Oshakan

This article is about a town in Armenia. For the city in Japan, see Osaka.

Oshakan Օշական
Oshakan as seen from the western side of Didikond Hill.
Oshakan Օշական
Coordinates: 40°15′48″N 44°18′53″E / 40.26333°N 44.31472°E / 40.26333; 44.31472
Country	Armenia
Marz	Aragatsotn
Population (2008)
– Total	5,179

Oshakan (Օշական) is a village in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia located 8 kilometers southwest from Ashtarak. It is well known to historians and pilgrims of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

History

During the Arsacid Dynasty of the Kingdom of Armenia, it served as the main city of the province of Ayrarat and the capital of its Aragatsotn district from which the Amatuni noble family ruled. However, it is perhaps best known for the Church of Saint Mesrop Mashtots which also happens to be the burial place of Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet. The church houses his grave and was rebuilt by Catholicos George IV in 1875. Wall paintings on the interior were done in 1960 by the artist H. Minasian.

Just to the south of the town is Didikond Hill, where excavations have uncovered a fort and five palaces built around the 7th-5th centuries BC.

To the north of town located in the Mankanots Valley is Saint Sion Church dating from the 7th century AD. It is believed to mark the grave of Byzantine Emperor Mauricius or his mother, as one historian claims he came from Oshakan. Adjacent to the church is a pillar on a plinth dated to the 6th-7th c.

West of Oshakan is a bridge dated to 1706 that crosses over the Kasagh River.

On a hilltop overlooking the town there is a Tukh Manuk Shrine with a large khachkar monument adjacent that sits within a large cemetery. The portion of the cemetery higher upon the hill is the older section while the lower portion contains a recent cemetery. There are Iron Age tomb fields around the area. Higher upon the same hill may be seen the shrine of Saint Grigor. Nearby are also the shrines of S. Sargis, S. Tadevos the Apostle, and a rock-cut Astvatsatsin.

The village of Oshakan is mentioned in a 13th century inscription on the southern wall of the Katoghike Church of the Astvatsnkal Monastery built between the 5th-13th c. It reads,

"By the grace and mercy of God, I Kurd, Prince of Princes, son of the great Vache, and my wife Khorishah, daughter of Marzpan, built the Holy Katoghike for the memory of our souls. We have decorated it with every kind of precious ornament and offered the garden bought by us in Parpi, virgin land in Oshakan, a garden in Karbi, a villager (?), and three hostels, in the year 693/AD 1244."

Oshakan is known to have had a brief visit during October 1734 by Abraham Kretatsi during the time while he was serving the Catholicos Abraham II. He wrote a short passage speaking of his previous days stay at Mughni to visit the Monastery of S. Gevorg, "In the morning, after services, we went down to Oshakan."

Sister cities

• Alfortville, France

Gallery

• 

  Church of Surb Mesrop Mashtots built in 1875

• 

  The front facade of Surb Mesrop Mashtots

• 

  Armenian Alphabet khachkars at the Mesrop Mashtots Church yard

• 

  Tukh Manuk shrine with the large khachkar adjacent. In the background the Shrine of Surb Grigor may also be seen

• 

  Cemetery below Didikond Hill with the shrine of Surb Grigor in the background

• 

  The shrine of Surb Grigor on Didikond Hill overlooking the village

• 

  The Armenian alphabet memorial in Oshakan

References

• Oshakan at GEOnet Names Server
• World Gazeteer: Armenia – World-Gazetteer.com
• Report of the results of the 2001 Armenian Census

Bibliography

• Hacikyan, Agop J. (2005), The Heritage of Armenian Literature, Vol. 3: From the Eighteenth Century to Modern Times, Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, ISBN 0814332218 
• Kiesling, Brady (2005), Rediscovering Armenia: Guide, Yerevan, Armenia: Matit Graphic Design Studio 
• Kiesling, Rediscoving Armenia, pp. 14, available online at the US embassy to Armenia's website

External links

• Places of interest in the village Oshakan

Coordinates: 41°18′48″N 44°18′53″E / 41.31333°N 44.31472°E / 41.31333; 44.31472