2025
2025
2025-10-06
Khaldan was one of the Armenian-populated villages of Eastern Transcaucasia. It was located close to the settlement of Aresh (also known as Ermani Bazar) and, at some point, was even incorporated into its territory. In the 19th century, it was part of the Aresh district of the Elizavetpol governorate.
There is no information about the foundation of the village. However, several references exist concerning its population during the 19th century. Thus, in 1841 Khaldan had 18 households with 124 Armenian residents; in 1851 – 22 households with 132 Armenian residents; and, according to 1853 data, 140 Armenian residents.
The village had the Holy Mother of God (Surb Astvatsatsin) church, where Father Astvatsatur Biniatyan served as priest, according to a record from 1851. He most likely also served in the nearby village of Khanapat. When Nerses Davtyan visited the village in 1888, he mentioned that the church was very old and, according to local tradition, had been built during the reign of King Vachagan the Pious (485–510 AD).
For reasons unknown to us, the Armenians abandoned the village in the second half of the 19th century, after which it was settled by Turkic-speaking inhabitants. Some of the Armenians who left Khaldan resettled in the neighboring villages of Khanabad and Arash. Thus, according to the data from 1895, no Armenians were recorded living in Khaldan.
In one of the 1895 issues of the newspaper Nor-Dar, a correspondent, describing the Armenian villages of the Aresh district, wrote that “the Turkic element, with its destructive nature, has had a impact everywhere…” and noted that the Armenian village of Ermani-Bazar (formerly the town of Aresh) was surrounded by Turkic-inhabited villages, among which he also mentioned Khaldan.
Today, the village is part of the Yevlakh district and is still called Khaldan.
Bibliography
Karapetyan, S., Aghvank Proper, Part 1, Yerevan, 2024, p. 21.
Khoizade. “Nor-Dar,” no. 152 (August 24, 1895): 3
N. D. [Nerses Davtyan]. “Several Villages of the Aresh District.” Mshak, no. 131 (November 17, 1888): 2.