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Yeraskh.” Historian Moses of Chorene associates the name Yeraskh to Yerast, the grandson of Aramayis who was, in turn, the grandson of Hayk Nahapet.
Araks is not navigable, but there have been many bridges built on it. The five most prominentof these were located in Basen, Ervandakert, Artashat, Nakhijevan, and Jugha. Alexander of Macedonia is credited with the construction of the bridge in Jugha (356-323 B.C.). The disappearance of the bridges is attributed tothe volatile nature of the river’s watercourse. As attested by Moses of Chorene (5th century), the river once flowed through the ancient capitals of Armavir, Artashat, and Vagharshapat, but later estranged from the cities, leading to the bridges being abolished. For this very reason, Roman poet Albius Tibullus (54-19 B.C) referred to it as “the Yeraskh that does not tolerate bridges.”
The Araks River has been praised by both native and foreign historians and writers. The Roman poet Virgil (1st century B.C) has depicted the Araks River as the symbol of the Armenian people’s power, as well as their longing for freedom and rebellious nature. “The Tears of Araks,” written by Raphael Patkanyan (1830-1892), is one of the mostfamous pieces written about the river.
Moses of Chorene writes: “Aramayis built a house on the shores of a river and named the settlement in his honor, Armavir, and the river in honor of his grandson Yerat: