Stepanavan

 Stepanavan (Armenian: Ստեփանավան), is a town in the Lori Province of Armenia. It is located 139 km north of the capital Yerevan and 24 km north of the provincial centre Vanadzor, in the centre of Yerevan-Tbilisi highway.

 Stepanavan was one of Armenia's most famous tourist spots during the Soviet era, but it had suffered major destruction during the Spitak Earthquake of 1988. Nowadays, the city is reviving and tourists from all over the world visit Stepanavan to enjoy the beauty of one of Armenia's most picturesque towns.

 The area of present Stepanavan was inhabited since the ancient times, but, in fact, the city in its current location on the southern bank of Dzoraget river was founded in the 12th century, as evidenced by Surb Sargis Armenian Apostolic church in the center of town. The territory was the home of Kingdom of Lori (known also as Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget) of the 10th century where the Fortress of Lori (a medieval royal palace complex) was built. At Lori Berd (or Lori Fortress), the ruins of a 10th-century royal bathhouse and palace could be found. This medieval town-fortress was founded by one of the powerful kings of Armenia, David I Anhoghin, between 1005–1020. In 1065, king Kiurike I proclaimed Lori as the capital of the Kyurikid Kingdom after losing the town of Shamshvilde to the Georgian king Bagrat IV. Located on the northern trade route, Lori was a large craft and commercial centre in medieval Armenia. It had a population of more than 10,000 in the 11th century.

 In 1105, Lori was occupied by the Seljuks, then by the Georgian House of Orbeliani. Later it became under the rule of the Armenian Zakarian brothers, Ivaneh and Zakareh. In 1236, Chaghatai Khan, the commander of the Mongolian army took over the town and razed it to the ground.

 Between the 14th and 17th centuries, while under the rule of the Armenian Orbelian Dynasty as governors of Jalayirids, Karakoyunlu, Timurids and Akkoyunlu, Lori remained a strategically important fortress until the 17th century, when it was captured by Turks, Persians and Georgians respectively. During the reign of Catherine the Great of the Russian Empire in the 18th century, the town of Jalaloghly was founded on the same site, by the Armenian Hasan-Jalalyan dynasty from Karabakh. Jalaloghly was part of Borchalu region within the governorate of Tiflis in the Russian Empire.
 The name "Jalaloghly" was used until 1923, when it was renamed "Stepnavan" after the Armenian Bolshevik leader Stepan Shaumyan.

 Stepanavan is situated on Lori plateau to the north of Bazum mountains, on the shores of river Dzoraget at an average height of 1375 meters above sea level. It covers an area of 17 km2 with an estimated population of 16200 inhabitants in 2009. The deep gorge of Dzoraget divides Stepanavan into northern and southern banks, the latter of which has deeper historical roots.

 Surrounded with thick forests and alpine meadows, Stepanavan has a relatively humid climate with an average yearly temperature of 6.6 C. The average temperature of January is -4,2 C while in July it makes +16,7 C. The annual precipitation is 683 mm with snowy winters.

 Stepanavan is a health resort known for its pine forests and mountainous climate. The essential oils, isolated by coniferous trees, possess strong bactericidal properties; therefore mountainous air of Stepanavan, filled with the aroma of pine tree, is useful for patients who suffer from respiratory problems.

 Source: Wikipedia.org