“GEGHARD”
SCIENTIFIC ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATION
2025
2025
2024-09-09
Due to its geographical location, Areviq, a district within the Syunik province of Greater Armenia, held exceptional significance. Its territory now corresponds to the Meghri subregion of Armenia's Syunik marz. Throughout history, Areviq was an integral part of various Armenian kingdoms, including Ararat (Van, Urartu), Yervanduni (Orontid), Artashesian (Artaxiad), Arshakuni (Arsacid), and Bagratuni (Bagratid) dynasties. From 987 to 1170, it was part of the Syunik or Baghk kingdom. Even after the decline of this kingdom, the region, particularly under the rule of the Orbelian dynasty and their branches, managed to preserve a certain degree of internal autonomy.
Under foreign rule, the Areviq province was subjected to repeated massacres and forced emigration. Many of the Armenian place names in the Areviq-Meghri region were distorted and replaced with foreign names. However, Meghri is one of the places where the Armenian name has survived, although it was referred to as Migri in Russian sources. The names of the villages in the province, such as Agarak, Amrakar, Yernadzor, Lichk, Karchevan, Shvanidzor, Vahravar, Vanq, Vardandzor, Tashtun and others, clearly point to their Armenian origins. The presence of numerous Armenian historical and cultural monuments in the region, including chapels, khachkars, churches, and cemeteries, further attests to Areviq's Armenian identity. Some of these khachkars date back as early as the 9th century.
The Church of Surb Hovhannes (Meghri Monastery), built in the 17th century and located near Meghri, was one of the spiritual centers of the province. The churches of the Surb Astvatsatsin of the Large Quarter (1673) and Surb Sargis of the Small Quarter (17th century) in Meghri were also renowned.
Almost every village in the Areviq province had its own church. Notable examples include the Church of the Surb Astvatsatsin in the abandoned village of Kaler near Vank, and the ruined churches of Arkes and Malev, dating back to the 14th-16th centuries, churches in Kurisi (15-17th centuries), Lichk (known as Jvaravan, 17th century), Vahravar, and Karmravank (17th century). In Tashtun village, a 17th-century four-pillar domed basilica church of Surb Stepanos exists. In the surrounding area one can find abandoned villages (Romelants, Kyildizants) and cemeteries with khachkars, such as those in Shvanidzor.
During the Syunik liberation struggle of 1722-1730, the Areviq province became a crucial place for Armenian-Persian cooperation. In 1727, with military aid from their Persian ally, Khan Duzali, the Armenian commanders Mkhitar and Ter-Avetis successfully expelled Ottoman forces from Meghri fortress and defeated them in the Meghri gorge.
In the early 19th century, the Areviq province was conquered by the Russian Empire, a that significantly contributed to the growth of its center, Meghri. In April 1834, Swiss archaeologist Frederic Dubois visited Meghri and, upon seeing its flourishing gardens, described it as a paradise, confirming that it was predominantly Armenian populated. The Meghri region became part of the Yerevan governorate in 1849 and was later incorporated into the newly established Elizavetpol governorate in 1867.
Until the early 20th century, Meghri village was exclusively inhabited by Armenians. Its population grew from 272 in 1831 to 830 in 1873. According to the family lists compiled by the Transcaucasian Statistical Committee of the civil authority of the Caucasian Administration in 1886, Meghri counted 167 households with 947 Armenians. According to the 1897 All-Russian Census, 955 Armenians lived in Meghri. By 1922, out of a total population of 1100, 1085 were Armenians and 15 were Turk-Tatars. In 1926, the population breakdown was as follows: 1055 Armenians, 48 Turks, and 58 Russians. The 1931 census showed that 1013 residents were Armenians, 12 were of Turkic origin, and 22 were Russians.
In 1831, Meghri region had 1031 Armenian and 1143 Muslim residents, in 1873 - 3010 Armenians, 2997 Muslims and 4 foreigners, in 1886 - 4213 Armenians, 2611 Muslims, 1585 foreigners. In 1914-1919, the majority of population of the province were Armenians. In 1922, 6370 Armenians, 1535 Turk-Tatars lived there, in 1931 - 7097 Armenians, 2329 representatives of Turkic groups, 28 Russians. Notably, the term 'Azerbaijani' was absent from ethnic classifications, even as late as 1931.
Following the February Revolution of 1917 in Russia, the Special Committee for Transcaucasia, which was subordinate to the Provisional Government formed a local governing unit in Meghri. After the declaration of independence of the Republic of Armenia in late May 1918, the Meghri district came under the control of the autonomous Karabakh-Zangezur province, initially under the command of Andranik's military unit, and subsequently under the command of Arsen Shahmazyan and Garegin Nzhdeh's detachments. To protect the region from Turk-Tatar incursions, Garegin Nzhdeh established a defense district called Kapargoght in the southern part of Syunik and southeastern Nakhijevan, encompassing the territories of Kapan, Areviq, and Goghtn, and assumed command of it.
Following the Sovietization of Armenia in December 1920, Meghri played a crucial role in the lives of both the Autonomous Syunik, established on December 25, 1920, and Mountainous Armenia, proclaimed on April 27, 1921. In mid-July 1921, the region served as a way for Armenian intellectuals, military personnel, and other segments of the population to escape to Persia, thereby avoiding persecution and revenge from the Soviet authorities. Thanks to the liberation struggle led by Garegin Nzhdeh, the Caucasian Bureau of the Russian Communist (Bolshevik) Party decided on July 7, 1921, to include Zangezur in Soviet Armenia.
The Areviq-Meghri region holds exceptional strategic significance for the Republic of Armenia. Therefore, Azerbaijan's aggressive intentions towards this Armenian territory are not coincidental.
Photo by Sasun Danielyan