Dastakert

For the village in Azerbaijan, see Dostagir.
Dastakert
Դաստակերտ
community

Dastakert
Dastakert
Coordinates: 39°22′06″N 46°02′12″E / 39.36833°N 46.03667°ECoordinates: 39°22′06″N 46°02′12″E / 39.36833°N 46.03667°E
Country  Armenia
Province (Marz) Syunik
First mentioned 12th century
Government
 • Mayor Nayiri Filosyan
Area[1]
 • Total 0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi)
Elevation 2,050 m (6,730 ft)
Population (2009)
 • Total 300
 • Density 600/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zone GMT +4
Dastakert at GEOnet Names Server

Dastakert (Armenian: Դաստակերտ) is a town and an urban community in the Syunik Province of Armenia. It is located at a distance of 236 km south of the capital Yerevan and 127 km north-west of the regional centre Kapan. With a population of 300 inhabitants and an area of 0.5 km², Dastakert is the smallest urban community of Armenia in terms of population and area.

History

Dastakert landscape

Dastakert was formed as an urban community in 1951. It is situated on the foot of the mountain Ayri, near the roots of the Dastakert river (a tributary of Sisian river), at a height of 2050 meters above sea level. Dastakert was first mentioned in history by Stepanos Orbelian in the 12-13th centuries as a small village.[2] According to the National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia (ARMSTAT), the population of Dastakert was 303 in 2010,[3] up from 287 at the 2001 census.[4]

In 1951 Dastakert has gained the status of a town, and in 1952 the copper-molybdenum plant was built in the area. In 1968, during the Soviet heyday, there were 4000 residents in Dastakerd. After the copper-molybdenum plant shut its doors in 1975, the population has harshly declined, and all that remained from the town's boom period was only its status as an urban community. Nowadays, only 303 residents live in Dastakert. Most residents are Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan. Between 2 and 3 children are born in Dastakerd on a yearly basis.[5]

Currently, 1 secondary school, 1 cultural centre, a musical school and a library are regularly operating in the town. There is a lithographic inscription 2 km north of the settlement on a rock called Vardapet-Stone.

Economy

In 1995, the government of independent Armenia, reaffirmed the status of Dastakert as a town within the Syunik province. Only 8% of the town's residents have jobs, mostly in the post office, the municipality and the school. A branch of Zangezour copper-molybdenum plant with its ore-dressing mill was built on the base of the old copper-molybdenum plant of Dastakert.

References

  1. ↑ (Armenian) Region.region.am "Syunik regional e-Governance System". Syunik Region provincial government. Click on link entitled "Համայնքներ" (community) and search for the place by Armenian name.
  2. ↑ "Syunik: Dastakert".
  3. ↑ "Marzes of the Republic of Armenia and Yerevan City in Figures, 2010" (PDF). National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia (ARMSTAT).
  4. ↑ Report of the results of the 2001 Armenian Census, National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia
  5. ↑ "Hetq online: Society- Bread is Scarce in Dastakerd".