Editing Aragatsotn Province (section)

==History==
[[File:Ապարանի Սուրբ Խաչ.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Kasagh Basilica|Holy Cross Basilica of Kasagh]] of the 4th century]]
[[File:Զովունի 03.jpg|thumb|The ruins of the Saint Paul and Peter Church of [[Zovuni, Aragatzotn|Zovuni]], dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries]]
According to [[Movses Khorenatsi]], Aramaniak -the son of the patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation [[Hayk]]- along with his clan, settled in the area of modern-day Aragatsotn. The cemeteries of ''Verin Naver'' archaeological site -located 3&nbsp;km west of Ashtarak- date back to the 24th and 14th centuries BC.

Being situated at the heart of the [[Ayrarat]] province at the centre of the [[Armenian Highland]], Aragatsotn was among the most strategic regions in the history of Armenia, especially since the establishment of the [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Kingdom of Armenia]] in 331 BC by the [[Orontid dynasty]]. Later in 190 BC, the [[Artaxiad dynasty]] took over the reign of the Armenian Kingdom. During the 2nd century AD, the towns of ''Casala'' (the Hellenized version of ''Kasagh'', now [[Aparan]]), and ''Talina'' (now [[Talin, Armenia|Talin]]) were mentioned by [[Ptolemy]] during the reign of the [[Arsacid dynasty of Armenia]]. The territory of Nig canton, including the area of Aparan, was under the administration of the ''Gntunyan'' Armenian noble family, while the territory of Aragatsotn canton, including the area of Ashtarak, was ruled by the [[Amatuni]] noble family.

Following the partition of Armenia by the [[Byzantine Empire]] and [[Sassanid Persia]] in 387 and in 428, [[Eastern Armenia]] including Aragatsotn became under the rule of Sassanid Persia. The 4th-century [[Kasagh Basilica|Holly Cross Basilica of Kasagh]] located at the outskirts of modern-day Aparan, is among the earliest surviving samples of the [[Armenian church architecture]].
[[File:Talin Cathedral - Armenia.JPG|thumb|left|[[Cathedral of Talin]], 7th century]]
In 658, Armenia was conquered by the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Arab]] invaders. At the end of the 9th century, Aragatsotn became part of the newly established [[Bagratid Armenia|Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia]]. The Armenian noble families of [[Kamsarakan]] and [[Pahlavuni]] ruled over Aragatsotn under the Bagratid kings.

However, between the 11th and 15th centuries, Aragatsotn along with the rest of the historic territories of Armenia suffered from the [[Seljuk Empire|Seljuk]], Mongol, [[Ag Qoyunlu]] and [[Kara Koyunlu]] invasions, respectively. At the beginning of the 16th century, Aragatsotn became part of the ''Erivan Beglarbegi'' within the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavid Persia]]. During the first half of the 18th century, Aragatsotn became part of the [[Erivan Khanate]] under the rule of the [[Afsharid dynasty]] and later under the [[Qajar dynasty]] of Persia. It remained under the Persian rule until 1827–1828, when Eastern Armenia was ceded to the [[Russian Empire]] as a result of the [[Russo-Persian War (1826–28)|Russo-Persian War of 1826–28]] and the signing of the [[Treaty of Turkmenchay]].
[[File:Monument to Battle of Bash-Aparan.jpg|thumb|Abaran battle memorial]]
After the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917, the Armenian, Georgian and Muslim leaders of [[South Caucasus|Transcaucasia]] united to form the [[Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic|Transcaucasian Federative Republic]] and proclaimed [[Transcaucasia]]'s [[secession]]. However, it was a fragile short-lived federation that collapsed in May 1918, while the Turkish army was advancing towards Eastern Armenia through [[Alexandropol|Gyumri]], Aragatsotn, and Sardarapat. On May 21, 1918, the Turkish forces attacked through [[Aparan]] in Aragatsotn trying to reach [[Yerevan]]. The Turks were opposed by the Armenian forces under the command of [[Drastamat Kanayan|Dro]] at the outskirts of Aparan. After three days of fierce fighting, the Armenians launched a counter-attack on 25 May, and the Turkish troops were forced to retreat back to the north on 29 May. As a result of the decisive victories over the Turks in the battles of [[Battle of Sardarabad|Sardarabad]], [[Battle of Abaran|Abaran]], and [[Battle of Karakilisa|Gharakilisa]], the Armenians declared independence on May 28, 1918.

After 2 years of brief independence, Armenia became part of the [[Soviet Union]] in December 1920. From 1930 until 1995, modern-day Aragatsotn was divided into 3 [[raion]]s within the [[Armenian SSR]]: ''Talin raion'', ''Aparan raion'', and ''Ashtarak raion''. With the territorial administration reform of 1995, the 3 raions were merged to form the Aragatsotn Province.