This article is part of the series on: Image File history File links LusignanCOA.gif‎ Coat of Arms of the Lusignan Dynasty of Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia Copyright©2004 Andrew Andersen Atlas of Conflicts File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... History of Armenia // Prehistory Archaeologists refer to the Shulaveri-Shomu culture of the central Transcaucasus region, including modern Armenia, as the earliest known prehistoric culture in the area, carbon-dated to roughly 6000 - 4000 BC. However, a recently discovered tomb has been dated to 9000 BC. Another early culture in the Armenian Highland...

Early History

Haik

Hayasa-Azzi

Nairi

Kingdom of Urartu

Kingdom of Armenia

Orontid Armenia

Artaxiad Dynasty

Arsacid Dynasty

Medieval History

Marzpanate Period

Byzantine Armenia

Bagratuni Armenia

Kingdom of Vaspurakan

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

Foreign Rule

Persian Rule

Ottoman Rule

Russian Rule

Hamidian Massacres

Armenian Genocide

Early Independence

Democratic Republic of Armenia

Soviet Armenia

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic

Modern Armenia

Republic of Armenia

Nairi, also called Nahri (probably meaning: land of rivers) was an ancient people and land corresponding to the territory of the later Kingdom of Urartu, located around lake Van from Hakkari to Dersim , in modern southeastern Turkey. They were probably part of (or akin to) other original peoples of the same region such as Hurrians etc. Statue of Haik in Yerevan Haik (Also spelled Hayk or Haig) is the legendary patriarch and establisher of the first Armenian nation. ... Hayasa-Azzi or Azzi-Hayasa was a confederation formed between the Kingdoms of Hayasa located South of Trabzon and Azzi, located North of the Euphrates and to the South of Hayasa. ... Urartu (Biainili in Urartian) was an ancient kingdom in eastern Anatolia, centered in the mountainous region around Lake Van (present-day Turkey), which existed from about 1000 BC, or earlier, until 585 BC. The name may correspond to the Biblical Ararat. ... The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (sometimes referred to as Armenia Minor) was a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. ... The Orontid Dynasty was the first Armenian dynasty. ... Kingdom of Armenia at its greatest extent under the Artaxiad Dynasty after the conquests of Tigranes the Great, 80 BC The Artaxiad Dynasty ruled Armenia from 189 BC until their overthrow by the Romans in AD 1. ... The Arsacid Dynasty (Arshakuni Dynasty) ruled the Kingdom of Armenia from AD 54 to 428. ... Marzpanate period is the time in Armenian history after the fall of the Arshakuni Dynasty of Armenia in 428, when most of Armenia was governed by Marzbans (Governors-general of the boundaries), nominated by the Sassanid Persian King. ... Byzantine Armenia is the name given to the Armenian part of the Byzantine Empire. ... The Bagratuni or Bagratid royal dynasty of Armenia (Armenian: Բագրատունյաց Արքայական Տոհմ or Bagratunyac Arqayakan Tohm) is a royal family whose branches formerly ruled many regional polities, including Armenian lands of Syunik, Lori, Vaspurakan, Kars, Taron, and Tayk. ... Vaspurakan was a province and then kingdom of Greater Armenia during the Middle Ages. ... Armenian Cilicia and Crusader States Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (sometimes referred to as Armenia Minor or Lesser Armenia) was a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Eastern Armenia or Russian Armenia is the portion of Ottoman Armenia that was ceded to the Russian Empire following the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829. ... Contemporary political cartoon portraying Hamid as a butcher of the Armenians During the long reign of Sultan Hamid, unrest and rebellion occurred in many areas of the Ottoman Empire. ... Armenian Genocide photo. ... National motto: n/a Language Armenian (official) Capital Yerevan Independence From Imperial Russia, 1918 Currency Armenian dram National anthem Mer Hayrenik The Democratic Republic of Armenia (DRA; Armenian: Դեմոկրատական Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն, Demokratakan Hayastani Hanrapetutyun; also known as the First Republic of Armenia), 1918–1922, was the first modern establishment of a Republic of... State motto: Պրոլետարներ բոլոր երկրների, միացեք! (Workers of the world, unite!) Official language None. ... Urartu was an ancient kingdom in Anatolia, centred in the mountainous region around Lake Van (presently in Turkey), which existed from about 1000 BC, or earlier, until 585 BC, and which, at its apogee, stretched from northern Mesopotamia through the southern Caucasus. ... Lake Van from space, September 1996 Lake Van Landsat photo Lake Van (Turkish: Van Gölü, in Armenian: Վանա լիճ) is the largest lake in Turkey, located in the far east of the country. ... Hakkâri, formerly Çölemerik, is the capital city of the Hakkâri il, Turkey. ... Tunceli is a province in eastern Turkey. ... The Hurrians were a people of the Ancient Near East, who lived in northern Mesopotamia and areas to the immediate east and west, beginning approximately 2500 BC. They probably originated in the Caucasus and entered from the north, but this is not certain. ...

This nation was mentioned first by the Assyrians in the 13th century B.C as 'Nairi'. Nairi was powerful and rivaled the Assyrian Empire. They had many wars with the Assyrians. Nairi were part of the peoples that formed Urartu. Relief from Assyrian capital of Dur Sharrukin, showing transport of Lebanese cedar (8th c. ...

Nairi in Popular Culture

Since the late nineteenth century, Nairi has come to stand as a synonym for Armenia among Armenians, who tend to see Nairi as one of their most ancient ancestors.

In 1916, Vahan Terian published a bundle of poems entitled Land of Nairi (in Armenian: Yerkir Nairi), in which he uses Nairi in place of Armenia. Likewise in 1923, Yeghishe Charents wrote a satirical novella entitled Land of Nairi, using once again Nairi as a synonym for Armenia. Hayastan Yeghiazarian, interestingly, used Nairi Zarian as his pen-name, replacing his first name, Hayastan (which is what Armenians call Armenia in their own language since the Late Middle Ages) with Nairi. Yeghishe Charents (born Soghomonyan, Armenian: ) (13 March 1897, Kars - 29 November 1937, Yerevan) was an Armenian poet executed in Stalins purges. ... Dante by Michelino The Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe European history in the period of the 14th and 15th centuries (1300–1500 A.D.). The Late Middle Ages were preceded by the High Middle Ages, and followed by the Early Modern era (Renaissance). ...

In the course of the twentieth and twenty-first century, Nairi has become a popular first name for both girls and boys in Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora. Variations, like Naira, exist side by side variations in spelling, including Nayiri, Nayri, and Nyree.

Armenians also use the name Nairi for many products and businesses ranging from restaurants to movie theaters, magazines to publishing houses, hotels to cognac, and even computers. In the United States, especially in areas where there are large Armenian communities, many businesses, including beauty-salons, bakeries, and grocery stores bear the name Nairi.