A Peephole to the '90s Yerevan

The rocket-fired wall

Vahagn from Yerevan

"This hole in this wall in Yerevan is one of the very rare traces from the dark times of big changes called the '90s. A rocket launcher was used here..."

This hole you see in this picture is in a temporary cement wall covering a construction site on Mher Mkrtchyan street near Republic Square. There's a never-ending construction process on a number of Yerevan's central streets, so Mher Mkrtchyan is no exception. All of those streets are unique because they have/had buildings built in relatively recent times, starting from mainly the second part of the 19th century.

But very few local Yerevantsis know (the suffix "tsi" at the end of Armenian pronouns is similar to "er" in words like "New-Yorker"), that this is the only street where, during the rebellious times of the early 90s, there was an intense street fight between different local political groups where a rocket launcher was used and a local fighter was shot dead. A rocket hit the 19th century building and crushed a part of its wall.

Even for those times of moderate anarchy with elements of civil war and sound of Kalashnikovs everywhere in Yerevan, the use of a rocket launchers and fatal street fights were exceptional. It is perhaps due to Armenia's complicated history that the instinct of self-defense against invading outsiders is more developed than the one to fight each other. Thanks God!

What you see through this hole is one of the very rare traces from those dark times of big changes. And the only way you can find info about this undocumented case is to ask elders living in a radius of 200-300m from this street.

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Yerevan Spotter Vahagn

About me I am currently working on long-term tourism development projects, mainly as a trail development specialist and ecotourism expert. I've worked on creation of hiking and mountain biking trails in a number of Protected Areas in Armenia. Currently, I am working on transboundary tourism packages and tourism management in protected areas. I am also involved with the Transcaucasian Trail international team as a Trail Development & Partnerships specialist. I love hiking, cycling, yoga and arts. I often get 1-day or multi-day hiking orders from big and small groups of l...

About this spot

10 Mher Mkrtchyan

AMD

no-price

Oct 5, 2025

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