Coordinates	21°47′16″N46°33′39″N
Group	Armenians Հայեր (''Hayer'')
Population	8,000,000-12,000,000
Popplace	3,145,000
Region1
Pop1	1,130,500
Ref1
Region3
Pop3	484,840
Ref3
Region4
Pop4	450,000
Ref4
Region5
Pop5	346,000
Ref5
Region16	(Other populations found in the Americas, Central Asia, Middle East, and Africa)
Pop16	410,000
Ref16
Region7
Pop7	170,000-190,000
Ref7
Region8	(excluding France)
Pop8	175,000
Ref8
Region15
Pop15	35,000
Ref15
Region9	/'''' (Unrecognized state)
Pop9	120,745-141,400
Ref9
Region6
Pop6	254,000
Ref6
Region2
Pop2	560,000
Ref2
Region14
Pop14	40,615
Ref14
Region10
Pop10	100,000
Ref10
Region13
Pop13	60,000
Ref13
Region12
Pop12	60,000
Ref12
Region11
Pop11	45,000 – 76,000
Ref11	}}

| 300,000

|ref22 = }}

|languages = Armenian, Russian, Persian, French, English, Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish |religions = |footnotes = Azerbaijan also counts the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh in its total population. Although estimates vary, there are 300,000 to 500,000 Turks who have Armenian roots, which include the Muslim Hemshin people who are either ethnolinguistically classifed as Armenians or as closely related to them, and 500,000 "hidden" or "secret" Armenians who were adopted and assimilated by the Kurdish population during and after the Armenian Genocide. However, their numbers are not included in the population of Armenians in Turkey.}}

Armenian people or Armenians (, ''hayer'') are a nation and ethnic group native to the Caucasus and the Armenian Highland.

The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian. Because of wide-ranging and long-lasting diaspora, an estimated total of 3 million people of full or partial Armenian ancestry live outside of Armenia. As a result of the Armenian genocide, a large number of survivors fled to many countries throughout the world, most notably in Russia, United States, France, Iran, Georgia and other parts of Europe.''(see Armenian diaspora)''.

Christianity began to spread in Armenia soon after Jesus's death, due to the efforts of two of his apostles, St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew In the early 3rd century, Arsacid Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Most Armenians adhere to the Armenian Apostolic Church, a Non-Chalcedonian church.

Armenian is an ancient Indo-European language, which is not affiliated with any of the Indo-European language family's language groups. Armenians speak two mutually intelligible and written dialects of their language: Eastern Armenian (spoken mainly in Armenia, Iran and the former Soviet republics) and Western Armenian (spoken primarily in the Armenian diaspora). The unique Armenian Alphabet was invented in 406 AD by the medieval scholar and evangelizer Mesrob Mashtots.

Name

Historically, the name ''Armenian'' has come to internationally designate this group of people. It was first used by neighbouring countries of ancient Armenia. It is traditionally derived from Armenak or Aram (the great-grandson of Hayk's great-grandson, and another leader who is, according to Armenian tradition, the ancestor of all Armenians). Armenians call themselves ''Hay'' (Հայ, pronounced ''Hay''; plural: Հայեր, ''Hayer''). The word has traditionally been linked to the name of the legendary founder of the Armenian nation, Hayk, which is also a popular Armenian name. It is also further postulated that the name ''Hay'' comes from the name of another Armenian tribe, the Hayasa.

History

Prehistoric origins

Greater Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding Mount Ararat, the highest peak of the region. In the Bronze Age, several states flourished in the area of Greater Armenia, including the Hittite Empire (at the height of its power), Mitanni (South-Western historical Armenia), and Hayasa-Azzi (1600-1200 BC). Soon after the Hayasa-Azzi were the Nairi (1400-1000 BC) and the Kingdom of Urartu (1000-600 BC), who successively established their sovereignty over the Armenian Highland. Each of the aforementioned nations and tribes participated in the ethnogenesis of the Armenian people. Yerevan, the modern capital of Armenia, was founded in 782 BC by king Argishti I. A minority view also suggests that the Indo-European homeland may have been located in the Armenian Highland.

Antiquity

The first state that was called Armenia by neighboring peoples (Hecataeus of Miletus and Behistun Inscription) was established in the early 6th century BC under the Orontid dynasty, which later became a kingdom. At its zenith (95–65 BC), the state extended from the Caucasus all the way to what is now central Turkey, Lebanon, and northern Iran. The imperial reign of Tigranes the Great is thus the span of time during which Armenia itself conquered areas populated by other peoples. Later it briefly became part of the Roman Empire (AD 114–118).

The Arsacid Kingdom of Armenia was the first state to adopt Christianity as its religion (it had formerly been adherent to Iranian and Hellenistic paganism – Zoroastrianism, the Ancient Greek religion and then the Ancient Roman religion). in the early years of the 4th century, likely AD 314. Later on, in order to further strengthen the Armenian national identity, Mesrop Mashtots invented the Armenian alphabet. This event ushered the Golden Age of Armenia, during which many foreign books and manuscripts were translated to Armenian by Mesrop's pupils. Armenia lost its sovereignty in 428 to the Byzantine and Persian Empires.

