tumanyan (36,179). According to the 2011 official census, Lori has a population of 235,537 (111,675 men and 123,862 women), forming around 7.8% of the entire population of Armenia. The urban population is 137,784 (58.5%) and the rural is 97,753 (41.5%). The province has 8 urban and 105 rural communities. The largest urban community is the provincial center of Vanadzor, with a population of 86,199. The other urban centres are Alaverdi, Stepanavan, Spitak, Shamlugh, Tashir, Akhtala and Tumanyan. With a population of 4,578, the village of Metsavan is the largest rural municipality of Lori . Ethnic groups and religion. The majority of Lori are ethnic Armenians who belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The regulating body of the church is the Diocese of Gougark, headed by Archbishop Sebouh Chouldjian. The Saint Gregory of Narek Cathedral in Vanadzor is the seat of the diocese. However, small communities of ethnic Russian Molokans are mainly found in the villages of Fioletovo and Lermontovo, and in less numbers in the villages of Sverdlov, Mikhayelovka, Privolnoye, Pushkino, Medovka and the town of Tashir. The total number of Molokans in Lori is 3,882 individuals. There are few Orthodox Russians and Ukrainians  in Vanadzor, Stepanavan and the village of Amrakits. According to the Diocese of Gougark, as of February 2016, Lori is home to 259 places of worship, of which 3 monasteries, as well as 36 churches and 23 chapels, are active. The 793 individuals of the Yazidi community are found in the southern villages of the province including Lermontovo and Lernantsk. Lori is also home to a tiny Greek community of 655 individuals who speak the Pontic dialect. Small Greek communities could be found in the towns of Alaverdi, Akhtala, Stepanavan, Noyemberyan and Vanadzor. The majority of the Yaghdan village is  Greek. Administrative divisions. As a result of the administrative reforms in November 2017, Lori is currently divided into 57 municipal communities ("hamaynkner"), of which 7 are urban and 50 are rural: During the recent years, many rural settlements in Lori became abandoned, including the villages of Gyulludara, Kizilshafak and Kizkala. Culture. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, the monasteries of Haghpat, Sanahin, Kobayr and Bardzrakash in Dsegh served as centers of Armenian culture, theology and science. Scholars such as Hovhannes Imastaser, Grigor Tuteordi, Davit Kobayretsi, Grigor Magistros worked in these monasteries. The House-museum of Hovhannes Tumanyan in Dsegh is  among the notable cultural structures in Lori. Transportation. Lori is connected to other parts of Armenia through a railway, national highways and a network of regional roads. The M-3 and M-6 highways passing through the province, connect the capital Yerevan with the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The M-8 highway connects Lori with Tavush Province to the east The provincial centre Vanadzor has a railway station with a South Caucasus Railway express service that connects the city with Yerevan via Gyumri, and Tbilisi via Ayrum. In April 2012, a replacement bridge over the Zamarlu gorge just west of Vahagnadzor was opened in  order to secure the safe ongoing use of the line to Ayrum, but not before the all station service between Gyumri and Ayrum was discontinued leaving the likes of Spitak and Alaverdi without a passenger service. A new railway link between Vanadzor and Fioletovo (west of Dilijan) has also been proposed. Stepanavan Airport, located north of Vanadzor, is the nearest airport to the city. Economy. Agriculture. The agriculture of Lori forms around 7.5% of the annual total agricultural product of Armenia. Approximately, 40% of the population in Lori are involved in agricultural activities, including farming and cattle-breeding. Almost 66.3 % (2,511.5 km) of the total area of the province are arable lands, out of which 17% (421 km) are ploughed. The main crops of the province are grains, followed by potato and vegetables. There is a large poultry farm in the town of Spitak. Industry. As of 2016, the province has a contribution of around 6% in the annual total industrial product of Armenia. Lori is a major centre for metallurgical business, building materials production, as well as dairy products. The Dzoraget Hydroelectric Power Station () is located in the Dzoraget village of Lori, on the shores of Debed River. It  is in operation since on 15 November 1932 with the full installed capacity of 22.32 MW. As of 1980, the plant uses three generators with an installed capacity of 26.2 MW. The Dzoraget Hydro Power Plant is considered to be small size power plant. Tourism. The mountainous nature, the mild summer climate and the green forests of Lori attract a large number of visitors during the summer season. Many sanatoriums, hotels, resorts and spas serve the province, mainly around Vanadzor, Stepanavan, Alaverdi, Dsegh and along the rivers of Dzoraget and Deped. The Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin are a UNESCO  World Heritage Site. Lori has 3 nature protected areas, including the Gyulagarak Sanctuary, the Margahovit Sanctuary, and the Rhododendron caucasicum Sanctuary near Aghstev river. The Stepanavan Dendropark as well as the Vanadzor Botanical Garden are major destinations for ecotourism lovers. Education. Gugark was one of the major educational centres throughout the history. The historic University of Sanahin opened in 966 AD by the efforts of the Bagratuni queen Khosrovanush, was located in the area of modern-day Sanahin. Currently, Vanadzor has 2 universities: the "Vanadzor State University named after Hovhannes Tumanyan", and "Mkhitar Gosh Armenian-Russian International University". Branches of  the Yerevan State University and National Polytechnic University of Armenia are also operating in the city. The State College of Alaverdi offers an opportunity in pedagogical studies with a duration of two years, while the Tumanyan branch of the "Northern University" offers degrees in nursing and dental prosthesis. As of the 2015–16 educational year, Lori was home to 162 schools. The Vanadzor Technological Center is operating since October 2016. It is intended to promote the business and technology environment in the entire region of Lori. The Children of Armenia Fund (COAF), a non-profit NGO that is focused on child -centered development of rural Armenia, opened the first COAF SMART Center in Debet village of Lori in May 2018. The COAF SMART Center is a regional education hub designed to connect more villagers to the programs and opportunities offered by COAF and bring together different regions through hosting organization-wide events. It offers a wide array of resources for children and their families through technologically advanced classrooms and labs. The organization claims to ensure access to all communities by providing transportation to and from villages. Sport. Football, handball and winter sports are popular in Lori. There are football stadiums in  Vanadzor, Alaverdi, Akhtala and Tumanyan. Lori Vanadzor, FC Vanadzor, Debed FC and FC Akhtala had represented the province in the domestic football competitions. However, they were all dissolved due to financial difficulties. The FFA Vanadzor Football Academy opened its doors on 29 October 2016. In 2017 the newly founded Lori FC made its debut in the Armenian First League, representing the city of Vanadzor. Vanadzor is one of the prominent centers for winter sports in Armenia with ski facilities near the city.