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ON THE PROBABLE HISTORICAL PROTOTYPES OF HAYKAK AND HIS OPPONENT – 2024-3

Sargis G. Petrosyan (Gyumri)
Doctor of Historical Sciences

Keywords – inscriptions, Haya, Haykak, Rid-Teshub, Naram- Suen, Belokhos, Armanum, Apisal, Khutimu.

Summary

Eblaitic cuneiform texts testify that in the 3rd millennium B.C. there was a country Hutimu in the mountains of the Armenian Taurus. In Akkadian sources it is called Apisal. The roots of those toponyms are preserved in the Sasun districts of Hoyt/Hut, Salno-dzor (“Salno Gorge”), and Salna-lerink (“Salna Mountains”).

The Eblaitic texts also preserve the name of the king of this country in the form of Haya (Haia). Before him, the Eblaites called the king of the neighbouring known country Armi (Akkad.: Armanum, in the basin of the Western Tigris), who is identified with Hayk – ethnarch of the Armenians. Supposedly, the second Haya is the grandchild of the first Haya/Hayk, as he bore the name Haykak in Movses Khorenatsi’s “History of Armenia”. In the word Haykak we can see the name Hayk and the diminutive suffix -ak. No doubt Haykak (Haya the second) is the same person as the contemporary of Naram-Suen, the king of Akkad, Rid-Teshub (Rid- D IM), whom Akkadian sources consider the king of the country of Armanum.

At that time, when Rid-Teshub ruled the Apisal/Hutimu country, he led the struggle against Naram-Suen, that is why he was elected king of the Armanum country. In Movses Khorenatsi’s testimonies, Haykak’s adversary is a certain Belokhos, whose prototype (as an epic image) was undoubtedly the historical Naram-Suen. There is a mention that Haykak lived in the time of Belokhos and, having rashly arranged troubles, died in them” (Khorenatsi, I, 19). So Haykak, i.e. Rid-Teshub really died at the hands of Naram-Suen, in spite of the fact that in his inscription the Akkadian king speaks only about the capture of his adversary. As for Naram-Suen, he was eventually killed in battle during the invasion of Mesopotamia by the Kutian – hill tribes of the Armenian Taurus.

THE ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARY FEDERATION IN THE POLITICAL SYSTEMS OF ADVANCED ASIAN AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AT THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY – THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY – 2024-3

Part V. ARF’s key role in ensuring the European Orientation of the Iran Constitutional Revolution in 1905-1912

Gevorg S. Khoudinyan
Doctor of Historical Sciences

Keywords – AR Federation, Iran (Persia), Constitutional Revolution, ties and relations, ARF Fourth General Meeting, Socialist International, Rostom, France, Bulgaria, European Orientation.

Summary

Until now, the deep connections and relations of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation with the forces and figures who participated and played a role in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran have not been revealed, in the context of which it is only possible to understand the real reasons for the active participation of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation in that revolution. After the 4th general meeting of the ARF (February-May 1907) and especially after the Stuttgart Congress of the Socialist International, at the end of 1907, the institutionalization of the cooperation of the ARF with the opposition and revolutionary forces of both the Ottoman Empire and Persia took place. As a result, the party, which showed serious fluctuations until then, very quickly reoriented itself towards the Iranian Constitutional Revolution that began in 1905, but accelerated only in 1906, taking upon itself the difficult task of ensuring its European orientation. The Constitutional Revolution of Iran was an attempt to overthrow the Ghajar dynasty of Turkic origin ruling the country and restore the historical mission of Persia as one of the key countries that laid the foundations of world civilization for centuries. The policy of ARF Dashnaktsutyun to support that attempt was the continuation of the centuries-old civilizational mission of Armenia and Armenians to spread Hellenistic culture, Christian value system and then European Enlightenment ideas in Asian environments.

The cooperation of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun with the leaders of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution acquired a coordinated character as a result of the arrival in Tehran in December 1907 of the party representative Rostom (Stepan Zorian) and his negotiations with the leaders of the Iranian Majlis and influential figures of the Constitutional Revolution in the first days of January 1908.

In the person of Rostom, the Iranian constitutionalists were dealing with a political figure who had been acquainted with the political realities of Europe for many years and laid the lasting foundations of ARF connections and relations in their system, and at the same time, a personality with a great experience of revolutionary struggle in Western Armenia and Transcaucasia. Considering the difficult situation of the Balkan countries and the inevitability of a new war with the Ottoman Empire, he attached great importance to the creation of an alliance between independent Bulgaria and Persia.

