Akhtala

Akhtala (Armenian: Ախթալա ) is a town and municipal community in the Lori Province of Northern Armenia, located along the Shamlugh river, on the slopes of Lalvar mountain.

Understand
Akhtala was formed and developed as a mining industrial settlement, the population was mainly engaged in the mining industry, but to some extent also in the canning industry during the Soviet era.

Akhtala was known as Agarak during the 5th century. Later, the medieval historians Kirakos Gandzaketsi and Stepanos Orbelyan mention it as Pghndzahank (copper mine), which indicates that the mining industry here has been well known for a long time, and was underlined by the identification and naming of the settlement.

The Greeks in Armenia live in mixed and in compact populated areas. Many people being aware of the ancient and historical ties and interactions of Greek and Armenian people are convinced that the Greeks lived in Armenia from early times. However, as strange as it may seem, the Greeks started to live in Armenia rather late. They are the Greeks speaking Greek Pontic dialect, whose first settlers arrived by the same Heraclius II’s initiatives. The problem is that when in 1763 he decides to re-open Akhtala’s mine, he faces the problem of a lack of skilled mining industry labor. In order to solve this problem, in the same year of 1763, they moved 300 skilled Greeks in the mining industry from Trabzon to Akhtala, thus beginning the establishment of the Greek population in Armenia. Akhtala in this respect, as the first settlement of Greeks in Armenia, could be considered as a unique symbol of friendship between the Armenian and Greek people.

Akhtala became active when the French mining company Akhtala’s Mines appeared. It soon strengthened the polymetallic and, particularly, copper extraction, made it the most famous of the Russian Empire. According to some sources, the French mining company gave up to 30% of its extracted copper to Tsarist Russia. The copper was transported to markets by the construction of the Tbilisi - Akhtala - Ghara Kilisa – Hamam –Jajur –Alexandropoulos - Kars railway. Construction work began in 1895 and cost more than 24 million Russian rubles, a large amount of money for that time.

The world-famous filmmaker of the 20th century, Armenian film director Sergei Parajanov, was inspired by Akhtala’s nature, and its medieval fortress and monastery. He filmed many episodes of one of his films with world recognition – “Sayat Nova” (Color of Pomegranate). In particular, it refers to “The childhood of Sayat Nova” and “Mad Fight” episodes. Of which in the first episode with a background of lavash hanging on a rope, the child Sayat Nova is pictured sitting on the couch with his father and mother, and in another episode the background is of the frescoes of the Main altar of the church of Akhtala.

Get in
Akhtala is 186 km north of the capital Yerevan and 62 km north of administrative center Vanadzor. It is right off the main road from Georgia to Vanadzor.

Get around
You can walk from the village to the fortress and monastery but it's a bit of an uphill.

See






Do




Buy

 * Sweet gata, handmade works, souvenirs are usually sold at Nurik center.
 * There are some small village shops selling fruits and vegetables.

Eat
You can eat at Nurik center.

Go next

 * Alaverdi
 * Georgia