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Derik 4 Monuments

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

Location

Derik is situated 17 km north-west of Salmast City, on the west-facing slope of a gorge lying on the left bank of the stream Derikajour.

Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 113.

Population

Judging from the preserved monuments of material culture, Derik was certainly inhabited by Armenians from at least the early Middle Ages (although perhaps, it was inhabited by Armenians from time immemorial). According to a record, the place remained populated by Armenians until the end of the Russo-Persian war of 1826 to 1828, after which most of the Armenians living in the villages of Salmast District, particularly in the mountainous ones, resettled in Eastern Armenia: “The village remained inhabited by Armenians until 1828, after which it was re-populated by Kurds due to some political developments.” It should be noted that a small number of Armenians continued living in Derik in the following decades as well: in 1890, for instance, it was mentioned as the only Armenian-inhabited village in the neighbourhood, with 5 or 6 Armenian houses.

Գորոյեանց Ն., Պարսկաստանի հայերը [N. Goroyants, The Armenians of Persia] (Tehran, 1968), p. 180. Kosoyan, “In Salmast and Derik,” Alik, no. 203, 14 September 1964, p. 2. According to another researcher, the village had between 10 and 15 Armenian families (Աճէմեան Հ., Բագրատ վարդ. Գէորգ-Թաւաքալեան [H. Atjemian, “Archimandrite Bagrat Gevorg-Tavakalian”], «Վէմ» [Vem], no. 14 (March-April 1936), p. 97). Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 113.

In 1891 reference was made to a shepherd from Derik, a certain Rouben, who was mastering crafts in an armoury (named Khariskh) founded by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Party in Tabriz (he had been sent there by the prominent Armenian hayduk Sevkaretsy Sako). In the early 1890s, another local inhabitant, a certain Khacho, was mentioned.

Սամսոն /Սամսոն Թադևոսյան/, Հ.Յ.Դ. «Խարիսխ» զինագործարանը [Samson /Samson Tadevossian/, “The Armoury Khariskh of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation”], «Ալիք» [Alik], no. 236, 19 October 1972, p. 2. Սէյրի /Ավետիք Գուլոյան/, Դերիկ կամ դէպի անմահութիւն [Seyri /Avetik Gouloyan/, “Derik or towards Immortality”], «Հասկեր» [Hasker], no. 7 (July 1906), p. 242. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 113.

In 1892 Derik was referred to as a “newly-founded” village of 5 houses: “[The local inhabitants] cultivated the soil and bred cattle. Thanks to the efforts of the prior of Derik [Monastery] who is an archimandrite, the village was expected to receive some new inhabitants; in addition, trees and gardens were to be planted on the banks of the streams, and a school house was to be built there so that it was going to develop into a beautiful village in a couple of years.”

Սէյրի /Ավետիք Գուլոյան/, Դերիկ կամ դէպի անմահութիւն [Seyri /Avetik Gouloyan/, “Derik or towards Immortality”], «Հասկեր» [Hasker], nos. 8-9 (August-September 1906), p. 291. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 113.

In 1893 the village had a Kurdish population of 9 houses.

Ճանապարհորդ /Գ. Սև-Երիցյան/, Նամակներ Պարսկաստանից [Tjanaparhord /G. Sev-Yeritsian/, “Letters from Persia”], «Նոր-Դար» [Nor-Dar], no. 22, 8 February 1894, p. 2 (the gorge on the slope of which the village is situated is called Jhandam Dara). Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 113.

In 1894 “two villages are situated close to the monastery [of Derik]: one of them has 3 Armenian and the other 10 Kurdish houses. Two of them belong to the monastery.”

Պատրիկ, Վերջին դէպքերը Սալմաստում [Patrik, “The Latest Events in Salmast”], «Մշակ» [Mshak], no. 98, 27 August 1894, p. 1. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 113.

In the same year, “on Movses Ishkhanian’s initiative, the village of Derik was bought by the Armenian community of Haftvan as national property. It belonged to the Armenians of this village until 1928, when the [Armenian] Prelacy of Atrpatakan ordered to sell it to a Kurdish chieftain.”

Գորոյեանց Ն., Պարսկաստանի հայերը [N. Goroyants, The Armenians of Persia] (Tehran, 1968), p. 181. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 113.

According to Mesrop Minassian, one of the parish priests of Salmast, “the Armenian village of Derek was completely abandoned in 1914.”

Բոլատեան Մ., Տպաւորութիւններ Իրանի պատմական վայրերից [M. Bolatian, “Impressions of the Historical Places of Iran”], «Ալիք» [Alik], no. 180, 22 August 1960, p. 2. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 113.

In 1930 Derik had a Kurdish population of 180 people. In the same year, the village was destroyed by an earthquake, the total number of those injured and killed amounting to 25.

Tchalenko, J., M. Berberian. “The Salmas (Iran) Earthquake of May 6th, 1930.” Annals of Geophysics. Vol. 27 (1974), p. 156. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 113.

In 1964 Derik was completely abandoned: “Two deep gorge valleys, Dushman Dara from the north-east and Brushkhana from the south-west, join each other to form a triangular area on the elevated part of which the monastery stood. Downwards, the Armenian village of Derik extended with ruined houses and absolutely no inhabitants.”

Կոսոյեան Հ., Սալմաստում եւ Դերիկում [H. Kosoyan, “In Salmast and Derik”], Alik, no. 204, 15 September 1964, p. 2. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 114.

In 2011 Derik had 35 houses of Kurds belonging to chieftain Mohammed’s tribe.

Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 114.

Name Origin

The village is named after a nearby monastery which is called Derik by the Kurds (der is the Kurdish word for monastery).

Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 113.

Author Sasun Danielian
Date 2017 y․

The gorge of the stream Derikajour and the Spitak (White) mountains