“GEGHARD”
SCIENTIFIC ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATION
2025
2025
On June 20, the "Geghard" Scientific and Analytical Foundation hosted a workshop on "Issues of the history of Shirvan" at the National Academy of Sciences. The workshop focused on various administrative units in Caucasian Albania, (between the lower reaches of Kura River and the Caspian Sea) specifically Shirvan.
In his opening speech, Robert Ghazaryan, director of the "Geghard" Scientific and Analytical Foundation, noted that Azerbaijan is attempting to appropriate the history and culture of all neighboring peoples—Armenians, Iranians, Georgians, Dagestanis, and Turkmens—by any means possible. Robert Ghazaryan emphasized the significance of Shirvan's history in this context. He noted that the Azerbaijani authorities claim Shirvan as part of their history and assert that the culture developed there is Azerbaijani. Ghazaryan pointed out that, although historical Shirvan is situated within the territory of present-day Azerbaijan, the heritage created in that region over centuries does not have any direct connection to the modern Azerbaijan.
Vilen Gabrielyan, president of the "Gardman-Shirvan-Nakhijevan" Pan-Armenian Union, and Arman Yeghiazaryan, director All Armenian Foundation Financing Armenological Studies, welcomed the participants of the workshop. Vilen Gabrielyan spoke about the history of Shamakhi as the main center of educational, cultural, socio-political life, handicrafts, and trade for the Shirvan Armenians. He emphasized that the Armenian merchants of Shamakhi controlled the transit trade in the region.
Arman Yeghiazaryan briefly presented the history of Shirvan, noting that it was part of the administrative territorial unit of Arminiya and was once within the sphere of influence of the Armenian Bagratuni Kingdom.
Several renowned scholars presented their researches. Then, the conference moved on to discussions. Dr. Alexan Hakobyan presented statistics on Armenians and Udi-Albanians in the Shaki-Shirvan region. He noted that according to the data collected by Bishop Makar Barkhudaryan, the majority of the Armenian population in Shirvan migrated from Artsakh.
Artak Maghalyan, a researcher at the "Geghard" Scientific-Analytical Foundation and the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, discussed the Armenians living in the Eastern Caucasus during the 16th and 17th centuries. Tork Dalalyan, a researcher at the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences, presented the etymology of the place name Shirvan, as a consequence of the Iranization of the region.
The participants of the discussion also highlighted the significant contributions of Armenians in Baku, particularly the Armenian commercial and industrial class. Their role was especially noteworthy in the oil industry and the formation and development of the financial, credit, and banking systems.
The participants of the conference emphasized that the presence of the Armenians in the region sharply declined during 1918-1920. This decline resulted from the genocide committed by Turkey and Azerbaijan against the Armenian population. Later, during 1988-1990, the Shirvan region was completely depopulated of Armenians.
