The Erivan Governorate was a province (guberniya) of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its centеr in Erivan (present-day Yerevan). Its area was 27,830 sq. kilometеrs, roughly corresponding to what is now most of central Armenia, the Iğdır Province of Turkey, and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan. At the end of the 19th century, it bordered the Tiflis Governorate to the north, the Elizavetpol Governorate to the east, the Kars Oblast to the west, and Persia and the Ottoman Empire to the south. Mount Ararat and the fertile Ararat Valley were included in the center of the province.
In 1828, the khanates of Erivan and the Nakhichevan were annexed from Persia by the Russian Empire through the Treaty of Turkmenchay. The newly annexed territories were incorporated into a single administrative unit known as the Armenian Oblast. In 1849, the oblast was reorganized into a governorate,
History
By decree of Tsar Nicholas I on April 10, 1840, Transcaucasia was divided into two administrative units: The Georgia-Imeretia Governorate and the Caspian Oblast. The religious and national affiliations of the peoples of Transcaucasia were not considered during the administrative arrangements, which led to the dissatisfaction of the indigenous peoples.
In 1846 these two units were dissolved, and instead of the Georgian-Imereti governorate, the Tiflis Governorate and Kutais Governorate were formed. By a special imperial decree in 1849, the Erivan Governorate was detached and established separate from the Tiflis Governorate. The region of Meghri was temporarily annexed into the Erivan Governorate before being reallocated to the Elizavetpol Governorate.
In 1872, the Erivan Governorate was consisted of 7 administrative districts: Alexandropol, Erivan, Nor Bayazet, Sharur-Daralayaz, Etchmiadzin, Nakhichevan and Surmalu. Besides Erivan, other important cities included Alexandropol (Gyumri), Nakhichevan (Nakhchivan), Novobayazet (Gavar), Ordubad, and Vagarshapat (Vagharshapat).
In 1918, the First Republic of Armenia was formed in the territory of Erivan Governorate and parts of Kars Oblast, Elizavetpol and Tiflis governorates, with Erivan (Yerevan) as its national capital. Following the Sovietization of the Caucasus, the territory of the Erivan Governorate was divided between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Soviet republics, and the Republic of Turkey.
Development
Between 1880 and 1890, the cities of the Erivan Governorate experienced rapid growth as they became interconnected with the neighboring provincial capitals of Tiflis (Tbilisi), Kutais (Kutaisi), Yelisavetpol (Ganja), and Baku. The Transcaucasus railway had been developed since the end of the 19th century, from Tiflis reaching Alexandropol in 1897, which shortly after became a regional railway center (Gyumri railway station). The Kars-Alexandropol-Tiflis (Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi) railway was put into operation in 1899, and the railway from Alexandropol to Erivan in 1901. In 1906, the Erivan-Julfa railway was put into operation, thereby establishing a connection between Erivan and Iran. Highways of state significance were also improved, thus the trade between cities became increasingly active, the crafts developed again, and the first industry began in the province. Shortly after, the first hydropower plant was put into operation. A long-distance telephone and telegraph connection was later established. Later, the Transcaucasus Railway was connected to the Russian railway network, thereby connecting Erivan with Moscow, St. Petersburg, and through the seaport of Batum to the Mediterranean countries.
Erivan
(see also: History of Yerevan)
The Armenian secular elite, together with the Russian authorities, started a new phase of development in Erivan, transforming it from a Persian frontier town to a provincial capital. In 1832, the provincial school of Yerevan was opened. In the same year a library was established, which was later enriched and became the largest and famous library in Armenia (National Library of Armenia). Five years later, in 1837, a diocesan school was opened. In 1850, the girls' college was founded. In 1856, the first plan of the city was approved. In 1860, a parish school was opened in Nork. In 1863, Astafyan (Abovyan) Street was opened, and by the end of the century, there were also other parallel vertical streets, which created a more or less regular network of transport routes in the center. In 1866, the Gaianean Girls' College was opened.