Armenian Claims to the Nakhchivan Region of Azerbaijan: Nonsense and Historical Truth
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Our history Ismayil HAJIYEV Doctor of History, Professor, Academician ARMENIAN CLAIMS TO THE NAKHCHIVAN REGION OF AZERBAIJAN: NONSENSE AND HISTORICAL TRUTH FOR MANY CENTURIES, THE ARMENIANS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO SEIZE AN INTEGRAL PART OF AZERbaIJAN - NAKHCHIVAN - AND TO ANNEX THESE LANDS TO THE MYTHI- CAL «GREat ARMENIA». TO THIS END, THEY EVEN faLSIFY HIstORY, ACCORD- ING TO THE «NEW» VERSION OF WHICH THIS TERRITORY ONCE BELONGED TO THE ARMENIANS, AND TRY TO PROVE THat THE ARMENIANS HAVE BEEN IN THE MAJORITY IN THE REGION SINCE ANCIENT TIMES. Administrative map of the Erivan khanate, 1820 he fact that one of the websites raised the theme of Nakhchivan. And menian cemeteries, as the Armenians of the United Arab Emirates - the this phenomenon has its reasons. were resettled to the territory of Nakh- Tportal of the Middle East Arme- Having occupied a large chunk of chivan only in the last few centuries. nians entitled «Azad Hye» - has posted the territory of Azerbaijan - Nagorno- What sort of ancient Armenians an article about a book by the Arme- Karabakh and seven surrounding dis- graveyards can exist in lands where nian writer from Syria, Avo Katerjian, tricts, destroyed about 500 historical, they came historically very recently? entitled «Armenian Nakhichevan or architectural and cultural monuments Regardless of ethnicity, all the histori- Distorted NAXCIVAN”, should be con- in these lands and ruined nearly 900 cal, archaeological, architectural, cul- sidered the result of this policy. The settlements, the Armenian chauvinists tural and religious monuments in the book shows that the “researcher-writ- are now claiming Nakhchivan, where Nakhchivan autonomy are protected er” provides the reader with distorted ancient Armenian cross-stones, khach- by the state. It is no accident that the historical facts relating to Nakhchivan, kars, are allegedly being destroyed. Un- head of the Supreme Council of the referring to it as a historical land of der the guise of looking after mythical Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is- Armenia, Armenifies the names of an- monuments, the Armenians are trying sued a special order on 6 December cient Azerbaijani settlements and falsi- to hide their true intentions and dis- 2005 “On work to organize the protec- fies other place names. tract world attention from their main tion and certification of historical and Armenians, who have always had goal - territorial claims. In Nakhchivan, cultural monuments in the Nakhchivan their designs on our lands, have now there have never been any ancient Ar- Autonomous Republic”. The Armenians 58 www.irs-az.com Routes of Armenian resettlement from Iran and Turkey to Azerbaijan in 1828-1831 are not autochthonous in the whole of the Caucasus or in its parts - the current territory of Armenia, formerly West Azerbaijan, or Nakhchivan, be- cause they are incomers here.1 Back in 1913, this was written by the Armenian scholar B. Ishkhanyan: “The true home- land of the Armenians is an ancient his- torical area called Great Armenia in Asia Minor, that is outside of Russia ... and they settled in the Caucasus only in the past few centuries.”2 And in Asia Minor itself, the Armenians are incomers as well. “The ancestors of the Armenians migrated to Asia Minor from Thrace in the 2nd-1st centuries BC.”3 The famous American scientist Samuel A. Weems wrote: “... In a period of more than three thousand years, the Armenians had no national territory, and now they claims ‘historical, nation- Stone and Iron Age found on the ter- others relating to the Oguz-Seljuks left al lands’ on the basis of false historical ritory of Nakhchivan, various images their traces. The Turkic tribes of Ustajli, inventions.”4 According to Armenian on the rocks of Gamigaya, the culture Didivarli, Gizilli, Amrkhanli, Arafsali, Ha- authors, Nakhchivan belonged to the of the professional production of color jili, Kechili, Kelfirli, Garakhanbayli, Gark- Armenians in the days of Noah. It be- ceramic dishes and traces of the high hunlu, Alikhanli, Muganli and dozens longed to them at the beginning of culture of urban development sug- of others were aboriginal inhabitants our era. These claims also have no sci- gest that these lands were an ancient of the territory. On the territory of Na- entific basis, and they are pure fantasy Turkic region and one of the sources khchivan, there are still settlements as- by Armenian ‘scientists’. The results of civilization.”6 First of all, these were sociated with the name of these tribes. of archaeological, historical and geo- Turkic tribal unions of Kaspis, Kadusis All this proves once again that Nakh- graphical studies clearly show that Na- and Nakhchis. The very name of Na- chivan has been inhabited by Turkic khchivan has historically always been khchivan is associated with the name ethnic groups since ancient times. an integral part of