Mrakoval Village Site :: ARMENIAN HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Mrakoval Village Site

Georgia / Javakhk / Akhalkalak / Khavet

Location

The village site of Mrakoval (Mrakol) is located within a kilometre of the right bank of the river Kur, 28 kilometres south-west of Akhalkalak in a straight line, between 1,780 and 1,800 metres of altitude above sea level.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 225.

Historical Introduction
1595 y․

In 1595 the village, mentioned by the name of Mrakval, had a population of 26 houses and paid 22,500 akches to the state. Apart from alien personal names which were wide-spread in Armenian places, the list of the local house owners also contains others of purely Armenian origin such as Astvatzatur.

”გურჯისტანის ვილაიეთის დიდი დავთარი”, էջ 278-279: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 225.

Population
1705 — 1706 yy․

Mrakol was inhabited by Armenians beginning with at least the Middle Ages, but in the first half of the 17th century, they yielded up to the violence exerted by the pashas of Akhaltskha and converted to Islam, this being the only way for them to continue living in their native village. In the days of Village Head Dervish Mehmed, viz. between 1705 and 1706, the state tax levied on Mrakol amounted to 17,500 akches.

”ჩილდირის ეიალეთის ჯაბა დავთარი 1694-1732 წწ.”, էջ 118: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 225.

1877 — 1878 yy․

After the termination of the Russo-Turkish war of 1877 to 1878, the Armenian resettlers from Tzaghka and Alexandrople came to add to the number of the residents of Mrakoval: “...after the recent Russo-Turkish war, the inhabitants of Tzalka and Alexandrople found a place of living in this village.”

Բլրցեան Արսէն քահ., Մի մոռացուած գիւղ Ջաւախքում.– «Համբաւաբեր», 1916, N17, էջ 528: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 225.

1884 — 1945 yy․

In 1884 the Turkish inhabitants of Mrakoval and the local newly-settled Armenians were equal in number: “15 Armenian houses and 15 families of Turks.” As attested by the statistical records of the later periods, in the course of time, the Armenians came to outnumber their Muslim neighbours—thus, in 1912 the former constituted 30 houses, and the latter only 10. In 1914 the village comprised 52 houses, including 20 Turkish ones whose number remained unchanged (20) in 1916, when the local families totaled 55. Mrakoval continued its existence until the 1940s: it was devastated in the aftermath of the Turks’ exile in 1944 and the Armenians’ resettlement in the neighbouring village of Khavet in 1945.

«Արձագանք», 1885, N 3, էջ 41: «Հորիզոն», 1912, N 284, էջ 5: «Ջավախք», 1914, N 15, էջ 127-128: Բլրցեան Արսէն քահ., Մի մոռացուած գիւղ Ջաւախքում.– «Համբաւաբեր», 1916, N17, էջ 528: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 225-226.

Mrakoval participated in World War II with 122 of its inhabitants, 48 of whom did not return from the battle-field.

Դավթյան Ա., Ջավախք, Երևան, 1994, էջ 102: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.

Description

The abundance of orchards and gardens made Mrakoval quite distinct from the other villages of Javakhk: “The local peasants, who are mainly occupied with farming and animal husbandry, also have fruit-trees and kitchen gardens. They do not tend these orchards and gardens regularly to reap fine crops from them. They grow pears, apples, apricots, mulberries, cherries and plums in the former, and cucumbers, onions, coriander, watercress, beet, Jerusalem artichoke, pumpkin and sugar beet in the latter...”

Բլրցեան Արսէն քահ., Մի մոռացուած գիւղ Ջաւախքում.– «Համբաւաբեր», 1916, N 17, էջ 528: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 225.

Name	Year/Century	Etymology
Mrakol
Mrakval

The following statistical records show the growth of the local Armenian inhabitants during the 19th and 20th centuries:

Dates	Armenian Houses	Armenians (Male)	Armenians (Female)	Total (Armenians)	Notes	Source
1878		52	48	100		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3850, թ. 217-218: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1880		52	50	102		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3872, թ. 86-87: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1881		49	50	99		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3873, թ. 96-97: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1882		52	53	105		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3874, թ. 42-43: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1883		54	55	109		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3875, թ. 47-48: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1884	15					«Արձագանք», 1885, N 3, էջ 41: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1885		57	59	116		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3877, թ. 14: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1886		57	59	116		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3878, թ. 11: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1887		67	73	140		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3880, թ. 39-40: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1889		75	73	148		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3884, թ. 64-65: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1890		77	78	155		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3887, թ. 143: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1891		78	82	160		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3889, թ. 142: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1892		84	82	166		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3891, թ. 114: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1893		88	85	173		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3895, թ. 41-42: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1894		88	85	173		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3896, թ. 167-168: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1897		100	91	191		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3899, թ. 140-141: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1898		107	102	209		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3897, թ. 162: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1899		107	104	211		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3903, թ. 93-94: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1900		106	107	213		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3905, թ. 55: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1901		106	117	223		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3906, թ. 67: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1902		112	117	229		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3907, թ. 16-17: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1905		132	120	252		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3912, թ. 259-260: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1906		154	127	281		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3915, թ. 20: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1908	23	144	130	274		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 35, ց. 1, գ. 559, թ. 42: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1910		155	136	291		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3917, թ. 134-135: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1912		158	144	302		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3920, թ. 17-18: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1914		163	148	311	According to another source, the village had a population of 413 souls in the same year (“Кавказский календарь на 1915 г.”, Тифлис, 1914, стр. 160).	Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 56, ց. 6, գ. 1020, թ. 170-171: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1915	33			313		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 900, թ. 4: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1916		162	149	311		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 196, ց. 1, գ. 43, թ. 17-18: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.
1921		75	65	140		Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 355, ց. 1, գ. 895, թ. 1: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 226.