During Rostom’s negotiations with the Mejlis leadership, the party undertakes to carry out political-relational and propaganda work in Europe in favor of the constitutional movement of Persia. The leaders of the Mejlis were working to establish contacts with the political and even state circles of France through the ARF Dashnaktsutyun and to get a state loan from that country to fill the empty coffers of Persia.

Rostom’s dream of forming a Bulgaria-Iran alliance and ensuring France’s support for Iran’s Constitutional Movement remained unfulfilled. The subsequent behavior of the global and regional powers, which became an obstacle to its implementation, showed that for them the revival of Iran was a natural obstacle to the implementation of the Russian-British plans to divide Persia into spheres of influence and then to ravage Armenia. For this reason, the interests of the Armenian people, and currently, the statehood of Armenia, demand not to forget the visionary plans of our ancestors. Therefore, it is gratifying that currently conditions are gradually being created to deepen the cooperation between France and Iran, which is being strengthened through Armenia, and to involve Greece in it instead of Bulgaria.

PHILOSOPHICAL ROOTS OF GRIGOR ZOHRAP’S PESMISM – 2024-3

Aram G. Aleksanyan
Candidate of Philological Sciences

Keywords – Grigor Zohrap, pessimism, O. Comte, H. Spencer, J. J. Rousseau, A. Schopenhauer, conscience, paradox, philosophy of will, rationality of compassion.

Summary

 
Grigor Zohrap’s biophilosophy is combined especially with the study of pessimistic teachings. The monastic understandings in Zohrap’s views are, in fact, combined with J. J. Rousseau and A. to Schopenhauer’s philosophy of compassion, forming an original existential philosophy that is essentially pessimistic in nature. The problems of life, death, conscience, right, crime, law, forgiveness, moral, family, love, gender relationships are examined and formulated in the context of pessimistic logic, which considers “natural” and “biological” as the fundamental causes of human behavior. Moreover, Rousseau nature, and later Schopenhauer identify the will with the body. Zohrap’s recognition of the meaning of life, the advice of being, comes to the following generalization: a) life is suffering, b) life is futile, c) happiness is an illusion, deceptive and fleeting. Pessimism proposes several ways to overcome this situation, which are also present in the context of Zohrap’s novels. Manifestations of will are characterized by a certain gradation: a) blind, unconscious desire to live, b) self-awareness, c) self-denial. With the extinction of will, a person acquires a blissful state of being. If the will chooses self-denial in the terrible dilemma set before it, then, according to Schopenhauer, we enter, as the mystics say, the kingdom of bliss. According to them, it is the world of pure morality, where virtue begins with mercy and suffering and ends with asceticism, which leads to complete liberation, and the moral foundations that lead to it are sympathy, compassion, and mercy. The will in a person is the essence in itself, the grain and the root, and the intellect is secondary, conditional.

One of the means of liberation from suffering is considered by pessimists to be aesthetic discretion, which is observed in the desert of oasis life. Aesthetic enjoyment is essentially free will. The essence of things is revealed only in front of the aesthetic genius’s will free and unparticipated, that is, in front of a purely objective view. What is recognized in things is not the individual, but the eternal, not the temporal, but the idea of the thing. Art embodies that idea. It emerges not in relation to its body, not expressed in space, time and causality, but as the pure essence of things. Hence, to depict life means to consider it in relation to the deepest layer. Zohrap’s “life as it is” principle tends to the essence of things and phenomena, and that essence is the will itself.

KEROPE PATKANYAN AND THE INDO-EUROPEAN CHARACTER OF ARMENIAN ISSUES AND THEORY OF ARMENIAN DIALECTS – 2024-3

Vazgen G. Hambardzumyan
Doctor of Philological Sciences

Keywords – Russian oriental studies, Armenian studies, Armenology, Armenian historians, literary monuments, Urartian studies, humanitarian science, scientific consultant, originator of foundations.

Summary

In the second half of the previous century, the Armenian culture experienced significant development in the environment of the Russian Empire, the role of the St. Petersburg academic institution was particularly significant, where Kerope Patkanyan carried out his extensive scientific activities (1833-1889). His contribution to the progress of Armenian philology and linguistics is great. He represented various fields of Armenology and Armenian studies, the best researcher and spreader of relevant knowledge both in Russia and Europe. Patkanyan is an internationally recognized Armenologist.