Middle Ages

In 885 the Armenians reestablished themselves as a sovereign entity under the leadership of Ashot I of the Bagratid Dynasty. A considerable portion of the Armenian nobility and peasantry fled the Byzantine occupation of Bagratid Armenia in 1045, and the subsequent invasion of the region by Seljuk Turks in 1064. They settled in large numbers in Cilicia, an Anatolian region where Armenians were already established as a minority since Roman times. In 1080, they founded an independent Armenian Principality then Kingdom of Cilicia, which became the focus of Armenian nationalism. The Armenians developed close social, cultural, military, and religious ties with nearby Crusader States, but eventually succumbed to the Mamluk invaders.

In the 16th century, Eastern Armenia was conquered by the Turco-Persian Safavid Empire, while Western Armenia fell under Ottoman rule. In the 1820s, parts of historic Armenia under Persian control centering on Yerevan and Lake Sevan were incorporated into the Russian Empire, but Western Armenia remained in the Ottoman Empire.

Modern history

The ethnic cleansing of Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman Empire is widely considered a genocide, an estimated 1.5 million victims, with one wave of persecution in the years 1894 to 1896 culminating in the events of the Armenian Genocide in 1915 and 1916. With World War I in progress, the Turks accused the (Christian) Armenians as liable to ally with Imperial Russia, and used it as a pretext to deal with the entire Armenian population as an enemy within their empire.

Turkish governments since that time have consistently rejected charges of genocide, typically arguing either that those Armenians who died were simply in the way of a war or that killings of Armenians were justified by their individual or collective support for the enemies of the Ottoman Empire. Passage of legislation in various foreign countries condemning the persecution of the Armenians as genocide has often provoked diplomatic conflict. (See Recognition of the Armenian Genocide)

thumb|250px|Armenian volunteers in the ranks of the British-led Egyptian Expeditionary Force, which fought against the Ottomans in 1916-1918. Following the breakup of the Russian Empire in the aftermath of World War I for a brief period, from 1918 to 1920, Armenia was an independent republic. In late 1920, the communists came to power following an invasion of Armenia by the Red Army, and in 1922, Armenia became part of the Transcaucasian SFSR of the Soviet Union, later forming the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (1936 to September 21, 1991). In 1991, Armenia declared independence from the USSR and established the second Republic of Armenia.

Geographic distribution

Armenia

Armenians have had a presence in the Armenian Highland for over four thousand years, since the time when Haik, the legendary patriarch and founder of the first Armenian nation, led them to victory over Bel of Babylon. Today, with a population of 3.5 million, they not only constitute an overwhelming majority in Armenia, but also in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenians in the diaspora informally refer to them as ''Hayastantsi''s (Հայաստանցի), meaning those that are from Armenia (that is, they or their ancestors were not forced to flee in 1915). They, as well as the Armenians of Iran and Russia speak the Eastern dialect of the Armenian language. The country itself is secular as a result of Soviet domination, but most of its citizens are Apostolic Armenian Christian.

Diaspora

Small Armenian trading communities have existed outside of Armenia for centuries. For example, a community has existed for over a millennium in the Holy Land, and one of the four quarters of the walled Old City of Jerusalem has been called the Armenian Quarter. There are also remnants of formerly populous communities in India, Myanmar, South East Asia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.

However, most Armenians have scattered throughout the world as a direct consequence of the genocide of 1915, constituting the Armenian diaspora. Armenian communities in and around the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi, in Syria and in Iran existed since antiquity.

Within the diasporan Armenian community, there is an unofficial classification of the different ''kinds'' of Armenians. For example, Armenians who originate from Iran are referred to as ''Parskahay'' (Պարսկահայ), while Armenians from Lebanon are usually referred to as ''Lipananahay'' (Լիբանանահայ). Armenians of the Diaspora are the primary speakers of the Western dialect of the Armenian language. This dialect has considerable differences with Eastern Armenian, but speakers of either of the two variations can usually understand each other. Eastern Armenian in the diaspora is primarily spoken in Iran, Russia and former Soviet states such as Ukraine and Georgia (where they form a majority in the Samtskhe-Javakheti province). In diverse communities (such as in Canada and the U.S.) where many different kinds of Armenians live together, there is a tendency for the different groups to cluster together.

United States

According to the U.S. Census Bureau – 2009 American Community Survey, 484,840 citizens identify themselves as having Armenian ancestry, although other estimates are as high as 1,270,000.

Since the arrival of Martin the Armenian to the Jamestown Colony around 1618, Armenians have dispersed all throughout the United States. Watertown, Massachusetts; Fresno, California; Detroit, Michigan; Glendale, California; and Los Angeles, California are centers of Armenian population in the United States; there is also a significant concentration in New York City. In Canada, large numbers of Armenians can be found in Toronto, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec. Armenians are also present in every country in Latin America, with the largest concentrations being found in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

Glendale, California, in particular, is famous for its high concentration of Armenians; there are approximately 78,000 Armenians, according to the 2000 U.S. census. Armenian residents of the city are active members in the municipal government and chamber of commerce. In Hollywood, California, a small portion is known as "Little Armenia", extending east to west from Wilton Avenue to Vermont Avenue and north and south from Hollywood Boulevard to Santa Monica Boulevard.

Religion

Before Christianity, Armenians adhered to a syncretistic paganism: indigenous polytheism with mixed Iranian elements.

In 301 AD, Armenia adopted Christianity as a state religion, becoming the first nation to do so. It established a Church that still exists independently of both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches, having become so in 451 AD as a result of its excommunication by the Council of Chalcedon. Today this church is known as the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is a part of the Oriental Orthodox communion, not to be confused with the Eastern Orthodox communion. During its later political eclipses, Armenia depended on the church to preserve and protect its unique identity. The original location of the Armenian Catholicosate is Echmiadzin. However, the continuous upheavals, which characterized the political scenes of Armenia, made the political power move to safer places. The Church center moved as well to different locations together with the political authority. Therefore, it eventually moved to Cilicia as the Holy See of Cilicia.

The Armenians collective has, at times, constituted a Christian "island" in a mostly Muslim region. There is, however, a minuscule minority of ethnic Armenian Muslims, known as Hamshenis, while the history of the Jews in Armenia dates back 2000 years. The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia had close ties to European Crusader States. Later on, the deteriorating situation in the region led the bishops of Armenia to elect a Catholicos in Etchmiadzin, the original seat of the Catholicosate. In 1441, a new Catholicos was elected in Etchmiadzin in the person of Kirakos Virapetsi, while Krikor Moussapegiants preserved his title as Catholicos of Cilicia. Therefore, since 1441, there have been two Catholicosates in the Armenian Church with equal rights and privileges, and with their respective jurisdictions. The primacy of honor of the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin has always been recognized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

While the Armenian Apostolic Church remains the most prominent church in the Armenian community throughout the world, Armenians (especially in the diaspora) subscribe to any number of other Christian denominations. These include the Armenian Catholic Church (which follows its own liturgy but recognizes the Roman Catholic Pope), the Armenian Evangelical Church, which started as a reformation in the Mother church but later broke away, and the Armenian Brotherhood Church, which was born in the Armenian Evangelical Church, but later broke apart from it. There are other numerous Armenian churches belonging to Protestant denominations of all kinds.

Through the ages many Armenians have collectively belonged to other faiths or Christian movements, including the Paulicians which is a form of Gnostic and Manichaean Christianity. Paulicians sought to restore the pure Christianity of Paul and in c.660 founded the first congregation in Kibossa, Armenia.

Another example is the Tondrakians, who flourished in medieval Armenia between the early 9th century and 11th century. Tondrakians advocated the abolishment of the Armenian Church, denied the immortality of the soul, did not believe in an afterlife, supported property rights for peasants, and equality between men and women.

The Orthodox Armenians or the Chalcedonian Armenians in the Byzantine Impire were called Iberians ("Georgians") or "Greeks". See Gregory Pakourianos - the great Byzantine general. Some of there descendants are the Catholic Armenians in Georgia.

Culture

Language and literature

Armenian is a sub-branch of the Indo-European family, and with some 8 million speakers one of the smallest surviving branches, comparable to Albanian or the somewhat more widely spoken Greek, with which it may be connected (see Graeco-Armenian).

Five million Eastern Armenian speakers live in the Caucasus, Russia, and Iran, and approximately two to three million people in the rest of the Armenian diaspora speak Western Armenian. According to US Census figures, there are 300,000 Americans who speak Armenian at home. It is in fact the twentieth most commonly spoken language in the United States, having slightly fewer speakers than Haitian Creole, and slightly more than Navajo.

Armenian literature dates back to 400 AD, when Mesrob Mashdots first invented the Armenian alphabet. This period of time is often viewed as the Golden Age of Armenian literature. Early Armenian literature was written by the "father of Armenian history", Moses of Chorene, who authored ''The History of Armenia''. The book covers the time-frame from the formation of the Armenian people to the fifth century AD. The nineteenth century beheld a great literary movement that was to give rise to modern Armenian literature. This period of time, during which Armenian culture flourished, is known as the Revival period (Zartonki sherchan). The Revivalist authors of Constantinople and Tiflis, almost identical to the Romanticists of Europe, were interested in encouraging Armenian nationalism. Most of them adopted the newly created Eastern or Western variants of the Armenian language depending on the targeted audience, and preferred them over classical Armenian (grabar). This period ended after the Hamidian massacres, when Armenians experienced turbulent times. As Armenian history of the 1920s and of the Genocide came to be more openly discussed, writers like Paruyr Sevak, Gevork Emin, Silva Kaputikyan and Hovhannes Shiraz began a new era of literature.

Architecture

The first Armenian churches were built on the orders of St. Gregory the Illuminator, and were often built on top of pagan temples, and imitated some aspects of Armenian pre-Christian architecture.

Classical and Medieval Armenian Architecture is divided into four separate periods.

The first Armenian churches were built between the 4th and 7th century, beginning when Armenia converted to Christianity, and ending with the Arab invasion of Armenia. The early churches were mostly simple basilicas, but some with side apses. By the fifth century the typical cupola cone in the center had become widely used. By the seventh century, centrally-planned churches had been built and a more complicated ''niched buttress'' and radiating ''Hrip'simé'' style had formed. By the time of the Arab invasion, most of what we now know as classical Armenian architecture had formed.

From the 9th to 11th century, Armenian architecture underwent a revival under the patronage of the Bagratid Dynasty with a great deal of building done in the area of Lake Van, this included both traditional styles and new innovations. Ornately carved Armenian Khachkars were developed during this time. Many new cities and churches were built during this time, including a new capital at Lake Van and a new Cathedral on Akdamar Island to match. The Cathedral of Ani was also completed during this dynasty. It wad during this time that the first major monasteries, such as Haghpat and Haritchavank were built. This period was ended by the Seljuk invasion.

Science

There are many prominent names in the world of science that are of Armenian descent. Some of them include:

Hovhannes Adamian – inventor of the color television

Sergei Adian – one of the most prominent soviet mathematicians

Tateos Agekian – astrophysicist, one of the pioneers of Stellar Dynamics

Armen Alchian – economist, one of the most prominent price theorists of the second half of the 20th century, a pioneer of new institutional economics and one of the founding fathers of the "law and economics" school, and in particular what has come to be known as the property rights approach, among the top 20th-century contributors to economic knowledge

Artem Alikhanian – one of the founders of experimental nuclear and cosmic-ray physics in USSR

Abraham Alikhanov – one of the founders of nuclear physics in USSR, founder of the first nuclear reactor of USSR

Sos Alikhanian – founder of the Soviet school of genetics and selection of microorganisms

Roger Altounyan – asthma researcher, pharmacologist who pioneered use of cromolyn sodium inhalation therapy for asthma

Viktor Ambartsumian – one of the founders of theoretical astrophysics

Boris Ananyev – the outstanding psychologist of 20th century, founder of anthropological psychology

Apkar Apkarian – pioneer in magnetic resonance spectroscopy research of the brain

Stephan Ariyan – reconstructive surgeon, originator of the pectoralis major flap, which has become the most commonly used flap for head and neck reconstruction worldwide

Andreas Artsruni – one of the founders of geochemistry

Nagush Arutyunyan – mechanic, pioneer of theory of creep, founder of mechanics of accumulating deforming bodies

Daron Acemoğlu – among the 20 most cited economists in the world, winner of the 2005 John Bates Clark Medal

Gurgen Askaryan – physicist, inventor of light self focusing

Iosif Atabekov – virologist, founder of the molecular biology of plant's viruses (USSR)

George Aghajanian – professor of psychiatry, a pioneer in the area of neuropharmacology. He discovered the mechanisms by which LSD produces hallucinations and he has also uncovered how atypical antipsychotic drugs work.

Hagop S. Akiskal – psychiatrist best known for his pioneering research on temperament and bipolar disorder (manic depression). Today's leading conceptual thinker in the area of bipolar subtyping.

Boris Babaian – the father of supercomputing in the former Soviet Union and Russia. Second European to hold the Intel Fellow title.

Khristofor Bagdasaryan – author of pioneering works on radical polymerization, founder of a new field of photochemistry, two-quantum photochemistry of organic compounds

John Basmajian – a world leader in Rehabilitation Medicine, father of “EMG Biofeedback”, author of pioneering works in electromyography.

John P. Bilezikian – one of the world's leading authorities on bone and bone disorders from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Levon Chailakhyan – physiologist, in 1986 with his soviet colleagues got the world's first successfully cloned mammal – mice "Masha", 10 years before famous "Dolly"

Mikhail Chailakhyan – founder of hormonal theory of plant development

Raymond Damadian – inventor of MRI

Ara Darzi – one of the world's leading surgeons, pioneer in minimally invasive and robot-assisted surgery

Richard Donchian – the Father of Trend Following Trading, one of the most outstanding figures of all time in the field of commodity money management

Eduard Yegiazaryan – engineer, one of the founders of microsensorics

Edward Khantzian – early pioneer in the psychological understanding of addictions, co-originator of the self-medication hypothesis

Nikolay Yenikolopov – one of the most outstanding chemists of the former USSR, one of the founders of Russian polymer science

Viktor Fanardzhyan – physiologist, formulated an elegant system of concepts of the hierarchy of the nervious processes affording the regulation of movements

Grigoriy Garibyan – physicist, discoverer and developer of the theory of X-ray transition radiation

Samvel Grigoryan – founder of the modern theory of dynamics of mining minerals and soils

Grigor Gurzadyan – founder of space astronomy

Spiru Haret – Romanian astronomer of Armenian descent, who made a fundamental contribution to the most celebrated problem of dynamics: the n-body problem, initially aimed at modelling the planetary motions in our Solar System. His works implied that planetary motion is not absolutely stable, and being continued by Poincaré, eventually led to the creation of chaos theory. Haret's work marked the beginning of the end of an era, that of exclusively quantitative endeavours in mathematics.

Paris Herouni – projected and built the world's first radio-optical telescope

Bagrat Ioannisiani – constructor of new astronomical instruments, chief designer of BTA-6 – the largest telescope in the world

Andronik Iosifyan – a great scientist and inventor, the father of electromechanics in USSR, designer of the first meteorological satellites of Earth and one of the founders of missilery. Iosifyan was one of the most outstanding figures in the field of military and rocket production. Being the founder and first director of the USSR’s largest scientific research institute of electro-mechanics, Iosifyan for about thirty years was the USSR's “classified” Chief Constructor of electrical equipment of ballistic rockets, nuclear submarines and spacecrafts. One of his most important inventions, noncontact synchronized transmissions, considered a revolution in technology. Albert Kapikian – virologist, the father of human gastroenteritis virus research, who developed the first licensed vaccine against rotavirus – the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and children, which accounts for more than 500,000 deaths annually

Anna Kazanjian Longobardo – author of major contributions to the aerospace engineering field, the first woman to receive the Egleston Medal for Distinguished Engineering achievement

Varaztad Kazanjian – founder of the modern practice of plastic surgery

John Kebabian – neuroscientist and pioneer in dopamine receptor research

Alexander Kemurdzhian – designer of the first rovers to explore another world: first moon rovers and first mars rovers. Founder of the space transport engineering.

