Nurnus Village
Overview Nurnus of Kotayk Marz is seated on the eastern bank of the Hrazdan River and Zangu Gorge. The village is located 45 kilometers from Hrazdan, where the Marz’s (province's) central government is located. The village is 1,440 meters above sea level, and the landscape of the region is semi-mountainous. Temperatures in Nurnus reach up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), and the lowest temperature recorded in the village has reached as low as negative 28 degrees Celsius (negative 18.4 Farenheit).
The majority of present day residents in Nurnus are resettled from the village Alapars, near Charentsavan, with the exception of four to five families who migrated to the region in the 1930’s from Historical Armenia (former Western or "Old Armenia" and present day Turkey).
The primary means of income for most Nurnus residents comes from gardening, herding, and farming. In most of the village’s residences, gardens can be seen with a great deal of produce growing during the summers, most notably cherry, apricot, apple, and walnut trees.
Quick History The village’s name comes from the Armenian word “Nur,” which means pomegranate. Since pomegranates are composed of seven sections, the name was chosen to represent the seven original families of Nurnus. The village was founded between 500 and 600 A.D, and records show that the name of the village hasn’t changed since this time.
The seven clans or families that originally settled the area each had their own church, the ruins of which have been preserved up to the present day. Eventually, the families united together to become one unified community comprising 365 households.
In the village’s previous location, you can still see the preserved ruins of the old churches. In the gorge of Zangu, which present day Nurnus rests on top of, ancient Armenian Khachkars (literally cross-stones) and a cemetery are preserved. Such objects may be intriguing to the passing traveler, tourist, or historian. These sites are now also under Armenian national preservation laws.
Gallery
Ruins of in Zangu Gorge
Ancient cross-stone in Zangu Gorge
Zangu Gorge at sunset
