SEARCH SYSTEM OF THE ARMENIAN HIGHLAND MONUMENTS

Totkham 1 Monuments

Georgia (Country) / Javakhk (District) / Akhalkalak (District) / Totkham (Village)

Location

The village which adjoins the highway of Akhalkalak-Bakurian in the west is situated half a kilometre east of Korkh, 4 kilometres north of Akhalkalak in a straight line, at an altitude of 1,690 metres above sea level.

Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 205.

Historical Introduction

The monuments of material culture found in the territory of Totkham attest that it has been inhabited since the pre-Christian era. This is also proved by some glass pitchers of the second half of the 1st century A.D. unclosed during the construction of a house.

საგინაშვილი მარიამ, მინის სანელსაცხებლები ჯავახეთიდან, »ძეგლის მეგობარი», 1988, N 3, էջ 53-56: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 205.

1595 y․

One of the earliest records bearing reference to Totkham dates from 1595 and mentions it as a small village paying 500 akches to the State Treasury.

“გურჯისტანის ვილაიეთის დიდი დავთარი”, էջ 238: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 205.

1911 y․

The ancient village site lay derelict until 1911, when it came back to life (in 1913 it was finally established as a village): “...as is apparent from the decree of the District Head of Akhalkalak (6 July 1913, No. 1369), it has already been separated from the village of Korkh and has its own Assistant Village Head with his deputy appointed by the Government.”

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. Պ-56, ց. 18, գ. 980, թ. 34: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 205.

After a long delay, on 18 September 1912, Tiflis Provincial Body for Peasants’ Affairs finally made a decision to grant Totkham the status of an independent village.

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3438, թ. 4: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 205.

Population

During World War II, 22 of the 53 inhabitants of Totkham fighting on the battle-field were killed by the enemy.

Դավթյան Ա., Ջավախք, Երևան, 1994, էջ 101: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 205.

1907 y․

The devastated village was revived thanks to the resettlement of several families from Korkh which had left it in 1907: “...In 1911 and 1912, seventeen families from Korkh Village of the diocese built houses in a ruined site called Totkham—located within four versts [of their former place of living]—and established a small village there...” These people formed 15 houses in 1911, and 17 (more than 200 souls) in 1913. The residents of Korkh had abandoned it for merely economic reasons: “This resettlement was due to some inconveniences, including the lack of sufficient land for houses, threshing-floors and other buildings facing our seventeen families [in Korkh]. Now we enjoy all the necessary conditions in the spacious territory of this newly-founded village of Totkham to build houses and have a becoming existence here...”

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. Պ-56, ց. 18, գ. 980, թ. 34, ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3438, թ. 2, 4: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 205.

1987 y․

In 1987 it had a population of 95 houses with 418 inhabitants.

Հայաստանի ազգային դիվան, (National Archives of Armenia), ֆ. 53, ց. 1, գ. 3438, թ. 4: Karapetian. Samvel, Javakhk, Yerevan, 2011, p. 205.

Monuments
1915 y․

As early as 1915, Echmiatzin Consistory put into consideration the issue of having a church built in Totkham with an estimate of 2,378 roubles. In their turn, the local inhabitants were to support its construction, but it failed due to the unfavourable political conditions of the subsequent years.