Hampar Kelikian – orthopedic-surgeon pioneer, was known as one of the USA's most celebrated and pioneering orthopedic surgeons, who significantly extended the surgical field Edward Keonjian – the father of microelectronics, designer of the world's first solar-powered, pocket-sized radio transmitter

Jack Kevorkian- pathologist, right-to-die activist, painter, composer, and instrumentalist. Publicly championed a terminal patient's right to die via physician-assisted suicide in the 1990s.

Semyon Kirlian – founder of Kirlian Photography, discovered that living matter is emitting energy fields.

Zaven Khachaturyan – the world’s foremost researcher on Alzheimer’s, the father of neurobiology of aging research in USA

Levon Khachigian – molecular biologist, who manifestly increased the understanding of the fundamental transcriptional mechanisms that lead to the inappropriate expression of harmful genes in cells of blood vessels and pioneered the development of novel strategies targeting key regulatory genes in a variety of vascular disorders Leonid Khachiyan – mathematician, among the world's most famous computer scientists, who proved the existence of an efficient way to solve linear programming problems thought to be intractable until that time

Mihran Kassabian – x-ray pioneer, one of the foremost X-ray operators in the United States

Ivan Knuniants – chemist, Major General, four times an awardee of the USSR State Award. In chemical science he introduced historical changes and significantly contributed to the advancement of Soviet Chemistry. Founder of Soviet school of fluorocarbon's chemistry, one of major developers of Soviet chemical weapons program.

Ignacy Łukasiewicz – polish pharmacist of Armenian descent, devised the first method of distilling kerosene from seep oil. One of the pioneers of oil industry in the world.

Sergey Mergelyan – an outstanding mathematician, who is the author of major contributions in Approximation Theory. The modern Complex Approximation Theory is based on Mergelyan's classical work.

Alexander Merzhanov – acknowledged leader in the scientific field of combustion and explosion, inventor of the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS)

Artem Mikoyan – designer of MiG aircraft. Mikoyan's fighters showed 55 world records. The Mikoyan MiG-19 was the first supersonic Soviet jet fighter.

John Najarian – one of the world's greatest surgeons, the organ transplant pioneer, who developed one of the world's largest transplant programs.

Robert Nalbandyan – chemist, the co-discoverer of photosynthetic protein plantacyanin, a pioneer in the field of free radicals. Leader in Sickle Cell Research & Testing Methods.

Alexander Narinyani – father of soviet artificial intelligence (AI), author of novel theory involving the conception of sub-defined models, founder of the new scientific field – constraint programming.

Yuri Oganessian – one of the founders of heavy ion physics, the author of the discoveries of heaviest elements of the Periodic Table of Mendeleev, including the heaviest atom ever created – element 118. An acknowledged world-leader in the field of syntesizing and exploring new elements.

Leon Orbeli – founder of the evolutionary physiology

Yuri Osipyan – physicist, author of fundamental contribution to the physics of movements in solid bodies and inventor of photoplastic effect. Y. A. Osipian for many years was the vice president of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Artem Sarkisyan – a pioneer scientist in numerical modelling of ocean circulation, one of the world's leading oceanologists Hrayr Shahinian – a pioneer in microsurgical techniques of the brain

Norair Sisakian – one of the founders of space biology, pioneer in biochemistry of sub-cell structures and technical biochemistry. Was one of the first scientists in the mid-1940s to start the studies of plant cell structures. Author of an absolutely new concept of chloroplasts as polyfunctional cell structures. Was the first soviet scientist to work in UNESCO.

Armen Takhtajan – botanist, one of the most important figures in 20th century plant evolution

Karen Ter-Martirosian – was an outstanding theoretician, who made remarkable contributions to the understanding of high-energy physics phenomena. He also created new trends in the theory of strong interactions, and was one of the founders of theory of strong interactions at high-energies. Author of fundamental contributions to quantum mechanics and quantum field theory.

Avadis Tevanian – a recognized pioneer in creating cross-platform development environments used worldwide, the architect of Apple’s OS X

Michel (Michael) Ter-Pogossian – inventor of PET scan, which has revolutionized the understanding of how the brain functions

Sports

Many types of sports are played in Armenia, among the most popular being football, chess, boxing, basketball, hockey, sambo, wrestling, weightlifting and volleyball. Since independence, the Armenian government has been actively rebuilding its sports program in the country.

During Soviet rule, Armenian athletes rose to prominence winning plenty of medals and helping the USSR win the medal standings at the Olympics on numerous occasions. The first medal won by an Armenian in modern Olympic history was by Hrant Shahinian, who won two golds and two silvers in gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. In football, their most successful team was Yerevan's FC Ararat, which had claimed most of the Soviet championships in the 70s and had also gone to post victories against professional clubs like FC Bayern Munich in the Euro cup.

