To all those who may be more intimately familiar with the subject;
Which is it? What is the official title?
Hanrapetakan, Hanrapetutyun or Hanrapetutyan Hraparak?
Is it Republic, Republican or other Square?
Lenini Hraparak;
Yervani hasarakakan kentroni glkhavor jartapetakan ansampl@, transportayin karevor hanguyts, tonakatarutyunneri, tsuytseri ev zhoghovrdakanmets havaguytneri vayr.
It was created in 1924 (chief architect Tamanyan) as the focus of a greater plan of the city and it was developed during the years 1926-1958, during which time the surrounding buildings were added, (see map below).
Of course, Lenin Square would not be without that blasted (literally) statue casting its dark shadow on an otherwise bright sunshiny Yerevan. I shed no tears when that ugly statue was unceremoniously taken down. We need gods of his like a big hole in the head.
Speaking of gods, why was the suqare named Hanrapetakan(?) in the first place? Of course, Hayastan is a Hanrapetutyun. Some items on this forum may indicate otherwise when they refer to the present oligarchy and the avatapetutyun, the medeival feudalism. What will we rename the square when Armenia becomes a kingdom some say, or when the majority of Armenians convert to the Jehovah's Witnesses some day? Will we rename it Arqayakan Hraparak or Yehovayi Hraparak? How about Mormonneri Hraparak? Would it not be better if we named it by a more permanent, a tried and tested event, person? How about Tigranian Hraparak? Mesropian Hraparak or even Komitasian Hraparak? You can even name it after me. I did offer to stand where Lenin used to but even the birds expressed their displeasure and deposited their comments on my head
A word or two about "hraparak".
First, naming the square as "hanrapetuyun" may be a redundancy at best as "hraparak" more often than not does mean "public", in such as "hraparakav" (in public etc.)If I didn't know better I would have guessed that the word was based on "hur/fire/krak" (btw, note that hur and fire have a common root, remember that F becomes H and visa versa, as in fereshteh/hreshtak).
According to some sources, just as in the previous sentence "hraparak" seems to be common with the Pahlavi "fraparak" which is often used to mean an "amaranots/a summer place". There is no conclusive consensus about the origin of the word or its original meaning which brings us to MY allusion to "hur"/fire".
Could it be that it was a place of fire (offerings)???
During some celebrations the Hraparak is the site of fireworks.
Perhaps Jugs/Acc can fill us in and tell us exactly what it is that is being done. It is no secret that the Square does need a facelift, as it is a a very drab and ugly field of ashphalt whose main function at the moment is for weddding convoys to blow their horns as they circle it. However I wish, whatever the plans may be they could be converible as the square will also be used to gather hundreds of thousands of people during times of celebrations and times of protestations.
I reference to.
http://armenians.com...S...f=16&t=6829
Map.
http://www.haias.net...evan-map-i.html
