Noyemberyan

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Noyemberyan is a town in northeastern Armenia, in the Tavush Province. It sits near the borders with Azerbaijan (about 2 km to the east) and Georgia (about 9 km to the south). The town lies in the Koghb River valley at the eastern foot of the Gugark mountains, about 820 meters above sea level. It is roughly 187 km northeast of Yerevan and 54 km from Ijevan.

Population
As of 2023, Noyemberyan has 4,327 residents. In 2011 the population was 5,310.

History
The town was called Barana until 1937. In 1938 it was renamed Noyemberyan to commemorate the Soviet Red Army’s entry into Armenia on November 29, 1920. The area has ancient roots and nearby sites hint at its past, including the 13th-century Mshkavank Monastery and Surp Sarkis Church. Over the centuries the region was ruled by various powers and empires, later becoming part of the Russian Empire in the early 1800s. It became part of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1920, was made an urban-type settlement in 1971, and gained town status in 1995. In 2016 the municipality expanded to include several nearby villages.

Today
Noyemberyan hosts a cultural center, a public library, an art school and a school of music. It has two public schools, two kindergartens and a state intermediate college. The local economy includes small dairy and food-processing plants, as well as flour and bakery productions. Nearby Berdavan hosts a wine factory. Agriculture remains important, with peaches and grapes among the main crops. There are iron and copper mines in the area, and tourism is growing thanks to boutique hotels and guesthouses. Local media include Kamut TV (since 1994) and Tavush TV (since 2010), with Ijevan TV also available.

Landmarks and culture
Around Noyemberyan are notable historical sites, such as the remains of a cyclopean fortress and the 13th-century Jukhtakeghtsi Church, located south of the town. The Mshkavank Monastery lies about 2 km southwest of Noyemberyan, reflecting the area’s long history.

Education and sports
The town supports a small educational ecosystem with two public schools, two kindergartens, and a state intermediate college. Football is popular; the local Aznavour FC operated from 1981 to 1997. The main football stadium, the “Central” field in Soviet times, was rebuilt between 2008 and 2013 and reopened as the Noyemberyan City Stadium in 2013 with 100 seats, with plans to expand to 1,500.

Transportation
The Ayrum border checkpoint and railway, on the Yerevan–Tbilisi corridor, are about 22 km east of Noyemberyan. The town is connected to the surrounding region by the H-26 regional road. Climate is temperate (Cfb): average annual temperature about 10.9°C (January around -1.5°C, July around 26.7°C), with about 535 mm of precipitation annually, mainly in April–May.