Meghri

Meghri was founded as "Karchavan" in 906 by king Smbat I of Armenia, during the period of the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia. Later, it was known as Meghri, meaning "honey town" in the Armenian language.

Meghri at the slopes of Meghri mountain range

At an average height of 610 meters above sea level, Meghri is located near the Armenia-Iran border, on the shores of Meghri River, dominated by Zangezur Mountains from the northeast, and Meghri range from the southwest.

The town is mainly divided into 2 large neighborhoods:

• Mets tagh meaning the large neighborhood, located on the left bank of Meghri river, it occupies the eastern part of Meghri. Formed during the 17th century, it occupies around 70% of the town's area.
• Pokr tagh meaning the small neighborhood, located on the right bank of Meghri river, it occupies the western part of Meghri. It was formed during the Soviet days in the 20th century.

The 2 neighborhoods are separated by the Meghri river and Adelyan Street.

The surrounding areas of the town are designated as a Prime Butterfly Area,[6] having number of rare and endangered species of butterflies, such as Gegenes nostradamus, Papilio alexanor, Cupido argiades, Polyommatus damonides, and others.

Holy Mother of God Church in Meghri, consecrated in 1673

Meghri is almost entirely populated by Armenians who belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Church of the Holy Mother of God of Meghri of the large neighborhood opened in 1673, is the main church of the town. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Syunik based in Goris.

The town of Meghri has experienced relative population growth since the 19th century and especially during the Soviet years when several factories were set up there. In 1831 it was only a village with 272 inhabitants, in 1897 it already had 927 people. It continued to grow in the following decades and peaked in 2011, when, according to that year's census, it had 4,580 inhabitants but due to the country's economic crisis the population declined to 3,500 in 2016. [1]

Armenian woman in Meghri

Here is the population timeline of Meghri since 1831:[1]

The remains of Surp Sarkis church

Meghri has a public library founded in 1882. The municipality also runs the cultural centre and the children's school of art. A branch of Yerevan fine arts teaching centre was opened in Meghri in 1985.

The remains of Meghri Fortress dating back to the 11th century are found at the eastern heights of the town. In addition to the Holy Mother of God Church of 1673, the 17th century Surp Hovhannes church located in the small neighborhood is also active and famous for its wall paintings. The abandoned church of Surp Sarkis located at the north of Meghri, is also dating back to the 17the century.

The abandoned railway station

Meghri is the main gate between Armenia and Iran through the nearby Agarak border crossing. The M-2 road that connects the capital Yerevan with Iran, passes through Meghri.

During the Soviet days, Meghri was connected with Yerevan by railway passing through the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. After the dissolution of Soviet Union and as a result of the military crisis between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the railroad became abandoned.

Local Meghri fruitseller

The town's economy is based on food industry, which contains a bread-baking factory, canneries and small home-based wineries. Meghri used to have a large wine factory during the Soviet years.

Agriculture is among the leading sectors in the region. Meghri is the only location in Armenia that produces pomegranate. The region is also known for its high-quality fig. Meghri has a significantly milder climate than the rest of the cities in Armenia, and produces fruits not found in other parts of the country.

The Iran-Armenia Natural Gas Pipeline passes through Meghri. In early 2007, it was reported that the governments of Armenia, Russia, and Iran are planning to build an oil refinery for gasoline export to Iran. This US$1.7 billion project would be led by Gazprom[7] whose Armenian subsidiary is already the country's main energy supplier[8] though in 2016 a new agreement opened up the possibility of having Meghri area's domestic gas supply (around 5000 households[9]) to be provided by Iranian company Sanergy.[10]

The Meghri Dam (also known as the Meghri hydroelectric project or Aras Watershed Dam) is a hydroelectric system planned on the Aras River, also known as Araxes, near Meghri on the Armenia–Iran border. The construction was to have begun in 2012. The joint project was proposed and discussed earlier in the 1990s between Iranian and Armenian authorities.[11][12]

In June 2016, the Meghri Medical Center was opened with the presence of then-president Serzh Sargsyan.[13]

General view of Pokr Tag , the historic part of town.

Although the region is unique for its climate and abundant fruit production ( pomegranate , one of the national symbols of Armenia) is only cultivated in Meghri) and honey , landscapes with rocky mountain ranges, the Araz River, an equally unique cultural heritage that is partly influenced by the Persian culture, for example, the murals of the local church, recently renovated thanks to a US subsidy,[14] the remoteness of the country’s capital and the complicated conditions of the mountain roads lengthen the drive and therefore few tourists choose it. Visitors to the area are mostly adventurers who visit Armenia with the aim of later reaching Iran and, as Meghri is located right on the border, is visited by such tourists.

According to the Meghri administration, there are a total of 11 small hotels and hostels offering 170 rooms with 171 beds, despite the annual average number of guests reaching only 6580 people.

According to the State Tourism Committee of Armenia, about 220,000 Iranians visited Armenia in 2017, which is 16% more than in 2016 (about 185,000). [15] The trend implies that the Meghri region has significant potential of tourism development. However, it lacks the capacity to host even a third of Iranian tourists. This is why people prefer other cities or choose a direct trip to Yerevan by visiting the region.

In the city there is an inn called Arevik which has between 8 and 10 beds created to somehow welcome tourists but due to the distances between Yerevan and Meghri there is not much investment because entrepreneurs are afraid of not receiving income and lack infrastructure.

To revive the city a program was created that would arouse the interest of tourists to the region. It consists of four main components: development planning, reconstruction of the neighborhood, capacity building and advertising of Meghri as a new tourist destination. Developing planning means creating a professional base to provide hospitality services with local traditions.

As of 2017, Meghri is home to 2 public high schools. It also has a pre-school kindergarten ran by the municipality. In 2001, an intermediate technical college was opened in Meghri, preparing teachers, accountants and mechanists.

Football field in Meghri

Meghri has a sports school served by a football training field and 2 swimming pools located at the centre of the city in the small neighborhood, on the right bank of Meghri river.

Khachatur Malumian

• Yohannes Gugarats
• Paramaz, Armenian fedayee and political activist
• Khachatur Malumian, writer and political activist, victim of the Armenian Genocide [16]

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  Waterfall of Meghri
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  Meghri City Hall
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  Local persimmons
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  Meghri Old Town (Pokr Tag)

• Kingdom of Syunik
• Meghri Dam

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Meghri.

• Meghri official website
• Meghri news
• Syunik Province official website