Description
Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex also known as "Amalir" is a famous and one of the largest concert complexes in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
The venue was first opened in 1983. A little later, a rather large fire occurred, which thoroughly damaged the building. For this reason "Amalir" was closed until the end of the reconstruction at the end of 1987. The complex was built according to the project of Armenian architects A. Tarkhanyan, S. Khachikyan, G. Poghosyan and G. Musheghyan. The capacity of the arena is from 8 to 12 thousand spectators depending on the nature of the event.
The first significant events held in "Amalir" were the concert of Ian Gillan's band, which took place here in 1990. In 1996, the 32nd Chess Olympiad was held here.
In 1999 the complex was named after Karen Demirchyan, the Speaker of Aremnia's Parliament, who was tragically killed in a terrorist attack.
In 2005 the Russian construction holding BAMO became the owner of the complex. Almost immediately, the new owner of the location began a step-by-step modernization and reconstruction of the institution. The activities took almost three years of time and cost about 42 million dollars.
In 2011, the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.