The years of his scientific activity were the 1860s to the 1880s, a short period, and the famous scientist left a rich legacy, became a tireless organizer of science, mentored students who later gained great recognition in various fields of humanitarian science in general, and became a concerned and serious advisor about the Armenian language of many European armenologists in their scientific activities.

Patkanyan’s works are quite impressive in terms of their nature, volume and coverage of fields. He left literary-artistic and bibliographic works, scientific publications of historiographical and translational works, wrote concise and fundamental works on the Armenian language and Armenian dialects, has a theory with a wide coverage of the material on issues of historical and comparative study of Armenian, his works on Armenian philology, ethnography (studies of sources), lexicography, but also general oriental studies, and urartian studies.

Patkanyan’s linguistic heritage has been addressed to some extent, but not with a theoretically sound assessment. He is rightfully the predictor of the foundations of the theory of Armenian dialects and the classification of dialects “with various features” using the internal means of the language (phonetic system, vocabulary and grammatical structure). Such a classification of Armenian dialects is the contribution of a famous linguist to Armenian dialectology. His scientific legacy is a great contribution to the development of modern Armenian studies.

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY’S DISPROPORTIONATE REACTION – 2024-3

To Azerbaijan’s Policy of destroying Artsakh’s cultural heritage

Armine H. Tigranyan

Keywords – Artsakh, international organizations, destruction of cultural heritage, state policy of Azerbaijan, Council of Europe, UNESCO, The Hague International Court of Justice.

 

Summary

This article examines explores the international community’s response to Azerbaijan’s state policy of destroying Artsakh’s cultural heritage, spanning focusing on the period from the 2020 war to the present. It provides a comprehensive analysis of international resolutions, declarations, parliamentary and judicial decisions that address Azerbaijan’s aggressive actions, condemning them while protecting Armenian heritage. The article evaluates the impact and significance of these measures in preserving Artsakh’s historical and cultural values and preventing further destruction.

By analyzing reviewing statements and decisions made by international institutions over the past four years, the article highlights the pronounced silence and neutrality of global actors during and after the 2020 war, especially following the November 9 tripartite agreement. The study underscores the importance of the favorable shift in global discourse following the 2021 judgment by the International Court of Justice in The Hague against Azerbaijan. It presents the subsequent calls, statements, and decisions that emerged in response to the complete depopulation of Artsakh and the ensuing destruction of its heritage.

The research findings reveal that during the war’s active military operations, international structures maintained a stance detached from the realities on the ground. This created an atmosphere of impunity, indirectly encouraging further destructive actions due to neutrality and concealment of the facts. A year after the ceasefire, despite some international bodies withdrawing from unilateral statements and condemning Azerbaijan’s cultural genocide, responsible organizations failed to prevent the relentless destruction of Artsakh’s rich heritage.

In this period of global instability, a new perspective emerged with several European Parliament resolutions and decisions from the International Court of Justice. These documents began to condemn Azerbaijan’s actions and provided a more accurate assessment of the situation. Almost a year after the war, international courts formally condemned Azerbaijan’s policy of Armenian hatred. While this response may still lack the power to create effective protection mechanisms for Artsakh’s unique heritage, it represents one of the first attempts to connect the destruction of Armenian cultural values during the 44-day war with Azerbaijan’s long-standing policy, dating back to the early 20th century. For the first time, Armenian hatred was considered an international policy with a century- long history, tied to genocide, the disruption of peace agendas, and a severe blow to universal values.

Following the forced deportation of Artsakh’s population in 2023, when 120,000 Armenians were deprived of their homeland and access to cultural values, international organizations again issued only neutral statements and appeals related to the legal protection of forcibly displaced persons. During the same period, Azerbaijan, despite its numerous violations of UNESCO conventions and heritage protection principles, was elected to the vice-presidency of UNESCO. The international community remained largely silent regarding the destruction of churches and cemeteries. Apart from a few general statements, the protection of Artsakh’s cultural heritage was addressed in vague terms, and the absence of concrete actions has led to the continued loss of unique values.

Despite these challenges, the ongoing destruction of monasteries and khachkars of universal importance in Artsakh persists, with Azerbaijan still uncondemned. UNESCO’s visit to the region remains disrupted, undermining real peace efforts and allowing Azerbaijan to continue its destructive policies unchecked.

