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Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic

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This article is about the autonomous region; for its capital city see Nakhichevan City
Naxçıvan Muxtar Respublikası
Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic

Flag of Nakhichevan

Location of Nakhichevan in the South Caucasus region.
Administration type Autonomous republic of Azerbaijan
Capital and largest city Nakhichevan City
Official language Azerbaijani
Parliamentary Chairman Vasif Talibov
Area
 - Total
 - % water
5,500 km² [1]
negligible
Population
 - Total
372,900 (2005 est.) [1]
Time zone
 - in summer 		EET (UTC+4)
EEST (UTC+5)

The Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (Azerbaijani: Naxçıvan Muxtar Respublikası, Armenian: Նախիջևանի Ինքնավար Հանրապետություն, Russian: Нахичеванская Автономная Республика, Persian:جمهوری خودمختار نخجوان, Turkish: Nahçıvan Özerk Cumhuriyeti), known simply as Nakhichevan, is a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan. The 5,500 km² region borders Armenia (221 km), Turkey (9 km) and Iran (179 km). Its capital is Nakhichevan City, home to the Nakhichevan State University.

Etymology

Since it has been under the rule of many different kingdoms, empires, sultanates, and khanates, the name of Nakhichevan was altered many times. Variations of the name include Nakhchawan [2], Nachidsheuan [3], Nakhijevan [4], Nakhitchevan [5], Nakhjavan [6] and Nakhdjevan [7]. According to the nineteenth-century language scholar, Heinrich Hubschmann, the name "Nakhichavan" in Armenian literally means "the place of descent", a Biblical reference to the descent of Noah's Ark on the adjacent Mount Ararat. Hubschmann notes, however, that it was not known by that name in antiquity. Instead, he states the present-day name evolved to "Nakhichevan" from "Naxcavan". The prefix "Naxc" was a name and "avan" is Armenian for "town". [8] Nakhichevan was also mentioned in Ptolemy's "Geography" and by other classical writers as Naxuana.[9][10] According to other versions, the name Nakhchivan derived from Persian Nagsh-e-Jahan, i.e. "image of the world", which is a reference to the beauty of the area.[11][12] The medieval Arab chronicles referred to the area as Nashava.[13]

History

Early history

According to Armenian tradition, Nakhichevan was founded by Noah, of the Abrahamic religions. [14] The oldest material culture artifacts found in the region date back to the Neolithic Age. The region was part of the states of Mannae, Urartu and Media. [15] It became part of the Satrapy of Armenia under Achaemenid Persia circa 521 BC. After Alexander the Great's death (323 BC) various Macedonian generals such as Neoptolemus tried to take control of the region but ultimately failed and a native dynasty of Orontids flourished until Armenia was conquered by Antiochus III the Great. [16]

The Nakhichevan region (highlighted in light purple) at the time of the Kingdom of Vaspurakan (908-1021).

In 189 BC, Nakhichevan was part of the new Kingdom of Armenia established by Artaxias I.[17] Within the kingdom, the region of present-day Nakhichevan was part of the Ayrarat, Vaspurakan and Syunik provinces. [18] The area's status as a major trade center allowed it to prosper, though because of this, it was coveted by many foreign powers. [2] According to historian Faustus of Byzantium (4th century), when the Sassanid Persians invaded Armenia, Sassanid King Shapur II (310-380) removed 2,000 Armenian and 16,000 Jewish families in 360-370. [19] In 428, the Armenian Arshakuni monarchy was abolished and Nakhichevan was annexed by Sassanid Persia. In 623, possession of the region passed to the Byzantine Empire. [15] From 640 on, Arabs invaded Nakhichevan and undertook many campaigns in the area crushing all resistance and attacking Armenian nobles who remained in contact with the Byzantines or who refused to pay tribute. In 705, Armenian nobles and their families were locked into a church at Nakhichevan and by order of the governor, the church was burnt with them inside. [5] Eventually, Arab rule was firmly establish and Nakhichevan became part of the autonomous Principality of Armenia under Arab control. [20] In 8th century, Nakhichevan was one of the scenes of an uprising against the Arabs led by Persian freedom fighter Babak Khorramdin. [15] Nakhichevan was finally liberated from Arab rule in the 10th century by Bagratid King Smbat I and handed over to the princes of Syunik. [17]

Flag of the Ak Koyunlu, or White Sheep Turkomans who ruled the area of Nakhichevan in the 15th century.

