Fake jubilee: How fictitious story 50 years ago became part of the history of Armenia

4/21/2018   Armenian falsification In English , In English

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The Azerbaijani historian told why the capital of Armenia - Yerevan - can not be 2800 years old, and whom in fact historically this city belongs to.

The fairy tale that was invented fifty years ago is presented today as part of the history of Armenians and the city of Yerevan, which is supposedly 2800 years old, director of the Center for Caucasus History, senior researcher of the Institute of Law and Human Rights of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Rizvan Huseynov told Sputnik Azerbaijan.

In an interview with the influential Italian newspaper La Stampa, former President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan stated that in the autumn of this year the Armenians will celebrate the 2800th anniversary of Yerevan.

Huseynov recalled that the fact of total destruction of the medieval Muslim city of Erivan (Irevan) made public long ago. According to him, if you look at the images, engravings of the medieval Erivan, you can see that it was an ordinary eastern city with minarets, baths, caravanserais and fortresses in the Muslim style.

The scientist pointed out that the Muslim pupulation lived in this city. All this can be learned through archival materials, written heritage, and even photos made in tsarist Russia, which joined such a Muslim city in those years.

However, he said, the situation changed at a time when the Armenians first gained independence and asked the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic (ADR) on May 29, 1918 for the city of Erivan (Irevan). They asked the National Council of ADRs to concede to them this city in order to make it the capital of the Ararat republic they created in those days.

"Why Ararat? Because the Armenians planned to create their own state on the territory of Turkey," Huseynov said.

But the disastrous events of the First World War, the retreat of the Caucasian Front, the offensive of Turkish troops - all this prevented Armenians and their external patrons from realizing the idea of ​​creating an Armenian state around Mount Ararat and further into Turkey, Sputnik said.

Nevertheless, according to Huseynov, the idea of ​​creating a republic did not leave Dashnaks and Armenian nationalists, and in this connection they decided to temporarily create the Ararat republic on the territory of the Caucasus. Proclaimed its independence in Tbilisi. But they had nowhere to go.

"The thing is that on May 26 Georgians proclaimed the independence of the Georgian Republic with its capital in Kutaisi, and the Azerbaijanis proclaimed the independence of their republic with a temporary capital in Ganja, since Baku was occupied by the Bolsheviks, and Armenians simply had nowhere to go," he said.

First they wanted to make their capital Tbilisi, but Georgians said they will not yield their city. There was also an idea to make the capital of present-day Gyumri (at that time Alexandropol), but the Turkish army had conducted a successful offensive by that time, this city fell and passed into the hands of the Turks, the expert said.

And so, with the powerful pressure from the Entente countries and other states on the ADR, the National Council of the ADR, although not in its entirety, agreed on behalf of Fatali Khan Khoysky to concede the city of Erivan (Irevan) to the Ararat Republic, he stressed.

After the Ararat Republic fell and the Armenian SSR was established in its place, which became part of the Soviet Union, the Armenians finally realized that there would be no republic in Turkey any more, and the whole history and mythology Armenian people shifted to the territory of the Caucasus, to the territory of the newly created Armenian Republic, "Sputnik said.

Then, according to him, the gradual destruction of Islam, the medieval eastern heritage, the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from these lands began, which went on throughout the twentieth century. In parallel with the eviction, the city of Erivan (Irevan) was also destroyed.

In the 20 years of the last century, a master plan was adopted, which began to be implemented as early as the 1930s. So, in 1936 the city was renamed into Yerevan. The demolition of the historical center of the city began.

However, in Yerevan they decided that they do not need a historical city. It was demolished, built up with new buildings, first of all, governmental and administrative. But after a while they needed to come up with a legend that Armenians from ancient times live in this place, Huseynov stressed.

"The chaotic search for evidence began, and the remains of the Urartian fortress, which has nothing to do with Armenians, nor their history and culture, were found in the vicinity of Yerevan," he said.

According to Huseynov, massive excavations were launched in early 50s. The Urartian fortress was restored, and actually from nothing, on the basis of invented sketches. And after a while they found a cuneiform tablet there, which in itself is very strange. According to this exhibit, the Armenians for some reason decided that the city is 28 centuries old.

After that, the date was invented, and in 1968 they celebrated the 2750th anniversary of the fortress of Erebuni. The scientific commission that arrived from Moscow at the time, headed by Academician Isaak Minets, was surprised by what he had seen. Scientists asked - "what kind of fortress is it, and who invented it?". To which the Armenian side replied that "this is a temporary museum props, so that the population and tourists would be interested to know about the history of the city," the expert said.

"However, after a while, further strengthening and expansion of the fortress began, and today new falsification created right in front of our eyes.Five years ago a fictional fairy tale was presented as part of the history of Armenians and the city of Yerevan, which is supposedly 2800 years old," he stressed.

At the same time, Huseynov noted, Armenians for some reason forgot the real history of the city of Erivan (Irevan). According to handwritten and other sources, this city appeared in the beginning of the XVI century. More precisely, between 1504 and 1511 years the foundation of the Urartian fortress was laid, which had strategic and defensive significance.

The city was laid at the strategic point between Safavid and Ottoman by commander Revan Gulu Khan, who was sent to this territory by Shah Ismail Khatai. Then there were the Safavido-Ottoman wars and it was strategically important at this point to build a fortress, which later passed from hand to hand. Ottomans more than once captured this city, built it, then the Safavids again released it and also completed, the scientist said.

"In short, the whole story of Erivan (Irevan) has nothing to do with Armenians, they were only allowed to settle around the city, engage in trade and crafts. Also there were several churches, including Echmiadzin," he said.

According to the bill of sales, stored in Echmiadzin, Echmiadzin was bought from Azerbaijani beks and the documents indicate that this area is in the country of Azerbaijan or, according to the Armenians -Torpatokal, the interlocutor of Sputnik concluded.