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Home , Amrakits, Debed, Dsegh, Dzoraget, Dzoraget (river), Gugark

LORI REGION /MARZ/

REPUBLIC OF

GENERAL INFO

Total area: 3799 km2 (It comprises 12.7 % of the territory of RA and is the largest region among the northern regions)

Number of communities: 56 Urban communities: 8

Rural communities: 48

Settlements: 130

Lori region is bordered by in the north (110 km)

Population: 217.400 (the 4th region in Armenia)

Urban: 128800 people

Rural: 88600 people

The center of the Region: (the third largest city in the RA)

Geography

Dzoraget River

Lori region is the third largest region in the country (comprises 12.7% of the area) with a territory of 3799 sq km. It is the northern gate of the country bordering the Republic of Georgia. (the length of the border is 110 km.).It is bordered by Province from the east, Kotayk

Province from the southeast, from the southwest and from the west. The region includes former , , , Tumanyan, districts. Lori

Region covers the River Basin. It has a completely flat terrain, with about 80% of the area occupied by mountain ranges and large mountains. Lori is a mountainous region, dominated by the ranges of , , , Gugark, Halab, Virahayoc and Somkheti River Debed flows through the region having 3 tributaries –, Marcaget and Pambak. Agro- climatically lies in the intensive irrigation zone. It is rich in mineral water springs. The settlements are located at an altitude of 520 to 1800 meters above sea level.

Climate

The region has relatively humid climate. Winters are accompanied with a permanent snow cover:

Summers are warm and relatively humid. The average air temperature is between -4 ° C in winter to + 18 ° C in summer. Precipitation is quite high here, with annual precipitation of 600-700 mm.:

In the foothill zone, the climate is subtropical, with moderately hot and dry summers and mild winters.

FLORA AND FAUNA

The region is rich in forests, mountains and heaths as well as in subalpine meadows. The state forest fund is 101205 hectares, of which 86000 are covered by forests. The forest fund makes up about 27% of the territory of the province and 30% of the country's forest cover. The main tree species are beech, oak, hornbeam and pine, while the subsidiary species are linden , birch tree , elm tree , and ash-tree.The forested areas include Tumanyan, Stepanavan and Gugark regions.

There are 3 sanctuaries in the region (, , Rhododendron caucasicum) with a total area of 17 576 hectares, 1 botanic garden and 2 arboretums and 9 natural monuments with total area of 165 hectares .

Land resources

Agricultural lands of Lori region comprise 251 052.7 hectares (66% of the region's territory and

12.3% of the country's agricultural lands), of which 42,059.4 hectares are the arable lands

(16.8%), 420,7 hectares are perennial plantations(0,2%),35 110.4 hectares of hey fields (14%),

1456550,0 ha of grasslands(58%) and 27781,6 ha of other land types. Irrigated lands in the region comprise 9 612.1 ha (22.8%), which are mainly located in Spitak, Stepanavan and Tumanyan regions. MIneral resources

The region is rich in different types of mineral resources and is the second in the country. The mineral resources include facing stones, sandstone mixture, basalt. Metals include copper,molybdenum and gold. About 35 companies are doing mining in the territory of the region ,4 of which are doing metal mining ( copper mine, Teghout copper and molybdenum mine, and gold and polymettalic mines).

Currently, 4 geological exploration permits are issued for the extraction of minerals in the territory of the province: 3 metallic and 1 non-metallic.

Urban communities

Vanadzor. Green City Vanadzor is the administrative, cultural and educational center of Lori region of the Republic of Armenia. The third largest city of the country, the second industrial city of the republic during the years of the USSR. Occupies 2 599.33 hectares. The city is located in the valley of the Pambak and Bazum Mountains of the province, 1 353 m above sea level.

The Maymech Peak (3081 m) is on the outskirts of the city. The rivers Pambak, and

Vanadzor flow through the city. The climate is mild. The number of resident population is 82.2 thousand people (as of January 1, 2016).The distance from is 125 km , Yerevan- railway is passing through the city. . Vanadzor Dendropark State Institution is located in the city of

Vanadzor. Formerly a city with a strong chemical, machine-building and equipment producing economy, there are currently two large and about 60 manufacturing SMEs, more than 2000 service companies and retailers.

