SEARCH SYSTEM OF THE ARMENIAN HIGHLAND MONUMENTS

Javakhk 958 Monuments

Georgia (Country) / Javakhk (District)

Location

Javakhk is located on a tableland which lies in the basin of the Parvana, one of the right tributaries of the river Kur. This plateau, which is surrounded by watershed mountains on three sides (except for the western one), occupies an area of ca. 2,600 sq. kilometres and stretches at an average altitude of 1,700 metres above sea level: “...Javakhet extends from the Parvana up to the source of the river Kur...”

«Համառօտ պատմութիւն Վրաց ընծայեալ Ջուանշէրի պատմըչի», Վենետիկ, 1884, էջ 24: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 8.

Historical Introduction
BC 2 c․

The first reference to the toponym of Javakhk is found in the History of the Armenians by 5th-century historian Moses Khorenats‘i in connection with the administrative and political reforms implemented by King Vagharshak of Armenia Major: “But Gushar, descended from the sons of Sharay, inherited the mountain Mt‘in, that is Kangark‘, and half of Chavakh, Kol.b, Tsob, Dzor as far as the fortress of Hnarakert.” Irrespective of the varying interpretations offered for the list of Armenian kings of the pre-Christian period found in the History by Khorenats‘i, all researchers unanimously agree that the aforementioned events relate to the 2nd century B.C.

History of the Armenians by Moses Khorenats‘i. Translation and Commentary on the Literary Sources by Robert W. Thomson. USA, 1980, p. 140. According to L. Shahinian and B. Harutiunian, Arshakid King Vagharshak, mentioned in the History of the Armenians by Khorenats‘i, is a real historical person who lived in the 2nd century B.C. See Շահինյան Լ., Հայաստանը և առաջին Արշակունիները, Երևան, 1993: Նաև` Հարությունյան Բ., Մեծ Հայքի բդեշխությունները և բդեշխության հաստատության շուրջ.– «Հանդէս ամսօրեայ» 2001, N1-12, էջ 89-180: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 12.

BC 4 c․

In the 4th century B.C., Javakhk was the summer residence of Georgian King Parnavaz: “He moved to the city of Metskhet for autumn and spring, to Javakhet for summer, and to Ganchenk for winter...”

«Համառօտ պատմութիւն Վրաց ընծայեալ Ջուանշէրի պատմըչի», Վենետիկ, 1884, էջ 24: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 12.

BC 185 y․

Around 185 B.C., Armenian King Artashes I included Javakhk within the borders of the Kingdom of Armenia Major.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 12.

4 c․

In the 4th century A.D., Javakhk is mentioned in the account of the trip St. Nune made to Metskhet: “...and in June she reached the mountain of Javakhet and the sea of Parnava [Parvana]. She saw some fishermen in the sea and shepherds on the shore. And she heard them swearing by Aramazd and Zade, for she knew the Armenian language, which she had learnt with Niopor of Dvin.”

«Համառօտ պատմութիւն Վրաց ընծայեալ Ջուանշէրի պատմըչի», Վենետիկ, 1884, էջ 46: Also see Մելիքսեթ-Բեկ Լ., Հայերը Վրաստանում, "Кавказ и Византия", N 1, Ереван, 1979, стр. 167-169. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 12.

387 y․

During the first partition of Armenia Major between the Eastern Roman Empire and Sassanid Persia (387), Javakhk shifted into the possession of Virk together with most of the districts of the Vitaxate of Gugark.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 12-13.

9 — 11 cc․

In the 9th century, the southern part of Javakhk, i.e. Gogshen, was united with the Kingdom of the Armenian Bagratids, but its centre Akhalkalak still remained under the control of Georgia. In 1065 the region was conquered and devastated by the Seljuk-Turks.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 13.

12 — 13 cc․

Between the 12th and 13th centuries, the Governor of Javakhk was Sargis Tmogvetsy (Sargis I Vahramian - ca. 1160 - ca. 1210): “In the days of War-Lord Zakaria Yerkaynabazuk [i.e. the Long-Armed], Javakhk was governed by Sargis Yerkaynabazuk Tmogvetsy and Shalva Toretsy.”

Մելիքսեթ-Բեկ Լ. Մ., Վրաց աղբյուրները Հայաստանի և հայերի մասին, հ. Բ, Երևան, 1936, էջ 34: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 13.

13 c․

After Georgian Queen Rusudan’s (1222 to 1245) death, Javakhk passed into the rule of Toretsy Gamrekeli.

Մելիքսեթ-Բեկ Լ. Մ., Վրաց աղբյուրները Հայաստանի և հայերի մասին, հ. Բ, Երևան, 1936, էջ 56: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 13.

1236 — 1266 yy․

In 1236 Javakhk was conquered by the Mongols. In 1266 the new rulers of the region supported Sargis Jaghetsy, an Armenian adherent of the Greek Church, in founding the principality of Samtskhe-Saatabago in the territories of Javakhk and the neighbouring district of Akhaltskha.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 13.

16 — 17 cc․

The principality of Samtskhe-Saatabago continued its existence until 1637, when the entire region was conquered by the Turks (since 1579 they had been holding possession of the north-western part of the principality, i.e. Akhaltskha and its neighbourhood). It is noteworthy that a considerable part of the Armenian historical monuments preserved in Javakhk date back to the times of the principality of Samtskhe-Saatabago, namely the 13th to 17th centuries. The Turkish tyranny that replaced this principality in Tayk and Western Gugark marked unspeakable torture and persecution for the local inhabitants. A considerable part of them converted to Islam, hoping to save themselves from extermination in this manner. Throughout the 17th century, part of the Apostolic Armenians, a countless number of Georgianised Armenian Chalcedonians, as well as the native Georgian population of Samtskhe converted to Mohammed’s faith. It should be mentioned, however, that many places in Javakhk still retained their Christian residents who kept themselves aloof from apostasy.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 13.

1735 y․

Another calamity awaited the region in 1735—the northern districts of Armenia, including Javakhk, were invaded by Nadir Shah. A record states the following with this regard: “The Khan then dispatched his horsemen again and they reached the border of Theodopolis. They seized the regions of Nariman, Javakhe-t‘, Ch‘ldir, and Ghayi Ghulu, [all of which] were entirely populated by our people [Armenians]. They took away men, women, old people, and children, and, as was reported to us, drove some 6000 persons to K_hora_sa_n.” This record attests that in the first half of the 18th century, the district was mainly—if not entirely—inhabited by Armenians, for the hostages taken by the enemy were mainly Apostolic Armenians (“...were entirely populated by our people”).

The Chronicle of Abraham of Crete. Annotated Translation from the Critical Text by George A. Bournoutian. California, 1999, p. 45. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 13.

19 c․

Javakhk remained under the Turkish yoke until the early 19th century, being subject to the pashas of Akhaltskha from an administrative point of view.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 13.

1810 y․

In 1810, when the Russian army units were advancing from Tiflis to Javakhk, Sherif Pasha ordered all the Christians of the region to cross the Kur and retreat into the remote provinces of the Empire. Nonetheless, they were able to escape this deportation, encouraged by the victories of the Russian troops. After the withdrawal of the Russian army, the pashas of Akhaltskha punished their daring subjects severely. As a result, by the time the region finally joined Russia after the termination of the Russo-Turkish war in 1828, Christian inhabitants had been left in only very few of its villages. After the fall of Akhaltskha, mass emigration commenced from the Ottoman Empire to Russia and vice versa. The overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of Javakhk who had been Islamised in the 17th century and now had purely Turkish national identity moved to the districts of Western Armenia under the Ottoman dominion. On the other hand, the Western Armenians (particularly those inhabiting Karin Province) who had rendered all possible aid to the Russians throughout the war, viewing them as their liberators, were obliged to abandon their birthplaces for the “Russian territories” to escape the inevitable Turkish vengeance. They were resettled in the parts of the former Pashalic of Akhaltskha (particularly, in Javakhk and in the adjacent districts) that had now shifted into Russian control. It is not probable that the Armenians of Karin Province received any compensation in return for the property they had left in their homeland. On the other hand, in many cases, they were obliged to purchase unoccupied villages and arable lands from the Turks who were leaving the region. Thus, the Armenians paid 44,000 kuruses11 to buy the villages of Kartzakh, Khavet, Dadesh and Sulda together with 10 devastated village sites lying in their neighbourhood for Sourb Prkich (Holy Saviour) Church of Akhaltskha. The Turkish inhabitants of these places had emigrated in 1834, but the deed of purchase was signed in 1841 with father and son Hajji Naghi and Tayer Beys. Indeed, it was not an easy task for Archbishop Karapet, the leader of the Armenian resettlers facing numerous problems, to conclude an agreement of such heavy expenses, but the acquisition of the aforementioned villages was of the utmost necessity to the Armenians. Small-scale emigrations of Javakhk’s Islamised population were observed after all the subsequent Russo-Turkish wars. In the decades that followed, the native Armenians of Javakhk and their compatriots from Western Armenia united their efforts in building prospering villages in Javakhk.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 13-14. In those times, 44,000 kuruses were equal to 2,315 Russian roubles.

1905 y․

By the outbreak of the Armeno-Turkish fights of 1905, the number of the Turkish elements had considerably reduced in Javakhk. Despite this, however, the remaining Turkish bandits inflicted economic harm upon a number of local villages: “Recently, taking advantage of the tumult reigning in Caucasia, the Turkish inhabitants of Alexandrople District and the areas neighbouring the district of Akhalkalak have attacked several Armenian villages for plunder. Below follows a list of the villages of Akhalkalak District which suffered these raids: on 16 June, the village of Takcha was robbed of 12 oxen, and Heshtia of 80 horses. The best 20 ones of these were selected and kept, while the others were set free. Kyondura [suffered the loss of] 11 head of animals one of which was found among the cattle belonging to the Turks of Ghulalis Village: the remaining 10 are still missing. From Ujmana the bandits stole 6 oxen, and from Pokr Khanchili 5 horses. On 15 July, a group of Turks attacked some Armenians from Satkha on the way to Alexandrople, shot several bullets at them and drove away 4 of their oxen. Poka was plundered of 3 oxen... In Satkha the bandits killed the shepherd and took 7 horses: 15 others were robbed from Kartzakh and 3 from the pastures of Khospia...”

