Armen Sanentz
What was once known as “one of Armenia’s best architectural structures” is now subject to demolition. For the past six decades, tourists and locals alike flocked to the Pak Shuka (literal translation “closed market,” meaning covered indoor market), where vendors sold their goods under the massive building’s prominent arches.
The historic Pak Shuka Market was a central bazaar constructed in 1952 by engineer Hamazasp Arakelyan and designed by famed architect Grigor Aghababyan (whose 100th anniversary was celebrated in 2011). It was listed on the State List of Immovable Historical and Cultural Monuments of Yerevan as an officially recognized architectural monument. During the Soviet era, when the avenue was named Lenin Prospekt, it was Yerevan’s only market with a fixed roof.
