Nairi facts for kids
The Nairi were an ancient group of people who lived a very long time ago. This was during the late Bronze Age, a time when people used bronze tools and weapons. They lived in the area that later became the powerful Kingdom of Urartu. This region is around Lake Van, which is in what we now call the eastern part of Turkey.
The Nairi people were quite strong and organized. When the Assyrians, another powerful ancient group, first attacked them, the Nairi had many settlements. They had twenty-three cities and each city had its own king! The Nairi were also very good with horses and mules. They even had a large army of chariots. In one battle, the Assyrians captured as many as 120 chariots from them. This shows how important chariots were to the Nairi's military power.
Their Name Today
Even today, the name Nairi is still used in Armenia. It's often used as a special, poetic name for Armenia itself, sometimes called Yerkir Nairi, which means "Country of Nairi." It's also a common name for people in Armenia. Many famous Armenian poets, like Vahan Terian, Yeghishe Charents, and Vahagn Davtian, have used the name Nairi in their beautiful poems.
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