Armenians have also been successful in chess, which is the most popular mind sport in Armenia. Some of the most prominent chess players in the world are Armenian such as Tigran Petrosian, Levon Aronian and Garry Kasparov. Armenians have also been successful in weightlifting and wrestling, winning medals in each sport at the Olympics.

Music and dance

Armenian music is a mix of indigenous folk music, perhaps best-represented by Djivan Gasparyan's well-known duduk music, as well as light pop, and extensive Christian music.

Instruments like the duduk, the dhol, the zurna and the kanun are commonly found in Armenian folk music. Artists such as Sayat Nova are famous due to their influence in the development of Armenian folk music. One of the oldest types of Armenian music is the Armenian chant which is the most common kind of religious music in Armenia. Many of these chants are ancient in origin, extending to pre-Christian times, while others are relatively modern, including several composed by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet. Whilst under Soviet rule, Armenian classical music composer Aram Khatchaturian became internationally well known for his music, for various ballets and the Sabre Dance from his composition for the ballet Gayane.

The Armenian Genocide caused widespread emigration that led to the settlement of Armenians in various countries in the world. Armenians kept to their traditions and certain diasporans rose to fame with their music. In the post-Genocide Armenian community of the United States, the so called "kef" style Armenian dance music, using Armenian and Middle Eastern folk instruments (often electrified/amplified) and some western instruments, was popular. This style preserved the folk songs and dances of Western Armenia, and many artists also played the contemporary popular songs of Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries from which the Armenians emigrated. Richard Hagopian is perhaps the most famous artist of the traditional "kef" style and the Vosbikian Band was notable in the 40s and 50s for developing their own style of "kef music" heavily influenced by the popular American Big Band Jazz of the time. Later, stemming from the Middle Eastern Armenian diaspora and influenced by Continental European (especially French) pop music, the Armenian pop music genre grew to fame in the 60s and 70s with artists such as Adiss Harmandian and Harout Pamboukjian performing to the Armenian diaspora and Armenia. Also with artists such as Sirusho, performing pop music combined with Armenian folk music in today's entertainment industry. Other Armenian diasporans that rose to fame in classical or international music circles are world renown French-Armenian singer and composer Charles Aznavour, pianist Sahan Arzruni, prominent opera sopranos such as Hasmik Papian and more recently Isabel Bayrakdarian and Anna Kasyan. Certain Armenians settled to sing non-Armenian tunes such as the heavy metal band System of a Down (which nonetheless often incorporates traditional Armenian instrumentals and styling into their songs) or pop star Cher. In the Armenian diaspora, Armenian revolutionary songs are popular with the youth. These songs encourage Armenian patriotism and are generally about Armenian history and national heroes.

Carpet weaving

Carpet-weaving is historically a major traditional profession for the majority of Armenian women, including many Armenian families. Prominent Karabakh carpet weavers there were men too. The oldest extant Armenian carpet from the region, referred to as Artsakh (see also Karabakh carpet) during the medieval era, is from the village of Banants (near Gandzak) and dates to the early 13th century. The first time that the Armenian word for carpet, ''gorg'', was used in historical sources was in a 1242-1243 Armenian inscription on the wall of the Kaptavan Church in Artsakh.

Art historian Hravard Hakobyan notes that "Artsakh carpets occupy a special place in the history of Armenian carpet-making." Common themes and patterns found on Armenian carpets were the depiction of dragons and eagles. They were diverse in style, rich in color and ornamental motifs, and were even separated in categories depending on what sort of animals were depicted on them, such as ''artsvagorgs'' (eagle-carpets), ''vishapagorgs'' (dragon-carpets) and ''otsagorgs'' (serpent-carpets). The rug mentioned in the Kaptavan inscriptions is composed of three arches, "covered with vegatative ornaments", and bears an artistic resemblance to the illuminated manuscripts produced in Artsakh.

The art of carpet weaving was in addition intimately connected to the making of curtains as evidenced in a passage by Kirakos Gandzaketsi, a 13th century Armenian historian from Artsakh, who praised Arzu-Khatun, the wife of regional prince Vakhtang Khachenatsi, and her daughters for their expertise and skill in weaving.

Armenian carpets were also renowned by foreigners who traveled to Artsakh; the Arab geographer and historian Al-Masudi noted that, among other works of art, he had never seen such carpets elsewhere in his life.

Cuisine

Armenians enjoy many different native and foreign foods. The most popular food is khorovats an Armenian-styled barbecue, which is famous worldwide. Lavash is a very popular Armenian rollable bread, and Armenian baklava is a special treat. Other famous Armenian foods include the kabob (a skewer of marinated roasted meat and vegetables), t'pov dolma (minced lamb,or beef meat and rice wrapped in grape leaves), kaghambi dolma (minced meat and rice wrapped in cabbage), amarayin dolma (cored tomatoes, eggplants and green peppers stuffed with minced mixed meats and rice), and pilaf, a tasty rice dish. Also, Ghapama,a rice dish, and many different salads are popular in Armenian culture. Fruits play a large part in the Armenian diet. Apricots (also known as Armenian Plum) native to this area and have really unique taste, peaches are native too and are very popular; also common are grapes, figs, pomegranates, and melons.

Genetics

The geographical distribution of the R1b haplotype is such that it is shared by Armenians and two other populations from the Caucasus.

