Karen Demirchyan Complex
| Կարեն Դեմիրճյանի անվան մարզահամերգային համալիր | |
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 The main entrance to the complex
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| Location | Tsitsernakaberd hill, Yerevan, Armenia |
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| Coordinates | 40°11′17″N 44°29′00″E / 40.18806°N 44.48333°ECoordinates: 40°11′17″N 44°29′00″E / 40.18806°N 44.48333°E |
| Owner | Government of Armenia |
| Operator | Ministry of Defence |
| Capacity | Sports Hall: 8,008 seats Concerts Hall: 2,008 seats |
| Construction | |
| Opened | October 31, 1983 |
| Renovated | 2005–2008, reopened October 31, 2008 |
| Construction cost | US$ 47.7 million for renovations |
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| Website | |
| http://www.scc.am/ | |
Officially Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex (Armenian: Կարեն Դեմիրճյանի անվան մարզահամերգային համալիր), also known as Demirchyan Arena, Sports & Music Complex, or simply Hamalir (for complex in Armenian), is a large sports and concert complex with 184 stairs leading up Tsitsernakaberd hill which dominates over the western parts of Yerevan, near the Hrazdan River gorge. The complex consists of two main halls; the Concerts hall and the Sports hall, in addition to the large foyer, Hayastan conference hall and Argishti hall designated for diplomatic meetings, exhibitions and other events.
In August 2015 the government of the Republic of Armenia decided to sell the complex to a private firm with plans to renovate the complex and turn it into a "family-oriented center".
The complex was opened in 1983 but forced to close within a year and a half after a fire in 1985. A renovation process took place until the end of 1987 when it was ready again to host concerts and sport events. The complex was designed by a group of Armenian architects: A. Tarkhanian, S. Khachikyan, G. Pogosyan and G. Mushegyan. The construction process was supervised by engineers: Hamlet Badalyan (chief engineer) and I. Tsaturian, A. Azizian and M. Aharonian.
In 1990 Ian Gillan's band has played concerts there. 32nd Chess Olympiad also took place at Demirchyan complex.
In 1999, shortly after the assassination of the former speaker of the Armenian parliament Karen Demirchyan in the Armenian parliament shooting, the complex was renamed in honour of him, for his contribution in the construction and the renovation of the complex during the Soviet era.
On October 9, 2005, the complex was sold for US$5.7 million. The contract was signed between the Armenian Government and the Russian BAMO Holding Company. Murad Muradian, an Armenian from Moscow, the head of the BAMO holding, attempted to gain the support of Yerevan citizens who were hesitant about the privatization of the building. Two conditions were put forward by Armenian president Robert Kocharian: The name of the complex must not be changed and it must preserve its functional meaning. The organization agreed to these conditions and a commitment to make an investment of nearly 10 million US dollars was envisaged for the upcoming 3 years.
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Wikipedia