Baku Armenians, a tragedy of centuries

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:48

Wars and conflicts in the Caucasus region have broken the fate of many people. Refugees were peoples and nationalities unique in their culture. Such cultural communities include Shusha Armenians, Sukhumi Georgians, Baku Armenians. Many of them became disenfranchised refugees and still have no opportunity to return to their hometowns and homes. What kind of people are these Baku Armenians? What is the history and culture of this people?

Baku Armenians

Baku Armenians are a unique community in which Armenian culture is closely intertwined with Russian, Armenian, Azerbaijani culture and the culture of other peoples living in Baku.

In Baku, there are currently about 30,000 Armenians who managed to survive after the bloody massacre of 1990 and return to the city. They are doing their best to revive their unique Baku community. How and under what conditions did it form?

Residents of Baku in Soviet times arepredominantly Russian-speaking people, which consisted of Jews, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Tatars, Germans, Russians. The city of intelligent people (as a percentage of the total number of citizens), ranked third after Moscow and Leningrad in terms of the number of educated people. Baku is a city of oil that fed the entire USSR. The main scientific institutes and the best professional personnel were concentrated here. All these factors have shaped the citizens' mentality and a peculiar approach to life, their culture, and, as a result, a unique people - the Baku people. One of the segments of this people were Baku Armenians.

History of Armenians in Baku

The exact date of the appearance of Armenians in Baku is unknown. Many scholarly historians assume that the ancient city of Bagavan is the modern city of Baku. If this is so, then in the 8th century Armenian temples already existed here, therefore, Armenians also lived. In the 15th century, the written sources of the traveler Bakuvi indicate that the population of Baku is predominantly Christian.

In 1723, during the campaign of Peter I to Persia, Russian troops stopped in Baku, and in the Armenian loaf-saray.

Armenians in Baku, as in other cities, were engaged in crafts and trade.

In 1859, many Armenians moved to Baku from Shamakhi, where there was a major earthquake. In the same year, the Baku province was formed.

In 1891, 24,500 Armenians lived in Baku.

Armenians played an important role in the life of the city. The bulk of entrepreneurs are Armenians. teachers, engineers,doctors are all Armenians. They stood at the origins of such branches of the region's economy as fisheries, winemaking, sericulture, tobacco growing, and cotton growing.

Armenians opened the first bank and the first printing house in Baku. They also played a leading role in the cultural life of the city's society.

But along with the prosperity of the people in the city, a terrible fate befell it several times. In February 1905, on September 15, 1918, there were terrible pogroms of Armenians in Baku, as a result of which hundreds of people died.

After the revolution, the life of Armenians in Baku gradually improved. Armenian schools and a theater were opened. Until the middle of the 20th century, many shop signs were in Armenian and Russian.

National conflict in Baku in the early 1990s

Relations between Armenians and Azerbaijanis were quite loyal. But there was no friendship between peoples in the Soviet ideological sense. The terrible pogrom in Sumgayit caused a huge shock among the Baku Armenians. Many of them, fearing for their fate and the fate of their loved ones, left the city. But most of the Armenians remained in Baku, hoping that the city authorities would not allow bloody events.

On January 13, 1990, the most terrible pogrom of Baku Armenians began in their entire history of living in the city. The massacre was accompanied by looting, violence, murder and arson. This hell went on for a whole week.

On January 20, all the victims of the bloody events were buried in Upland Park, in the ancient Armenian cemetery, where the victims of the pogroms of 1905 and 1918 were also buried.

Those who managed to escape left this city forever, their number is about 200 thousand people. The community of Baku Armenians that had developed over the centuries ceased to exist. They left this city, but left their homes, the fruits of their labor, the graves of loved ones and a particle of their hearts in it.

Songs of Baku Armenians

Baku Armenian songs are very popular in the cultural space. They are filled with longing for the motherland, memories of a happy childhood, sadness due to the inability to return to the Motherland and to their homes. The songs of the Baku Armenians are listened to by both Russians and Armenians, whom life has scattered over the cities and countries of the whole world. The most famous performer of the Caucasian chanson is Melik-Pashayan Marat from Baku, not a single wedding of Baku Armenians can do without his songs.

Baku Armenian diaspora in the US

A rather powerful diaspora of Baku Armenians has formed in the USA, their number is about 50 thousand. They live in cities: Nashville, New York, Seattle, San Francisco. Armenian churches have been built here, schools where the Armenian language is taught have been opened.

monuments in memory of the victims of the pogroms were erected in St. Vartan's Cathedral and in San Francisco.

Over the years, many children expelled from Azerbaijan have grown up, received an education and work for the benefit of American society.

Baku Armenian Diaspora in Moscow

The Baku-Armenian diaspora in Moscow was born after the first pogrom of Armenians in Baku in 1905 and significantlyincreased in 1990. Baku-Armenians assimilated in Moscow and it is impossible to establish their exact number, as many hide the fact that they are refugees from Baku.

The number of the Armenian diaspora in Russia is about 10 million people.

Every year on April 24, Moscow Armenians celebrate the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Armenian Genocide (1905, 1915, 1918, 1990) at the Vagankovsky cemetery.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is quite active in Moscow. The largest temple is the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the construction of which was completed in 2013. On the territory of the temple there is a bell tower, the residence of the Head of the Armenian Apostolic Church and a museum.

Armenian culture is closely intertwined with the capital, Armenians, including those in Baku, preserve their culture, history, language, way of life and traditions. In addition to the cemetery and the temple, an Armenian school has been opened in Moscow, a public organization and a theater are operating.

Many Baku Armenians, despite the fact that they are cut off from their hometown and scattered around the globe, are interested in their history and culture, empathize with the failures and successes of their people, and are proud that they are Baku Armenians.