Articles

Starting in the late 18th century, alongside the Russian Empire's growing interest in Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and Transcaucasia, scientific research into these regions began. Special commissions, composed of military officers from the Russian General Staff, as well as individual researchers, conducted extensive studies. Numerous publications, travelogues, and memoirs describe the history, archaeology, ethnography, linguistics, and demography of the region's settlements. Additionally, many contemporaries and eyewitnesses documented the population's lifestyle, education, crafts, and other aspects of daily life.

There is also a significant amount of material about the Caucasus and Transcaucasia in Collection of the Materials for Description of Places and Tribes of the Caucasus published by the Caucasian Educational District.

The periodical also included materials related to the provinces of Yerevan, Elizavetpol, and Baku. For example, in the first issue of 1881, Stepan Zelinsky, a teacher at the Yerevan progymnasium-school, authored two articles: "The City of Yerevan" and "Darachichag."

Providing a historical overview of Yerevan's foundation and name, Stepan Zelinsky notes that there is no doubt Yerevan was under Armenian rule until 1441. After that, it became, in a sense, a 'toy' in the hands of the Persians and Turks. Over the course of 386 years, Yerevan passed from one to another 14 times.

In reality, after the fall of the Bagratid Armenian Kingdom, the region was mainly under Byzantine, Seljuk-Turkic, Georgian (Zakaryan principality), and Tatar-Mongol rule.

When discussing the city's ancient buildings, the author mentions Armenian churches and the main mosque, which was built in 1764 by Hussein Ali Khan of Yerevan.

The article presents Stepan Zelinsky's data on the population of Yerevan in 1829: 11,463 inhabitants, of which Armenians were 944 households (4132 people), and Tatars were 1807 households (7331 people).

In 1880, the Yerevan governorate had 12,449 inhabitants, of which Russians were 46 households (155 people), Armenians were 1,509 (5,975 people), Tatars were 1,318 (6,293 people), and Georgians were 7 (26 people).

According to the author, in 1880, Yerevan had 84 households of Armenian nobility (320 people), 69 households of Tatar nobility (333 people), Armenian clergy - 76 households (151 people), Tatar clergy - 16 (58 people), and Georgian clergy - 6 (24 people).

Non-nobles: Russians 46 households (155 people), Armenians 1349 (5504 people), Tatars 1233 (5902 people), Georgians 1 (2 people). All classes: Russians 46 households (155 people), Armenians 1509 (5975 people), Tatars 1318 (6296 people), Georgians 7 (26 people).

It should be noted that during Russian rule, "Tatars" often referred to all Muslims, primarily those of Turkic origin.

Zelinsky's article once again confirms the Armenian nature of Yerevan and the absence of an Azerbaijani population in the city. All attempts by Azerbaijanis to find their compatriots in Yerevan, up until the Soviet period, are refuted by Russian sources as well.

Darachichag/Darachichak

Stepan Zelinsky, noting that Darachichag means "valley of flowers" in Tatar, argues that it is a translation of the Armenian name "Tsaghkats dzor" (Flowering valley). In other words, the author claims that it is originally Armenian and acquired a foreign-sounding name later.

The author writes that currently, Darachichag refers to a small valley where the small Molokan village of Konstantinovka is located, and where the Armenian cemetery, ancient Armenian village of Kechar or Kecharis were previously situated. According to legend, the village was called not Kecharis but Echaris, meaning "come down" or "come down to me".

St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in the Kecharis Monastery complex stands out with its architectural composition, built by Grigor Magistros Pahlavuni in 1033. The author mentions inscriptions on the church, taken from the works of Hovhannes Shahkhatuni (1799-1849), a historian, archaeologist, and skilled manuscript scholar, and the director of the Mother See's printing press and library, which he personally verified on site.

The ruins of an old monastery with numerous Armenian inscriptions are an example of Armenian architecture. Stepan Zelinsky writes that it is important to emphasize that in the Middle Ages, architecture in Armenia reached a significant level of perfection.  

The author also provides information about the Zangu River, emphasizing that it is the Hrazdan River.

This article by Zelinsky further proves that Armenians are the indigenous people of the region. It provides not only a brief history of Tsaghkadzor but also discusses the Kecharis Monastery complex, one of the significant monuments of Armenian Christian architecture.

Darachichag is the present-day town of Tsaghkadzor in the Kotayk province of Armenia.

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