Arabkir District

Arabkir (Armenian: Արաբկիր վարչական շրջան, romanized: Arabkir varch’akan shrjan), is one of the 12 districts of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Located to the north of the city centre, Arabkir is bordered by the Davtashen District from the northwest, Ajapnyak District from the west, Kentron District from the south, and Kanaker-Zeytun District from the east. Hrazdan River forms the natural border of the district from the north and the west. At the north, Arabkir has common borders with the community of Kanakeravan of Kotayk Province.

With an area of 12 km² (5.38% of Yerevan city area), Arabkir is the 8th-largest district of Yerevan in terms of area. It is unofficially divided into smaller neighborhoods such as Nor Arabkir, Mergelyan, Aygedzor, Kanaker Hydropower Plant and Raykom. Arabkir's main thoroughfare is the Komitas Avenue, while the streets of Kievyan, N. Zarian, Hrachya Kochar, Mamikonian, Al. Griboyedov, A. Khachaturian, V. Vagharshyan, V. Papazian, and N. Adontz are among the notable ones. The two main squares of the district are Barekamutyun and Mher Mkrtchyan. Arabkir is separated from Kanaker-Zeytun by the Liberty Avenue ( Armenian: Ազատության Պողոտա) and Tbilisi Highway.

Arabkir is mainly a commercial district with many retail shops, shopping and service centres. However, a large industrial district was formed at the northern part during the Soviet period. The majority of the residents of the district are middle class.

The district has many parks with the most notable ones are Vahagn Davtyan Park and Nor Arabkir Park.

As of 2016, the population of the district is around 115,800.

On the eve of World War I, there were about 9,523 Armenians (1,300 houses) and 6,774 Turks living in the town of Arapgir near Malatya (modern-day Turkey). After the 1915 Armenian genocide, most of the Armenian population of Arapgir was either killed or deported. Starting in 1922, surviving Armenians of Arapgir found refuge in Soviet Armenia. Consequently, the Arabkir District was officially founded as a settlement north of the Yerevan city centre on November 29, 1925.

Their original cemetery was located at the north end of the district near the street of the Molokan community. However, the cemetery was converted into a park around 1963 and the gravestones were removed. Only a handful of graves remain in the wooded areas of the park, as well as a memorial to soldiers from the Arabkir District who were killed in World War II.

Many large industrial plants of Armenia were opened in Arabkir during the Soviet period. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, most of the plants were abandoned. The site of ErAZ automobile factory is under development to become a residential neighbourhood.