Ring Boulevard South and Tigran the Great Equestrian Monument

Why is it significant?

You have arrived at the southern curve of the Ring Boulevard, the lush park belt envisioned by master urban planner Alexander Tamanyan in his transformative 1924 master plan.

Key Facts

Open the walk

You have arrived at the southern curve of the Ring Boulevard, the lush park belt envisioned by master urban planner Alexander Tamanyan in his transformative 1924 master plan. Tamanyan designed this crescent-shaped green ribbon, up to one hundred meters wide, to encircle central Kentron like a natural shield, protecting residential neighborhoods from dry steppe winds blowing off the Ararat plain while offering refreshing shade during scorching summer days. Much like Vienna's famous Ringstrasse, this landscaped park belt separates the historic civic core from surrounding hillsides.

In the center of the plaza rises the bronze equestrian monument to King Tigran the Second, celebrated as Tigran the Great, sculpted by Levon Tokmajyan and unveiled in 2000. The ancient monarch of the Artaxiad dynasty is depicted in regal battle regalia wearing his four-pointed imperial crown flanked by heraldic eagles and an eight-pointed star, holding a royal scepter in his right hand. During his reign from 95 to 55 BC, Tigran expanded the Kingdom of Greater Armenia from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, forging the largest empire in the ancient Near East.

Tamanyan envisioned Yerevan as an ideal garden city where every citizen lived within a five-minute stroll of flowing mountain springs and shaded alleys. In the mid-twentieth century, creating this green ring required decades of volunteer labor by thousands of residents who hand-planted pine saplings, plane trees, and flowering shrubs across barren stone terraces. Along the pedestrian pathways stand carved stone pulpulaks, traditional drinking fountains gushing pure spring water channeled directly from the subalpine springs of Garni.

Towering plane trees and the soothing murmur of water fountains create a tranquil sanctuary amidst the bustling capital. The contrast between ancient imperial memory and modern urban life defines the unique spirit of Yerevan.

Walk west along Vazgen Sargsyan Street toward the lively waters of the 2800th Anniversary Park.