By the 11th century, however, it was conquered by the Seljuq Turks. [15] In 12th century, the city of Nakhichevan became the capital of the state of Atabegs of Azerbaijan, also known as Ildegizid state, which included most of Iranian Azerbaijan and significant part of South Caucasus. [21] The magnificent 12th century mausoleum of Momine khatun, the wife of Ildegizid ruler, Great Atabeg Jahan Pehlevan, is the main attraction of modern Nakhichevan. [22] At its heydays, the Ildegizid authority in Nakhichevan and some other areas of South Caucasus was contested by the Kingdom of Georgia. The Armeno-Georgian princely house of Zacharids frequently raided the region when the Atabeg state was in decline in the early years of the 13th century. It was then plundered by invading Mongols in 1220 and Khwarezmians in 1225 and became part of Mongol Empire in 1236 when the Caucasus was invaded by Chormaqan. [15] The 14th century saw the rise of Armenian Catholicism in Nakhichevan. [2] In the 15th century, the territory of Nakhichevan became part of the states of Kara Koyunlu and Ak Koyunlu. [15]

Second Persian rule

In the 16th century, control of Nakhichevan passed to the Safavid dynasty of Persia. Because of its geographic position, it frequently suffered during the wars between Persia and the Ottoman Empire in 14th – 18th centuries. In 1604, Shah Abbas I Safavi, concerned that the lands of Nakhichevan and the surrounding areas would pass into Ottoman hands, decided to institute a scorched earth policy. He forced the entire local population, Armenians, Jews and Muslims alike, to leave their homes and move to the Persian provinces south of Aras.[23] Many of the deportees were settled in a neighborhood of Isfahan that was named New Julfa since most of the residents were from the original Julfa (a predominantly Armenian town which was looted and burned). The Turkic Kangerli tribe was later permitted to move back under Shah Abbas II (1642-1666) in order to repopulate the frontier region of his realm. [24] In the 17th century, Nakhichevan was the scene of a peasant movement led by Ker-ogly against foreign invaders and "native exploiters". [15] In 1747, the Nakhichevan khanate emerged in the region after the death of Nadir Shah Afshar. [15]

Russian rule

With Nakhichevan's conquest by Imperial Russia, came Russian culture. Shown here is photograph of a statue of Catherine the Great in Nakhichevan City taken in 1902.

After the last Russo-Persian War and the Treaty of Turkmanchai, the Nakhichevan khanate passed into Russian possession in 1828. With the onset of Russian rule, the Tsarist authorities encouraged resettlement of Armenians to Nakhichevan and other areas of the Caucasus from the Persian and Ottoman Empires. Special clauses of the Turkmanchai and Adrianople treaties allowed for this.[25] Alexandr Griboyedov, the Russian envoy to Persia, stated that by the time Nakhichevan came under Russian rule, only 17% of its residents were Armenians, while the remainder of the population (83%) were Muslims. After the resettlement initiative, the number of Armenians had increased to 45% while Muslims remained the majority at 55%. With such a dramatic increase in population, Griboyedov noted friction arising between the Armenian and Muslim populations. He requested Russian army commander Count Ivan Paskevich to give orders on resettlement of some of the arriving people further to the region of Daralayaz to quiet the tensions.[26] The Nakhichevan khanate was dissolved in 1828, its territory was merged with the territory of the Erivan khanate and the area became the Nakhichevan uyezd of the new Armenian oblast, which later became the Erivan Governorate in 1849. According to official statistics of the Russian Empire, by the turn of the 20th century Azerbaijanis made up 57% of the uyezd's population, while Armenians constituted 42%.[9] At the same time in the Sharur-Daralagez uyezd, the territory of which would form part of modern-day Nakhichevan, Azeris constituted 70.5% of the population, while Armenians made up 27.5%. [27] During the Russian Revolution of 1905, conflict erupted between the Armenians and the Azeris, culminating in the Armenian-Tatar massacres which saw violence in Nakhichevan in May of that year. [28]