Տխուր փաստեր.- «Դրօշակ», 1905, N 10, էջ 150: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 14.

1918 y․

When the Turkish troops invaded Javakhk after the liquidation of the Russo-Turkish front (1918), the national leadership of the region proved unable to put up proper self-defence against them, despite the availability of the forces they had at their disposal. Left at the mercy of fate, the local inhabitants grew unspeakably panic-stricken and started emigrating, believing that this was the only way of saving themselves from inevitable carnage: “Most of the population of the district, about 85 thousand Armenians, found refuge in Bakurian and Tzalka. However, within 5 months’ time, over 40 thousand of them fell prey to the cold, famine and various diseases. Out of the 2,060 inhabitants of Gandza Village, around 720 found their deaths in Tzalka. Of the 3,250 Armenians of Satkha, about 2,500 starved to death. As reported by H. Tumanian, these famishing people had left 2.5 million poods (an ancient Russian unit of weight equal to 16,38 kgs) of corn, about 8 million poods of harvest, 15 thousand hives, as well as a great number of agricultural tools and products, church utensils, ancient manuscripts, etc. in their native district. The property left derelict by these fugitives was later sold to speculators of different nationalities, while the stolen animals were driven to Akhalkalak and Akhaltskha under the auspices of the Turkish High Command.”

Կարապետյան Մ. Մ., Հովհաննես Թումանյանը հայկական կոտորածների մասին, ՊԲՀ, 1987, N 2, էջ 241: See Մելքոնյան Աշոտ, Ջավախքը XIX դարում և XX դարի առաջին քառորդին, Երևան, 2003, էջ 271-284, for the details of the events which took place between January and May 1918. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 14.

1921 y․

After the collapse of the Russian Empire, Javakhk became a target of territorial claims for the newly-founded Republic of Georgia. With the establishment of the Soviet regime in 1921, it was finally annexed to Soviet Georgia, despite the fact that the local Armenians were unanimously opposed to it.

For details, see Մելքոնյան Աշոտ, Ջավախքը XIX դարում և XX դարի առաջին քառորդին, Երևան, 2003, էջ 285-289, 295-330: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 14.

16 — 18 cc․

The densely-located medieval village sites preserved on the Plateau of Javakhk (the average distance separating them is between 1.5 and 2 kilometres) attest that it was one of the most densely-populated districts of Historical Armenia. According to the გურjისტანის ვილაიეთის დიდი დავთარი (1595), Javakhk, which was divided into the administrative districts of Akshehir, Khertvis and Antarayin Javakhk, comprised more than 200 villages. The records found in the ჩილდირის ეიალეთის jაბა დავთარი show that by the early 18th century, the number of the local villages had considerably decreased.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 15.

Geographical Environment

There exist a great number of records on the historical and geographical borders of Javakhk on the basis of which, a number of scholars elaborate various interpretations of the frontiers of the region. The Ashkharatsuyts (an Armenian manual on cosmology and geography with an atlas attached) mentions Verin (Upper) Javakhk as one of the districts of Gugark: “The thirteenth province is Gugark that lies west of Utik. It comprises nine districts: Dzoropor, Koghbopor, Tzobopor, Tashir, Treghk, Kangark, Verin Javakhk, Artahan and Kgharjk. ...It has been partitoned off from Armenia and at present forms part of Virk.” Another record states the following: “...the river Voh flows up to the north of Tayk. Kgharjk has been separated from Armenia. The districts of Shavshet and Artahan have been partitioned off from Armenia. Through the latter runs the large river Kur, which flows through Kogh District, Tayk and descends towards Samtskhe via the foot of Javakhk...”

Երեմյան Ս., Հայաստանը ըստ «Աշխարհացոյց»-ի, հավելված Ա, բնագիր, Երևան, 1963, էջ 104, 109-110: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 8.

The Armenian and Georgian historiographers are unanimous in their viewpoints regarding the position of the district of Verin Javakhk—it occupies the Plateau of Javakhk.

The reference to Verin (i.e. Upper) Javakhk, found in the Ashkharatsuyts, gave grounds to I. Javakhishvili and S. Yeremian to make suppositions about the existence of Nerkin (i.e. Lower) Javakhk as well. They place it in the area lying north and north-east of Artahan and identify it with the district of Erushet, mentioned in the Georgian sources of the subsequent periods (Երեմյան Ս., Հայաստանը ըստ «Աշխարհացոյց»-ի, հավելված Ա, բնագիր, Երևան, 1963, էջ 78). Later, however, both the Armenian and Georgian historians started arguing over this issue. Thus, touching upon the historical geography of Gugark, B. Harutiunian supposes that the “...half of Chavakh...,” mentioned in the History of the Armenians by Moses Khorenats‘i (“...inherited the mountain Mt‘in, that is Kangark‘, and half of Chavakh...”) corresponds to the Upper part of Javakhk, while the other one, which I. Javakhishvili and S. Yeremian suppose to be Lower Javakhk, is identical to the part which shifted into the control of the principality of Ashotsk (Հարությունյան Բ., Մեծ Հայքի Գուգարք աշխարհը ըստ «Աշխարհացոյց»-ի, ԲԵՀ, 1977, N 2, էջ 190, 195). Building his viewpoint upon the records provided by the available Georgian sources, D. Berdzenishvili thinks that Nerkin Javakhk corresponds to the gorge of the river Kur, adjacent to the Plateau of Javakhk in the west, and the mountain ridge lying west of Vardzunik (see ბერძენიშვილი დ., ნარკვევები საქართველოს ისტორიული გეოგრაფიიდან, ზემო ქართლი - თჳრი, ჯავახეთი, თბ., 1985). In the 18th century, Vakhushti Bagrationi placed Javakhk within these same borders. See ვახუშტი, აღწერა სამეფოსა საქართველოსა, თ. ლომოურის და ნ. ბერძენიშვილის რედაქციით, თბ., 1941, էջ 131. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 8.

Population
19 c․

In the 19th century, Javakhk was a purely Christian district in terms of its national and religious composition. Its Armenian inhabitants and part of the Georgians were natives of the region. As for the Russian dissenters who had been banished from Russia, they arrived in Javakhk from Gandzak District in 1841 and took up living in the vicinity of roads of strategic significance, particularly, in the neighbourhood of Lakes Parvana and Madatapa, their resettlement in Transcaucasia being guided by certain political considerations.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 15. The Armenians who make internal migrations within the borders of Historical Armenia remain indigenous to any place they take up residence in: therefore, all the allegations that the Armenians of Karin who moved to Javakhk are not natives of this region are absolutely groundless, for this was an internal resettlement.

19 — 20 cc․

As a result of the Russo-Turkish wars following one another, in the early 19th century, Javakhk’s population was tangibly reduced in number. After 1830, however, they started increasing on account of Armenian resettlers and later also Russian immigrants. In 1893 the region had 102 villages with 60,000 inhabitants. From a national and religious standpoint, it represented the following picture: 52 villages inhabited by Armenian Apostolics (3,458 houses); 8 villages of Armenian Catholics (807 houses); 19 villages with mixed populations of Turks, Kurds and Karapapakhs (638 houses); 9 villages comprising Georgian residents (347 houses); 8 villages of Russian Dukhobors (951 houses), and 6 villages with Armenian, Turkish and Georgian inhabitants (276 houses). In 1979 the districts of Akhalkalak and Bogdanovka together had 106,087 inhabitants, comprising 95,923 Armenians and 3,124 Georgians.

«Նոր-Դար», 1893, N 180, էջ 2: Also see «Արաքս», գիրք Բ, հինգերորդ տարի, Ս.Պետերբուրգ, 1893, էջ 21: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 15.

4 — 7 cc․

Armenians. The specimens of pre-Christian material culture preserved in Javakhk, namely the dragon stones, cyclopean castles, cut-in-rock graves and stone tombs, are akin to the primeval Indo-European civilisation native to the Armenian Plateau. This fact shows that the heritage of Javakhk forms an integral part of the culture that developed on the Armenian Plateau. Javakhk retains an abundance of quadrilateral steles that were wide-spread in Historical Armenia between the 4th and 7th centuries. This indicates that the region remained inseparable from the cultural legacy of the Armenian Plateau in the early Middle Ages as well.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 15.

9 — 14 cc․

Armenians. Tens of villages and ancient sites of Javakhk preserve a great number of khachkars (cross-stones) dating from the 9th to 11th centuries and, particularly, from the 13th to 14th centuries as silent proof of the fact that the region was inhabited by Armenians and remained an inalienable part of Historical Armenia.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 15.

8 — 14 cc․

Armenians. The cultural heritage of Javakhk also comprises monuments of Armenian Chalcedonian culture that date back to the times of the Bagratid rulers of Tayk. These sovereigns, who embraced Chalcedonianism between the 9th and 14th centuries, were the leaders of the movement aiming at the political unification of Georgia. The existence of Armenian Chalcedonian monuments in Georgia shows that the ruling elite of the region and part of the local Armenian population were under the jurisdiction of the Georgian Catholicos and adhered to the Greek faith.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 15.

15 — 18 cc․

Armenians. Unlike the previous period, in the 15th to 16th centuries, the Apostolic Armenians of Javakhk who had always preserved numerical superiority over the other nationalities of the region were in a particularly great cultural bloom. This is well manifested in the abundance of cross-stones dating back to the aforementioned centuries. The Ottoman rule, which was established in Javakhk between the 17th and 18th centuries, was marked with the forced Islamisation of the local Christians, which grew particularly wide-spread among the Armenian Chalcedonians, as well as the Georgians who had settled in the region during the previous centuries. The Turks who had penetrated into Javakhk in the days of Turkish rule, and the Georgians who had been deported from various parts of Georgia by the pashas of Akhaltskha, being converted to Islam on the spot, came to add to the number of the Christians who had been forced into accepting Mohammed’s faith.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 15-16.

19 c․

Armenians. During one of Nadir Shah’s invasions (19th century), numerous Javakhk Armenians were taken hostage, in the aftermath of which, the decreased number of the local Armenians was reduced even further. Javakhk’s ethnic Armenian make-up suffered additional distortion with the Russian troops’ penetration into the region in the early 19th century: as a result, the region was almost entirely devastated and stripped of its Armenian population. Javakhk was not predestined to remain in this state of utter depredation for a long period: in 1830 its derelict villages were re-inhabited by Armenian resettlers from various parts of Western Armenia and, particularly, Karin Province.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 16.