Vanadzor is a problematic area in terms of industry, with only 4.9% in the region’s economic output, though its population comprises 36.5% of the region’s population. In 2014, the Armenian government launched a project to make Vanadzor an information technology city. There was built a center called Vanadzor Technology Center adjacent the Armenian State Engineering University

Vanadzor branch, in the north-eastern part of the city. It can serve as a basis for sustainable development and job creation for the region

Alaverdi. It is one of the middle-sized cities of the Republic of Armenia, located in the northern part of the country. Its distance from the city of Vanadzor is 47 km and 162 km from the capital. .

Alaverdi community has total area of 47.99 thousand sq. m. It is located on the banks of river

Debed. . It borders the Republic of Georgia, which is an important advantage for exporting any product to a neighboring country.

Tbilisi-Alaverdi-Erevan highway which has much importance for its import and export opportunities also runs through the region. The city has a significant share in the economy of the province

(25.6%) at the expense of the existing copper mining company. Alaverdi houses the UNESCO

World Heritage sights and , the Sanahin Historical (Stone) Bridge, the Mikoyan Brothers Museum and other monuments. There is a ropeway from the central part of the city to the district called Sanahin .

Spitak.The city is located at the intersection of Vanadzor- and Vanadzor-Yerevan interstate highways, in the Pambak Valley, on the bank of the Pambak River, 1538 meters above sea level.

The distance from the regional center is 20 km and from the capital is 95 km. The population is

13000 people (as of January 1, 2016). Currently "Agroholding Armenia", which is engaged in cattle breeding and milk production, Spitak poultry factory and a feed producing company operate there.

The city of Stepanavan with its humid climate and cold springs has been known in the country as a summer town since it was founded. It is located on the right and left banks of the Dzoraget middle stream, on the Vanadzor-Tbilisi highway, 139 km from the capital Yerevan and 36 km from the regional center. It is located 1500-1600 meters above the sea level.

The majority of the population is currently engaged in agriculture, trade and service. There are historical monuments, recreation zones ''Sochut'' arboretum ,6 sanatorium and recreation zones which are good impetus for tourism.

Tashir: Located in the northern part of Armenia, in the Lori Plateau, it is 1,500 meters above sea level, the terrain is flat, humid, the average annual precipitation is 800 mm, the winters are frosty.

The administrative territory of Tashir is 7 624.42 hectares, the distance from the regional center is

52 km, the distance from the capital is 156 km. The population is 7500 people (as of January 1,

2016).

The Tashir River flows through the town, which is a tributary of the Debed River. Tashir is the second alternative for the region to leave for the Republic of Georgia. The population is mainly engaged in animal breeding and milk processing. Tashir has developed cheese production. There are large and small milk processing companies there. The administrative territory is 29.9 thousand ha. The population is 2000 people (as of 01.01.2016). It is located 62 km far from the regional center. The town is located on the left bank of the Debed River, at the foot of Mount Lalvar. It is

740 m above sea level. The climate of the community is subtropical. There are copper, lead, silver mines in the vicinity which are of industrial importance and are exploited. is also located there.

Industry

Teghout Mine

The province has a contribution of around 6% in the annual total industrial product of Armenia.

Lori is a major centre for metallurgical business, building materials production, as well as dairy products.

• The Alaverdi copper smelter is the only smelter in Lori that is still in operation since the Soviet

days. The largest copper mines are located in Alaverdi, Akhtala, Shamlugh and Teghout.

Industry in Vanadzor

The Dzoraget Hydroelectric Power Station is located in the Dzoraget village of Lori, on the shores of Debed River. It is in operation since 15 November 1932 with the full installed capacity of

22.32 MW. The Dzoraget Hydro Power Plant is considered to be small size power plant.

There are about 500 industrial enterprises in the territory of the region. 70 per cent of the econmoic output is produced by large industrial companies.

