- Azatan
Infobox Settlement
official_name = Azatan Ազատան
native_name =
pushpin_
mapsize =150px
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =Armenia
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 =Shirak
leader_title =
leader_name =
established_title =
established_date =
area_total_km2 =
area_footnotes =
population_as_of =2008
population_total =4831
population_density_km2 =
timezone =
utc_offset =
timezone_DST =
utc_offset_DST =
latd=40 |latm=43 |lats=26 |latNS=N
longd=43|longm=49 |longs= 14|longEW=E
elevation_m =
area_code =
website =Azatan ( _hy. Ազատան; formerly, Karakilisa, Karakhs, and Pokr Karakilisa) is a
town in theShirak province ofArmenia .The name derives from the
Middle Persian word "Azatan" - meaning "freedmen" or "those who are free" - which denotes a knightly caste ofSassanid Persia . This class of nobility was first formed inParthian times, and was carried over into the Sassanid state to form the majority of the lower-aristocracy and low-administrators of the Empire. The "Azatan" accompanied the king in the field of battle and displayed great courage and discipline. They are the forerunners and founders of the "Mamluks" and "Knights" of later Arab and Medieval European history, respectively.References
*GEOnet2|32FA881E72BD3774E0440003BA962ED3
* [http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&des=wg&srt=npan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&geo=-17 World Gazeteer: Armenia] – World-Gazetteer.com
*ArmenianCensus|194
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.