War and revolution

Around the time of World War I, Nakhichevan was the scene of more bloodshed between Armenia and Azerbaijan who both held claims to the area. At the time the war broke out in 1914, the Armenian population had decreased slightly to 40% while the Azeri population increased to roughly 60%. [29] After the February Revolution, the region was under the authority of Special Transcaucasian Committee of the Russian Provisional Government and subsequently the short-lived Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. When the TDFR was dissolved in May 1918, Nakhichevan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Zangezur (today the Armenian province of Syunik), and Qazakh were heavily contested between the newly formed and short-lived states of the Democratic Republic of Armenia (DRA) and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR). In June 1918, the region came under Ottoman occupation. [15] Under the terms of the Armistice of Mudros, the Ottomans agreed to pull its troops out of the Transcaucasus to make way for the forthcoming British military presence. [30]

Under British occupation, Sir John Oliver Wardrop, British Chief Commissioner in the South Caucasus, made a border proposal to solve the conflict. According to Wardrop, Armenian claims against Azerbaijan should not go beyond the administrative borders of the former Erivan Governorate (which under prior Imperial Russian rule encompassed Nakhichevan), while Azerbaijan was to be limited to the governorates of Baku and Elisabethpol. This proposal was rejected by both Armenians (who did not wish to give up their claims to Qazakh, Zangezur and Karabakh) and Azeris (who found it unacceptable to give up their claims to Nakhichevan). As disputes between both countries continued, it soon became apparent that the fragile peace under British occupation would not last. [31]

In December 1918, with the support of Azerbaijan's Musavat Party, Jafar Kuli Khan Nakhichevanski declared the Republic of Aras in the Nakhichevan uyezd of the former Erivan Governorate assigned to Armenia by Wardrop. [15] The Armenian government did not recognize the new state and sent its troops into the region to take control of it. The conflict soon erupted into the violent Aras War. [31] British journalist C.E. Bechhofer described the situation in April 1920:

You cannot persuade a party of frenzied nationalists that two blacks do not make a white; consequently, no day went by without a catalogue of complaints from both sides, Armenians and Tartars [Azeris], of unprovoked attacks, murders, village burnings and the like. Specifically, the situation was a series of vicious cycles. [32]

File:Lenin leser Pravda.jpg
Soviet revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin called for the people of Nakhichevan to be consulted in a referendum on their future status within the Soviet Union in 1921.

By mid-June 1919, however, Armenia succeeded in establishing control over Nakhichevan and the whole territory of the self-proclaimed republic. The fall of the Aras republic triggered an invasion by the regular Azerbaijani army and by the end of July, Armenian troops were forced to leave Nakhichevan City to the Azeris. [31] Again, more mutual violence erupted between Armenians and Azeris, ultimately leaving some ten thousand Armenians dead and forty-five Armenian villages destroyed. [2] Meanwhile, feeling the situation to be hopeless and unable to maintain any control over the area, the British decided to withdraw from the region in mid-1919. [33] Still, fighting between Armenians and Azeris continued and after a series of skirmishes that took place throughout the Nakhichevan district, a cease-fire agreement was concluded. However, the cease-fire lasted briefly and by early March 1920, more fighting broke out, primarily in Karabakh between Karabakh Armenians and Azerbaijan's regular army. This triggered conflicts in other areas with mixed populations, including Nakhichevan. In mid-March 1920, Armenian forces launched an offensive on all of the disputed territories and by the end of the month, both the Nakhichevan and Zangezur regions came under stable but temporary Armenian control. [31]

Sovietization

In July 1920, the 11th Soviet Red Army invaded and occupied the region and on July 28, declared the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic with "close ties" to the Azerbaijan SSR. In November, on the verge of taking over Armenia, the Bolsheviks in order to attract public support, promised they would allot Nakhichevan to Armenia, along with Karabakh and Zangezur. This was fulfilled when Nariman Narimanov, leader of Bolshevik Azerbaijan issued a declaration celebrating the "victory of Soviet power in Armenia," proclaimed that both Nakhichevan and Zangezur should be awarded to the Armenian people as a sign of the Azerbaijani people's support for Armenia's fight against the former Dashnak government [34]:

As of today, the old frontiers between Armenia and Azerbaijan are declared to be non-existent. Mountainous Karabagh, Zangezur and Nakhichevan are recognised to be integral parts of the Socialist Republic of Armenia. [35][36]