Institutions

The nation-state of Armenia is the most prominent Armenian institution today. Other important institutions include:

The Armenian Apostolic Church

The Armenian Catholic Church

The Armenian Evangelical Church The community was formally recognized in 1846 by the Ottoman Empire.

The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) founded in 1906 and the largest Armenian non-profit organization in the world with educational, cultural and humanitarian projects on six continents.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation was founded in 1890. It is generally referred to as the ''Dashnaktsutyun'', which means ''Federation'' in Armenian. The ARF is the strongest worldwide Armenian political organization and the only diasporan Armenian organization with a significant political presence in the Republic of Armenia.

The Armenian Relief Society, founded in 1910.

Hamazkayin, an Armenian cultural and educational society founded in Cairo in 1928, and responsible for the founding of Armenian secondary schools and institutions of higher education in several countries.

Homenetmen, an Armenian scouting and athletic organization founded in 1910 with a worldwide membership of about 25,000.

See also

List of Armenians

Armenian diaspora

Hamsheni

Peoples of the Caucasus

Notes

References

Further reading

George A. Bournoutian, ''A History of the Armenian People'', 2 vol. (1994)

George A. Bournoutian, ''A Concise History of the Armenian People'' (Mazda, 2003, 2004).

I. M. Diakonoff, ''The Pre-History of the Armenian People'' (revised, trans. Lori Jennings), Caravan Books, New York (1984), ISBN 978-0-88206-039-2.

Russell D. Gray and Quentin D. Atkinson, "Language-tree divergence times support the Anatolian theory of Indo-European origin", Nature, 426, 435-439 (2003)

UCLA conference series proceedings

The UCLA conference series titled "Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces" is organized by the Holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History. The conference proceedings are edited by Richard G. Hovannisian. Published in Costa Mesa, CA, by Mazda Publishers, they are: # ''Armenian Van/Vaspurakan'' (2000) # ''Armenian Baghesh/Bitlis and Taron/Mush'' (2001) # ''Armenian Tsopk/Kharpert'' (2002) # ''Armenian Karin/Erzerum'' (2003) # ''Armenian Sebastia/Sivas and Lesser Armenia'' (2004) # ''Armenian Tigranakert/Diarbekir and Edessa/Urfa'' (2006) # ''Armenian Cilicia'' (2008) # ''Armenian Pontus: the Trebizond-Black Sea communities'' (2009)

External links

FACES Project – Armenian population worldwide

Armenian Videos from Armenia and Diaspora

A long way from Ararat... Little Armenias int Europe and the Mediterranean. Marseille's Armenians

Category:Ancient peoples Category:Armenian society Category:Caucasian muhajirs Category:Ethnic groups in Europe Category:Ethnic groups in the Middle East Category:Ethnic groups in France Category:Ethnic groups in Georgia (country) Category:Ethnic groups in Iran Category:Ethnic groups in Lebanon Category:Ethnic groups in Russia Category:Ethnic groups in Turkey Category:Ethnic groups in Ukraine Category:Ethnic groups in Azerbaijan Category:Ethnic groups in the Arab League Category:Indo-European peoples Category:Peoples of the Caucasus

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Coordinates	21°47′16″N46°33′39″N
Popplace	Tehran, New Julfa, Peria, Bourvari
Languages	Armenian, Persian
Religions	Armenian Apostolic, Armenian Catholic, Evangelical and Protestant Christians
Footnotes	}}

Iranian-Armenians ( ''Iranahay'' or ''Parskahay'', derived from ''Hay'' "ethnic Armenian"), sometimes called Persian-Armenians, are Iranian citizens of Armenian origin. Their number is about 100,000. However, recent estimates put the numbers between 40,000-80,000 due to emigration. They mostly live in Tehran and Jolfa district, Isfahan. The Iranian-Armenians were very influential and active in the modernization of Iran during the 19th and 20th centuries. After the Iranian Revolution, many Armenians immigrated to Armenian diasporic communities in North America and Western Europe.Today the Armenians are Iran's largest Christian religious minority. Despite their cultural Armenian identity in Iran, no sizeable numbers of Iranian-Armenians hold Armenian citizenship.

Early history

Since Antiquity there has always been much interaction between Ancient Armenia and Persia (Iran).

On the Behistun inscription of 515 BC, Darius the Great indirectly confirmed that Urartu and Armenia are synonymous when describing his conquests. Armenia became a satrap of the Persian Empire for a long period of time. Regardless, relations between Armenians and Persians were cordial.

Prior to the 3rd century AD, no other neighbor had as much influence on Armenian life and culture as Persia. They shared many religious and cultural characteristics, and intermarriage among Iranian and Armenian nobility was common. Armenia's conversion to Christianity in 301 alienated them from the Persians, who were mostly Zoroastrian, and the Persian conversion to Islam in the 7th century deepened this alienation.

In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks drove thousands of Armenians to Iranian Azerbaijan, where some were sold as slaves and others worked as artisans and merchants. After the Mongol conquest of Iran in the 13th century many Armenian merchants and artists settled in Iran, in cities bordering historic Armenia such as Khoy, Maku, Maraghe, Urmia, and especially Tabriz.

