Armenians and Armenia in Azerbaijani textbooks

2024-05-14

School textbooks on Azerbaijani history present false information about Armenians and Armenia.

For example, according to stories found in those textbooks, in the 18th century, the Khanate of Yerevan[1] was purportedly established in Azerbaijani territories, with its population claimed to be exclusively Azerbaijani Turks. [2] According to these authors, the Turkish ancestors had purportedly inhabited these regions since ancient times, while Armenians were resettled en masse here only in the 19th century by Russian authorities.

The 8th-grade history school textbook of Azerbaijan also mentions that the presence of Azerbaijani Turks in the Yerevan Khanate is supported by place names within the region, accounts from European travelers who visited Yerevan during that period, and even some Armenian historians.

As a justification, they cite the opinion of Armenian historian Ashot Hovhannisyan, who, based on primary sources, argues that Armenians constituted a small portion of Yerevan's population in the 18th century, with Azerbaijanis being the majority. [3] However, it is important to note that the Azerbaijani people as it is understood today did not exist during that period. Additionally, the available historical data regarding the population primarily pertains to those residing within the fortress, not Yerevan. [4] There was a significant Armenian population in Yerevan.

Hence, the information presented in those textbooks regarding the population of Yerevan is unfounded. Moreover, a notable decrease in the Armenian population can be attributed to the prolonged Turkish-Persian wars, particularly the deportation ordered by Persian Shah Abbas in 1604.

Furthermore, European travelers who visited the region reported information not only about Yerevan's Muslim population but also about the city's Armenian majority. For instance, in a document preserved from 1608 by the delegate of the King of Spain, Antonio de Guvea, Yerevan was described as the most important city and capital of the entire Greater Armenia, completely inhabited by Christians. [5]

Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, a French traveler who visited Yerevan from 1631 to 1633, in the "Persian Journey" section of the first volume of his "Six Travels," describes the layout and general panorama of Yerevan city, mentioning "districts inhabited by Christian Armenians." [6] When describing the ancient churches and the fortress of the city of Yerevan, he observes that the city was exclusively inhabited by Armenians. [7]

Azerbaijani authors also claim in those textbooks that the initial arrival of Armenians, described as a small Christian population, in the region was directly linked to the relocation of the Armenian Catholicosate from Cilicia to Uchkilse (Echmiadzin) near Yerevan in 1441. They assert that subsequent Armenian Catholicoi purportedly seized Azerbaijani lands and expanded their territories. [8]

It should be clarified that during that period, there were no Azerbaijanis residing in Yerevan or its surrounding territories. Moreover, representatives of local Persian Muslim authorities often seized lands belonging to Armenian peasants or forcibly expelled them from their ancestral territories. Additionally, lands owned by the Armenian Apostolic Church were officially recognized by Persian authorities through special decrees, confirming their rightful ownership by the church. In essence, these lands were legally recognized as the property of the church.

Azerbaijani authors also falsify the history of Armenian Artsakh with baseless claims. In those textbooks, Artsakh is portrayed as a native Turkic territory, and the settlement of Armenians in the region is mentioned as occurring only after 1828. [9]

It is noteworthy that Artsakh is among those Armenian territories where Armenians have historically constituted the overwhelming majority until 2023. Armenian authorities have consistently governed the region, with only in the mid-18th century, Panah Khan of Turkic origin, establishing himself in Shushi and founding the Karabakh Khanate. Despite this, Turkic speakers remained a minority in the population of Artsakh.

Azerbaijani textbooks also propagate the false historiographical claim that in 1918, with the consent of the Ottoman state, the Republic of Armenia was established in the historical lands of Azerbaijan, with Yerevan as its capital. [10]

It is worth noting that the Republic of Armenia owes its existence to the victorious battles of Sardarapat and Bash-Aparan. Following their defeat in these battles, Turkish troops and their local Turkic allies were compelled to acknowledge the existence of the Armenian state in Eastern Armenia.

Hence, from a school age, the Azerbaijani state instills the idea that Armenians are their enemies who occupied "their historical lands" and are portrayed as newcomers to the region.

[1]Azərbaycan tarixi 5, https://www.e-derslik.edu.az/player/index3.php?book_id=447#books/447/units/unit-1/page101.xhtml, s. 101.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Azərbaycan tarixi 8, https://e-derslik.edu.az/player/index3.php?book_id=388#books/388/units/unit-1/page110.xhtml, s. 109-110.

[4] Yeghiazaryan A., Hovhannisyan A., Gharibyan A., Chiroyan A., The concept of writing the history of Azerbaijanis regarding the territory of the Republic of Armenia, The Case of Yerevan, history of medieval and modern periods of Yerevan and Azerbaijani forgery, p. 243; Karapetyan M., Changes in the ethnic composition and number of the population of Yerevan in 1600-1724, Patma-Banasirakan Handes, 1986, N 2, pp. 107-108։

[5] Yeghiazaryan A., Hovhannisyan A., Gharibyan A., Chiroyan A., The concept of writing the history of Azerbaijanis regarding the territory of the Republic of Armenia, The Case of Yerevan, history of medieval and modern periods of Yerevan and Azerbaijani forgery, p. 244:

[6] Շուխյան Ռ․, 17-րդ դարի Երևանը՝ Ժան Բատիստ Տավերնիեի պատկերում, https://arm.sputniknews.ru/20170917/armenia-erevan-jan-batist-tavernie-8691074.html․

[7] Yeghiazaryan A., Hovhannisyan A., Gharibyan A., Chiroyan A., The concept of writing the history of Azerbaijanis regarding the territory of the Republic of Armenia, The Case of Yerevan, history of medieval and modern periods of Yerevan and Azerbaijani forgery, p. 245.

[8] Azərbaycan tarixi 8, https://e-derslik.edu.az/player/index3.php?book_id=388#books/388/units/unit-1/page110.xhtml, s. 110.

[9] Azərbaycan tarixi 5, https://www.e-derslik.edu.az/player/index3.php?book_id=447#books/447/units/unit-1/page101.xhtml , s. 99-100․

[10] Azərbaycan tarixi 9, https://www.trims.edu.az/noduploads/book/quot-azarbaycan-tarixi-quot-fanni-uzra-9-cu-sinif-ucun-darslik.pdf , s. 100.

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