Vladimir Lenin, although welcoming this act of "great Soviet fraternalism" where "boundaries had no meaning among the family of Soviet peoples," did not agree with the motion and instead called for the people of Nakhichevan to be consulted in a referendum. According to the formal figures of this referendum, held at the beginning of 1921, 90% of Nakhichevan's population wanted to be included in the Azerbaijan SSR "with the rights of an autonomous republic." [35] The decision to make Nakhichevan a part of modern-day Azerbaijan was cemented March 16, 1921 in the Treaty of Moscow between the Soviet Union and the newly-founded Republic of Turkey. [37] The agreement between the USSR and Turkey also called for attachment of the former Sharur-Daralagez uyezd (which had a solid Azeri majority) to Nakhichevan, thus allowing Turkey to share a border with the Azerbaijan SSR. This deal was reaffirmed on October 23, in the Treaty of Kars. Article V of the treaty stated the following:

The Turkish Government and the Soviet Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan are agreed that the region of Nakhichevan, within the limits specified by Annex III to the present Treaty, constitutes an autonomous territory under the protection of Azerbaijan. [38]

So, on February 9, 1924, the Soviet Union officially established the Nakhichevan ASSR. Its consititution was adopted on April 18, 1926. [15]

Nakhichevan in the Soviet Union

File:Soviet Soldiers on Surveillance.jpg
Soviet troops on surveillance duty monitoring Nakichevan's Iranian frontier.

As a constituent part of the Soviet Union, tensions lessened over the ethnic composition of Nakhichevan or any territorial claims regarding it. Instead, it became an important point of industrial production with particular emphasis on the mining of minerals such as salt. Under Soviet rule, it was once a major junction on the Moscow-Tehran railway line [39] as well as the Baku-Yerevan railway. [15] It also served as an important strategic area during the Cold War, sharing borders with both Turkey (a NATO member) and Iran (a close ally of the west until the 1979 Iranian Revolution).

Map of the Nakhichevan ASSR within the Soviet Union.

Facilities improved during Soviet times. Education and public health especially began to see some major changes. In 1913, Nakhichevan only had two hospitals with a total of 20 beds. The region was plagued by widespread diseases including trachoma and typhus. Malaria, which mostly came from the adjoining Aras River brought serious harm to the region. 70–85% of Nakhichevan's population was infected with malaria, and in the region of Norashen (present-day Sharur) almost 100% were struck with the disease. This pattern improved drastically under Soviet rule. Malaria was sharply reduced and trachoma, typhus, and relapsing fever were completely eliminated. [15]

Although the Armenians and the Azeris managed to put aside their differences and get along during the Soviet years, their numbers changed dramatically. Nakhichevan's Armenian population gradually decreased as many emigrated to the Armenian SSR. In 1926, 15% of region's population was Armenian, but by 1979 this number had shrunk to 1.4%. [40] The Azeri population, meanwhile increased substantially with both a higher birth rate and immigration (going from 85% in 1926 to 96% by 1979 [40]).

Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh noted similar though slower demographic trends and feared an eventual "de-Armenianization" of the area. [37] Thus, tensions between Armenians and Azeris were reignited in the late-1980s by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In the summer of 1989, Azerbaijan's Popular Front managed to pressure the Azerbaijan SSR to instigate a partial railway and air blockade against Armenia, while another reason for disruption of rail service to Armenia were attacks of Armenian forces on the trains entering the Armenian territory from Azerbaijan, which resulted in railroad personnel refusing to enter Armenia.[41][42] This effectively crippled Armenia's economy, as 85% of the cargo and goods arrived through rail traffic. In response, Armenia closed the railway to Nakhichevan, thereby strangling the exclave's only link to the rest of the Soviet Union.

December 1989 saw unrest in Nakhichevan as its Azeri inhabitants moved to physically dismantle the Soviet border with Iran to flee the area and meet their ethnic Azeri cousins in northern Iran. This action was angrily denounced by the Soviet leadership and the Soviet media accused the Azeris of "embracing Islamic fundamentalism". [43] In January 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the Nakhichevan ASSR issued a declaration stating the intention for Nakhichevan to secede from the USSR to protest the Soviet Union's actions during Black January. It was the first part of the Soviet Union to declare independence, preceding Lithuania's declaration by only a few weeks.

Heydar Aliyev and the post-Soviet era

File:War-Ravaged Nikhichevan Village.jpg
A village destroyed in Nakhichevan as a result of hostilities between Armenian and Azeri forces in May 1992.

