Aparan

Aparan (Ապարան ɑpɑˈɾɑn, colloquially ɑbɑˈɾɑn) is a town in the Aparan Municipality of the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, about 50 kilometers northwest of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 census, the population of the town was 6,451. As per the 2016 official estimate, Aparan had a population of around 5,300. It is commonly believed that the name of Aparan is derived from the Armenian word Aparank, meaning a royal palace. However, throughout history, the town has been known by different names including Kasagh, Paraznavert, Abaran and Abaran Verin. Later, it was known as Bash Aparan (Բաշ Ապարան) until 1935, when the name was finally changed to Aparan. The first reference to the town of Aparan was made by Ptolemy during the 2nd century. Ptolemy referred to the settlement as Casala; the Hellenized version of the Armenian name of Kasagh. It was the centre of Nig canton of the Ayrarat province of ancient Armenia. Kasagh was under the administration of the Gntunik Armenian noble family, under the rule of the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia. The Gntunik princes founded the Basilica of Kasagh by the end of the 4th and beginning of the 5th centuries. Between the 9th and 11th centuries, Aparan was part of the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia. Starting from the 10th century, the settlement of Kasagh became known as Aparan. The new name was originated from the village of Aparank located in the Moxoene province of the Kingdom of Armenia, when some remains from the ancient Armenian monastery of Surp Khach of Aparan were transferred to the town of Kasagh. After the fall of Ani to the Byzantines in 1045, the Seljuks occupied most parts of the Armenian Highland by 1064. In the mid 13th century, Armenia became part of the Ilkhanate of the Mongol Empire. By the last quarter of the 14th century, the Aq Qoyunlu Sunni Oghuz Turkic tribe took over Armenia, including Aparan, before being invaded by Timur in 1400. In 1410, Armenia fell under the control of the Kara Koyunlu Shia Oghuz Turkic tribe.