1918 y․

Armenians. Free from religious persecution and oppression, Javakhk’s population enjoyed a period of unprecedented development and prosperity until 1918. The situation, however, changed drastically with the Ottoman invasion of 1918, when most of Javakhk Armenians moved to the neighbouring districts, hoping to escape the inevitable massacres in this way. However, hardly 1/3 of them returned to their homes several months later: the rest had fallen victim to the blockade imposed by the Georgian authorities, for whom this was a golden opportunity to exterminate as many Javakhk Armenians as possible. The forests of Bakurian that had turned into a Georgian Deir ez Zor [During the Great Genocide of Armenians (1915), the Ottoman military uprooted them from their homes and forced them to march for hundreds of miles, deprived of food and water, to the desert of Deir ez Zor, presently a city in North-Eastern Syria and the capital of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate located on the river Euphrates, within 450 kilometres of Damascus.] became graves for thousands of Javakhk Armenians who were exposed to famine, various diseases and the attacks of armed Georgian bandits.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 16.

1920 y․

Armenians. Despite the policy of national discrimination persistently conducted by the Soviet tyrants and Georgian authorities, from 1920 onwards, the Armenians of Javakhk rebuilt and revived their native region. Hundreds of hectares of land in the district are now covered with woods—an eloquent manifestation of the love and devotion they feel towards their homeland. The plans aimed at stripping Javakhk of its Armenian inhabitants, carried out with particular perseverance in the last years of Soviet rule, became one of the priorities of the public policy of the independent Republic of Georgia. The policy of national discrimination adopted by the Georgian leadership, together with their repeated attempts of inhabiting the region with Georgian and Turkish elements, as well as the economic pressure exerted in various fields of activity, and the encouragement of the general atmosphere of intolerance and anti-Armenian feelings greatly contributed to the drastic increase in the scale of emigration observed amidst the Armenians of Javakhk.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 16.

19 c․

Armenian Boshas formed a scanty number in Javakhk. In the late 19th century, they comprised merely 31 houses. According to the statistical reports of 1892, the Armenian Boshas inhabiting Javakhk represented the following picture: 25 houses in Akhalkalak, and 8 houses in Ekhtila.

Վանցեան Գ., Պատմական ակնարկ բոշաների անցեալից, «Մուրճ», 1894, էջ 1074: Idem, Հայ բոշաներ, «Մուրճ», 1892, էջ 1047: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 16.

Georgians. The arrival of the first groups of Georgians in Javakhk traces back to the pre-Christian era (they mainly took up living in several villages of the region). Georgia (Kartli, Kakhetia, Imeret) offers favourable natural and geographical conditions for gardening and partly farming. Due to the shortage of extensive Alpine zones, however, the regions of this country are rather unfit for the development of large-scale animal husbandry. For this very reason, from ancient times onwards, Georgian cattle-breeders always tended to move to the Plateau of Javakhk in search of summer pastures, a fact that was confirmed by Georgian researchers as well.6 Most probably, it was in this way that some Georgians took up permanent residence in Javakhk in the course of time. This supposition is confirmed by the existence of identical toponyms in different parts of Kartli and Javakhk (in some cases, in Imeret and Kakhetia as well). Thus, Hokam occurs both in the districts of Caspian and Akhalkalak; Meghvrekis is found both in Gori and Akhalkalak Districts (the latter preserves a village site bearing this name); Khezabavra in Lagodekh District of Kakhetia and Aspindza; Molit in Kharagauli District of Imeret and in the part of Borzhom District within the borders of Javakhk; Aragvispiri (village) and Aragvi (river) in Dushet District and a village of the same name in Akhalkalak District; Gom in the districts of Khashur and Caspi and in Akhalkalak; Verin and Nerkin Rekha in Gori District and a village of the same name in the part of Tzaghka adjacent to Javakhk.

It is interesting to note that the Toosh shepherds of the remote regions of Georgia sought summer pastures in Javakhk even in the 19th century (Սալլիւմեան, Տնտեսական հարցեր, «Մուրճ», 1901, N 7, էջ 178). With this regard, it is by no means accidental that academician I. Javakhishvili declared the following in a report submitted to the Government of Soviet Georgia in 1926: “By implementing this plan—the unification of Javakhk with Armenia—we will deprive the Georgian cattle-breeder of his daily piece of bread, and sheep husbandry will be completely uprooted in Georgia” (see ივ. ჯავახიშვილის მოხსენება საქართველოს მთავრობას 1926 წ. Վրաստանի ազգային դիվան, ֆ. 476, գ. 6, թթ. 82-111. Also see ბერძენიშვილი დ., ახალქალაქი ჯავახეთისაჲ, “არტანუჯი”, 1998, N 7, էջ 30, შეხიშვხა 61). ბერძენიშვილი დ., ნარკვევები საქართველოს ისტორიული გეოგრაფიიდან, ზემო ქართლი - თორი, ჯავახეთი, თბილისი, 1985, էջ 126: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 16-17.

387 y․

Georgians. After 387, Sassanid Persia partitioned most of the Vitaxate of Gugark as a semi-independent administrative-territorial unit and put it within the borders of Virk. From this time onwards until the establishment of the Ottoman rule (some considerable intervals excluded), Javakhk remained under the political dominion of Georgia. During this period, the Georgian inhabitants of Javakhk incessantly increased in number thanks to the favourable political conditions and, particularly, on account of the Armenian Chalcedonians, a considerable number of whom were later Georgianised.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 17.

12 — 13 cc․

Georgians. The number of Javakhk’s Georgian inhabitants particularly grew between the late 13th century and the early 14th century, i.e. in the days of Kings Demetre II (1271 to 1289) and David VI (1293 to 1311), when Georgia had become a theatre of devastating Mongol-Tatar invasions continuously following one another: “...depredation lasted for five years here. The famine gradually grew so unbearable that people ate dead animals’ dirty flesh without loathing it. The squares, streets, roads, fields, as well as the cities and villages teemed with corpses. Infants sucked at their dead mothers’ breasts. Most of the inhabitants of Kartli went to Samtskhe, the land of Beka, where they could somehow buy bread.”

Վրաց ժամանակագրություն (1207-1318), թարգմանությունը հին վրացերենից, առաջաբանը և ծանոթագրությունները Պ. Մուրադյանի, Երևան, 1971, էջ 174-175: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 17.

18 c․

Georgians. A new influx of Georgians into Javakhk was observed in the first half of the 18th century, despite the fact that the region had already shifted into Turkish rule by this time. During their continual invasions of various districts of Georgia, the pashas of Akhaltskha took a great number of Georgian captives who were re-inhabited in the territories within the borders of this pashalic, as well as in Javakhk. As attested by Vakhushti Bagrationi, these Georgians immediately converted to Islam: “In 1705 A.D. (393 according to the Georgian calendar), Aslan Pasha established himself in Akhaltskha... the villages and townships were engaged in construction activity, for peace reigned over these lands at that time. Those driven away from Kartli and Somkhit found refuge here. The Imeretian prisoners mostly resettled in Javakheti, where they rapidly grew in number and embraced Islam, for the only loss the villagers suffered was the payment of taxes.”

ქართლის ცხოვრება, ივ, ს. ყაუხჩიშვილის რედაქციით, თბილისი, 1973, էջ 736: Вахушти Багратиони, История Царство Грузинского, перевел, снабдил предисловием, словарями и указателем Накашидзе Н., Тбилиси, 1976, стр. 216. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 17.

1724 — 1801 yy․

Georgians. Another wave of emigration struck Kartli in 1724, when the country again faced political instability in the aftermath of the incursions of Turkish and North-Caucasian tribes: “After Yese’s death, the sultan appointed this Isak Pasha Ruler and Governor of entire Georgia, namely Samtskhe-Saatabago, Imeret, Kartli, Lore-Ghazakh-Shamshadilo and Kakhetia. Since Kartli had been struck with a grave calamity, the emigrants from this country were inhabited in Javakheti and Samtskhe, where they launched building activities.” Sometimes the immigrants moved back to their country, although this emigration was very insignificant in scale. Thus, a small group of Georgians (17 houses) who had found refuge in Javakhk escaping a Lezghin invasion returned to Kartli in 1801.

ქართლის ცხოვრება, ივ, ს. ყაუხჩიშვილის რედაქციით, თბილისი, 1973, էջ 738: Вахушти Багратиони, История Царство Грузинского, перевел, снабдил предисловием, словарями и указателем Накашидзе Н., Тбилиси, 1976, стр. 217: Акты собранные Кавказского археорафическою коммиссиею, т. 1, Тифлис, стр. 501. Also see ლომსაძე შ., სამცხე-ჯავახეთი ხვიიი საუკუნის შუაწლებიდან ხიხ შუაწლებამდე, თბ., 1975, էջ 361: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 17.

1828 — 1829 yy․

Georgians. According to some allegations, the Georgian inhabitants of Javakhk were banished from the district during the Russo-Turkish war of 1828 to 1829, since the Russian authorities considered them as unreliable elements. However, these statements are not verified by any historiographical source so that they can be viewed as merely a concoction invented out of the present-day political considerations.

As alleged by historian Svimon Maskharashvili, “during the Russo-Turkish war of 1828 to 1829, the Russians drove away the Georgians from Javakhk as unreliable elements and re-inhabited the region with Armenians from Kars whom they considered faithful and trustworthy” (“თავისუფალი გაზეთი”, 26.07-02.08.2005, N 40). Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 17-18.

1944 — 1970 yy․

Georgians. In 1944 Stalin issued an order for the exile of the Muslim inhabitants of the places lying on the borderline between Georgia and Turkey. After this banishment, the unoccupied localities of the region, distinguished for a mild climate and fertile soil, were re-inhabited with Georgians, in accordance with a previously premeditated plan. The number of the Georgian newcomers increased on account of several tens of families of their compatriots formerly living in the few Georgian villages of Javakhk Plateau. In contrast to them, the local Armenians did not share this privilege. Thus, between 1950 and 1970, the number of the Georgians living on Javakhk Plateau was considerably reduced.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 18.