Azerbaijan.”5 Histori- of the Nakhchi tribe that lived here in Along with this, there have been no cal sources and archaeological materi- ancient times.”7 At the beginning of settlements with Armenian names at als have convincingly demonstrated our era, tribes of Bulgars, Huns, Pech- any stage of history and to this day in that even in the 4th-2nd centuries BC, enegs, Kangars and Khazars came to Nakhchivan. large tribal unions in the territory the territory of Nakhchivan. Dozens of In different historical periods, Nakh- of Nakhchivan played an important branches of these tribes settled in the chivan was part of the successive an- role in the formation of the Azerbai- area. On the territory of Nakhchivan, cient states of Manna, Media, the Ach- jani ethnic group. Monuments of the the tribes of Bekdilli, Khalaj, Yayji and aemenid Empire, Atropatena, Parthia, 1 See. Verdiyev Kh., R. Huseynzadeh R. The “origin” of the Armenians and their migration to the Caucasus from the Balkans. Baku, 2003 2 Ishkhanyan B. Peoples of the Caucasus. St. Petersburg, 1916, p. 44 3 The peoples of the Caucasus. V. 2. Moscow, 1962, p. 443 4 Samuel A. Weems. Armenia: Secrets of a “Christian” Terrorist State. The Armenian Great Deception Series. V. 1. (translated from English), Baku, 2004, p. 246 5 Abibullayev O. Eneolithic and Bronze Ages in the Territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Baku, 1982; Yaliyev V. The Azerbaijani Culture of Dyed Dishes in the Bronze Age. Baku, 1977; His work again – Ancient Nakhchivan. Baku, 1979; His work again - Nakhchivan is a Historical Region of Azerbaijan. Baku, 2002; Budagova H. Place names of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Baku, 1998; Historical Geography of Azerbaijan. Baku, 1987; Meshadukhanum Nemat. The Corps of Epigraphic Monuments of Azerbaijan. V. 3. The Arab-Persian-Turkic Inscriptions of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (12th century - early 20th century). – B., 2001; Piriyev V. Pages of Nakhchivan’s History. B., 2004; Valikhanli N. Nakhchivan – From Arabs to Mongols. B., 2005 and others 6 Nakhchivan international analytical-information journal. March (01) 2004, p. 42 7 K. Gann, Experience of interpreting Caucasian geographical names. SMOMRK. 40th edition, Tbilisi, 1909, p. 110; A. Dirr, The Current Names of Caucasian Tribes. SMOMRK. 40th edition, Tbilisi, 1909, p. 9; Armenian Geography of the 7th Century AD (Attributed to Moses of Khoren). St. Petersburg, 1877, p. 36-38; R. Mammadov, Historical Essays on the City of Nakhchivan. Baku, 1977, p. 28 and others www.irs-az.com 59 Our history the Sassanid state and others and was Armenian authors use this fact in ac- to prove that the Iravan province is an always their most developed province. cordance with their objectives and Armenian land. In fact, the Armenians As part of various major states, Nakh- present Azerbaijani Nakhchivan as the are incomers in the territory, which is chivan was also an integral part of eth- venue for the massacre. Studies of I. called Armenia today. The work “The nic Azerbaijan. As for the Armenians, Orbeli12 and Z. Bunyadov13 proved that Review Notebook of Irevan Province”14 the Armenian state left the historical the church in which “Mohammed ibn provides sufficient evidence for that. scene in the 4th century, and in 387, it Marwan had burned the Armenian As can be seen from this source, in was divided between Iran and Byzan- princes” was in the city of Nakhcivan, 1590, this province consisted of two tium. In 428, the Armenian kingdom which was situated in the Kagizman sanjaks - Iravan and Nakhchivan. The within Iran was also liquidated.8 From district of the Kars vilayet. It should Nakhchivan sanjak covered the Nakh- that period to May 1918, there was also be noted that ruins of churches chivan city council and 16 townships no Armenian state or statehood. It is or other Armenian Christian buildings (Agjagala, Mevaziyi Khatun, Mulki-Ar- clear that Nakhchivan could not have have never been discovered in the ter- slanli, Garabag, Darasham, Darashah- been part of a non-existant Armenian ritory of Azerbaijani Nakhchivan. buz, Bazarchayi, Sharur, Zar, Zabil, Alin- state. However, in those days there Many medieval sources indicate ja, Sisian, Azadjiran, Ordubad, Shorlut was some Cilician Armenian kingdom that Nakhchivan belongs to Azerbai- and Daranurgut).15 The “Notebook” from 1080 to 13759, but it was located jan: quotes such as “the capture of mentions the urban population of the in what is now Turkey and had nothing one of the Azerbaijani cities – Nakh- province, too. It reports that at the end to do with Azerbaijani Nakhchivan. chivan – by Abu Muslim” (10th century of the 16th century, the most populous In subsequent historical periods, Arab historian al-Kufi), “Nakhchivan is a city in the province was Nakhchivan. Armenian migration to the South city of Azerbaijan (12th -13th centuries, 4,208 lived here, 2,000 in Iravan, and Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, con- Yaqut al-Hamawi), “Shamsaddin Elden- 1,357 in Ordubad.