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The Symbolic Significance of the Yerevan Blue Mosque: an Interdisciplinary Approach to the Armenian-Iranian Relationship

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The Symbolic Significance of the Yerevan Blue Mosque: an Interdisciplinary Approach to the Armenian-Iranian Relationship The Symbolic Significance of the Yerevan Blue Mosque: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Armenian-Iranian Relationship Item Type text; Electronic Thesis Authors Brackett, Robin Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction, presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 08/10/2021 15:35:25 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/642093 THE SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE YEREVAN BLUE MOSQUE: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE ARMENIAN-IRANIAN RELATIONSHIP by Robin Brackett ____________________________ Copyright © Robin Brackett 2020 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF MIDDLE EASTERN AND NORTH AFRICAN STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2020 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Master’s Committee, we certify that we have read the thesis prepared by Robin Brackett, titled The Symbolic Significance of the Yerevan Blue Mosque: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Armenian-Iranian Relationship and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Master’s Degree. Jun 10, 2020 _________________________________________________________________ Date: ____________ Dr. Anne H. Betteridge Jun 10, 2020 _________________________________________________________________ Date: ____________ Dr. Julia Clancy-Smith Jun 10, 2020 _________________________________________________________________ Date: ____________ Dr. Kamran Talattof Final approval and acceptance of this thesis is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the thesis to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this thesis prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the Master’s requirement. Jun 10, 2020 _________________________________________________________________ Date: ____________ Dr. Anne H. Betteridge Master’s Thesis Committee Chair School of Middle Eastern & North African Studies 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS An acknowledgement of the Tohono O'odham people on whose land the University of ​ Arizona sits. I thank my esteemed thesis committee members for their time and support in the completion of my Master’s degree. I am thankful to Dr. Betteridge for her detail-oriented and knowledgeable guidance. I am thankful to Dr. Clancy-Smith for her encouragement and faith in my abilities. I am thankful to Dr. Talattof for his willingness to make time for me and for showing me new ways to think about problems. I also thank the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies and the Raphael and Jolene Gruener Research Travel Award, without whose help this thesis would not have been possible. Thanks also to Julie Ellison-Speight, the FLAS Fellowship and the U.S. Department of Education for the opportunity to be a FLAS fellow and my greatly improved Persian language skills. I also thank Anousha Sedighi, Shahram Parastesh, Bahar Jalehmahmoudi and Narges Nematollahi for their contributions to my Persian language abilities. Thanks also to Sergio Cañez and Dr. Austin O’Malley for their help in keeping me on track in the MA program. Next I thank a list of people in Armenia who helped me conduct a successful research trip: A. Akhavian, M. Ghavalyan, Z. Molaie, Q. Sargsyan, A. Ullatil, each of whom is integral to the success of my Master’s thesis. I also thank those who helped me with translations and the execution of my thesis: K. Amani, A. Aroushian, R. Ehsani. L. Knotter and S. Namei. I appreciate your time and expertise. Finally, I would like to thank the many people who cannot be named here for their love, inspiration and support along the way. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 5 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 6 Theoretical Frameworks 9 Methodology 12 CHAPTER TWO: HISTORY OF LATE 19TH, EARLY 20TH CENTURY 15 Safavid history of Julfa, New Julfa and Shah Abbas I 15 The Khanate of Yerevan 16 Armenians in the Iranian Constitutional Revolution 19 Realism, Yeprem Khan and the Dashnak Party 22 Identity and Nation Building 25 Armenian Genocide 32 CHAPTER THREE: SOVIET ARMENIA & POST WWII IRAN 35 Preservation of the Yerevan Blue Mosque Through Literature 35 Mktrich Armen 37 Elise Charents 40 Iranian-Azeri Secessionist Movement 42 CHAPTER FOUR: POST-SOVIET ARMENIA 44 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan 44 Turkey: Pan-Turkism 48 Israel: Business and Security 49 Russia: Consolidating Power 50 1992 Iranian mediation - Soft Power Initiatives 51 1994 Ceasefire 53 Formalized Relationship Between Armenia and Iran 54 CHAPTER FIVE: POST-1995 YEREVAN 55 Trade, Energy and Infrastructure Projects 55 Renovations of an Iranian Mosque in Christian Armenia 56 Iranian Shia National Identity 62 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION 65 APPENDIX A 68 APPENDIX B 71 APPENDIX C 78 REFERENCES 81 ​ 5 ABSTRACT In what ways has the centuries-long friendly