Heydar Aliyev, the future president of Azerbaijan returned to his birth place of Nakhichevan in 1990, after being ousted from his position in the Politburo by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987. Soon after returning to Nakhichevan, Aliyev was elected to the Supreme Soviet by an overwhelming majority. Aliyev subsequently resigned from the CPSU and after the failed August 1991 coup against Gorbachev, he called for complete independence for Azerbaijan and denounced Ayaz Mütallibov for supporting the coup. In late 1991, Aliyev consolidated his power base as chairman of the Nakhichevan Supreme Soviet and asserted Nachichevan's near-total independence from Baku.[44]

Nakhichevan became a scene of conflict during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. On May 4, 1992, Armenian forces shelled the area's Sadarak rayon.[45][46][47] The Armenians claimed that the attack was in response to cross-border shellings of Armenian villages by Azeri forces from Nakhichevan. [48] [49] David Zadoyan, a 42-year-old Armenian physicist and mayor of the region said that the Armenians lost patience after months of firing by the Azeris. "If they were sitting on our hilltops and harassing us with gunfire, what do you think our response should be?" he asked. [50] The government of Nakhichevan denied these charges and instead asserted that the Armenian assault was unprovoked and specfically targeted the site of a bridge between Turkey and Nakhichevan. [49] "The Armenians do not react to diplomatic pressure," Nakhichevan foreign minister Rza Ibadov told the ITAR-Tass news agency, "It's vital to speak to them in a language they understand." Speaking to the agency from the Turkish capital Ankara, Ibadov said that Armenia's aim in the region was to seize control of Nakhichevan. [51] According to Human Rights Watch, hostilities broke out after three people were killed when Armenian forces began shelling the region.[52]

The heaviest fighting took place on May 18, when the Armenians captured Nakhichevan's exclave of Karki, a tiny territory through which Armenia's main North-South highway passes. The exclave presently remains under Armenian control. [53] After the fall of Shusha, the Mütallibov government of Azerbaijan accused Armenia of moving to take the whole of Nakhichevan (a claim that was denied by Armenian government officials). However, Heydar Aliyev declared a unilateral ceasefire on May 23 and sought to conclude a separate peace with Armenia. Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossian expressed his willingness to sign a cooperation treaty with Nakhichevan to end the fighting and subsequently a cease-fire was agreed upon. [52]

The conflict in the area caused a harsh reaction from Turkey, which together with Russia is a guarantor of Nakhichevan's status in accordance with the Treaty of Kars. Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Çiller announced that any Armenian advance on the main territory of Nakhichevan would result in a declaration of war against Armenia. Russian military leaders declared that "third party intervention into the dispute could trigger a Third World War." Thousands of Turkish troops were sent to the border between Turkey and Armenia in early September. Russian military forces in Armenia countered their movements by increasing troop levels along Armenia's Turkish frontier and bolstering defenses in a tense period where war between the two seemed inevitable. [54] Iran also reacted to Armenia's attacks by conducting military manueuvers along its border with Nakhichevan in a move widely interpreted as a warning to Armenia.[55] However, Armenia did not launch any further attacks on Nakhichevan and the presence of Russia's military warded off any possibility that Turkey might play a military role in the conflict.[54]

After a period of political instability, the parliament of Azerbaijan turned to Heydar Aliyev and invited him to return from exile in Nakhichevan to lead the country in 1993. Today, Nakhichevan retains its autonomy as the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic and is internationally recognized as a constituent part of Azerbaijan governed by its own elected parliament.[14] Despite this, however, the republic remains isolated, not only from Azerbaijan, but practically from the entire South Caucasus region. Economic hardships and energy shortages (due to Armenia's continued blockade of the region in response to the Azeri and Turkish blockade of Armenia) plague the area. When speaking to British writer Thomas de Waal, the mayor of Nakhichevan City, Veli Shakhverdiev, spoke warmly of a peaceful solution to the Karabakh conflict and of Armenian-Azeri relations during Soviet times. "I can tell you that our relations with the Armenians were very close, they were excellent," he said. "I went to university in Moscow and I didn't travel to Moscow once via Baku. I took a bus, it was one hour to Yerevan, then went by plane to Moscow and the same thing on the way back." [39] However, the future, especially in regards to Nakhichevan's energy problems, looks more hopeful, especially with recent deals to obtain more gas exports from Iran. [56]

Administrative subdivisions

Subdivisions of Nakhichevan.
Main article: Subdivisions of Azerbaijan

Nakhichevan is subdivided into eight administrative divisions. Seven of these are rayons. Its capital, the city (şəhər) of Nakhichevan City is treated separately.

