Society
13:36 03/08/2015
Scientific edition of Russian Empire: Nakhijevan was prominent Armenian city founded in C16 BC
In the second edition for the year 1881 of the project “The Collection of the Materials to Describe the Terrain and Tribes in the Caucasus,” Nakhijevan city school inspector K.A. Nikitin published an extensive research titled “Nakhijevan: Biblical and legendary tales, historical data and ancient monuments.”
“In the ancient times, the Armenians called the city Nakhijevan by the name ‘Nakhjavan,’ and the Greeks ‘Naksuana.’ It was the main city in Nakhijevan district of Vaspurakan province in ancient Armenia. ‘Nakhijevan’ is an Armenian word – ‘նախիջևան’ – that has the meaning ‘first settlement, first shelter’,” this is how the author explains the origin of the toponym Nakhijevan.
Referencing Armenian (Stepanos Orbelian, Lazar Jagrinski) and Persian (geographer Hamdudlah Ghazvini) sources, the author writes that the city of Nakhijevan was founded in 1539 BC, and was “the most splendid place on the Earth” with about 150 thousand population that “stood out with wealth and carried out extensive trade operations.” However, in 633 BC, the Scythians plundered the city.
The population of the city grew under the Armenian King Tigranes the Great who resettled here Armenians from the other regions of the country, as well as Mede captives. However, the author points that Nakhijevan’s prosperity was not constant as it was repeatedly destroyed, and the inhabitants had to rebuild it again. “Such vicissitudes of fate contributed to the fall of Nakhijevan. It went from one ruler to the other, and the inhabitants suffered lootings, murders, destructions, were taken into captivity and slavery,” the author writes.
The reason was that the city was situated on the “Great World Route” lying on the way of Alexander of Macedon, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane. The city finally turned into a heap of ruins in 1673 by the Iranian Nader Shah. After that, Nakhijevan revived again, yet it could not restore its former greatness.
As for the ancient monuments, the author first of all singles out the artifacts, namely the axes and stone wedges found in the ancient salt mines, the Armenian monastery Karmir Vank, as well as the remains of fortress walls, and mosques built under Persian rule.
Further, the author describes the times closer to the moment of his writing. In particular, he writes about the construction of the first water-pipe. “A ditch flows through the midst of Nakhijevan drawing water from the river and irrigating all tilled soils, gardens and orchards in the city. However, the water in the ditch is not sufficient for the city because the inhabitants of the villages nearby also take it. In addition, in fierce summer heats, the river dries up to the point of turning into a small brook. Along with water shortage, a commonplace unrest emerges invoked by the failure to satisfy one of the most basic human needs.” The author goes on presenting an enormous number of “water lawsuits” that piled in the Justice of Peace court.
In the face of such water shortage, the honorable supervisor of Nakhijevan uyezd school, Avetis Ter-Mikirtichyants, from the town of Agulis, constructed water-pipes on his own expenses, which started to irrigate the city with fresh spring water. Besides, he constructed pools in various parts of the city to collect the water.
“The Collection of the Materials to Describe the Terrain and Tribes in the Caucasus” is a large-scale publication of narrative sources carried out by the management of the Caucasus Educational Okrug in 1881-1908. It includes researches and description of the history, life, way of life and ethnographic characteristics of the peoples inhabiting the Caucasus region of the Russian Empire.
“In the ancient times, the Armenians called the city Nakhijevan by the name ‘Nakhjavan,’ and the Greeks ‘Naksuana.’ It was the main city in Nakhijevan district of Vaspurakan province in ancient Armenia. ‘Nakhijevan’ is an Armenian word – ‘նախիջևան’ – that has the meaning ‘first settlement, first shelter’,” this is how the author explains the origin of the toponym Nakhijevan.
Referencing Armenian (Stepanos Orbelian, Lazar Jagrinski) and Persian (geographer Hamdudlah Ghazvini) sources, the author writes that the city of Nakhijevan was founded in 1539 BC, and was “the most splendid place on the Earth” with about 150 thousand population that “stood out with wealth and carried out extensive trade operations.” However, in 633 BC, the Scythians plundered the city.