RESIDENTIAL VULNERABILITY IN THE CONTEXT OF TERRITORIAL MANAGEMENT – 2024-3

An example of RA regions and enlarged communities

Vahan V. Yengidunyan

Keywords – Enlarged community, region, territorial governance, vulnerability, spatial organization, socio-spatial planning, spatial control, cluster analysis, adaptive capacity, sense of place, spatial engagement, local leadership.

 

Summary

From the point of view of the territorial management of settlements, primary importance is given to the creation of a comfortable and functional environment for the residents. Territorial management of settlements is quite a sensitive process, because each unjustified change can significantly harm the daily operations of the residents, increasing the vulnerability of the settlement in the context of possible changes. From the point of view of the above-mentioned risks management, it is more important than ever to harmonize the professional approaches of territorial management strategy development with the endogenous and exogenous factors of settlement reproduction. Since territorial management is manifested in the dimensions of spatial organization, socio-spatial planning and spatial control, then the process of harmonization is logically derived from the realities in these dimensions. The process of community enlargement has been completed in RA and the methodological and procedural features of its implementation allow us to assume that there is an unequal distribution based on vulnerability, both in RA regions and in enlarged communities. Taking into account the possible negative impact of the above-mentioned assumption on the stable operation of settlements, as well as the lack of research knowledge aimed at this issue, the research was conducted to identify the most vulnerable regions of the Republic of Armenia and enlarged communities in the context of territorial governance, as well as to identify the characteristics of the manifestation of vulnerability in these settlements.

As a result of the research, it became clear that inequality according to vulnerability in RA regions and enlarged communities is observable in the context of spatial organization, socio-spatial planning and spatial control. In particular, the analysis of demographic and socio-economic indicators at the level of spatial organization makes it clear that on average Syunik and Vayots Dzor regions have the smallest number of inhabitants per settlement. Parallelly, the highest score of population dispersion in the enlarged communities was recorded in the Tatev enlarged community of Syunik. The picture is the same, also in the context of the comparative analysis of employment and education indicators in settlements. In particular, if in the case of employment there are labor and labor resources, then in the case of education, there is student attendance per public educational institution, which also records the lowest scores in the Vayots Dzor region. The highly unequal population distribution between the southwestern and southern regions of RA is a significant risk for managing the resources and opportunities of the territories. The uncontrollable processes of urbanization, in the context of which the population is concentrated in specific settlements, violates the principle of ensuring equal opportunities for the development of settlements, because in the perspective of short-term strategy, it is not advisable to implement large-scale projects in settlements with a decreasing population. It is interesting that, if the vulnerability of Vayots Dzor and Syunik regions is more emphasized in the dimension of spatial organization compared to other regions, then in the context of socio-spatial planning, Gegharkunik region stands out with multidimensional vulnerability. The vulnerability of Gegharkunik region is manifested, in particular, in terms of health conditions and average monthly income of households. Finally, the most vulnerable enlarged communities and settlements with the spatial control component belong to Syunik and VayotsDzor. The vulnerability of these regions in terms of spatial control is especially evident in the state-local government-residents relationship, where local residents meet and interact with the local government rarely and the state’s subsidies to the settlements of these regions are the smallest. At the same time, in these regions, there is the lowest quality of public services.

The vulnerability of RA regions and enlarged communities was investigated, also by clustering indicators of sense of place, spatial engagement and local leadership, which are considered components of socio-spatial planning and spatial control. The obtained results prove that only Gegharkunik region belongs to the cluster with relatively low indicators and Gavar is the only enlarged community belonging to this cluster. The obtained results prove that there is multidimensional vulnerability in Gegharkunik, Syunik and Vayots Dzor regions, which makes the enlarged communities of these regions and the settlements that make up these communities less flexible to possible changes. In these conditions, more than ever, the development of separate territorial development procedures is important, which, in connection with the general principles of the development of the RA regions, will monitor and promptly respond to every change taking place in the settlements of the mentioned marzes.

THE FOUNDER OF DIASPORA STUDIES – 2024-3

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Khachig Tololyan

Hratsin V. Vardanyan
Ph.D. in History

Summary

Keywords – Khachig Tololyan, “Diaspora. Journal of Transnational Studies”, diaspora studies, identity, Armenian diaspora.

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Khachig Tololyan, the article discusses his role in establishing diaspora studies as a new discipline. In this sense, he has a great role as a scholar and as the founder and editor of the “Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies”. Founded in 1991, the journal is the main platform where interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary diaspora studies began to be formed.

The article provides a brief overview Kh․ Tololyan’s biography as a scholar and his comments on diasporic issues, including the concept of diaspora and its key features.