Although Armenians have a long history of interaction with Persia/Iran, Iran's Armenian community emerged when Shah Abbas relocated tens of thousands of Armenians from Nakhichevan to an area of Isfahan called New Julfa in the early 17th century, which was created to become an Armenian quarter. Iran quickly recognized the Armenians' dexterity in commerce. The community became active in the cultural and economic development of Iran.

Bourvari () is a collection of villages in Iran, between the city of Khomein (Markazi Province) and Aligoodarz (Lorestān Province). It was mainly populated by Armenians who were forcibly deported to the region by Shah Abbas of the Safavid Persian Empire during the Ottoman-Persian War. The following villages populated by the Armenians in Bourvari were: Dehno, Khorzend, Farajabad, Bahmanabad and Sangesfid

20th century until 1979

By the 20th century, Iran (Persia at the time) was had a dominant Armenian presence. As we have seen, by the end of the nineteenth century, there were some 300,000 Armenians in Iran, representing almost 3% of the Iranian population of 1900. Armenian political movements opened cells seeking refuge from the tsarist and Turkish police. The massacres of the end of 19th century and early 20th century brought more Armenians refugees to north-western Iran, which were safe havens provided by the American Red Cross.

The Revolution of 1905 in Russia had a major effect on northern Iran and, in 1906, Iranian liberals and revolutionaries, demanded a constitution in Iran. In 1909 the revolutionaries forced the crown to give up some of its powers.

Thousands of Armenians had escaped to Iran during the Armenian genocide. The community experienced a political rejuvenation with the arrival of the exiled Dashnak leadership from Armenia in 1921. Further immigrants and refugees from the Soviet Union continued to increase the Armenian community until 1933. The modernization efforts of Reza Shah (1924–1941) and Mohammad Reza Shah (1941–1979) gave the Armenians ample opportunities for advancement and Armenians gained important positions in the arts and sciences, economy and services sectors, mainly in Tehran, Tabriz, and Isfahan that became major centers for Armenians with their numbers up to some 3,000,000.

Armenian churches, schools, cultural centers, sports clubs and associations flourished and Armenians had their own senator and member of parliament, 300 churches and 500 schools and libraries served the needs of the community.

Armenian presses published numerous books, journals, periodicals, and newspapers, the prominent one being the daily "Alik".

Armenians after the Islamic Revolution (1979–present)

The Islamic Revolution has signaled the end of the "golden age" of the Armenian community in Iran. Restrictions by the leaders of the Islamic Revolution, the Iran-Iraq War, and the economic problems resulting from Iran's isolation. forced the exodus of many Armenians. The wave of mass emigration of Armenians from the country has significantly reduced their figures by some 1,000,000 according to various estimates. Iranian-Armenians immigrated mostly to Europe, North America and Australia.

Many Armenians however served in the army, and many died in action during the Iran–Iraq War.

Later Iranian governments have been much more accommodating and the Armenians continue to maintain their own schools, clubs, and churches. The fall of the Soviet Union, the common border with Armenia, and the Armeno-Iranian diplomatic and economic agreements have opened a new era for the Iranian Armenians. Iran remains one of Armenia's major trade partners, and the Iranian government has helped ease the hardships of Armenia caused by the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan and Turkey. This includes important consumer products, access to air travel, and energy sources (like petroleum and electricity). The remaining Armenian minority in the Islamic Republic of Iran is still the largest Christian community in the country, ahead of Assyrians. The Armenians remain the most powerful religious minority in Iran. They are appointed two seats in Iranian Parliament (the most within the Religious minority branch) and are the only minority with official Observing Status in the Guardian and Expediency Discernment Councils.

Culture and language

In addition to having their own churches and clubs, Armenians of Iran are one of the few linguistic minorities in Iran with their own schools.

The Armenian language used in Iran holds a unique position in the usage of Armenian in the world. Usually, the traditional Armenian diaspora worldwide that emanated from the Ottoman Empire and immigrated to the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, uses Western Armenian. However the Armenians of Iran, owing to their proximity to the Armenian Republic, actually speak an Eastern Armenian dialect that is very close to that used in Armenia, Georgia and Russia.

However in stark departure from their other Eastern Armenian brethrens, the Iranian-Armenians have stuck to the Traditional Armenian orthography known as "Mashdotsian orthography" and spelling, whereas almost all other Eastern Armenian users have adopted the Reformed Armenian Orthography known as "Abeghian orthography" applied in Soviet Armenia.

This makes the Armenian language used in Iran and in the Armenian-Iranian media and publications unique, applying elements of both major Armenian language branches (pronunciation, grammar and language structure of Eastern Armenian and the spelling system of Western Armenian).

See also

Iranian Armenians live in: New Julfa, Peria, Bourvari

List of Armenian-Iranians

Armenia-Iran relations, Armenians in the Persian Empire

Ethnic minorities in Iran, Christians in Iran

List of Armenian churches in Iran

New Julfa

Media: Alik, Arax (weekly),

Sports: F.C. Ararat Tehran, Ararat Tehran BC, Pan-Armenian Games

References

External links

Armenian iranians news portal

"Armenians in Iran" - Iran Chamber Society

"Iranian Armenians" BBC Persian

Alik, Armenian daily in Iran

Arax Armenian weekly in Iran

Iran Armenians

eo:Armenoj en Irano fa:ارمنی‌های ایران fr:Arméniens d'Iran ru:Армяне в Иране tr:İran Ermenileri