Dastakert
Dastakert is a small village in the Sisian Municipality of Syunik Province, Armenia. It lies at about 2,050 meters above sea level on the slopes of Mount Ayri, near the Ayri River, roughly 225 km south of Yerevan and 115 km northwest of Kapan. As of 2022, its population is 227, including many Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan. The name means "summer resort" and the village was founded as a summer retreat for monks from the Tatev monastery; it was first mentioned in the 12th century by the historian Stephen Orbelian.
Over the centuries, Dastakert passed through Safavid Persia, the Russian Empire, briefly the short-lived Republic of Mountainous Armenia, and then Soviet Armenia. In the 20th century the town grew around copper-molybdenum mining; a mine and plant opened in the mid-20th century, and at its peak in the 1960s it had more than 4,000 residents. The plant closed in 1975, and the population declined. In 2017, Dastakert was reclassified from an urban settlement to a rural settlement within the Sisian community.
Today, most residents work in agriculture, with only a small share having permanent jobs in the post office, local administration, or the school. A branch of the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine operates there, using the old plant site. Healthcare is provided by the nearby Sisian Medical Center. Dastakert has a high school, a cultural center, a music school, and a public library. Nearby cultural sites include a medieval settlement and cemetery, a khachkar dating to 1320, and a 14th-century rock inscription known locally as Vardapet.
The village is accessible via the H-45 road to Sisian, near the Tolors reservoir.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:20 (CET).