Coordinates 39°12'32?N 45°24'44?E? / ?39.20889°N 45.41222°E? / 39.20889; 45.41222It was an ancient trading center and some historians consider that it was founded in the 16th century BCE. According to a legend, the city was founded by Noah, and one interpretation of the meaning of the city's name is "the place of first descent", ("nakh-ijevan" in Armenian) a reference to the descent from Noah's Ark. This meaning was first written down by the 5th century Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi. The Greeks and Romans called it Naxuana. In Persian, the region is called "Nagsh-e-Jahan" or "image of the world," a reference to the city's beauty. As early as the 2nd century CE it is mentioned by Ptolemy as a thriving city.
Nakhichevan was one of the prominent cities of the Armenian Kingdom under the Artaxides, Arshakides and Bagratides dynasties since II century B.C. until XI century A.D. Invader after invader looted, destroyed and (in some cases) rebuilt the city. It was the capital of the Atabek Eldegiz emirate in the 12th century and the Nakhchivan khanate in the 18th century.
At the start of the 20th century Nakhchivan was the capital of a district in the government of Erivan. Its population was around 8000; three-quarters were Tartars and one-quarter were Armenians. The Tartars were wealthier than the Armenians and owned nearly all the land and property. [2]
