southern border of the town. Demographics Culture Maralik is home to many historical monuments. The archaeological site at the northeastern vicinity of the town is home to a cyclopean fortress and a settlement, both dating back to the 2nd millennium BC. The Saints Paul and Peter Church, and the Church of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr (both well-preserved from the 19th century), are also found in the town, while the late medieval chapel of Ghushi is located 4.5 km southeast of Maralik. The church of the Holy Mother of God (Red Monastery) rebuilt in 1903 on the basis of a 5th-century church, is found at the southwest of Maralik. Many khachkars, mainly from the early and late medieval periods, are found in the town. A cultural house, a public library, a school of art, and a musical school are operating in Maralik since the Soviet days. A bronze statue of Soghomon Tehlirian was erected on April 22, 2015, at the central square of the town. Maralik is the hometown of the fictional character Petra Arkanian in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series. Transportation Maralik is located on the M-1 Motorway on the road between Gyumri and Yerevan. The town is also connected with the nearby towns and villages through a network of regional roads. The Maralik railway station is located at the eastern vicinity of the town. Economy Maralik was an active industrial town during the Soviet period. The currently-abandoned cotton-spinning factory of Maralik used to have more than 2000 employees at its peak during the Soviet days. The lights and electronics factory that had around 600 employees in 1962 does not operate as well. The building materials plant of the town is also inactive. Most of the citizens in Maralik are involved in agriculture. The town is surrounded with fertile lands with the main crops being grains. The Rublyovka historic quarter located at the north of Maralik, was recently renovated to serve as a touristic centre housing a hotel and restaurant. Education Maralik is home to many pre-school kindergartens, 2 public education schools, as well a vocational school which is a stet-owned intermediate technical college, serving the town and its surrounding villages. Maralik has produced many prominent scholars and scientists of Armenia, including Doctor/Professor Anushavan Kirakosyan (economics), Doctor/Professor Henrik Melikyan (history), Doctor Vladimir Darbinyan (philology), and Doctor Manvel Andikyan (mathematics), Sport Maralik has a sport school run by the municipality.