SEARCH SYSTEM OF THE ARMENIAN HIGHLAND MONUMENTS

Ajvaj 9 Monuments

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

Location

Ajvaj is situated 14.1 km south-west of Salmast City, on a slanting, north-facing mountain slope, at an altitude of 1,645 to 1,660 metres.

Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 90.

Historical Introduction

The archaeological excavations carried out on the village territory have unclosed some petroglyphs and vestiges of prehistoric human habitation.

.٢٥ ﺹ ,١٣٨٨ ,ﺱﺎﻤﻠﺳ ,ﺱﺎﻤﻠﺳ ﻯﻧﺎﺘﺳﺎﺑ ﻱﺎﻫﺎﻨﺑ ,ﻯﻧﺎﺠﻧﺮﻫﺍ ﻯﻧﺎﻤﺣﺭ ﺩﺍﺩﺮﻬﻣ [Mihrdat Rahmani Ahrenjani, The Historical Monuments of Salmast] (Salmast, 1388), p. 25. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 90.

In 1904 a group of Armenians from Haftvan bought Ajvaj (already a Kurdish village since the 1870s): “Nine years ago, several vigorous and enthusiastic young men from Haftvan purchased the 9/12th part of that village [Ajvaj, which was inhabited by Kurds] from its Turkish owner. They intended to engage in soil cultivation after carrying out some agricultural experiments according to a new system. However, their enthusiasm was stolen away at the very beginning [of their undertaking] as some evil tongues began slandering them, attributing other goals to the purchase of the village. Allegedly, they had bought it to build a fortress there as a haven for Armenian “kachaghs” [italics added].” After some fuss, the village was formally sold to an Armenian who was a Russian subject, and the issue was settled in this way.

As literally translated from Turkish, the word kachagh (ghachagh) means a runaway, especially one persecuted by the government. In this quoted text, it actually refers to the Armenian fidayis or hayduks, the freedom fighters who formed irregular armed groups and struggled against the Ottoman Government in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in reaction to the mass murder of Armenians and the pillage of Armenian villages in Western Armenia. Պատրիկեան Վ., Ընթացիկ կեանքը [V. Patrikian, “Current Life”], «Հորիզոն» [Horizon], no. 182, 16 August 1913, p. 4. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 90.

Population

The available records do not provide any information as to the time when Ajvaj was emptied of its Armenian population. Most presumably, this happened in the early 1870s as its name is missing from a statistical register of 1875 which presents the number of the population of all the Armenian-inhabited villages of Salmast District. The existing statistical data refer only to the year 1860, when Ajvaj had an Armenian population of 7 houses with 56 people (37 males, 19 females).

Մխիթարեանց Ա., Ցուցակ որքանութեան ազգի հայոց ի վիճակին Ատրպատականի ի Պարսկաստան, ըստ տանց նոցին, ըստ արական և իգական սեռից յիւրաքանչիւր գաւառս [A. Mkhitariants, “A Statistical List of Armenians in the Prelacy of Atrpatakan, Persia, as per Houses, Males and Females in Every District”], «Համբաւաբեր Ռուսիոյ» [Hambavaber Rusio], no. 30, 20 September 1862, p. 1. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 90.

On 8 August 1906, the Kurds for whom robbery was the only way of getting means of existence invaded Ajvaj under the leadership of a certain Mirza and Simko. What is noteworthy, the village had long been emptied of its Armenian population so that they actually attacked and plundered their very fellow tribesmen: “The village of Ajivaj had several houses inhabited by peaceful Kurdish farmers belonging to the very tribe that had made the raid.”

Յովհ. /Ստեփան Հովհաննիսյան/, Նամակ Պարսկաստանից [Hovh. /Stepan Hovhannissian/, “A Letter from Persia”], «Մշակ» [Mshak], no. 187, 29 August 1906, p. 3. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 90.

Ajvaj suffered another attack in April 1908: “[The Kurds] also attacked both Mahlam and Ajvaj for two times, but they were driven away without any loot as the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages immediately rushed to rescue.”

Ցոլակ, Վերջին դէպքերը Պարսկաստանում [Tsolak, “The Recent Events in Persia”] «Մշակ» [Mshak], no. 89, 26 April 1908, p. 4. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 90, 92.

According to a press publication of 1913, “this village [Ajvaj] which used to be inhabited by Armenians about 40 years ago now has a Kurdish population of around 30 houses.” Apparently, it was due to the Kurdish raids that the local Armenians eventually abandoned their village.

Պատրիկեան Վ., Ընթացիկ կեանքը [V. Patrikian, “Current Life”], «Հորիզոն» [Horizon], no. 182, 16 August 1913, p. 4. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 92.

Another press publication of the same year reports about “an act of violence, ... the occupation of Derik’s renowned monastery of Sourb Astvatzatzin [Holy Virgin] and the village of Ajvaj (the owners of which are the Armenians) by the [Kurdish] tribe of the Avdos. Protests have been submitted to the proper bodies, but they have been futile so far.”

Պատրիկեան Վ., Անցնող տարին Սալմաստում [V. Patrikian, “The Passing Year in Salmast”], «Հորիզոն» [Horizon], no. 293, 29 December 1913, p. 5. Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 92.

In 2017 Ajvaj was a purely Kurdish village of 90 houses.

Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 92.

Other Names

It has also been mentioned by the name of Ajivaj.

Karapetian. Samvel, History of Armenia, Salmast, vol. 2, Yerevan, 2019, p. 90.

Direction From the north-east
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Date 2011 y․

Name	Year/Century	Etymology
Ajivaj