Industry is the leading branch of the region’s economy and its output comprised 4.6 per cent of the country’s total output( as for 2018). The main directions are mining and processing industry

(machinery , equipment production , light and food industry ) . During last years the volumes of the industrial produce have tripled.

Mining takes the leading role in the industry comprising 52.6 per cent of the region’s total output and 22.8 % of the counry’s total output. There used to be 4 large companies the produce of which was mainly exported.

Teghout CJSC – The share of the company's output (70.2 billion drams) in the total volume of the mining industry of the country comprised 20.8 % in the average. In 2017 The company first started producing molybdenum concentrate. The company temporarily stopped working but in

2019 there was a change of ownership of the company, and the mine started operating.

Akhtala mining and processing enterprise has 250 years of history. It was functioning during the and is currently a private company employing 500 people. The enterprise is processing 1200-1500 tones of ore and copper concentrate.

Light industry is a field which has chances to become an interesting one in the future. It has the potential to be exported and provide women with jobs. Currently there are 8 enterprises in the region , 5 of which are located in Vanadzor. Production volumes of enterprises have doubled in the last three years . About 96.1% of the output of the enterprises is exported to CIS, EEU and other countries. In 2018, export volumes of industrial products increased by 195.7%.

Gloria Sewing Factory is the largest sewing enterprise in the region. It was founded in 1977. Due to the large-scale investments made in recent years, the factory has been equipped with modern machinery and equipment, which can produce modern and European quality products of any complexity. Each month we produce 150,000 different types of clothing, coats, jackets, motorcycles, protective clothing. The number of employees (in 2 branches) comprises more than

3000 people.

"Dustr Melania" LLC is specialized in cheese production. It produces about ten different types of cheese: "Sargis" , Lori, Alashkert, Lalvar, Tashir, Chanakh, Chechil, Suluguni, Dutch, and other types cheeses. Since 2001, most of the production has been exported to the and

Russia .

Rosefood LTD-It has been operating in Vanadzor since 2011. It is producing preserves, sour vegetables, juices, homemade juices, jams, frozen fruits and vegetables, convenience food. It produces about 70 types of produce. The produce is mainly exported to the Russian Federation.

Famma Food LTD-The company was founded in 2018 as a result of foreign investment. It produces preserves, sour vegetables, pickles, juices, homemade juices, jams, vegetable caviar, adjika and semi-finished products like grape leaves, cabbage and edible lily for salads. It has about

76 types of produce. 95% is exported to the USA.

History

Lori is a cradle of civilization. People lived here in the stone age about two million years ago . Sixty centuries ago stone and metals were processed, monuments and fortresses were built here. It was long before the times Tower of Babel was built and the Egyptian pyramids went up .Excavations conducted in 1931 testify that the region of modern-day Lori was most probably settled during the

1st half of the 2nd millennium BC. Later, the region became part of the Kingdom between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. After the Achaemenid invasion, the region became part of the 18th

Satrapy of Persia. With the establishment of the Kingdom of Armenia in 331 BC, the region became part of the kingdom within the historic Gugark province, the 13th province of Greater

Armenia. In the course of the 4th century, the region was ruled by members of the House of

Mihran. Following the partition of Armenia in 387 between the and Sassanid

Persia, and the subsequent collapse of Arsacid Armenia in 428, including Gugark province became under the rule of Sassanid Persia. In 658, Armenia was conquered by the Arab invaders. At the end of the 9th century, most of the Gugark province became part of the newly established Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia. In 979, King Kiurike I founded the Kingdom of

Tashir-Dzoraget under the rule of the Kiurikian dynasty and the protectorate of the Bagratid kings of Armenia. The capital of the kingdom was Matsnaberd (until 1065) and the . The

Kiurikians ruled the kingdom until 1118 when Tashir-Dzoraget became part of the Kingdom of

Georgia.

