Why and how did we lose Nakhijevan: The loss of historical Homeland (Part 1)
As one of the ancient historical regions of Armenia, today Nakhijevan is politically an exclave of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is an axiom that the history of this region is an inseparable part of the history of the Armenian people, dating back to ancient times. Even during paganism, Goghtn district of Nakhijevan was well known for its rich folklore. After the invention of the alphabet, Mesrop Mashtots and his students were very active in Nakhijevan.
We discussed the development, flourishing, and, unfortunately, the decline and loss of this part of our homeland with historian Armen Sargsyan, an expert at the analytical department of Genesis Armenia think tank.
-Mr. Sargsyan, when was Nakhijevan first captured by the enemy?
-According to Anania Shirakatsi’s “Ashkharhatsuyts”, in different periods of history, the region of Nakhijevan, consisting of five districts—Goghtan, Yernjak, Jahuk, Nakhijevan, and Sharur—was divided between Syunik, Ayrarat, and Vaspurakan. In 698, Nakhijevan was conquered by the Arab Caliphate and subjected to severe persecutions. In 705, the Arabs deceived hundreds of Armenian rebel princes, gathering them under the pretext of taking a loyalty oath in the churches of Nakhijevan and Khram, and burned them alive. The year 705 is known in Armenian history as the “Year of Fire.”
-Was Nakhijevan liberated after that?
-Yes, in the late ninth century, Nakhijevan was liberated from thr Arab yoke and returned to Armenia, becoming part of the Bagratid (Bagratuni) kingdom.
-What was the situation in Nakhijevan after its liberation?
-During the Bagratuni rule, the region of Nakhijevan experienced a renaissance. Roads, bridges, and churches were built; economic and spiritual life flourished. The area covering Nakhijevan’s historical districts—located at a crucial intersection of transit routes and the Armenian Highland—gradually became one of the important centers connecting the East and the West. However, starting from the mid-11th century, the Turkish-Seljuk invasions devastated this flourishing region.
-So, Nakhijevan, like other Armenian settlements, has suffered numerous hardships and has been a target for enemies many times.
-That’s correct. At the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century, the region was joined to Zakarid Armenia, after which, in 1225, the territory fell under the attacks of Jalal ad-Din, the heir of the Khwarezm Shah. Later, in 1236, it was conquered by the Mongol-Tatars. Guillaume de Rubrouck, the ambassador of Louis IX of France, passed through Nakhijevan on his return from Mongol Möngke Khan in 1254 and described what he saw: “Nakua (Nakhijevan) was once a great and beautiful city, but the Tatars have turned it almost into a desert.” He added that of the eight Armenian churches in Nakhijevan, only two small churches remained.
-Thus, the first attempts to erase the Armenian trace in Nakhijevan were made much earlier.
-The region of Nakhijevan underwent significant demographic changes, especially under Shah Abbas’s rule. On the one hand, Shah Abbas moved thousands of Armenians from Jugha to Isfahan; on the other hand, he settled many Muslims in the region. According to Ambassador to Rzeczpospolita Sefer Muratowicz, Shah Abbas moved 15,000 Armenians from Nakhijevan to Isfahan in 1622. He settled Armenians on the other bank of the river, calling it New Jugha. The same happened in Kashatagh and Karvachar, where thousands of Armenians were moved deep into Persia, particularly to Mazandaran and Qaradagh, while Kurds were settled in Kashatagh and Karvachar. In case of conflicts, Armenians or Kurds would be killed—in both cases, their enemies would be killed. Thus, Shah Abbas managed to separate Syunik and Artsakh from each other, which has had a serious negative impact in terms of defense and politics to this day.
-When did these settlements begin to breathe again after the barbaric invasions of the enemy?
-From the second half of the 17th century, Russia began its first attempts to infiltrate into the South Caucasus. In the early 18th century, liberation movements, led by the meliks of Artsakh, Davit Bek and Mkhitar Sparapet, started in Artsakh, Syunik, and parts of Nakhijevan—specifically in Ordubad and Agulis. In 1741, after the Iranian-Turkish war and the death of Nader Shah, the Nakhijevan Khanate was established. It should be noted that in the 15th to 19th centuries, Nakhijevan continued to play an important role in the relations between the East and the West. Particularly significant was the role of Jugha in the 15th to 17th centuries and Agulis in the 17th to 19th centuries. They became such important commercial centers that they had considerable rights in municipal self-governance and, in this regard, were directly subject to the Persian Shah, being exempt from several obligations they would have had to fulfill for the local Muslim government.
To be continued
