Yerevan the largest city and capital of Armenia and one of the three major cities of the South Caucasus. It is situated on the Hrazdan River, and is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country. The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the Urartian fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC. The city was completely rebuilt in the 1930s and has been repeatedly ruined by wars or natural disasters (for example, an earthquake in 17th century almost entirely destroyed the town). Few buildings of the old Erivan survive.