1980 y․

Georgians. In the late 1980, the authorities of Georgia resettled Georgian-speaking Muslim Ajars in a number of villages of the region (Azmana, Apnia, Gogashen, Kotelia, Hokam, Sameba, etc.) to artificially distort its national make-up. The Ajar immigrants who had left their country of sub-tropical climate in the aftermath of a natural disaster enjoyed all kinds of privileges offered by the Georgian state. Nonetheless, most of them proved unable to endure the severity of the very first winter of Javakhk so that they left the two-storey large houses they had received as gifts from the Georgian powers and returned to their former places of living that had been allegedly “struck with a disaster.”

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 18.

1990 y․

Georgians. The plans of the Georgianisation of Javakhk, ardently pursued by the Georgian leadership, are also supported by the Georgian Church and, particularly, the bigoted chauvinistic members of monastic communities. Thus, in the 1990s, the Georgian Church founded three centres in Javakhk under the auspices and through the efforts of Catholicos-Patriarch Illia II.

“რეზონანსი”, 18. 01. 2003, N 13: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 18.

1841 — 1845 yy․

Russians. Russian Dukhobors first arrived in Javakhk in 1841. Because of their religious beliefs, these sectarians were first exiled from the region of Tambov to Melitopol District of Taurian Province (the Crimea) and then to the district of Gandzak, whence some of them moved to Javakhk. Until 1845 they constituted 495 houses with 4,097 inhabitants in the 8 villages that they had founded in this region—Bogdanovka, Gorelovka, Yepremovka, Rodionovka, Spasovka, Tambovka, Troitskoye and Orlovka.

The religious beliefs of Dukhobors were briefly represented as follows: “The religious doctrine of Dukhobors mostly repeats that of their sectarian ancestors. They recognise the [Holy] Trinity, but believe that the Father is the Light, the Son is the Life, and the Holy Spirit is the Peace. The Father makes Himself apparent through memory; the Son through cognition, and the Holy Spirit through will power. They believe in the primary existence of the soul and the fall of man, accepting that the soul is incarnated in the body in atonement of its sins. Thus, when Adam appeared on the Earth, his memories of heaven were in confusion: his mind was unsound, and his will [disposition] mutinous. He turned out unable to resist the temptation and again committed a sin, but it does not pass on to his descendants. Because of the first fall of man, the soul is opposed to the evil. The world is a purgatory where man should be free in doing good to atone for his old sins, which made him love his self more than Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Our Lord, who was incarnated to become the leader of man through this temptation and cleansing. The doctrines of Jesus Christ are found in the Scriptures, but they are so parabolic that only Dukhobors are able to comprehend them, whereas the present-day Russians are devoid of this gift. This is what the faith of Dukhobors consists in («Սիօն», 1875, էջ 71). «Մեղու Հայաստանի», 1876, N 48, էջ 1: ლომსაძე შ., სამცხე-ჯავახეთი ხვიიი საუკუნის შუაწლებიდან ხიხ შუაწლებამდე, თბ., 1975, էջ 338: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 18.

1893 y․

Russians. By 1893 they comprised 991 houses in these 8 villages.

Մալխաս Յ., Դուխաբորներն Ախալքալաքի գաւառում.– «Նոր-Դար», 1893, N 221, էջ 3: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 18.

1990 y․

Russians. In 1990 Georgia’s Council of Ministers adopted a decision on creating “favourable conditions” to facilitate the repatriation of the Russian Dukhobors of Javakhk.

”მადლი”, 1990, N 10: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 18.

2000 y․

Russians. In the early 2000s, a considerable part of the Russian population of the region left for their homeland, the Russian Federation, after an absence of over 160 years.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 18.

16 — 18 cc․

Turks. The members of various Turkish tribes inhabiting Javakhk formed quite a small number as far back as the late 16th century. Thus, no Turkish inhabitants are recorded in the region as of the year 1595. The only exception is the village of Khertvis, where only the landowners were of Turkish origin. The establishment of Turkish rule in Javakhk facilitated the penetration of Turkish elements into the region. Their number sharply increased in the 18th century, when a considerable part of the local Christians were forced into converting to Islam.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 18-19.

19 — 20 cc․

Turks. The Russo-Turkish wars of the early 19th century resulted in waves of emigration from Russia into the territories of Turkey and vice versa. Thanks to this, the Turkish and Islamised inhabitants of Javakhk were reduced in number and replaced by Christians—mostly Armenians—from Western Armenia who settled down in Javakhk and the neighbouring district of Treghk (Tzaghka). The next emigration of the Turkish inhabitants of Javakhk into the territory of present-day Turkey took place between 1918 and 1921. Javakhk was finally freed from both Turkish and other Muslim elements (Kurds) only after the exile of 1944.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

Turks. In the second half of the 1940s, the garden-rich villages of Javakhk that had been lying unoccupied since this banishment were allocated to the local small number of Georgians and their compatriots who had moved to the region from the remote parts of Georgia in large multitudes. Thus, as a result of a premeditated plan persistently implemented by the Georgian authorities, about 80 of these villages that were mainly in Akhaltskha and the adjacent districts of Adigen and Aspindza became Georgian-populated, while over 40 others remained uninhabited and were reduced to devastated sites. It was only 6 of them (Davnia, Erinja, Khavet, Kokia, Saghamo, Kartseb) that were re-inhabited with Armenians from the adjacent populous villages suffering from shortage of land.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19

Kurds. The Kurdish tribes of Youruk and Youzdej penetrated into the western border zone of Javakhk and the neighbourhood of Vardzunik in the 16th century. In the late 19th century, they occupied the villages of Mirashkhan, Nakalakev (Historical Tzunda), Danet, Georgitzminda and others (the first two of them are situated on the right bank of the Kur). The Kurdish inhabitants of the region were exiled together with the Turks in 1944.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

Earthquakes
1089 — 1899 yy․

Javakhk is a zone of seismic activity which suffered particularly disastrous earthquakes in 1089, 1283, 1319 and 1899. We have at our disposal detailed records relating to the earthquake that struck the region on 19 December 1899, taking away 241 lives, with 2,570 head of cattle and causing 55 casualties. On the whole, 21 villages were gravely afflicted in the aftermath of this earthquake.

«Մուրճ», 1900, էջ 103-105։ Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 11.

1986 y․

The latest devastating earthquake struck Javakhk in 1986.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 11.

Etymology

The earliest record bearing reference to Javakhk District of Gugark Province of Armenia Major (Metz Hayk) is the Khorkhor inscription (8th century B.C.) carved by Argishti I (786 to 764 B.C.), which mentions it by the name of Zabakha. According to H. Karagyozian, “This toponym underwent the following phonetic modification: Զաբախա/Zabakha (this is the root of the toponym which ends in the plural suffix «ա»/a, typical of Indo-European languages) < Զաբախ/Zabakh (this is the direct form of the toponym) > Զաւախ/Zavakh (as a result of the interchange of the consonants բ>վ/b>v, which also occurs in other words (an Aramaic inscription found in Metskhet mentions the personal name of Զեւախ/Zevakh, which probably derives from the toponym of Զաւախ/Zavakh)) > Ջաւախ/Javakh (as a result of the interchange of the consonants զ>ջ/z>j) > Ջաւախք/Javakhk (the former plural suffix «ա»/a is replaced here by «ք»/k, which indicates plurality in the Armenian language).”

The rock, known by the name of Khorkhor and retaining the cuneiform inscription carved by Argishti I, stands in the south-west of Van City. Կարագեոզեան Յովհ., Սեպագիր տեղանուններ, հ. 1, գիրք 1, Երեւան, 1998, էջ 204: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 12.

V. Sargissian attributes the origin of the toponym of Javakhk to the phonetic interchange of §Ö³å³Õ-æ³í³Ëù¦/Japagh-Javakhk, his viewpoint being based on the geographical peculiarities of the region, particularly, its spacious plains abounding in water.

Սարգսյան Վ., Ջաւախք տեղանվան ծագումը, Երեւան, 1999: According to another hypothesis, the toponym of Javakhk derives from the Ossetian word jabakh, which is the equivalent for fine and healthy (Դալալյան Տ., Ջավախք գավառանվան ծագման շուրջ, «Իրան-Նամէ», N 36, 2001, էջ 69). Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 12.

Monuments
10 — 11 cc․

Javakhk represents a region abounding in a multitude of centuries-old monuments (including archaeological ones) some of which date from the pre-Christian era. A particularly wide variety is typical of its medieval cultural heritage comprising both Armenian (Armenian Apostolic, Armenian Chalcedonian and Armenian Catholic) and Georgian monuments, as well as several Muslim ones tracing back to the period of Turkish rule. A considerable part of the religious monuments dating from the 10th to 11th centuries are a vivid manifestation of the interrelation of Armenian, Georgian and Byzantine cultures. So far the historical monuments of Javakhk have been studied by predominantly Georgian culturologists. However, most of the works they have published as a result of their research treat their subject matter only superficially and, as a rule, contain biased comments. Guided by nationalistic considerations and completely ignoring the interests of true science, these investigators neglect the large number of Armenian historical monuments found throughout the territory of the region. Besides, the Armenian Chalcedonian monuments are treated as purely Georgian ones. A number of Georgian researchers deny the existence of Armenian medieval monuments in Javakhk and even make absolutely senseless statements with this regard. Thus, Vice-Chairman of Georgia’s Department for the Preservation of Cultural Values Paata Gaprindashvili declared: “Several villages may possibly have contemporary Armenian monuments. As for historical Armenian monuments, nowhere can they be found. It is absolutely beyond reason to even argue over it...” His father, senior research collaborator Givi Gaprindashvili, who has been engaged in the study of the historical monuments of Javakhk since 1958, made the following statement: “On the whole, the Armenian monuments found in the region date from a period not earlier than the 19th century.”

“კვირის პალიტრა”, 25-31. 07. 2005, N 30. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 22.

