Armenian in Azerbaijan

Introduction / History

Throughout history, Armenia has been a battlefield for many invaders and contending empires and a bridge for many cultures and civilizations. During the past 2,700 years, Armenia has been conquered by the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire, the Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, Tatars, Ottomans, Persians and Russians. Armenian kingdoms, principalities, and even a short-lived empire (95-55 B.C.) managed to survive and thrive for some 1,700 years. Under various kings and princes, the Armenians developed a sophisticated culture, original architecture, and their own alphabet.

The 1905 Russian Revolution and the 1908 Young Turk Revolution raised the hopes of the Armenians for reform and an opportunity to build a homeland in historical Armenia. These hopes were dashed as the Ottoman and the Russian Empires fought each other during World War I. A dark hour of Armenian history is the Armenian genocide, which started on April 24, 1915. Some 1,750,000 Armenians were deported into Syria and Mesopotamia by the Ottoman authorities. Subject to famine, disease, and systematic massacres, most of them perished. This "ethnic cleansing" of the Armenians from their historical homeland led Raphael Lemkin, the father of the Genocide Treaty, to coin the new term "genocide" in the 1930s to describe the historical plight of the Assyrians and the Armenians as subjects of the first genocide of the 20th century. Armenia gained independence on September 23, 1991.

Today, there are several million Armenians worldwide. Significant numbers are located in Armenia, France and the United States of America. Major diaspora centers of the Middle East are Iran, Syria and Lebanon. A small number live in Azerbaijan, a hostile neighboring country.

Armenians have lived in Armenia and the Karabakh region since the 100s AD. It became part of the Kingdom of Armenia. It remained under their control until it was taken by the Russian Empire in 1805. The 1917 Russian Revolution put Karabakh under their control as part of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. That dissolved into three countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. From 1918-20, there were short wars between Armenia and Azerbaijan over control of Karabakh. The area, especially Azerbaijan, was the focal point of disputes between the Ottoman and Russian Empires. In the summer of 1920, Russia s Red Army took control of the region. They prevented further fighting between the two small nations until the late 1980s, around the time of the demise of the USSR. With help from Turkey, Azerbaijan took the region from Armenia in 2020. There will probably be other disputes over this land that both nations claim as their own.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Because of hostilities between Armenians and Azerbaijanis that have resulted in two wars in 50 years, few Armenians live in that neighboring country. Those who live there are usually in one of three categories. Some are married to Azerbaijanis. Secondly, there are people who are half Armenian and half Azerbaijani. Others are too elderly to move, and they aren t viewed as a threat by the Azerbaijanis.

Armenians have the longest-standing official church, but their churches are closed in Azerbaijan. The few Armenians in Azerbaijan must hide their ethnic identity to avoid attacks by the local Azerbaijanis.

What Are Their Beliefs?

In 301 AD, during the rule of King Dirtad III, Armenia became the world's first Christian nation. A Christian monk, commonly known as Krikor Lusavorich or St. Gregory the Illuminator, cured the king of a disease. After this event, King Dirtad III was baptized and accepted Christianity as Armenia's official state religion. Before this, two disciples had brought Christianity to Armenia, St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew. Today, Armenia is still a Christian nation, comprising of Armenian Apostolic Orthodox (the overwhelming majority), other Christian (a small percentage).

What Are Their Needs?

The traumatizing experience of being expelled from their homeland and the historic genocide made a deep impression on Armenians.

Prayer Points

Pray for healing for Armenians and for the ability to integrate into their respective diaspora communities.
Pray for the Armenians in the diaspora to hold on to their Christian faith and to have a personal experience with Jesus Christ.
Pray for peace; this is what Armenia needs most of all.
Pray that God would bring revelation of Christianity as a spiritual relationship rather than a call to nationalism.

Text Source:   Joshua Project