Assyrians in Armenia
Encyclopedia
Assyrians in Armenia make up the country's third largest ethnic minority, after Yazidis and Russians
. According to the 2001 census, there are 3,409 Assyrians
living in Armenia
, and Armenia is home to some of the last surviving Assyrian communities in the Caucasus. There were 6,000 Assyrians in Armenia before the dissolution of the Soviet Union
, but because of Armenia's struggling economy
during the 1990s, the population has been cut by half, as many have emigrated.
in Persia. In the beginning of the 20th century, many came from what is today Southeastern Turkey, specifically the Hakkari
region, where it was common to have Assyrians and Armenians living in the same villages. Assyrians, like their Armenian neighbors, suffered during a genocide
by the Ottoman Turks
, in which an estimated 275,000 Assyrians perished. As many Armenians fled Anatolia
for what is today Armenia, many Assyrians followed as well, citing it as the only "Christian haven" in the region,although many also fled to Georgia
(see Assyrians in Georgia
). Throughout history, relations between the Assyrians and Armenian majority have tended to be very friendly, as both groups have practiced Christianity
since ancient times and have suffered through Islamic persecution.
Nonetheless, the Assyrian Church of the East is considered heretical by the Miaphysite Armenian Apostolic Church
, as the latter condemns the patron saint of the former, Nestorius
. However, the Armenian Catholic Church
and the Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church
are in full communion, and have brotherly relations.
According to the Council of Europe European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
there were four rural settlements with significant Assyrian population:
. Most Assyrians are fluent in Armenian
and Russian
as well. Assyrians in Armenia today mostly belong to Assyrian Church of the East
, but there is a small community belonging to the Chaldean Catholic Church
as well. They mostly work in the fields of gardening, agriculture and viniculture. There are big Assyrian communities in the region of Verin Dvin
and Dimitrov
of the Ararat Marz, and Arzni
of the Kotayk Marz. There is a Assyrian Youth Center in the Armenian capital, Yerevan
. Mixed marriages between Assyrians and Armenians are becoming more common today, whereas Assyrians were strictly self-isolated in the two centuries before.
In 2003, the community established the "Assyrian Center BetNahrain", a club that promotes the studying and dissemination of the Assyrian language
, culture, history and traditions, to the general public.
:
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
. According to the 2001 census, there are 3,409 Assyrians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
living in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, and Armenia is home to some of the last surviving Assyrian communities in the Caucasus. There were 6,000 Assyrians in Armenia before the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
, but because of Armenia's struggling economy
Economy of Armenia
Armenia is the second most densely populated of the former Soviet republics. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, bordered on the north and east by Georgia and Azerbaijan and on the south and west by Iran and Turkey....
during the 1990s, the population has been cut by half, as many have emigrated.
History
Assyrians and Armenians have had contacts since ancient times, as the Kingdom of Urartu was the regional rival of the Assyrian empire from 825 BC to 608 BC. Today's Assyrian population in Armenia are mostly descendants of settlers who came starting in the early nineteenth century during the Russo-Persian War (1826-1828), when thousands refugees fled their homeland in the areas around UrmiaUrmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
in Persia. In the beginning of the 20th century, many came from what is today Southeastern Turkey, specifically the Hakkari
Hakkari
Hakkâri , is a city and the capital of the Hakkâri Province of Turkey. The name Hakkâri is derived from the Syriac word, Akkare, meaning farmers...
region, where it was common to have Assyrians and Armenians living in the same villages. Assyrians, like their Armenian neighbors, suffered during a genocide
Assyrian genocide
The Assyrian Genocide refers to the mass slaughter of the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac population of the Ottoman Empire during the 1890s, the First World War, and the period of 1922-1925...
by the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
, in which an estimated 275,000 Assyrians perished. As many Armenians fled Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
for what is today Armenia, many Assyrians followed as well, citing it as the only "Christian haven" in the region,although many also fled to Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
(see Assyrians in Georgia
Assyrians in Georgia
Assyrians in Georgia number over 3,000, and most arrived in the Southern Caucasus in early 20th century when their ancestors fled present-day Turkey and Iran during the Assyrian genocide.-History:...
). Throughout history, relations between the Assyrians and Armenian majority have tended to be very friendly, as both groups have practiced Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
since ancient times and have suffered through Islamic persecution.
Nonetheless, the Assyrian Church of the East is considered heretical by the Miaphysite Armenian Apostolic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
, as the latter condemns the patron saint of the former, Nestorius
Nestorius
Nestorius was Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to 22 June 431.Drawing on his studies at the School of Antioch, his teachings, which included a rejection of the long-used title of Theotokos for the Virgin Mary, brought him into conflict with other prominent churchmen of the time,...