The territory of Javakhk also abounds in archaeological monuments. The finds, unearthed at different times, shed light upon the early history of the region. Among them can be mentioned the finely-decorated pitchers of glass which were found during the construction of a house in Totkham Village and trace back to the second half of the 1st century A.D. In the early 1960s, fragments of statuettes and other archaeological finds were unclosed in a ruined mausoleum located in the territory of this village. Studies have revealed that these finds date from the 8th to 6th centuries B.C. and form part of the cultural heritage of the Kingdom of Ararat (Urartu). A bronze astronomical calendar, tracing back to the 1st millennium B.C., was unearthed in the ancient site of Mokhrablur (Natsargora in Georgian), on the road leading from Baralet to Kotelia. The archaeological monuments preserved in the territory of Diliska attest that this village has been inhabited since time immemorial. This is also confirmed by a phallus (2nd to the 1st millennia B.C.) found in the pilgrimage site of Gogoli Sourb (i.e. Saint of Gogol) located in the middle of the village.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 22.

BC 4 — BC 3 mm․

Javakhk is also rich in cyclopean castles (4th to 3rd millennia B.C.) which are in a comparatively good state of preservation. Especially remarkable are the ones found in the territories of the villages of Gandza, Bzavet, Khojabek and Satkha—their parallels can be found throughout the territory of the Armenian Plateau. The sites of formerly inhabited places and necropolises, preserved in the vicinity of Zhdanovakan, Modegam, Jgrashen and other villages, are attributed to the same period.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 22.

BC 2 — BC 1 mm․

Ancient dragon stones (2nd to 1st millennia B.C.) pertaining to the worship of water are found exclusively on the Armenian Plateau, where they are quite wide-spread. They represent huge single-piece stone monuments shaped like fish or a dragon and erected near the sources of springs, on riversides and on lake shores. Dragon stones bearing reliefs of snakes, bulls, rams and other animals have been found in the Geghama Mountains, on the north-eastern shore of Lake Sevan, on the slopes of Mount Aragatz, in the area of the upper course of the river Azat, as well as in the basin of the river Jorokh, in Vayots Dzor, Treghk, Armenia Minor and Javakhk. Information relating to the dragon stones of Javakhk can be found in a great number of research works on this type of monuments. Special emphasis is laid upon those found in Murjakhet, Gandza and Poka.

Լալայան Ե., Երկեր, հ. 1, էջ 399-400: Սամուելեան Խ., Քարի պաշտամունքը հայերի մէջ.– «Հանդէս ամսօրեայ», 1927, N 9, էջ 524, idem, Հայաստանի հին կուլտուրան, Երևան, 1931, էջ 319-320: Մելիքսեթ-Բեկ Լ., Մեգալիթյան կուլտուրան Վրաստանում, (վրաց.), Թբիլիսի, 1938, էջ 99-104: Ростомов И., Ахалкалакский уезд в археологическом отношении.– Сборник Материалов для Описания Местностей и Племен Кавказа, вып. XXV, 1898, стр. 93-94: Такайшвили Е., “Материалы по археологии Кавказа”, т. ХII, Москва, 1909, стр. 28. “Христианский восток”, т. VI (1917-20), Петроград, 1922, стр. 335: Марр Н. и Орбели И., Археологическая экспедиция 1916 г. в Ван, Петроград, 1922, стр. 41: Капанцян Г., Историко-лингвистеческие работы, т. II, Ереван, 1975, стр. 328: Սանոսյան Ա. Ս., Ջավախքի «վիշապ» քարակոթողները,.– «Բանբեր Երևանի համալսարանի», 1982, N 2: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 22-23.

Medieval Castles, Towers, Observation Posts. Of the strongly-fortified castles of Javakhk, mention should be made of those of Akhalkalak, Tmok and Khertvis. Founded between the 10th and 11th centuries, these strongholds later underwent renovation and further fortification. They possess all the features generally accepted in castle-building—semi-circular, or rectangular towers, barracks, palaces, cut-in-rock and underground wells, secret passages, etc. Lonely towers of a rectangular plan serving as observation posts are preserved in the villages of Arakova, Tok, Khando, Turtskh and their neighbourhood.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 23.

4 — 11 cc․

The early medieval Armenian heritage of Christian monuments also comprises quadrilateral steles that are wide-spread in Historical Armenia. As for the present-day Republic of Georgia, they are found only in the districts of Gugark Province of Armenia Major (including Javakhk) that now form part of this country. A great number of ancient sites of Javakhk retain tens of quadrilateral steles (4th to 7th centuries) that are mostly displaced and broken to pieces. A greater number of steles were ruined in the course of centuries so that only their pedestals are preserved in the region. Both the surviving steles and their pedestals are enriched with elements of decoration (acanthus leaves, winding vines, ornamental reliefs and crosses) typical of similar monuments found elsewhere. It is interesting to note that the ancient sites of Javakhk also retain quadrilateral and circular steles dating from the 9th to 11th centuries (their parallels are found both in the Armenian Chalcedonian heritage of Gugark and in the adjacent Georgian villages). The quadrilateral steles preserved in Javakhk and other districts of Gugark comprise specimens attributed to both periods of the development of the culture of steles (4th to 7th cents. and 9th to 11th cents.). In contrast to them, the few steles found in the historical Georgian regions of Kartli and Kakhetia are ascribed to only the latter of the periods mentioned.

In Gugark they are found in Kumurdo, Saghamo, Khando and Tok Villages, Javakhk District. Similar steles are also preserved in Mamula Village, Treghk District; Kazret Village, Kvishapor District, as well as in Ukangor Village, Kangark District. Monuments of this type can also be seen in Khandis and Davati Villages, Kartli; Satskhenisi and Natlismtsemeli Villages, Kakhetia, etc. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 23.

1991 — 2005 yy․

In 1991 a Georgian nunnery was established in the purely Armenian-inhabited village of Poka. On 17 October 2002, the Diocese of Akhalkalak and Kumurdo was set up in Javakhk, with Archbishop Nicolos as its Primate. In 2005 a Georgian prayer-house was founded in Akhalkalak.

“კარიბჭე”, 12-25.08.2005, N 14: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 18.

9 — 18 cc․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. Almost all the villages and village sites of Javakhk retain religious monuments which may be classified in two main groups: Armenian (Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic), and others of Byzantine ritual. The latter comprise the cultural heritage (9th to 14th centuries) of the local Armenian Chalcedonian inhabitants and a small number of Georgian religious monuments attributed to the period between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 23.

5 — 7 cc․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. The earliest of Javakhk’s Armenian Apostolic churches (St. Hovhannes of Baralet, the single-nave church of Bzavet, etc.) date from the 5th to 7th centuries. The construction of churches that functioned under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Apostolic Church went on throughout the entire history of the region (up until the 19th century), irrespective of the political situation prevailing there.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 23.

9 c․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. In the 9th century, the Bagratid princes of the region of Tayk embraced Chalcedonianism and put the dioceses within their territorial possession under the jurisdiction of the Georgian Catholicos. From this period onwards, the inhabitants of Javakhk—then under the influence of this newly-converted political elite—also started building churches and monasteries of Byzantine ritual (Sourb Hambardzman Church of Kumurdo; St. Stepanos of Ekhtila; Yerevman Sourb Khach of Khorenia, etc.) under state auspices.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 23.

13 — 14 yy․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. The earliest religious monuments built by the Georgian inhabitants of Javakhk (found in Baralet, Kotelia, Murjakhet, Varevan, etc.) date from the 13th to 14th centuries.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 23.

19 c․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. In the 19th century, both the Armenian and Georgian villages of Javakhk were enriched with newly-erected churches, including a Russian one in Akhalkalak.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 24.

14 — 15 cc․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. Javakhk has almost no churches tracing back to the 14th to 15th centuries, but the available lapidary sources show that during this period, the overwhelming majority of the region’s population were Apostolic Armenians. This fact suggests that beginning with the 13th to 14th centuries, the Apostolic Armenians of Javakhk often preferred re-consecrating the existing churches of Chalcedonian profession into Apostolic ones. Sourb Hambardzman Church of Kumurdo, St. Stepanos of Ekhtila, Sourb Harutiun (Holy Resurrection) of Abul and numerous other churches retaining Armenian graveyards attributed to the 14th to 16th centuries are an eloquent proof of this.

It is noteworthy that the Armenian-Chalcedonian churches of Javakhk and Tayk have certain architectural features which are absolutely uncharacteristic of the Georgian churches of Byzantine ritual preserved in the territory of Georgia. Instead, these features, such as the elevated bema (the tangible altitude of the bema above the surface of the prayer-hall), the absence of graves inside the church and their existence around the sanctuary, are quite typical of Armenian Apostolic churches. The ritual of the Apostolic Church of Armenia bans burials within churches, if the deceased are not canonised: otherwise, the church turned into a simple mortuary chapel and was stripped of the right of offering divine service. In Armenian Apostolic churches, the dead are buried outside the consecrated prayer-hall, i.e. either in the narthex—if the church has one—or in the adjacent yard. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 24.

15 — 19 cc․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. Thus, the churches built by the Armenian Chalcedonians shifted into the jurisdiction of the Armenian Apostolic Church not later than the 15th century. In the second half of the 18th century, these sanctuaries were mostly left derelict and ruined in the aftermath of the mass deportation of the local Armenian population. In the 1830s, however, they were re-consecrated and resumed functioning as Armenian Apostolic parish churches.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 24.

1850 y․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. In the 1850s, the Supreme Pontiffs of the Georgian Orthodox Church started expressing their discontent over the re-opening of the medieval Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Chalcedonian churches of Javakhk by the local Armenians. The dignitaries of the Georgian Church even commenced collecting signatures forcing the Armenian inhabitants of Javakhk into renouncing the rights they had to the churches of their villages. The violence exerted by the Georgian clergymen is exposed in the following passage, quoted from a statement (1853) the spiritual authorities of Akhaltskha addressed to the Diocese Consistory of Georgia and Imeret: “...on the order of the powerful Russian Empire, in 1830 the Armenian villagers of Karin Province resettled in the devastated villages of Akhaltskha Province, as well as in Akhalkalak District and Tzalka. In these villages they found magnificent churches reduced to ruins, but it remained unknown who their builders were and what nation they belonged to, although they preserved inscriptions in the Greek and Georgian languages... Governor General of Transcaucasia and His Excellence Count of Yerevan Paskevich... permitted the resettlers to repair these churches and use them for divine service. In the same year, they renovated and consecrated [these churches] under the guidance of Archbishop Karapet, who was their Primate at that time. Since then they have been in the Armenian people’s hands, and they have been holding liturgy in these sanctuaries without any obstacle. On 29 May of this year (No. 264), the Rural Dean of Akh[a]lkalak and Tzalka declared that his Greek counterpart had begun travelling in the villages of the province together with the Assistant Governor. Wherever they saw splendid churches of ancient age, they took measurements of them, after which they gathered together the local people and priests to make them sign that their church is a Greek one. In some places, they collected the desirable signatures from the naive villagers, but those of Gyumbyurto did not agree to sign so that they [the collectors of signatures] went to the Governor of Akh[a]lkalak and reported him that they [the villagers] had resisted and insulted them. The Governor sent for the influential people of the village and imprisoned five of them, leaving them in jail for two days. The people of the province are in utter despair, for those sent to prison and they themselves are absolutely innocent.”

