SEARCH SYSTEM OF THE ARMENIAN HIGHLAND MONUMENTS

Rkava 3 Monuments

Iran (Country) / Western Atrpatakan (Province) / Salmast (District) / Rkava (Village)

Location

Rkava Village is situated 8.8 km north of Salmast City, at an altitude of 1,480 to 1,492 metres.

Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.

Other Names

The village has also been mentioned as Erek-ava, Rekava, Erkava: “Erek-ava” is Kurdish and means ‘jgrou shen, jgrashen—built out of spite.’ A man, Hajji-Agha by name, took away the village from another agha by force and made the village prosperous to annoy him, and so Hajji-Agha called the village Erek-ava.”

Աթայեան Ա., Սալմաստ [A. Atayan, Salmast] (New Jugha, 1906), p. 47.
Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.

Historical Introduction

In November 1899, “the representative of the Armenian population of Rekava [Rkava] Village of Atrpatakan, Khachatur Gasparian, describes the turmoil and the unrest dominating in Salmast District to the Catholicos, pointing out that the murder of 4 Turks near the village is attributed to the inhabitants of Rkava Village and as a result both Turks and Armenians are arrested. Now, they demand 2,200 tumans ransom from the villagers: 1/3 of the sum is imposed upon Armenians. Khachatur Gasparian asks the Catholicos to control the situation.”

Mesrop Mashtots Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts (Matenadaran), list 46µ (Archives of Catholicos Khrimian), folder 109, doc. 493.
Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.

Population

In 1828, the Armenians of this village also emigrated extensively, though one part continued to live in it along with the incomers (of other nationalities) who took possession of the abandoned houses of Armenians. In 1890, those incomers were Kurds (“They live mixed with Kurds”), while in 1899 or in 1905 those were Turks.

Գորոյեանց Ն., Պարսկաստանի հայերը [N. Goroyants, The Armenians of Persia] (Tehran, 1968), p. 183.
Archives of Catholicos Khrimian, folder 109, doc. 493.
Աթայեան Ա., Սալմաստ [A. Atayan, Salmast] (New Jugha, 1906), p. 47, and the insert. There were 35 houses of Turks.
Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.

Economic Life

At the start of the 19th century, Rkava Village had a landowner, like the neighbouring village of Saramerik (1/3 of the crop was given to the agha, the landlord).

Աթայեան Ա., Սալմաստ [A. Atayan, Salmast] (New Jugha, 1906), pp. 40, 48.
Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.

The villagers were poor not only because of the scarcity of land but especially because of the raids of the Kurds.

Աթայեան Ա., Սալմաստ [A. Atayan, Salmast] (New Jugha, 1906), pp. 47-48.
Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.

They used the water of a kyahrez and also of a stream called Derale.

Աթայեան Ա., Սալմաստ [A. Atayan, Salmast] (New Jugha, 1906), pp. 47-48.
Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.

Author Sasun Danielian
Date 2017 y․

The village and the site of the Armenian cemetery (in the foreground) once having many (now none) tombstone monuments

Name	Year/Century	Etymology
Erek-ava
Rekava
Erkava

Please find below the statistical data concerning the number of the Armenian population of Rkava from 1875 into 1905:

Dates	Armenian Houses	Armenians (Male)	Armenians (Female)	Total (Armenians)	Notes	Source
1875	7	42	33	75		Ararat, no. 3 (1875), p. 110. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.
1890	6					Գորոյեանց Ն., Պարսկաստանի հայերը [N. Goroyants, The Armenians of Persia] (Tehran, 1968), p. 183. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.
1895	8	46	35	81	By the way, in this year 7 Armenians from the village were in emigration to earn living.	Ararat, no. 2 (1896), p. 94. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.
1896	9	27	45	72	By the way, in this year there were 7 Armenians from the village in emigration to earn living.	Palouny, “A Letter from Persia,” Nor-Dar, no. 216, 10 December 1896, p. 3. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.
1905	14	34	36	70	According to another source in the indicated year there were 14 Armenian houses with 132 people, 74 males, 58 females (Աթայեան Ա., Սալմաստ [A. Atayan, Salmast] (New Jugha, 1906), p. 47. See also Materials for the History of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Party, vol. 4, p. 267).	G. Hovsepian’s Archives, folder 91, document 14, p. 11. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 482.