Armenians in Argentina
Encyclopedia
The Armenians in Argentina are ethnic Armenians
who live in Argentina
. In South America
the largest population of Armenians is in Argentina where some 130,000 Armenians
live . The core of the population came from Cilicia
, Syria
and Lebanon
. In Buenos Aires, the Armenian community is known to share their common culture with the Basque
community through musical events and cultural activities.
, Syria
and Lebanon
escaped from the Ottoman Empire
, modern Turkey
after 1915, between 1917 and 1921, during Russian Civil War
, many Armenians from Russia
escaped fearing religious prosecution, and lastly, between 1947 and 1954 many Armenians from the Soviet Union
, Syria
and Lebanon
and came to Argentina
as a consequence of the Second World War and from Iran
because of Iranian Revolution
in 1979.
The Armenian community of Argentina has maintained its identity with flying colors thanks to its devotion to the church, school and the family structure. Most of those who came in the mid-1920s were poor because of the immediate departure from Armenia during the Armenian Genocide. They were lucky to be alive after the horrible genocide from Turkey who had taken refuge in Aleppo
from places like Ainteb
, Kilis
, Ourfa
and Hajin
. The first Armenians came in 1908 and some came in 1915, but it was not until 1924-1930 that the community took shape when some 10,000 people settled in Buenos Aires
. Subsequent waves of immigrants came from Russia
, Romania
and Greece
. The influx dried up in the early 1950s. Today, the community is estimated to number 380,000. While survival was of paramount importance, education was also high on the agenda of the early immigrants. They had no money and few of them spoke a foreign language, therefore they gave a great deal of attention to education.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
who live in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. In South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
the largest population of Armenians is in Argentina where some 130,000 Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
live . The core of the population came from Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. In Buenos Aires, the Armenian community is known to share their common culture with the Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
community through musical events and cultural activities.
History
Armenians from CiliciaCilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
escaped from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, modern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
after 1915, between 1917 and 1921, during Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, many Armenians from Russia
Armenians in Russia
Armenians in Russia or Russian Armenians are ethnic Armenians who live in Russia. The 2002 Russian census recorded 1,130,491 Armenians in the country, but most probably did not take into account the Armenian guest workers, most of whom do not hold Russian citizenship...
escaped fearing religious prosecution, and lastly, between 1947 and 1954 many Armenians from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and came to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
as a consequence of the Second World War and from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
because of Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
in 1979.
The Armenian community of Argentina has maintained its identity with flying colors thanks to its devotion to the church, school and the family structure. Most of those who came in the mid-1920s were poor because of the immediate departure from Armenia during the Armenian Genocide. They were lucky to be alive after the horrible genocide from Turkey who had taken refuge in Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
from places like Ainteb
Gaziantep
Gaziantep , Ottoman Turkish: Ayintab) previously and still informally called Antep; ʻayn tāb is a city in southeast Turkey and amongst the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city is located 185 kilometres northeast of Adana and 127 kilometres by road north of Aleppo, Syria...
, Kilis
Kilis
Kilis is a city in south-central Turkey on the border with Syria and capital of Kilis Province.- History and Population :Kilis was part of the vilayet of Aleppo of the Ottoman Empire until the First World War when it was given to Turkey and had a mixed population of Circassians, Turkomans and Arabs...
, Ourfa
Sanliurfa
Şanlıurfa, , often simply known as Urfa in daily language , in ancient times Edessa, is a city with 482,323 inhabitants Şanlıurfa, , often simply known as Urfa in daily language (Syriac ܐܘܪܗܝ Urhoy,Armenian Ուռհա Owr'ha, Arabic الرها ar-Ruhā), in ancient times Edessa, is a city with 482,323...
and Hajin
Saimbeyli
Saimbeyli is a small city and a district in Adana Province, Turkey in what was known during the Middle Ages as Cilician Armenia. The city of Saimbeyli is in the Toros mountains, 157 km north of the city of Adana, by a difficult road...
. The first Armenians came in 1908 and some came in 1915, but it was not until 1924-1930 that the community took shape when some 10,000 people settled in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. Subsequent waves of immigrants came from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The influx dried up in the early 1950s. Today, the community is estimated to number 380,000. While survival was of paramount importance, education was also high on the agenda of the early immigrants. They had no money and few of them spoke a foreign language, therefore they gave a great deal of attention to education.
Notable Armenians in Argentina
- David NalbandianDavid NalbandianDavid Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
, tennis player - Martín KaradagianMartín KaradagianMartín Karadagián was an Argentine professional wrestler and actor.-Biography:Karadagián was born in the San Telmo ward of Buenos Aires to a Spanish mother and Armenian father...
(1922–1991), wrestler and actor - Martín AdjemiánMartín AdjemiánMartín Adjemián , was a film and television actor. He worked in the cinema of Argentina.He died on January 3, 2006 of cancer.In 1988 he appeared in Asesinato a distancia....
(1932–2006), actor - León ArslaniánLeón ArslaniánLeón Arslanián is an Argentine lawyer, jurist and public official who notably served as Chief Justice in the tribunal that presided over the 1985 Trial of the Juntas.-Life and times:...
, former Federal Judge and former Minister of Security of the Buenos Aires ProvinceBuenos Aires ProvinceThe Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880... - Bedros HadjianBedros HadjianBedros Hadjian is a Buenos Aires-based Armenian writer, educator and journalist. In 1954, he became the headteacher of the Armenian school of Deir el Zor, in northern Syria, one of the destination points of Armenians marched off by Ottoman authorities during the 1915 Armenian Genocide.After...
(1933-), journalist, writer and educator. - Eduardo Bakchellian, businessman and writer
- Eduardo EurnekianEduardo EurnekianEduardo Eurnekian is an Argentinian businessman.-Rise to prominence:Eduardo Eurnekian was born to immigrants from Armenia, in 1932...
, businessman - Juan Martín Berberián, professional rugby player
- Fernando ZagharianFernando ZaghariánFernando Zagharián is a football striker who was born and raised in Argentina, but now has dual nationality with Armenia due to his Armenian origin....
, professional footballer - Efrain ChacurianEfrain ChacurianEfrain or Yeprem “Chico” Chacurian is a retired Argentine-American soccer forward. He was earned four caps, scoring one goal, as a member of the U.S. national team in 1953 and 1954. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1992-Professional career:Chacurian was born in Argentina...
, former professional footballer
See also
- Centro Armenio de la República Argentina
- Club Deportivo ArmenioClub Deportivo ArmenioClub Deportivo Armenio, known simply as Deportivo Armenio or Armenio, is a football club from Ingeniero Maschwitz, Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina...
External links
Sardarabad - Armenian Spanish Newspaper IAN - Spanish speaking armenians around the world Armenios online Armenian Institute Diario Armenia Cámara Argentino - Armenia- Tigran Ghanalanyan, Armenian Protestant communities in South America, http://noravank.am/eng/issues/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=5722