Surp Nshan church at the , 10th century

The Seljuks invaded the region in the early 12th century, but their rule did not last long and in

1118–1122 the Georgian king David the Builder conquered Lori and granted the rule to the House of Orbeli. The Orbeli's revolted unsuccessfully in 1177, after which a Kipchak named Kubasar was appointed spasalari of Lori. Later in 1185, the province became ruled by the Mkhargdzeli dynasty after Queen appointed the Sargis Mkhargrdzeli as its . However, the region was devastated by the Mongol invasion of 1236, and the Zakarian dynasty declined by the 2nd half of the 14th century. After fall of the in 1490,

Lori remained part of until the 16th century.

Lori was annexed by Safavid Persia as a result of the 1555 Peace of Amasya and became part of

Persia's Kartli-Kakheti province. After 's murder in 1747, the Georgian kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti became independent and united into a single kingdom by 1762.

Saint Nikolai the Wonderworker, a Russian church in , built in 1848 In 1800-01, together with the Georgian provinces of Kartli and Kakheti, Lori and Tavush were annexed by the to become part of the Georgia . Lori became officially part of the Russian Empire at the signed on 1 January 1813, between Imperial

Russia and Qajar Persia, following the Russo-Persian War of 1804–13.

In 1862, Lori was transferred into the jurisdiction of the . In 1880, Lori became part of the Borchali uyezd of the Tiflis Governorate. In the early 20th century, Lori was mostly populated by , with several Russian and Greek villages. In , the Ottoman

Turkish forces moved towards Yerevan and Karakilisa (now Vanadzor). On 25 May 1918, the

Armenians led by fought against the Turkish forces led by Wehib Pasha, at the vicinity of Karakilisa. On 28 May 1918, the Turks retreated from Karakalisa, Abaran and Sardarabad, paving way towards the declaration of the Republic of

Armenia on the same day.

In late 1918, Armenia and Georgia fought a border war over Lori. With the British intervention the

Lori "neutral zone" was created, only to be reoccupied by Georgia after the fall of the Armenian

Republic at the end of 1920. Following Armenia's sovietization in December 1920, Lori was finally incorporated into Soviet Armenia on 11 .

During the Soviet period, modern-day Lori was divided into the of Kalinino, Tumanyan

(Alaverdi until 1969), Kirovakan, Aragats, Spitak and Stepanavan. After the independence of

Armenia, the 6 raions were merged as per the 1995 administrative reform, to form the Lori

Province.

Lori, the capital of the Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget

Infrastructures

It is important to mention that two highways leading to Georgia go through : those are M6 ( Vanadzor-Alaverdi-the border of Georgia) , and M3 (Vanadzor-Stepanavan-Tashir- the border of Georgia) highways. The 107 km long railway connecting Georgia to Armenia also goes through the region. There are no functioning airports in the region . In spite of that there are two non- functioning airports in Stepanavan and communities. In case those two are exploited the public transportation and freight transportation will become cheaper and less time will be consumed .

The mobile and internet service in the region are provided by all the providers of Armenia, including Armentel , Beeline, Ucom etc. Throughouth the territory of ther region 3G and 4G internet is provided. There are 137 post offices in the region providing 100% of accessibility. 80 % of the region and 86,9% of population have access to television. The digital television service is also 100% available throughout all the territory of the province.

The lenghth of automobile roads consists 891,1 km including 1) interstate -218,9 km, 2) intrastate-264,3km 3)local-407,9 km.

All the communities of the region have access to electricity and have non-stop supply. One of the biggest rivers in Armenia called Debed flows through the region . Yet in the 1920s the Dzoraget hydro hydroelectric power plant was constructed having 26,4 MW output. The plant covers nearly

38,8 %. of the needs.The region also has gas and water supply which has huge accessibility.

Agriculture

Gross agricultural output of the region annually amounts to about 79 billion drams, of which 29 billion drams in crop production and 50 billion drams in livestock sectors, which makes up 8.7 percent of the country's GDP. Agricultural lands comprise 250905 hectares, including 42037 hectares of arable land, 399 hectares perennial plantations, 35059 hectares of grassland, 145633 hectares of pasture and 27777 hectares of other lands. Around 25,000 hectares of the arable lands are cultivated, mainly around 11000 hectares of grain and crops, 3500 hectares of potatoes,

1400 hectares of vegetables, 7000 hectares of forage crops and so on. It produces about 35,000 tons of cereals and grains, 65,000 tons of potatoes and 18,000 tons of vegetables.