. However, the Armenian Catholic Church
Armenian Catholic Church
|- |The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church sui juris in union with the other Eastern Rite, Oriental Rite and Latin Rite Catholics who accept the Bishop of Rome as spiritual leader of the Church. It is regulated by Eastern canon law...
and the Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
are in full communion, and have brotherly relations.
Distribution
The Assyrian population in Armenia is mainly rural. Out of 3,409 Assyrians in Armenia 2,885 (84.6%) was rural and 524 (15.4%) urban.According to the Council of Europe European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is a European treaty adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe to protect and promote historical regional and minority languages in Europe...
there were four rural settlements with significant Assyrian population:
- ArzniArzniArzni is a town in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. The town was founded in 1925. Until the late 1980s, the village was predominantly Assyrian Christian.- References :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
in Kotayk Province - Assyrians and Armenians - Verin DvinVerin DvinVerin Dvin is a village in the Ararat Province of Armenia located 30 kilometers away from Yerevan. The largest Assyrian community in Armenia is in Verin Dvin, where the majority of the residents in the village are ethnic Assyrians. The village also has two Assyrian churches including one that was...
, Ararat Province - Assyrians and Armenians - DimitrovDimitrovDimitrov may refer to:* Dimitrov * Dimitrov, Armenia, a town* Dimitrov, Russia...
, Ararat Province - Assyrians and Armenians - Nor Artagers in Armavir Province - Assyrians, Armenians and Yezidis
Republic of Armenia
The Assyrians have managed to both integrate with Armenian society and maintain their own ethnic identity, as there are classes teaching the Aramaic languageAramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
. Most Assyrians are fluent in Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
as well. Assyrians in Armenia today mostly belong to Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
, but there is a small community belonging to the Chaldean Catholic Church
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
as well. They mostly work in the fields of gardening, agriculture and viniculture. There are big Assyrian communities in the region of Verin Dvin
Verin Dvin
Verin Dvin is a village in the Ararat Province of Armenia located 30 kilometers away from Yerevan. The largest Assyrian community in Armenia is in Verin Dvin, where the majority of the residents in the village are ethnic Assyrians. The village also has two Assyrian churches including one that was...
and Dimitrov
Dimitrov, Armenia
Dimitrov is a town in the Ararat Province of Armenia. The town in named in honor of Bulgarian Communist leader, Georgi Dimitrov.- References :* – World-Gazetteer.com*...
of the Ararat Marz, and Arzni
Arzni
Arzni is a town in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. The town was founded in 1925. Until the late 1980s, the village was predominantly Assyrian Christian.- References :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
of the Kotayk Marz. There is a Assyrian Youth Center in the Armenian capital, Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
. Mixed marriages between Assyrians and Armenians are becoming more common today, whereas Assyrians were strictly self-isolated in the two centuries before.
In 2003, the community established the "Assyrian Center BetNahrain", a club that promotes the studying and dissemination of the Assyrian language
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is a Neo-Aramaic dialect, spoken by an estimated 220,000 people , formerly in the area between Lake Urmia, north-western Iran, and Siirt, south-eastern Turkey, but now more widely throughout the...
, culture, history and traditions, to the general public.
Education
There are four public schools that are providing instructions in AssyrianAssyrian Neo-Aramaic
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is a Neo-Aramaic dialect, spoken by an estimated 220,000 people , formerly in the area between Lake Urmia, north-western Iran, and Siirt, south-eastern Turkey, but now more widely throughout the...
:
- The Secondary School of Verin Dvin village (250 students in 2008)
- The Secondary School of Arzni village (114 students in 2008)
- The Secondary School of Dimitrov village (68 students in 2008)
- Number 8 Secondary School of Yerevan (8 students in 2008)
See also
- Armenian-Assyrian relationsArmenian-Assyrian relationsArmenian–Assyrian relations have a long history stretching back 2900 years as the Kingdom of Ararat was the major rival of the Assyrian empire, and at times was under its rule....
- Assyrian peopleAssyrian peopleThe Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
- Assyrian diasporaAssyrian diasporaThe Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac diaspora refers to the estimated population of Assyrian/Syriac Christians in the world that migrated outside of the Middle East or their original homeland. The worldwide diaspora of Syriac Christian communities begins during World War I, with the mass-killings of...
- Assyrian genocideAssyrian genocideThe Assyrian Genocide refers to the mass slaughter of the Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac population of the Ottoman Empire during the 1890s, the First World War, and the period of 1922-1925...
- The Ethnic Minorities of Armenia Yerevan