the town is dominated by the Yeranos mountains from the north, the mountains of Gegham, Dahnak and Mzhkatar from the east, and the Urts mountains from the southeast. Historically, the current territory of the town was part of the Vostan Hayots canton of Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia. Currently, Artashat is divided into 4 districts: Norvzlu, Kentron, Ghamarlu and Southwestern district. Almost half of the population of the town are residing in the Southwestern district. The town is surrounded by the villages of Mrgavan, Vostan and Shahumyan from the north, east and the south respectively. Climate Artashat has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk). Demographics The majority of the population in Artashat are ethnic Armenians who migrated from the Iranian cities of Khoy and Salmas, after the Russo-Persian War of 1826–28. They belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The regulating body of the church is the Araratian Pontifical Diocese, headed by Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan (seat in Yerevan). The town's new church of Surp Hovhannes (Saint John the Evangelist) was consecrated on 31 May 2015. Artashat is home to tiny Assyrian and Russian communities. The population of Artashat since 1945 is as follows: Culture The cultural life of Artashat is enhancing with the presence of several institutions. The town has a cultural palace, an art center named after Charles Aznavour, a drama theatre named after Amo Kharazyan and a public library named after Ohan Chubaryan (opened in 1948). In 2004, a new amusement park was inaugurated in the center of Artashat, which is used to host public celebrations, concerts and musical shows at nights. During the events dedicated to the 1600th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian alphabet, sculptors from all over Armenia and the diaspora created many cultural monuments in the center of Artashat. The monument of King Artashes I also stands in the center of the city. Ancient Artaxata is city where the first ever theater show has been performed in the history of the Armenian nation. King Artavazd II (55-34 BC) staged and directed The Bacchae of Euripides at the Artashat amphitheater in 53 BC with the presence of king Orodes II of Parthia. At present, the Artashat Drama Theatre named after Amo Kharazyan regularly performs several Armenian and international classic as well as modern works. Transportation Artashat is a major point on the M-2 Motorway that connects the capital Yerevan with southern Armenia reaching