Diversification of agricultural crops and the transition from traditional methods to organic farming are of paramount importance in the region today. From this point of view, it is also important to expand the fields of cannabis, garlic and non-traditional crops (broccoli, safflower, physalis, etc )

The market demand for these types of crops grows year by year.

According to the provincial land balance, the irrigated areas of the province are 9554 hectares, with irrigation works being carried out through 4 large canals- 36.0 km long Nalband Canal, 62.81 km long Lori main canal , 9.3 km long Kirov canal and 17.2 km long -Chackan canal. There is one reservoir in the region ( reservoir) with a capacity of about 5 million / m.

The region has 41 hectares of intensive orchards with drip irrigation. There are 3 slaughterhouses with a capacity of 11700 tons and 11 refrigerators with a capacity of 415 tons, a greenhouse of 2.15 ha. Lori region is recognized in the Republic of Armenia in the production of agricultural products and is famous for its cheese production. There are about 25 cheese shops in the region, most notably Dustr Melania LLC, 70% of which is exported to the US and Russia. As of January 1,2019, there are 67 316 cattle, 25 879 heads of small cattle , 15078 heads of pigs , 23 540 of bee families . There are 36 large farms in the region , 197 medium-sized farms ,587 small farms.

Production of animal products for 2018: Milk - 84.9 thousand tons, meat - 20.8 thousand tons, eggs - 51 million.The region has opportunities to develop sheep, goat, cattle, pig, poultry and beekeeping, as well as processing products for livestock production.

Agroholding Armenia was founded in 2009 in the city of Spitak .The company breeds pedigree and produces dairy products. The produce is mainly consumed in Armenia. The company is trying to enter into new markets.

Tourism –Lori region has great attractiveness for tourists with its unique geographical position, ecosystems, rich and special biodiversity (flora and fauna ) , more than 3045 monuments of cultural heritage, including UNESCO World Heritage sights Sanahin and Haghpat Monasteries, Odzun ,

Qobayr and Akhtala churches, which are part of world heritage and are target destinations for tourists.

There are about 90 hospitability industries in the region with the capacity of more than 2000 people a day. The number of guesthouses progressively increases especially in the rural communities. The number of tourists has tripled during the last 3 years.

During the last years a lot of programs have been implemented within the framework of state and international programs. Those programs include development of infrastructures, improvement of service qualit, retraining of the staffs. The festivals and expos have turned into a tradition (Barbeque festival, Cheese festival, Harvest festival, The treasures of Odzun, The winter of Lori, Theatrical Lori etc.). Lori region has great potential for medical tourism , agrotourism, ecotourism, winter tourism , adventure-tourism and gastro-tourism ,

Medical tourism

Vandzor –Armenia sanataorium was founded in 1946 and since has been one of the best in the field.

It is the only one in the region to have peat treatment and hydrotheraphy with mineral water.

Adventure tourism (rafting)

Rafting has started on Debed river, Lori in 2016. It is the only one in the country and the number of tourists who wish to go rafting is increasing progressively.

Ecotourism

During the past 5 years a lot of walking and cycling trails have been made in Stepenavan, Gugark and Tumanyan provinces by a lot of international and specialized organizations. In the picturesque

Dsegh village there is a tourism special center tent camp which organizes cycling and walking excursions to the churches Bardzraqash and Qarasnic Mankac and then to the seas of . They go fishing and visit Tumanyan house museum there.The excursion also includes a visit to the visitor center , interesting days ,yoga, 3 meals a day , and of course a campfire, guitar and music in the evening.

Lori has great potential to develop tourism throughout the year. We prorpose to make investments to develop ropeways and skating rinks in the region .

Top priority directions of the development in the region

Taking into consideration the potential of the region there are four priority direction of development.

1.Agriculture

2. IT technologies

3.Tourism

4.Light industry