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. Պ-56, ց. 12, գ. 306, թ. 1: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 24.

1854 — 1865 yy․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. In 1854 the Exarch of Georgia declared that “...the churches located in the district of Akhaltskha are Orthodox [sanctuaries], but were allocated to the Armenians...” In response to these claims, in 1865 the Diocese Consistory of Georgia and Imeret made the following statement: “...Prince Paskevich of Yerevan ordered the Governors of Akhalkalak, Khertvis and Tzalka to give the aforementioned churches, which have become an object of dispute for the Greek church dignitaries, to the Armenian resettlers from Karin for divine service. At that time, it was unknown whether Armenians or Greeks were the true owners of these churches, part of which lay semi-ruined and the others were reduced to cattle-sheds in the hands of the Turkish Tarakamas. This is the reason why His Eminence Archbishop Karapet consecrated them according to the ritual of the Armenian Church. Armenians have been freely performing divine service there according to the ritual of the Armenian Church for already thirty-five years. It is a long time since these churches were put within the jurisdiction of the Armenian spiritual authorities. They have been blessed according to the rules and regulations of the Armenian Church and have been repaired by the Armenians. Our spiritual authorities do not possess any other proof of their belonging to Armenians. Our Consistory does not know what documents and grounds the Greek church dignitaries have to start this argument and attempt to appropriate these churches. As a matter of fact, the history of Armenians shows that they are situated in an Armenian land: therefore, it may indeed be supposed that these churches were Armenian before their destruction...”

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. Պ-56, ց. 12, գ. 306, թ. 31-32: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 24-25

1853 y․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. The Ottoman armies which invaded the region in 1853 inflicted considerable damage upon the churches of Akhaltskha District. A statement made by the local spiritual authorities on 24 March 1854 reveals that the parish churches of 9 villages were plundered and destroyed by the invading Ottoman army: “...during the fighting against the Christian troops of the powerful Russian Empire, the Ottoman barbarians ruined all those churches together with their altars, and broke the icons to pieces, reducing some of them to stables...”

The available archive documents attest that the Christian monuments of worship were desecrated by the local Muslim elements and the armed Ottoman troops. The archive document providing this information does not mention the names of these villages. Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. Պ-56, ց. 12, գ. 306, թ. 19, 36, 41: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 25.

1866 y․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. In 1866 the Georgian clergymen again put forward their groundless claims and started arguments over the belonging of a number of medieval churches preserved in the region. The disputed monuments were presented as follows: 1 The churches of Vardistsikhe, Tsikhe, Oldan, Aruj, Hokam, Leknar and Khuvris were destroyed by Muslims on the order of the Turkish authorities. 2 The churches of Karant, Alastuban and Bavra were occupied by the Armenian Catholics without permission. 3 The churches of Abul, Burnashet, Khtil and Merenia shifted into the Armenians’ control. 4 The church of Alastan was ruined by the Armenian Catholics, its remnants being used for the construction of another church. 5 The church of Kumurdo was initially demolished by the Turks. Later its western part was occupied by the Armenians.

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. Պ-56, ց. 12, գ. 306, թ. 19, 36, 41: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 25.

12 — 14 cc․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. Medieval monastic centres do not form a great number in Javakhk. The ones preserved (Ekhtila, Karnet, Tokavank) date from the 12th to 14th centuries and comprise one or two churches with an enclosure at best.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 25.

1842 y․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. In 1842 Archbishop Karapet Bagratuny applied to the Russian authorities for permission to purchase the royal estate of Mukhrashen (in the sub-district of Akhalkalak), then lying in ruins, for the purpose of establishing a monastery there. The leader of the Western Armenian resettlers substantiated his petition by stating that these people had left four monasteries in their native district of Karin, whereas in Javakhk they could not find a single standing one.

Մատենադարան (Yerevan Institute of Manuscripts), թղթ. 152, վավ. 153: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 25.

1990 y․

Chapels, Churches, Monasteries. Most of the religious buildings preserved in the region represent small uni-nave chapels mainly built on elevated terrain such as the tops of hills and mountains. Among these sanctuaries can be mentioned St. Hovhannes in Gandza, Sourb Lusavorich (Holy Enlightener) in Vachian, Jgnavor (the Armenian equivalent for Hermit) in Akhalkalak, etc. In the late 1990s, the pious Armenians of Javakhk embarked upon the renovation of several ruined and semi-destroyed medieval churches. Indeed, the strivings of these people are both noble and God-pleasing, but they have tangibly distorted the architectural features of these monuments: this is the reason why such “overhauls” are absolutely intolerable. It should always be taken into account that historical monuments are restored in accordance with projects approved by proper scientific councils which do not admit of any self-willed changes. The Georgian press has trumpeted these acts of renovation implemented in recent years, unnecessarily seeking for political considerations allegedly lying in the background of these undertakings.

ნოზაძე ზ., “რეზონანსი”, jავახეთში გრძელდება ქვათა ღრიალი, “6 საათზე”, 20.12.2001, N 225: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 25.

9 — 18 cc․

Khachkars (Cross-Stones). Since the dissemination of Christianity in Armenia, Armenians have created monuments symbolising the miracle-working features and perpetuity of the Holy Cross. Primarily, they had the form of quadrilateral steles which were later developed into cross-stones. Throughout many centuries, the khachkar has been the embodiment of the Armenian’s creative identity, being viewed as a purely Armenian type of monument. In the territory of Historical Armenia, cross-stones were erected everywhere on most different occasions. As far as Javakhk is concerned, khachkars are spread throughout the territory of the district. They are mostly preserved in ancient cemeteries, as well as in the walls of the local churches. The district also retains lonely cross-stones and others serving as boundary markers (known as sahmanakhach, i.e. boundary cross in the Armenian language). From a chronological standpoint, Javakhk preserves cross-stones attributed to almost every century. Khachkars came to replace quadrilateral steles not later than the 9th century and went through all the stages of the development of the art of cross-stones. Particularly numerous are the cross-stones dating from the 9th to 18th centuries. Fortunately, a considerable part of them is inscribed and in some cases also dated. The cross-stones of Javakhk are not distinguished for rich ornamental patterns and mostly have simple decoration—with this respect, they share certain similarities with the cross-stones preserved in the ancient sites of a number of elevated mountainous regions of Armenia. The most frequently met symbolic motifs include bunches of grapes, the six-winged Star of David, etc. Sculptured reliefs, as well as wattled ornaments and decorative bands are rarely found in the cross-stones of Javakhk. Nonetheless, they are of great historic importance, for they form part of medieval Armenian cultural heritage, their existence attesting to the fact that throughout the Middle Ages, the entire district of Javakhk was densely-inhabited by Armenians.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 25-26.

Khachkars (Cross-Stones). In our days, the creation of khachkars continues in Javakhk. Specimens of newly-erected cross-stones can be seen in the cemeteries of Akhalkalak and a great number of villages. They include works of art combining the traditional features of the art of khachkars with new approaches and conceptions. It was only in the late 19th century that some slight attention was paid to the cross-stones of Javakhk. In the Soviet years, the khachkars of Tmkaberd and Tzunda (Kajatun) were studied by Georgian researcher L. Davlianidze. In the 1990s, we made an attempt to present an all-embracing picture of the cross-stones preserved in the region. Recently D. Berdzenishvili and D. Tumanishvili have conducted “research” into the khachkars found in the city site of Akhalkalak.

Էփրիկեան Հ. Ս., Պատկերազարդ բնաշխարհիկ բառարան, հ. Ա, Վենետիկ, 1903-1905, էջ 65, Լալայան Ե., Երկեր, հ. 1, էջ 55, 71: Давлианидзе Л. С., К изучению цундско-тмговских хачкаров (крестов-камней), Вестник гос. музея Грузии, 1959. Կարապետյան Ս., Ջավախքի խաչքարերը, Երևան, 1995: ბერძენიშვილი დ., ახალქალაქი ჯავახეთისაБ, “არტანუჯი”, 1998, N 7, էջ 25-27: Consulting E. Jandiery, who is considered an “expert” in cross-stone studies, D. Berdzenishvili arrived at the conclusion that the khachkars found in the city site of Akhalkalak had been moved there by the Armenian resettlers from Karin. Allegedly, these cross-stones were unearthed “in the archaeological stratum of the 19th century”—therefore, they cannot be related to the medieval history of this ancient site. In the yard of Sourb Khach (Holy Cross) Church stands an ornate khachkar which was found in the citadel in 1988 and is attributed to the 13th to 14th centuries. Berdzenishvili speaks of it as “a monument symbolising the salvation of the Armenians who escaped the Turkish yoke and found refuge in the Georgian land under the auspices of the Russian [High] Command.” These words reveal that the researcher engaged in the study of Medieval Art is unable to differentiate a khachkar of the 13th to 14th centuries from one of the 19th century. As for the allegation that these cross-stones were found “in the archaeological stratum of the 19th century,” it is absolutely beyond reason to even offer any interpretation for it. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 26.

10 — 13 cc․

Armenian Chalcedonian Cross-Stones. Apart from cross-stones of traditional composition, the territory of Javakhk also retains a group of khachkars pertaining to the cultural heritage of Armenian Chalcedonians. These cross-stones that date from the 10th to 13th centuries are bare of such common features of traditional Armenian khachkars as the rosette symbolising perpetuity, the life of tree, the ball-shaped and plant-like endings of the cross wings, sculptured bands decorating their edges, etc. Armenian Chalcedonian khachkars are preserved in Bavra, Vachian, Sulda, Khando, Varevan and other villages of Javakhk.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 26.

