Chamber tombs found at the centre of present-day Ijevan, as well as late
Bronze Age cemetery on the left bank of Aghstev river, attest to the early occupation of the site. Historically, the area of modern-day Ijevan was part of ancient
Utik and
Gugark; the 12th and 13th provinces of
Greater Armenia respectively. Separated by the Aghstev river, the eastern half of Ijevan was part of the Tuchkatak canton of the historic Utik, while the western half belonged to the Dzorapor canton of the historic Gugark. Being located on a vital route of trade between the
Levant and Northern Caucasus, the region of present-day Ijevan was home to many rest-houses and caravanserais during the
Middle Ages, serving as rest-houses for the passing merchants and their caravans, mainly on the road from
Tbilisi to
Dvin. The remains of a medieval
caravanserai stands on the banks of Aghstev river on a site called Hamam-Jala. Under the Persian rule who had gained control over the
Eastern Armenian territories since 1501–02, the village of Karavansara was founded during the 1780s. The territories of present-day
Lori and
Tavush along with the neighboring
Georgia, became part of the
Russian Empire in 1800–01. The territories became an official region of Russia as per the
Treaty of Gulistan signed between Imperial Russia and
Qajar Persia in October 1813, following the
Russo-Persian War of 1804–13. In 1840, the
Elizavetpol uezd was formed and most of the territories of Tavush became part of the newly founded administrative division of the Russian Empire. Later in 1868, the
Elizavetpol Governorate was established and Tavush became part of the newly formed
Kazakh uezd. Under the Russian rule, approximately 6,000 Armenian families from
Karabakh were allowed to move to the valley of Aghstev river to be resettled in the region of Tavush including the territory of the village of Karavansara. The village witnessed a notable revival during the 1860s and 1870s, as a result of the new road opened between Kazakh (
Qazax) and Erivan (
Yerevan), passing through Karavansara. in Ijevan Following the
1918 independence of Armenia, the name of Karavansara was changed to
Ijevan in 1919. On 29 November 1920, Ijevan, along with Noyemberyan, was the first Armenian settlement where Soviet rule was established, after being invaded by the
Red Army from
Soviet Azerbaijan in the northeastern part of the country. In 1930, it became the centre of the newly formed Ijevan raion. The first major plan of the town was adopted in 1948, revised later in 1967. In 1951, the
Ijevan Wine-Brandy Factory was opened, followed by the rug and carpet factory in opened in 1959–65. With the gradual development of the industrial sector, Ijevan was given the status of a town in 1961. In 1970, it was turned into a city of republican sub-ordination of the
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. Following the independence of Armenia in 1991, Ijevan became the provincial centre of the newly founded
Tavush Province as per the administrative reforms of 1995. ==Geography and climate==