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Jermuk occupies an area which was historically part of the Vayots Dzor canton of the Syunik province of Greater Armenia. It was first mentioned during the 13th century by historian Stepanos Orbelian in his work History of the Province of Sisakan. The remains of an ancient cyclopean fortress and the ruins of an 8th-century basilica testify that the region around the fountains of Jermuk had been settled long before the 13th century. The area of Jermuk was ruled by the Siunia dynasty between the 10th and 13th centuries, when Vayots Dzor was part of the Kingdom of Syunik. The princes of Syunik regarded the mineral springs of Jermuk as healing and built several pools filled with it, thereby making the little town their holiday destination. During the Middle Ages, the Silk Road passed through Vayots Dzor, particularly the road that currently links the town of Martuni with Yeghegnadzor to the northwest of Jermuk.
Jermuk skyline
At the beginning of the 16th century, Eastern Armenia fell under the Safavid Persian rule. The territory of Jermuk became part of the Erivan Province and later the Erivan Khanate. The period between the 16th and 17th centuries is considered to be the darkest period in the history of Vayots Dzor. The region was turned into a frequent battlefield between the invading troops of the Turkic and Iranian tribes. As a result, many significant monuments and prosperous villages were destroyed, and the population was displaced.
Residential buildings
As a result of the Treaty of Turkmenchay signed between the Russian Empire and Persia in 1828 following the Russo-Persian War of 1826–28, many territories of Eastern Armenia—including Vayots Dzor—became part of the Russian Empire. Under the Russian rule, Jermuk experienced significant growth and development. During the 1830s, the Russian geologist G. Voskoboynikov arrived in Armenia and began explorations on Jermuk's geographical depth as well as the contents and characteristics of Jermuk waters. His observations on Jermuk were published in the journal Gorny zhurnal in 1831, and later in 1855, in the almanac Kavkazskiy kalendar. Voskoboynikov's works were the first scientific studies on Jermuk.
In the 1860s, a pool in Jermuk built by the Orbelian princes of Syunik was renovated by pristav (police chief) Gevorg Khanagyan, following a resolution by the Russian government. Today this pool is known as Pristavi gyol ('Pristav's lake') and is preserved as a historical monument. In 1870, Jermuk became part of the newly formed Sharur-Daralayaz uyezd within the Erivan Governorate. According to a Russian estimate from 1880, which produced statistics of 1873, Isti-su (i.e., Jermuk) had 114 Tatar (later known as Azerbaijanis) inhabitants.
Between 1918 and 1920 Jermuk was included within the short-lived Republic of Armenia. After the Sovietization of Armenia, Jermuk and the surrounding territories became one of the regions that resisted Soviet rule and formed the unrecognized Republic of Mountainous Armenia under the leadership of Garegin Nzhdeh. However, after falling to the Bolsheviks in July 1921, Jermuk became part of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. The first urban development plan of Jermuk was introduced by architect P. Msryan in 1945. The second plan was composed in 1952 by architect P. Manukyan. The plan was later modified at the beginning of the 1960s. The first sanatorium was opened in 1962, followed by the 2nd one in 1963 and the mineral water spa centre in 1966, thus setting for the fertile activity of the Jermuk health resort centre, in order to turn Jermuk into a modern resort for all Soviet nationals. In 1967, Jermuk was granted the status of a town of republican subordination.
With the gradual development of services, the population of Jermuk reached up to 9,000 during the 1980s. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and as a result of the post-independence economic crisis of Armenia, the population has drastically declined to less than 5,000 during the first decade of the 21st century. In 1995, Jermuk became part of the newly formed Vayots Dzor Province as per the 1995 administrative reforms. However, many development plans have been implemented in Jermuk in recent years, in order to further develop the town as a summer resort and a winter tourism destination, including the nearby village of Kechut and the defunct airfield of Jermuk. Many new hotels and health centers were opened, many sanatoriums were rehabilitated, and the first phase of the cableway of the ski resort was entirely renovated.
In September 2022, Jermuk as well as several other Armenian towns, including Vardenis (Gegharkunik Province), Goris (Syunik Province) and Sotk (Gegharkunik), came under attack by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Many residential houses were damaged as a result of the shelling; people were displaced from their homes. A fire broke out in the forests of Jermuk as a result of the shots fired by Azerbaijan. At a UN Security Council meeting, Armenia's permanent representative Mher Margaryan condemned Azerbaijan's attack on Jermuk saying: "The shelling of the resort town of Jermuk, which has absolutely no military targets is nothing short of war crime, and so are the strikes against the Kechut water reservoir, with potentially catastrophic human toll and environmental impact". Following the ceasefire, the heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Armenia arrived in Jermuk to get acquainted with the consequences of the shelling.