Cemeteries are found within the territories of Javakhk’s present-day villages and village sites, as well as around some of the local monasteries. Chronologically, they can be attributed to almost all centuries—from the pre-Christian era until our days. Besides Armenian graveyards, the district also retains others belonging to the Georgianised Armenian Chalcedonians, Georgians, Turks, Greeks, Jews and Russians. The tombstones preserved in these necropolises are essentially different from one another both stylistically and in terms of their composition. It should be mentioned, however, that the ones found in the cemeteries of the Apostolic, Chalcedonian and Catholic Armenians share certain evident similarities.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 26.

The most wide-spread tombstones preserved in Javakhk are either rectangular or shaped like cradles and coffins. Apart from them, the district also retains others having the form of churches, rams and horses: they date from the period between the early Middle Ages and the 19th century.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 26-27.

19 c․

Bridges. Despite the abundance of rivers in Javakhk, there are almost no medieval bridges preserved there. Mention can be made of only the double-span bridge of Gandza and the multi-span one built in Ghaurma Village in the 19th century. A double-span medieval bridge, built over the river Kur at the foot of Tmkaberd, represented a remarkable structure, but at present only its piers are preserved.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 27.

19 c․

There exist a great number of public and residential buildings in Javakhk. In many of the local villages are preserved 19th-century residential complexes consisting of a glkhatun (a type of ancient, hipped-roof dwelling in the mountainous regions of Armenia) of hazarashen (i.e. hipped-roof) composition, as well as a tonratun (a building with a tonir, i.e. an underground oven traditionally used in bread baking in Armenia), a barn, a cattle-house and other annexes. Particularly remarkable are the ornate, sometimes also inscribed hearthstones that symbolise the prosperity of the house. An outstanding specimen of architecture is found in Kumurdo: it is the house (1898) built by Martiros Agha (a title used with reference to wealthy, influential people) Vardanian, which still stands intact.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 27.

19 c․

Production Buildings. Almost all the villages of Javakhk used to have oil presses. Mills were generally built in those localities which had declivity and sufficient water supply. Most of these buildings were destroyed in the Soviet years, and only their huge single-piece millstones are currently preserved. With regard to ornamentation, reference should be made to the stone of an oil press (19th century) preserved in Satkha and decorated with a relief representing a caravan of camels.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 27.

Lapidary Inscriptions. The first scholar to study the lapidary heritage of Javakhk and publish its specimens was M. Brosset. This meritorious researcher succeeded in deciphering the inscriptions he found in the ancient sites he visited with an exactness unprecedented for his times. One of the main features characterising his method of working was the comprehensive study of the entire lapidary legacy of Javakhk, namely he focused his efforts on both the Armenian and Georgian Mesropian inscriptions of the region. The application of this principle enables the researcher to present an all-embracing picture of the history of the region, but unfortunately, the scholars of later periods did not follow Brosset’s example. Georgian researchers dwelt only upon the Georgian-language inscriptions of Javakhk, without even making the slightest reference to the existence of the Armenian ones. As for their Armenian counterparts, they confined themselves to only mentioning the Georgian Mesropian lapidary inscriptions and focused their studies on the Armenian-language ones.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 27.

So far no exhaustive investigation has been conducted for the collection, decipherment and publication of the Armenian lapidary inscriptions of Javakhk. The few specialists (M. Brosset, K. Margariants, S. Eprikian, Yer. Lalayan, L. Davlianidze) engaged in this field put into scientific circulation the decipherments of only several lapidary inscriptions a considerable part of which do not comply with the present-day standards of the decipherment of lapidary inscriptions. The published scanty materials relating to the period between the 14th and 16th centuries have led some specialists who are not deep in the issue to groundless conclusions. Thus, recently D. Berdzenishvili stated the following: “It is noteworthy that Armenian-language inscriptions are found in the lapidary heritage of Javakheti only beginning with the 14th century. On the other hand, this region is rich in Georgian inscriptions whose abundance makes it one of the finest parts of our country.” Paata Gaprindashvili, Deputy Chairman of Georgia’s Department for the Preservation of Cultural Values, made an even more senseless statement according to which, in Javakhk Armenian inscriptions can be found only near the castle of Tmogvi, and that dating from the 19th century. It should be mentioned, however, that the long-term field-work in the territory of the region has revealed an abundance of Armenian lapidary inscriptions the earliest of which trace back to at least the 13th century. Not only do these countless inscriptions deny the aforementioned erroneous allegations, but they also shed light upon the dark pages of the history of Javakhk.

Brosset M., Mélanges asiatiques. t.II, 2e et 3e1, St. Pétersburg, 1854. Մարգարեանց Կարապետ Տէր-Սարգսեան, Հայրենեաց հնութիւններից.– «Արարատ», 1873, Ժ, էջ 389: Էփրիկեան Հ. Ս., Պատկերազարդ բնաշխարհիկ բառարան, հ. Ա, Վենետիկ, 1903-1905: 24 Լալայան Ե., Երկեր, հ. 1, Երևան, 1983: The existence of late medieval Armenian inscriptions in Javakhk is attested by Seylan, too: “Javakhet also retains inscribed tombstones, etc. dating from the same period, but Mr. Lalayan failed to see them.” (Սէյլան, Արաքսի զոհերը.– «Տարազ», 1889, N 40, էջ 919): Давлианидзе Л. С., К изучению цундско-тмговских хачкаров (крестов-камней).– “Вестник гос. музея Грузии”, 1959. ბერძენიშვილი დ., ნარკვევები საქართველოს ისტორიული გეოგრაფიიდან, ზემო ქართლი - თორი, ჯავახეთი, თბილისი, 1985, էջ 18: “კვირის პალიტრა”, 25-31. 07. 2005, N 30: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 27-28.

9 c․

The Georgian-language inscriptions of Javakhk have been studied by an incomparatively larger group of specialists (M. Brosset, I. Rostomashvili, E. Taghayshvili, “A Certain Meskhetian” (I. Gvaramadze), Kalistrate, V. Tsiskarishvili, N. Berdzenishvili, V. Beridze, N. Shoshiashvili and G. Otkhmezuri) who mostly republished the same decipherments from time to time. Special mention should be made of V. Silogava, a meritorious specialist in lapidary inscriptions, through whose efforts, over ten Georgian Mesropian inscriptions have been found in the region and published in the last two decades. The earliest of Javakhk’s Georgian Mesropian inscriptions date back to the 9th century, when part of the local Armenian population embraced Chalcedonianism. During this period, Georgian was the official language of the Armenian Chalcedonian communities that came into being in the northern districts of Historical Armenia, including those of Javakhk, then under the supremacy of the Georgian Bagratids. Beginning with the 9th century, remarkable works of varying contents were written in Chalcedonianised Javakhk, Tayk and Kgharjk, which were situated outside the borders of Virk, where the language of the ethnic population was Georgian. These works were in Georgian, this being motivated by political and religious considerations. The emergence of this rich heritage was the result of the fruitful activity of the impressive school of written culture existing in Armenia since the 5th century. The specimens of Javakhk’s Armenian-language lapidary legacy (such as those once found in the cemeteries of Tmkaberd and Akhalkalak City Site) have been mercilessly obliterated in the last decades. In contrast to them, the Georgian Mesropian inscriptions are in an incomparatively good state of preservation.

Brosset M., Rapports (II) sur un voyage archéologique dans la Géorgie et dans l’Armenie éxecuté en (1847-1848) par M. Brosset; livr. 2, St-Pb., 1850; Brosset M., Rapports (VI) sur un voyage archéologique dans la Géorgie et dans l’Armenie éxecuté en (1847-1848) par M. Brosset; livr. 3, St-Pb., 1851; Brosset M., Melanges Asiatiques, t. II, 1854. Ростомов И., Сборник Материалов для Описания Местностей и Племен Кавказа, вып. XXV, 1898, როსტომაშვილი, სოფელი ბარალეთი, “მოგზაური”, N 1, 1901. Такайшвили Е., “Материалы по археологии Кавказа”, т. ХII, Москва, 1909. ვინმე მესხი, “ახალი შენიშვნები”, “დროება”, 1880, ვინმე მესხი, “ჯავახეთიდამ, არხეოლოგიური შენიშვნები”, “დროება”, 1882. კალისტრატ ე, საისტორიო მასალა ვ, “ივერია”, 1891. ცისკარიშვილი ვ., ჯავახეთის ეპიგრაფიკა როგორც საისტორიო წყარო, თბილისი, 1959. ბერძენიშვილი ნ., ჯავახეთის 1933 წლის ექსპედიციის დღიური: სის. 1, 1964. Беридзе В., Грузинская архитектура с древнейших времен до начала ХХ века, 1967. შოშიაშვილი ნ., თორელთა ფეოდალური სახლის ისტორია და შოთა რუსთაველი, კრ.: შოთა რუსთაველი, ისტორიულ–ფილოლოგიური ძიებანი, 1966. ოთხმეზური გ., XII-XIII საუკუნეების მიჯნის ქართული ლაპიდარული წარწერები როგორც საისტორიო წყარო, ეპიგრაფიკული ძეგლები და ხელნაწერთა მინაწერები ვი, თბილისი, 1981. სილოგავა ვ., ხელნაწერთა ინსტიტუტის ეპიგრაფიკული ექსპედიციის 1977 წ. მუშაობის ანგარიში, “მრავალთავი”, VII, თბილისი, 1980; სილოგავა ვ., სამხრეთ საქართველოს წარწერების შესწავლა ხელნაწერთა ინსტიტუტის ეპიგრაფიკული ექსპედიციის მიერ, “მრავალთავი”, X, 1983; სილოგავა ვ., კუმურდო. ტაძრის ეპიგრაფიკა, თბილისი, 1994; სილოგავა ვ., სამცხე-ჯავახეთის ისტორიული მუზეუმის ქარტული ეპიგრაფიკული ძეგლები, ახალციხე, 2000; სილოგავა ვ., ბაღვაშთა ფეოდალური სახლის მემორიალური წიგნები და მათი ანდერძ-მოსახსენებლები, Dედიცატიო. ისტორიულ-ფილოლოგიური ძიებანი, თბილისი, 2001; სილოგავა ვ., ხელნაწერთა ინსტიტუტის ეპიგრაფიკული ექსპედიციის 1977 წ. მუშაობის ანგარიში, “მრავალთავი”, VII, თბილისი, 1980; სილოგავა ვ., სამხრეთ საქართველოს წარწერების შესწავლა ხელნაწერთა ინსტიტუტის ეპიგრაფიკული ექსპედიციის მიერ, “მრავალთავი”, X, 1983: Most of these lapidary inscriptions, as well as the Georgian Mesropian ones included in the present work are published for the first time—they were found and recorded during the field-work we carried out in 1988. In the same year, we gave the handwritten copies of the newly-found inscriptions and their photographs to Prof. P. Muradian so that he would decipher and prepare them for publication. However, for many years, these inscriptions remained waiting for print due to this scholar’s indifference which cannot be justified in any way. As a result, V. Silogava gained the honour and privilege of having them published for the first time. It is interesting to note that some of the Georgian Mesropian inscriptions of Javakhk contain personal names mostly typical of an Armenian-speaking environment (Vardan, Gayane, Sargis, Hakob, etc.). It is customary for the Georgian researchers who have visited Javakhk to accuse the “non-native Armenians” of the district of the deliberate obliteration of the local medieval “Georgian” inscriptions. In fact, however, the Armenians of Javakhk mostly have no idea about the peculiarities of the medieval written language so that they make absolutely no differentiation between Georgian Mesropian and Armenian characters. They often take the former for purely Armenian letters and treat the inscriptions carved in these characters with undoubted veneration, deeply convinced that they are dealing with specimens of Armenian lapidary heritage. Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 28.