The population of the city grew under the Armenian King Tigranes the Great who resettled here Armenians from the other regions of the country, as well as Mede captives. However, the author points that Nakhijevan’s prosperity was not constant as it was repeatedly destroyed, and the inhabitants had to rebuild it again. “Such vicissitudes of fate contributed to the fall of Nakhijevan. It went from one ruler to the other, and the inhabitants suffered lootings, murders, destructions, were taken into captivity and slavery,” the author writes.
The reason was that the city was situated on the “Great World Route” lying on the way of Alexander of Macedon, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane. The city finally turned into a heap of ruins in 1673 by the Iranian Nader Shah. After that, Nakhijevan revived again, yet it could not restore its former greatness.
As for the ancient monuments, the author first of all singles out the artifacts, namely the axes and stone wedges found in the ancient salt mines, the Armenian monastery Karmir Vank, as well as the remains of fortress walls, and mosques built under Persian rule.
Further, the author describes the times closer to the moment of his writing. In particular, he writes about the construction of the first water-pipe. “A ditch flows through the midst of Nakhijevan drawing water from the river and irrigating all tilled soils, gardens and orchards in the city. However, the water in the ditch is not sufficient for the city because the inhabitants of the villages nearby also take it. In addition, in fierce summer heats, the river dries up to the point of turning into a small brook. Along with water shortage, a commonplace unrest emerges invoked by the failure to satisfy one of the most basic human needs.” The author goes on presenting an enormous number of “water lawsuits” that piled in the Justice of Peace court.
In the face of such water shortage, the honorable supervisor of Nakhijevan uyezd school, Avetis Ter-Mikirtichyants, from the town of Agulis, constructed water-pipes on his own expenses, which started to irrigate the city with fresh spring water. Besides, he constructed pools in various parts of the city to collect the water.
“The Collection of the Materials to Describe the Terrain and Tribes in the Caucasus” is a large-scale publication of narrative sources carried out by the management of the Caucasus Educational Okrug in 1881-1908. It includes researches and description of the history, life, way of life and ethnographic characteristics of the peoples inhabiting the Caucasus region of the Russian Empire.
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:
Newsfeed
17:07
Defense minister: Armenia has no plans to use military to reclaim occupied lands
Armenia has no plans to reclaim around 200 square kilometers of land currently under Azerbaijani occupation by military means, Defense...
Source Panorama.am
16:50
Acba bank and American Express expand collaboration in Armenia
Acba bank and American Express have announced an expansion of their long-standing agreement which grants Acba the license to issue American...
Source Panorama.am
16:34
Yerevan theater staff protests outside HRD office
Employees of Yerevan’s Goy Theater on Wednesday held a protest outside the office of Armenia’s human rights defender (HRD),...
Source Panorama.am
16:03
Lemkin Institute slams COP29 participants for silence over Artsakh genocide
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention has responded to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's remarks at the COP29 UN climate summit in...
Source Panorama.am
15:46
Strong winds expected in Armenia on Saturday
Clear weather is expected in Armenia on Wednesday and in the next two days, the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center reports.
Rain and...
Source Panorama.am
15:28
Council of Europe committee urges Armenia to close Nubarashen Prison
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published today the report on...
Source Panorama.am
14:58
Yerevan municipal employees remanded in custody
Four people, including three officials, have been detained for two months as part of a criminal probe into corruption at Yerevan's Kentron...
Source Panorama.am
14:25
Bus carrying wedding guests falls into river in northern Pakistan
A bus carrying about two dozen wedding guests fell into the Indus River in northern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people, AP...
Source Panorama.am
14:15
Opposition resolution calls for immediate release of Armenian prisoners held in Baku
The opposition Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions in the Armenian parliament introduced a resolution calling for the immediate release of all...
Source Panorama.am
13:36
Russian gas supply to Armenia suspended
Russian natural gas supply to Armenia has been temporarily halted due to emergency repairs on the Kazakh-Saguramo pipeline in Georgia.
In a...
Source Panorama.am
13:15
John Krasinski named People's Sexiest Man Alive
People magazine has named John Krasinski the 2024 Sexiest Man Alive.
Krasinski was revealed to be the newest winner of the honorable title...
