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2024-12-10
In the 1896 issue[1] of the periodical Collection of Materials for the Description of Localities and Tribes of the Caucasus, Yerevan Teachers' Seminary instructor V. Devitsky authored an article titled Vacation Journey about the Yerevan governorate.
In 1894, V. Devitsky explored the surroundings of Yerevan. He noted that the villages in the
area were closely interwoven, and the locations and boundaries of new villages could only be discerned by the writings on pillars situated half a verst apart. Listing villages such as Kuylasar Tokhanshalu, Gedaklu, and several others, the author remarked that Armenians, Tatars, and Assyrians lived side by side in this region. The area was also inhabited by nomadic Kurds, who moved to the Ararat highlands during the summer.
The article describes the ruins of the village of Velijan, which only retained remnants of stone fences and tombstones, some of which were engraved with crosses. These were vivid evidence of a Christian, particularly Armenian, presence. The author attributed the abandonment and ruin of the village to continuous Kurdish raids, looting, and murders.
Describing the settlement of Igdir in the Surmalu region, the author notes that it is a large village with a Tatar and Armenian population, and the number is around 5,000. However, this data is likely inaccurate, as according to the 1886 household registers, Igdir had 366 households with a total population of 2,912—all Armenians. [2]
Devitsky writes that the Armenian villages of Nerkin and Verin Agulis, located near Ordubad, as well as several other villages, are inhabited by Armenians known as "zok." [3] They are primarily engaged in trade, conducting business in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Marseille, Paris, and even America. While involved in commercial activities in Western Europe, some of them also receive education at local universities. The people of Agulis take great pride in their trading activities and consider their village to be a corner of Europe or Paris. The village has several churches and ruined monasteries. According to the author, the Agulis people use these monastic buildings as schools, where 400 boys and girls study.
Devitsky's article is yet another impartial documentation and testimony about the indigenous Armenians who lived in those regions.
[1] The 21st issue of the 1896 volume of the periodical Collection of Materials for the Description of Localities and Tribes of the Caucasus.
[2] Свод статистических данных о населении Закавказскаго края, извлеченных из посемейных списков 1886 г., издан по распоряжению Главноначальствующаго гражданскою частию на Кавказе Закавказским статистическим комитетом, Тифлис, Тип. И. Мартиросиянца, 1893, с. 196.
[3] "Zok" is the nickname given to the Armenians of several settlements in the Gokhtn region (Agulis, Tzghna, Tanakert, Kaghakik, Handamej, Disar). The renowned Armenian scholar Kerovbe Patkanian believed that this name originated from the forms of the demonstrative pronouns hok, ok, dok, nok in the Agulis dialect, with the prefix z, forming zhok, zok, zdok, znok.