Notably, according to Tololyan, the key feature of a typical diaspora is the high level of mobilization in the social, cultural, and political spheres. In this context, the role of the dedicated and active elite is particularly significant.

Other prominent scholars in this field had a high regard for Tololyan’s contribution to diaspora studies. In particular, G. Sheffer notes ‘Of great importance in furthering the development of this academic field has been Professor Khachig Tololyan’s initiative and unwavering dedication to publishing the field’s journal, Diaspora’. R. Cohen writes ‘Khachig Tololyan remains the supreme interpreter of diasporic phenomena and the most diligent of journal editors. Many scholars have benefited from his lengthy and learned comments’.

BOOK BY DAVID MOSINYAN “NIKOGHOS SARAFYAN: IN SEARCH OF A LOST ENVIRONMENT” – 2024-3

Knarik A. Abrahamyan
Ph.D in Philology

Summary

Keywords – Davit Mosinyan, Nikoghos Sarafian, philosophy, literary relations, theoretical observations, critical mind.

The book by Davit Mosinyan is dedicated to the examination of the creative layers of Nikoghos Sarafian, one of the outstanding representatives of French- Armenian literature, taking into account and discussing the literary and theoretical material about the author (Harutyun Kurkjian, Marc Nichanian, Krikor Beledian, Seta Kilejian, Suren Danielyan, Arthur Andranikyan, Lilit Seyranyan and others).

In the review, the author’s goals and principles are addressed, structural features of the book were particularly emphasized, the creative relations with N. Sarafian and the authors of the preceding period, his literary teachers (Eghia Temichipashian, Intra, Vahan Tekeyan, Hagop Oshagan and others), as well as the relations between the author and the environment (“We”, “Boys of Paris”, French- Armenian literary figures). Nikoghos Sarafian is a philosopher-writer, and Davit Mosinyan observed him primarily in the context of his profession philosophy (Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Spinoza, Martin Heidegger, Arthur Schopenhauer and others) emphasizing the peculiarities of the approaches of the French-Armenian writer. The conclusion is that extensive scientific research work has been carried out, which conributes to the discovery of the cognitive values of N. Sarafian’s work.

THE HISTORY OF THE HEROIC SETTLEMENT OF ARTSAKH – 2024-3

Mkrtchyan E. S., Khtsaberd and the Offspring of My Life (Memoirs), Yerevan, Real Print Publishing, 2023, 280 pp. + 58 pp., illustrations.

Mher A. Harutyunyan
Ph.D. in History

Summary

Keywords – Khtsaberd, Hadrut, Artsakh, Nagorno-Karabakh, memoirs, professor, settlement, etymology, research, genealogy, historical memory, resident, word formation, grammar, school, indigenous people, forced displacement.

In the context of the Azerbaijan-Turkey aggression from 2020 to 2023, which led to the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the threat of genocide against the indigenous Armenian population with subsequent forced displacement, rethinking and popularizing the history of the once-existing “eastern regions” of Armenia has gained significant importance. This is due to the need to convey to international specialized and authorized organizations the demand for urgent measures to preserve the Armenian historical and cultural heritage, which is being destroyed, appropriated, and distorted in the occupied territories of historical Armenia, to maintain the historical memory of our compatriots and unite them around the idea of returning to their homeland, as well as to strengthen our counterarguments in the information war imposed on Armenia and the entire Armenian nation.

From this perspective, it is worth noting that the initiative of Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor Eduard Samsonovich Mkrtchyan to present the history of his native village of Khctaberд in his memoirs can serve as a positive example for publishing books dedicated to other settlements of Artsakh.

Professor E. Mkrtchyan’s memoirs were published by decision of the Scientific Council of the Armenian State Pedagogical University named after Kh. Abovyan. The book was prepared for publication by the Syunik Center for Armenian Studies. The editor of the book is Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Mher Kumunts.

The author of the memoirs has presented the history of his native village of Khctaberд, its language, genealogies, the origins of toponyms, and other interesting information. All of this is presented in the context of significant events in the life and work of Professor E. Mkrtchyan.

In conclusion, it can be noted that E. Mkrtchyan’s valuable publication aims to become a reference book for the reading audience. The usefulness of the book is evident both for specialists in Armenian studies and for the broader reading public interested in the history of Artsakh. The publication of the book is relevant in terms of restoring the territorial integrity of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, recognizing the international right to return to the homeland, and substantiating the historical, political, and legal aspects of its status.