Armenia’s precious archeological sites are being preserved and protected as the country upgrades its road network.
The Asian Development Bank has helped finance completion of the North-South Road Corridor, including detailed design to preserve Armenia’s cultural heritage.
The North-South Road connecting Armenia with its neighbors follows the historic Silk Road, which was a trade route for millennia.
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Ashtarak, Armenia - The country’s North-South Road follows the historic Silk Road, which was a trade route during ancient times.
In 2010, construction began to modernize the road, connecting Armenia with its neighbors.
Early construction works uncovered 16 new archeological sites.
Archeologist discovered artifacts dating back to the Neolithic period to around 2,700 years ago.
“We are now near one of the monuments excavated within the framework of the North-South Road Corridor Investment Program,” says Boris Gasparyan, an archaeologist from the National Institute of Archaeology of Armenia.
“As you can see, archaeological excavations are underway now. We have excavated over 14 archaeological monuments along the road, among them - monuments of great importance and significance.”
This presented a challenge that required careful planning.
“We realized from the very beginning of the program that we would face various archaeological issues,” comments Vardan Karapetyan, Acting General Director of the Transport Project Implementation Organization.
“We knew that impacts should be properly managed to minimize possible adverse effects during the construction works.”
The Asian Development Bank has provided over $330 million for the completion of the North-South Road Corridor, including detailed design that will preserve Armenia’s cultural heritage.
“As part of the design of ADB projects, we look very carefully at cultural heritage and in the case of this road, the National Institute of Archaeology became a very important partner with ADB and with the Ministry of Transport,” says Shane Rosenthal, Country Director of Asian Development Bank’s Armenia Resident Mission.
“The North-South Road Corridor is not just a modern-day concept, it is something that played an important role for what we call Armenia and the civilizations that it has connected.”
“The people along this transit route were engaged in trade, they interacted in various specific ways, and that was not only trade, but also culture, technology, knowledge, religion, world outlook, their understanding of nature - all of these had circulated along this very route,” adds Gasparyan.
“I hope that this new road will contribute to the development of Armenia’s economy and become a bridge between neighboring countries.”
“As a citizen of Armenia, I must proudly state that the preservation of historical and cultural heritage was ranked higher than the need for the road construction,” says Karapetyan.
“The North-South Corridor is part of an ancient network roadways, that connected civilizations going back to millennia,” says Rosenthal.
“Armenia’s economy depends on making those connections to new markets, new products and a 21st century economy.”