BOOK REVIEW
ARMENIANS OF GHARADAGH
Hovhannes Hovsepian
Yerevan, 2009
“Armenians of Gharadagh” fundamental research by Hovhannes Hovsepian (2009) consists of two volumes including ethnography and folklore of the autochthon Armenians respectively. The author being of a native origin has made a wide fieldwork for many years collecting important materials on population, history, culture, lifestyle and ancient monuments which indicate the aspects of Armenian-natured realities on the mentioned territory. Gharadagh (or Karadagh) is situated in the Northern region of Iranian Azerbaijan (Aturpatakan), which has been one of the historical provinces populated mostly by Armenians from the very ancient times. In the historical sources it is attested that Urartians, Medians, and Scythians have also lived and spread their civilization on these parts of nowadays Iranian districts. The regions of Gharadagh were included in ancient Armenian Vaspourakan province, Parspatunik county, and this name is firstly attested in “Ashkharhacuyc” of Anania Shirakatsi. Even Greek historian Eratosthenes (276-194 B.C.) has mentioned about a gap in Gharadagh, called “Drunq Hayoc (Armenian pass)”. In middle ages this gap is mentioned again by a Muslim historiographer Hamballah Ghazvini.
After the fall of Arsacid dynasty in Iran, prolonging wars between Sassanian Persia and Roman Empire resulted the division of Armenia into two parts in the consequence of which a united Armenian kingdom was not ever established which would involve Great Hayk wholly. After a while, the mountains of Armenian Parspatunik became famous in historical annals and travel notes as Siah-Kuh (Pers. Black Mountains). During Mongol invasions, when a lot of toponymy changes occurred and Mongol names found priority over ancient Armenian and Iranian place-names, the regions in question got the Turkish equivalent – Gharadagh (Black Mountains).
The author starts the research with detailed geographical and climatic data, information on flora and fauna, which are of great importance and interest. A thorough description on the borders of Gaharadagh, as well as nature, mountains, rivers, minerals, natural springs found their reflection in the book. The modern borders of Gharadagh are defined by the author in physical geographical terms as a roughly quadrangle area extending about 200 kms. along the southern banks of the Aras river, from the Meghri valley in the west to the junction of Aras and Kura rivers in the east (pp. 11-39).
The chapter which presents the population of Gharadagh briefly scrutinizes the ethnic groups and nations consisting of Armenians, Turks, Kurds, Tatars, Shamlu (or Gyoravan) and Gharachi people who, having lived in various historical periods and in separate districts, have professeed different religions and rites, thus sharing common cultural feautures with each other. However, as it is mentioned in historical annals, the most intelligent and educated people of these regions were Armenians, who were settled in the middle belt of Gharadagh. Especially, the Armenian-inhabitated village of Khanagah, which is situated in Dizmar district, has always been famous for its spiritual and material cultural background, architecture, monuments, cemeteries and churches. Based on the field-work materials, the author makes a careful study of a number of villages, their cultural life, monumental structures, churches and schools, and this study is accompanied by interviews with native inhabitants (pp. 39-141).
During different periods Armenians of Gharadagh had to leave their native lands and their culrural cradle stipulated by political, cultural, economical conditions, and these emigrations bore both forced and peacful character. One of the essential parts of the research are the statistical data including the population, number of villages and representatives of other nations of Gharadagh. And concerning this information which is based both on the medieval sources and statistical registrations one may come to a final conclusion that Armenians have been the majority of a number of villages of Gharadagh. After the destroying replacement of the early 17-th century by Shah Abbas, the Armenians of Gharadagh were forced to leave their homeland in waves of mass emigrations of 1828, 1840, 1919-1920 and 1946 (pp. 141-158).
A special attention is to be paid to the economical structure of Gharadagh. All the representatives of the ethnic groups of Gharadagh have leaded sedentary way of life, except the kurds of Arkspar valley. Field crop cutivation has always been the main occupation of Armenians. Form the very ancient times until 1946 mass emigration Armenians have used typical way of cultivation methods and farming standards as heritage of their ancestors. The following crops and cereals were traditionally cultivated: wheat, barley, grain, rye, millet, flax, pea, lentil, sesame. Favourable climate provided appropriate conditions for gardening, which was another important occupation and a profitable source for Armenians in Gharadagh. A prosperious branch of gardening was viniculture, even a number of households had their own wine-presses. Various types of gardening tools were used by Gharadagh peasants. The most important place of occupation held cattle-breeding, which was a very remarkable source of income. Cows, sheep and goats were the main livestock of Armenian peasants, and donkeys, horses, oxen served as main means of transportation. In general, Armenian-inhabited villages of Gharadagh were situated in the subalpine belt, had the same natural conditions in the result of which the above mentioned livestock was common in the whole regions. Gracious conditions of climate and rich vegetation, growing of various types of flowers and high-yielding varieties of trees were supportive for apiculture, practiced both by Armenians and a number of Turk families. Poultry-keeping, silkworm-breeding (sericulture) were considered to be auxiliary occupations in several villages of Gharadagh The most prosperous and respective crafts of Armenians in Gharadagh were metalworking, carpentry, masonry, tailoring, armoury, gold and silver workmanship, hairdressing, etc.
It’s remarkable that up to 1946 emigration there were no markets for changing livestock and article of trade in Gharadagh. A wider circle of trade was carried out in neighbouring villages (pp. 158-266).
Gharadagh has been one of the most mountainous districts of historical Armenia. For the villages to be protected from natural calamities they were built in sunward slopes. The dwellings and houses were alike in their simple shape in the Armenian villages of Gharadagh, especially in their traditionally built quadrangle ground and even dimensions. The walls of houses were made with rusticated stones of different forms, which were put together with clay mortar mixed with cut straw. Inside the dwelling nine columns were put for house to be firm.
The clothing of Armenians of Gharadagh was plain and modest, continuing the same traditions and way of dressing as their ancestors were used to wear. Women had traditionally fashioned similar clothes consisting of long sleeved shirts, tailored of red or green local textile, and a type of long overdress called “kyullija”. Women usually used adornments, especially differently fashioned belts were held in respect. Concerning the age of women the clothing might be of different colours. Men wore simple suit of white shirt and black trousers augmented with green, blue or black jacket (“arkhaloukh”) (266-288).
The author has paid detailed attention on local rituals and beliefs of Armenians in Gharadagh. Marriage, birth, funeral and mourning as well as a lot of rites connected with the implementation of them are discussed. A number of festivities, traditional ceremonies and local sites of pilgrimage are examined. Traditional beliefs and fortune-telling practices expressing the world-view and religious imaginations of Armenians of Gharadagh are represented with thorough attention to both local and more common implementations (309-489). The material is added with wide aspects of field-work results, worked out with appropriate knowledge of ethnographic realities. The book involves illustrations and maps.
The second volume of the book is wholly devoted to the folklore of Armenians of Gharadagh including fairy-tales, historical stories, animal tales, etc. In related commentaries and references the collector provides interesting information on the folklore materials of Armenians, their ethnographical meaning. This volume possesses vocabulary of Armenian dialect of Gharadagh, attested in the text, as well as the names and illustrations of the informants.
It is worth to mention that the represented book with its rich collections and materials has scientific, academic and cognitive implication. It brings to light a lot of essential facts, historical analysis and wide aspect important materials based on long-lasted filed-work.
Tadevos Charchyan
YSU, Department of Iranian Studies
