By Elen Muradyan
Armenia’s government has approved initial steps to grant protected status to the Hrazdan River Gorge in Yerevan, launching a broader plan to transform the area into a major recreational and environmental zone.
The decision was presented during Thursday’s cabinet meeting by Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Minister Davit Khudatyan, who said the government proposes reallocating 172 million drams (about $430,000) in the 2026 state budget. The funds will be directed to the Yerevan municipality to build a new leisure area in the gorge.
The Hrazdan Gorge stretches across Yerevan, forming a large natural corridor that runs through the capital and plays an important role in the city’s environmental balance and public recreation.
Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan outlined the details of the project, which will be implemented in the Arabkir district, about 5.5 kilometers from the beginning of the gorge.
The plan includes landscaping works, new architectural and design solutions, and the creation of a park with recreational zones. Authorities also plan to build sporting areas, an open-air cinema area, and a café intended to serve as a social hub.
Avinyan said the project responds to existing demand, noting that many residents already use the gorge for running, walking, cycling, and other activities. He added that the development is part of a broader concept to reorganize and redesign the entire gorge.
According to the mayor, the municipality has conducted extensive studies of the gorge’s flora and fauna and has mapped areas of cultural heritage. Legislative changes are expected from the Environment Ministry, after which the Yerevan Council of Elders will formally designate the entire gorge as a specially protected community area.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the initiative is one of three major environmental and urban development projects planned in Yerevan.
One project focuses on turning the Hrazdan Gorge into a protected recreational zone. Another aims to create a large urban forest park in the Dalma Gardens area. A third project envisions developing more than seven hectares of land in Nork Marash into a forested urban park.
Pashinyan said the Hrazdan Gorge is already widely used by residents, especially on weekends, with people gathering there for sports and leisure activities.
“Our task now is to make that leisure more comfortable,” he said.
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