18 c․

Despite the long period of Ottoman dominion in Javakhk, Turkish inscriptions written in the Arabic script form a small number there. This fact shows that during those times, the Turkish rulers did not engage in large-scale construction activity. Mention can be made of the construction inscriptions of the mosque (18th century) built in the citadel of Akhalkalak, and the spring of Erinja Village.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 28.

Agriculture

The most developed branches of agriculture in Javakhk are animal husbandry and the cultivation of cereals (barley, wheat, flax, oats, etc.). The region offers favourable conditions for the development of cattle-breeding, thanks to which, it has always attracted not only the local people, but also the foreign inhabitants of the nearby and remote districts.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 10.

Thus, every year it is visited by Georgian stock-breeders who come here in search of summer pastures. Their countless cattle, however, inflict serious damage upon the fields of the region: “The agriculture of the district also suffers heavy damage by the Toosh shepherds who arrive here with their large herds from the district of Tionet, their destination being the pastures of Geog-Dagh and Ardahan District. On their way to, and from, these places, their cattle cause harm to our villagers’ fields, this often resulting in skirmishes.”

Սալլիւմեան, Տնտեսական հարցեր, «Մուրճ», 1901, N 7, էջ 178: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, pp. 10-11.

1899 — 1900 yy․

In 1899 and 1900, tangible harm was inflicted upon the agriculture of Javakhk by the Hottentot and cereal leaf (Oulema melanopus) beetles. In order to render relief to the villages which had suffered losses, in 1900 a committee was set up under the chairmanship of the Governor of Tiflis—it comprised editor of the Mshak Al. Kalantar and famous specialist in Caucasian Studies E. Veydenbaum. In the course of the work carried out on the spot, these villages were classified into three groups according to the heaviness of the damage they had borne. The Government allocated 3,000 roubles to 259 houses of poverty-stricken inhabitants, 1,369 in number, for the acquisition and distribution of flour.

Սալլիւմեան, Անբերրիութիւնը Ախալքալաքի գաւառում եւ նրա հետեւանքները, «Մուրճ», 1901, N 6, էջ 247-249: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 11.

In the post-war years, the cultivation of potato became wide-spread in Javakhk.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 11.

Education
1837 y․

The earliest educational institutions functioning in Javakhk date from 1837, when some of the local villages (Abul, Diliska, Chamdura) had private schools.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 21.

19 c․

The oldest known parochial school of the region was founded in Akhalkalak in 1836. From the 1860s onwards, other parish schools opened in the populous villages of the district. The establishment of similar educational institutions continued in full swing until the early 1880s, when state Russian schools opened in the large villages of the region (Diliska, Kartzakh, Satkha, Vachian) on a Government order. The foundation of these schools was a great blow to Armenian parochial church schools which could hardly eke out their existence due to the acute shortage of financial means: instead of giving their children a national education, part of the illiterate population of the region preferred sending them to Russian schools, thus contributing to the prosperity of these institutions and causing the gradual downfall of the national Armenian ones. Sharing the fate of the Armenian schools of the entire Russian Empire, the Armenian national schools of Javakhk, which were in a grave predicament, remained closed on a Government order in 1885, and during the period between 1896 and 1905. After they had been granted permission for re-opening (1905), the field of education again flourished in Javakhk. By the year 1918, more than 40 places of the region had reopened their schools. The work of these institutions, however, was again paralysed during the tumultuous years of 1918 to 1921.

For an all-embracing history of the development of the field of education in Javakhk, see Մելքոնյան Աշոտ, Նյութեր Ախալցխայի և Ախալքալաքի դպրոցների պատմությունից, Երևան, 2005: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 21.

After the establishment of the Soviet rule, the reviving villages of Javakhk started opening secondary, eight-year, or primary Armenian schools (the type of the school depended on the number of the schoolchildren in the given village). Due to the policy of national discrimination exercised by Georgia’s Ministry of Enlightenment, the History of the Armenian Nation and the Geography of Armenia are forbidden in the curricula of these institutions (as was the case in Artsakh, which remained annexed to Soviet Azerbaijan until 1988). Unfortunately, the authorities of the present-day Republic of Georgia persistently pursue the same anti-Armenian policy of discrimination that has come down from the Soviet years. Moreover, they are taking further steps to cause the final collapse of Javakhk’s Armenian-language system of education. They follow this course, openly ignoring the values of democracy and the international conventions on the protection of the rights of ethnic minorities, despite the fact that their country is legally committed to the observance of these norms and regulations.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 21.

Resettlements
1829 — 1830 yy․

After their arrival in Javakhk (1829 to 1830), the Western Armenians showed tendencies for both internal and external migrations which were observed until the mid-19th century, being mostly conditioned by economic factors. The inhabitants of the newly-established villages often moved elsewhere and founded new places of living not only in Akhalkalak, but also in the territories of the neighbouring districts. Thus, the district of Treghk (Tzaghka) had villages dating from the first half of the 19th century and bearing toponyms already existing in Javakhk (Nor Aragyal, Nor Burnashet, Nor Korkh).

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1830 y․

Among the Armenians of Javakhk, internal migrations were observed from 1830 onwards. Thus, 22 families from Brdonk lived in the territory of Samsar for 2 months, then 7 of them moved to the site of present-day Akana Village, and the remaining 15 to Metz Aragyal.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1834 y․

In 1834 the village of Gom provided a place of living for several families from Arakova.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1836 y․

In 1836 part of the population of Ekhtila founded the village of Ekhtila-Samsar (Pokr Samsar). The others established Lomaturtskh and Trkna (7 families).

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1844 y․

In 1844 15 of the families living in Burnashet left it and moved to Tzaghka District, where they founded Nor Burnashet.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1845 — 1847 yy․

Between 1845 and 1847, part of the Armenians of Korkh left for Tzaghka District and laid the foundations of Nor Korkh in a devastated village site.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1854 y․

According to a register made up in 1854, the Armenian inhabitants of Nor Korkh and Nor Arakova Villages of Tzaghka later moved to Akhalkalak District, leaving their churches derelict: “...two villages, namely Nor Korkh and Nor Arakova, left the province of Tzaghka for the province of Akhalkalak...”

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. Պ-56, ց. 12, գ. 306, թ. 17: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1855 — 1856 yy․

Between 1855 and 1856, Tok was totally stripped of its Armenian residents, who moved to the newly-established village of Pokr Samsar located at the foot of Mount Samsar.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1870 y․

In the early 1870s, Ghulalis provided housing for the former inhabitants of Ghabur, Jinis and other villages of Tzaghka.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1848 y․

The ancestors of the inhabitants of Metz Samsar who had first taken up living in Tok left it in 1848 and founded their present-day village whose name is composed of the toponyms of Tok and Samsar.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1852 y․

Several Armenian families from Nor Korkh (Tzaghka) took up residence in the village site of Olaver in 1852.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1850 y․

In the early 1850s, several Armenian families from Kajo founded the village of Sirk.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1860 y․

Molit, which dates from the 1860s, was established by Armenian resettlers from Zak, Trkna and Tzaghka.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1860 y․

During the same period (1860s), a number of Armenian families from Korkh, Baralet and Trkna founded present-day Tabatzghur.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1907 y․

In 1907 several other families from Korkh established the village of Totkham.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1927 — 1929 yy․

Bozali, which traces back to the period between 1927 and 1929, was founded by the Armenians of Sulda.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 19.

1928 y․

In 1928 the Armenian resettlers from Toria and Ujmana laid the foundations of Katnatu.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 20.

1930 — 1932 yy․

Between 1930 and 1932, several Armenian families from Heshtia founded Zhdanovakan in the site of a summer pasture belonging to their village.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 20.

1944 y․

In 1944 Davnia Village received several Armenian families from Bezhano.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 20.

1944 y․

In the same year (1944), the Armenians of Mrakol (Mrakoval) took up living in Khavet.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 20.

1960 — 1990 yy․

Internal migrations of smaller scale were observed among the Armenians of Javakhk in the post-war years as well. The wave of these resettlements almost receded between the 1960s and 1990s.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 20.

1993 — 1994 yy․

The political situation of Javakhk that was aggravating with every single passing day, as well as the economic crisis facing the region between 1993 and 1994 gave rise to emigration mostly into the Russian Federation. Unfortunately, it has not ended even today.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 20.

Type Photo
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Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

Scenery from Javakhk

Type Photo
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Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative
Date 1988 — 1989 yy․

Scenery from Javakhk

Type Photo
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Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative

A kind-hearted stork...

Type Photo
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Source Black-and-white negative
Date 19 c․

The gorge of the river Parvana near Akhalkalak (photo late 19th century)

Type Photo
View Partial view
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative

A partial view of the forest of Jobaret