Source Panorama.am
12:55
'No Armenian is safe': Ruben Vardanyan's son urges action on political prisoners held in Baku
In a heartfelt and compelling video, David Vardanyan, the son of Armenian humanitarian and former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan,...
Source Panorama.am
12:30
Armenian FM, Stockholm City Council chair discuss cooperation opportunities
On November 12, within the framework of his visit to Sweden, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with President of the Stockholm City...
Source Panorama.am
12:05
Azerbaijan, the rogue state hosting COP29: Artak Beglaryan's interview to Le Figaro
Artak Beglaryan, president of the Artsakh Union, former State Minister and Human rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh, gave an interview...
Source Panorama.am
11:45
Trump names Elon Musk to lead new 'government efficiency' department
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he's tapped tech billionaire Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO, and former Republican...
Source Panorama.am
11:30
Armenia's Aleks Sahakyan to be awarded IM title
Armenian chess player Aleks Sahakyan overcame the 2400 rating threshold within the framework of the World Youth Chess Championship and will be...
Source Panorama.am
11:15
Armenians now have a new target: Jordan for buckling under Azerbaijan's pressure
By Harut Sassounian
www.thecaliforniacourier.com
As if Armenians did not have enough problems to deal with, they must now insist that...
Source Panorama.am
11:00
Greta Thunberg arrives In Armenia, boycotting COP29 In Baku
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in Armenia on Tuesday after announcing a boycott of the COP29 UN climate summit in...
Source Panorama.am
17:00
Rain, snow expected in Armenia on Tuesday
Rain and snow are expected in some parts of Armenia on Tuesday and over the weekend.
Clear weather is forecast for the next three days....
Source Panorama.am
16:45
Melania Trump expected to skip White House meeting with Jill Biden
Melania Trump is not expected to attend the traditional White House meeting with first lady Jill Biden, CNN reported, citing sources...
Source Panorama.am
16:31
Urartu names new director
FC Urartu has named Davit Shakhbagyan as the club’s new general director.
The specialist has been part of the club since 2015, it said...
Source Panorama.am
16:06
Ruling party blocks statement on Armenian prisoners
The parliamentary faction of Armenia's ruling Civil Contract party on Tuesday blocked a statement demanding the release of...
Source Panorama.am
15:30
Negotiations with Snoop Dogg continue for Yerevan concert, ministry says
The new date for the concert of famous American rapper Snoop Dogg in Yerevan remains unknown.
The concert, which was initially scheduled for...
Source Panorama.am
15:02
India reportedly ships first Akash air defence missile system battery to Armenia
India marks another milestone in its defence export as it shipped the first Akash weapon system battery to Armenia. This is the second missile...
Source Panorama.am
14:34
Trump picks Kristi Noem as his Homeland Security secretary
President-elect Donald Trump has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, CNN...
Source Panorama.am
14:15
Four arrested after raids at Yerevan district administration
Four people, including officials, were arrested on Tuesday after law-enforcement authorities raided Yerevan's Kentron district...
Source Panorama.am
13:36
Armenian Foreign Ministry explains Mirzoyan's statement on customs simplifications with Azerbaijan
At the ministerial meeting of the 3+3 regional consultative platform held in Istanbul on October 18, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan...
Source Panorama.am
13:08
Bitcoin tops $89,000
Bitcoin’s record-breaking rally took the digital asset past $89,000 and lifted the overall value of the crypto market above its...
Source Panorama.am
12:36
Armenia sees rise in pneumonia mortality rate
World Pneumonia Day is observed annually on November 12 to raise awareness about pneumonia, a life-threatening but preventable and...
Source Panorama.am
12:13
Opposition urges parliament majority to join statement on Armenian prisoners
The opposition Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions in the Armenian parliament have initiated a special sitting on the issue of Armenian prisoners...
Source Panorama.am
Videos
17:35 20/02/2023
Armenian expert: U.S. stance on Karabakh remains unchanged
13:59 09/02/2023
Premature births increase in Artsakh due to stress
12:43 09/01/2023
Snow-covered Yerevan
15:41 15/12/2022
Gegham Stepanyan calls for sanctions against criminal Azerbaijan
11:45 29/11/2022
Memorial plaque honoring Yeghishe Charents inaugurated in Yerevan