relationship between Armenians and Iranians been monumentalized in the Yerevan Blue Mosque located in Yerevan, Armenia? I argue that through each of its iterations, the Yerevan Blue Mosque, completed in 1765, has served as a locus for shared identities, nationalisms and ideological reinventions. The mosque has remained a symbol of historical friendship and religious tolerance between Armenians and Iranians and provides a site of interreligious, interethnic and international relations. This thesis investigates the mosque through the lenses of constructed memories, nationalisms and shifting identities over time. I examine the life of the mosque in four parts using government and literary sources, art historical features and information gathered at the mosque. The first time period examined here is 1600 through 1911, with a focus on Armenian participation in the Iranian Constitutional Revolutions. Next, I examine how the mosque survived the secular Soviet period as a meeting place for writers of the emerging socialist nationalist literature and as two museums. Third, I analyze the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (1988-1994)—a yet unresolved dispute over the mountainous Karabakh territory located in Azerbaijan but populated by Armenians—using theories of social movement and realism to understand how the conflict served to strengthen the Armenian-Iranian relationship in the post-Soviet years. Finally, and with greater focus and detail, I examine the mosque complex from 1995 to 2019 and its place in modern Iranian-Armenian relations. I explore the complex's location in the city of Yerevan as well as its significance for tourists, various sects of Islam and the interests of the Islamic Republic. 6 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Two meters below the busy Mashtots avenue (formerly Lenin Street) in Yerevan, Armenia sits an 18th century Iranian mosque. Among the dried fruit shops, clothing stores and currency exchanges one is suddenly confronted with a monumental grid of multicolored tiles (Appendix B, Fig. 1). I found the mosque quite by accident and debated entering on that day because I was not wearing the modest outfit I had planned for visiting the mosque. Curiosity and two unveiled Russian women convinced me to descend the stairs in my attire chosen for ninety-degree weather. Once inside the mosque complex, the noise of the busy street above faded away and I was surrounded on four sides by brick, tile and plaster work. A garden with 105 year old trees, some struggling rose bushes and a defunct fountain filled the center courtyard of the complex. A few curious tourists tentatively milled about the complex, sat on the garden benches and viewed the Persian handicrafts on display in one of the open air galleries. As I explored the complex over the next two weeks, my curiosity about the place only increased. I had many initial questions about the architecture, about the library, about the 1 religious services. I also began to form deeper and more pressing questions. What is an Iranian mosque doing in Christian Armenia? How did this complex survive the secular Soviet era? What does the leasing of the mosque to Iran by the Armenian government say about the friendly relations between Armenia and Iran? What accounts for this enduring and friendly relationship? Through my investigations at the mosque and through use of secondary sources I attempt to answer these questions by looking at significant episodes in the intertwined histories of Armenia 1 In this case Iranian refers to lessees of the land, the maintainers of the building and the style of architecture of the mosque. 7 and Iran. The temporal focus of this thesis is the post-Soviet era, understanding of which is informed by the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, Armenian literary traditions of the early Soviet era, an Azeri secessionist movement in Northern Iran and an Armenian secessionist movement in the mountainous region of Karabakh located on Iran’s northern border. Historically, the area now known as the Republic of Armenia was a convergence point for the Persian, Ottoman and Russian empires. In order to provide historical context I discuss the historical roots of Armenian-Iranian interaction, a significant episode from the Safavid era 1501-1736 that led to a large community of Armenians being brought into Iran. I also draw attention to the Khanate of Yerevan under Qajar rule, as this is the era in which the Yerevan Blue Mosque was constructed and that leads up to the fateful treaty of Turkemnchay. In more depth, the roles of identity, nationalism and allegiance formation of Armenians fighting for the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. The activities of this time period are significant to the question of what accounts for the enduring friendly relations between Armenia and Iran. The Iranian Constitutional Revolution was well supported by Armenians, particularly the Dashnaks, led by Yeprem Khan (1868-1912) and the Hunchakian led by Sattar Khan (1866-1914). The military and literary contributions of Armenians in the fight for the creation of constitutional rights in Iran helped pave the path of continued friendly relations.
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