[custom_adv] Ararat Stadium is a football stadium with 10,000 seats built in 1971 and located in the Ararat Sports Complex in the Vanak neighbourhood. [custom_adv] It is named after Mount Ararat, the highest mountain of the Armenian Highlands in what is now Turkey. The complex is owned by the Armenian Cultural Ararat Organization founded in 1944, one of the largest associations of Armenians. [custom_adv] The stadium is used by Ararat, who play in the Provincial League. It has also been used by the women's national football team for their home matches. [custom_adv] The complex covers an area of 74,000 square meters in form of a triangle enclosed by Ararat Street, Rashid Yasemi Street and Kordestan Expressway. The entrance is in the northern part of Ararat Street. The football stadium of FC Ararat with 10,000 seats was built in 1971 after plans by architect Rostom Voskanian (1932–2013). [custom_adv] Near the stadium in the southeastern part of the complex, there is the Holy Cross Chapel (Surp Khatch) completed in 1987 by the same architect, a small concrete building with block-like crosses, built in part in memory of the Armenian soldiers who lost their lives. [custom_adv] The Ararat Sports Complex has also two swimming pools, indoor basketball courts, billiard tables, a rock climbing facility, badminton courts, tennis fields, and a sports museum. [custom_adv] Access to most events in the stadium is restricted to Christians, so Armenians are usually among themselves. As long as no Muslims are present, Christian males and females are allowed to practice or watch together, and women are not required to wear headscarves.
