History

Archaeological evidence indicates that an Urartian military fortress called Erebuni   was founded in 782 BC by the orders of King Argishti the First at the site of current-day Yerevan, to serve as a fort/citadel guarding against barbarian attacks from the north Caucasus, thus making it one of the oldest cities in the world. Since then the site has been strategically important as a crossroads for the caravan routes passing between Europe and India. It has been called Yerevan since at least the 7th century A.D., when it was the capital of Armenia under Persian rule.