Origin of the name: THE FATHER OF THE HAMLETS AND VILLAGES.
Shinuhayr, a village in the Syunik region of Armenia, is the center of the Tatev municipality, 72 km north of the regional center.
History and Geography: Shinuhayr village (Shnoherk, Shnher, Shnheru) of Syunik region was founded in the Bronze Age, in Vorotan gorge, on the right bank of the river, before the birth of Christ, then moved to the left bank of the river. The first mention of the village in written sources dates back to the 10th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, in the central church of the village of David-Bek, a builder from Shinuhayr, convened a meeting, gathered troops from the surrounding villages and began a liberation struggle against the Persians. There was a parish school near the church in the village. At the beginning of the 19th century, the village priest Ter-Stepan, with the help of Shinuhayr residents living in Baku, founded a 4-year school in the village, which was run from Shushi. The village, hidden in the Vorotan gorge, with road and other problems, in 1964 by the decision of the government of the Armenian SSR was moved to the upper plain, where were more favorable conditions for development.
Shinuhayr nowadays: Shinuhayr was once the largest village in Syunik, with about 1,000 households. Today, about 3,000 people live in the village, and emigration has left its sad mark on this village as well. People are engaged in agriculture and cattle-breeding here, and every time they sow the seeds in the soil hoping, that the year will be favorable.
Sightseeing: There is a monastic complex called Kusanac anapat in Hin Shinuhayr, which even served as a hospital during the Soviet period. On the road connecting the Hin Shinuhayr and Nor Shinuhayr, there are traces of Soviet propaganda on the rocks. Almost all the houses of the Hin Shinuhayr are in ruins, and there are mulberries in the yards, the fruit of which is sweeter than honey.
