Categories: History

December 7 – Remembrance Day of the Spitak Earthquake’s Victims in Armenia

At 11:41 AM on December 7, 1988, a devastating earthquake nearly razed the Armenian cities of Spitak, Gyumri (Leninakan), and Vanadzor (Kirovakan).

Strong vibrations were felt even in Yerevan more than 100 kilometers away. The earthquake at the epicenter in the village of Nalband had a surface wave magnitude of 6.8.

According to official information, more than 25 thousand people died, 19 thousand became disabled, 530 000 inhabitants were left homeless. The village of Nalband has gone under the ground.

On these days, Armenia became the epicenter of global unity: doctors and rescuers from all over the world – from France, Switzerland, the UK, Germany, the US – arrived here. More than a hundred states provided the Armenian people with humanitarian aid.

The Spitak earthquake was one of the most devastating earthquakes of the 20th century.

Armenia quake 1988

Vigen Avetisyan

Recent Posts

The Land of Kajants: Language, Kings, and Gods

Reconsidering the Language and Sacred Heritage of Urartu in Armenian Historical Thought For more than…

1 day ago

Hayasa-Azzi: A Powerful Armenian Kingdom of the Armenian Highlands

Among the earliest known states of the Armenian Highlands, few are as historically important as…

2 weeks ago

The Frescoes of Dadivank Monastery and the Misinterpretation of Heritage

The medieval monastery of Dadivank is one of the most important spiritual and artistic centers…

3 weeks ago

Armenian Orphan Girls in New York (1917): A Forgotten Act of Witness and Relief

In 1917, at the height of global upheaval during World War I, a small but…

4 weeks ago

The Armenian Genocide: State Crime, Mass Participation, and the Burden of Historical Responsibility

The Armenian Genocide (1915–1921 ...) was not an accident of war, nor a tragic byproduct…

4 weeks ago

The First Printed Armenian Bible (Amsterdam, 1666–1668)

Introduction The first printed edition of the Bible in the Armenian language stands as one…

1 month ago