ERIVAN, IRYAN, or IRIvAN, a town of Armenia, in the Persian empire, and capital of a province of the same name. The province is bounded by the Mossian on the north and west, by the Araxes on the south, and by the districts of Karabaug and Karadaug on the east. The town is situated-on the banks of the Zengui, in a plain surrounded by mountains. It is defended by a for tress of an elliptical form, and upwards of 6000 yards in circumference. The north-west side of the town stands upon a precipice, about 600 feet high, and impending over a river ; but it is commanded by the fort, which is surrounded with two strong walls flanked with towers. The town is large, dirty, and ill built. The churches, which resemble catacombs, are small, and half buried in the ground. There are 28 poorly endowed convents in the town and neighbourhood for both sexes.
Erivan does not at present contain a tenth part of its former population, and it has been reduced by repeated sieges to a ruinous condition. In the year 1808, the Rus• sians under General Godovitch blockaded the town for nearly six months, and at last attempted in vain to carry it by storm. They were repulsed with great slaughter, and nearly half of the army was lost during its retreat to Teflis. The Turks and Persians, however, Inkve repeat edly taken the town ; and it has remained in the posses sion of the latter since the peace of Nadir Shah, in 1748.
About two days journey to the north-east of Erivan, is the beautiful lake which the Persians call Deria Shi reen, or Goucheh. It is about five fursungs in circuit, and abounds in trout, and other delicious fish. The Armenian sanctuary of the three churches, which Sir John Chardin has particularly described, is about nine miles from Erivan. At a short distance to the south of the town is the famous mountain of Ararat, where the ark rested after the deluge. According to Major Sutherland, it forms an angle of an immense range of mountains, and has two summits, on the highest of which the natives believe that part of the ark still re mains. A chasm of prodigious depth, resembling a cra ter, exists in one of its sides. It is often covered with smoke, and Dr Reineggs affirms, that during three suc cessive clays he saw it discharge fire. The ruins of the once magnificent city of Nuksheevan, or Naxuana, are situated about twenty six fursungs to the southeast of Erivan. It is a heap of rubbish, and does not contain more than 400 inhabitants. The prince of Persia gene rally pitches his camp here, to direct the operations of the campaign against the Russians. East Long. 45° 15', and North Lat. 40° 11'. See Chardin's Travels. Mac donald Kinneir's Geographical Memoir of the Persian Empire, p. 319, 320; and our article ARARAT.