Map ref. Administrative division Capital Type Area (km²) Population (2005 estimate) Notes
1 Babek (Babək) Babek Rayon 1,170 66,000 Formerly known as Nakhichevan; renamed after Babak Khorramdin in 1991.
2 Julfa (Culfa) Julfa Rayon 1,000 38,300 Also spelled Jugha or Dzhulfa.
3 Kangarli (Kəngərli) Givrahk Rayon 682 25,500 Carved from Babek in March 2004.
4 Nakhichevan City (Naxçıvan Şəhər) Municipality 130 70,000 Carved from Nakhichevan (Babek) in 1991.
5 Ordubad Ordubad Rayon 970 42,700 Carved from Julfa during Sovietization. [2]
6 Sadarak (Sədərək) Heydarabad Rayon 150 12,900 Carved from Sharur in 1990; includes the Karki exclave in Armenia.
7 Shakhbuz (Şahbuz) Shahbuz Rayon 920 21,500 Carved from Nakhichevan (Babek) during Sovietization. [2] Territory roughly corresponds to the Čahuk (Չահւք) district of the historic Syunik region within the Kingdom of Armenia. [57]
8 Sharur (Şərur) Sharur Rayon 478 96,000 Formerly known as Bash-Norashen during its incorporation into the Soviet Union and Ilyich (after Vladimir Ilyich Lenin) from the post-Sovietization period to 1990. [2]
Total 5,500 372,900

Demographics

As of 2005, Nakhichevan's population was estimated to be 372,900. [1] 98% of the population are Azerbaijanis. Ethnic Russians and a minority of Kurds constitute the remainder of the population. The remaining Armenians were expelled by Azerbaijani forces during the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh as part of the forceful exchange of population between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to the 1932 Soviet census 85% of the area's was rural while only 15% was urban. This percentage increased to 18% by 1939 and 27% by 1959. [2]

File:Jolfa-Aras2.JPG
The Aras River near the Julfa-Iranian border.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Azerbaijan

Nakhichevan is an atmospheric, semi-desert region that is separated from the main portion of Azerbaijan by Armenia. The Zangezur Mountains make up its border with Armenia while the Aras River defines its border with Iran. It is extremely arid and mountainous. Nakhichevan's highest peak is Mount Kapydzhik (3904 m) and its most distinctive is Ilandag (Snake Mountain) (2415 m) which is visible from Nakhichevan City. According to legend, the cleft in its summit was formed by the keel of Noah's Ark as the floodwaters abated. [58]

Industry

Nakhichevan's major industries include the mining of minerals such as salt, molybdenum, and lead. Although dry, irrigation, developed during the Soviet years has allowed the region to expand into the growing of wheat (mostly grown on the plains of the Aras River), barely, cotton, tobacco, orchard fruits, mulberries, and grapes for producing wine. Other industries include cotton ginning/cleaning, silk spinning, fruit canning, meat packing, and, in the dryer regions, sheep farming. In terms of services, Nakhichevan offers very basic facilities and lacks heating fuel during the winter. [15]

International issues

Examples of Armenian khachkars from Julfa.

Status of Armenian cultural monuments

Armenia has accused the government of Azerbaijan of destroying historic Armenian headstones (khachkars) at a medieval cemetery in Julfa, presenting photos and video in support of these charges.[59][60][61] Azerbaijan denies these accusations. Ambassador to the US Khafiz Pashayev, the videos and photographs that have surfaced show some unknown people destroying some mid-size stones and is not clear of what ethnicity those people are. Instead, the ambassador asserts that the Armenian side started a propaganda campaign against Azerbaijan to divert attention from the destruction of Azerbaijani monuments in Armenia.[62] The Institute for War and Peace Reporting, meanwhile, reported on April 19, 2006 that "there is nothing left of the celebrated stone crosses of Jugha." [63]

The European Parliament has formally called on Azerbaijan to stop the demolition as a breach of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.[64] According to its resolution regarding cultural monuments in the South Caucasus, the European Parliament "condemns strongly the destruction of the Julfa cemetery as well as the destruction of all sites of historical importance that has taken place on Armenian or Azerbaijani territory, and condemns any such action that seeks to destroy cultural heritage." [65] In 2006, Azerbaijan barred the European Parliament from inspecting and examining the ancient burial site, stating that it would only accept a delegation if it visited Armenian-controlled territory as well. "We think that if a comprehensive approach is taken to the problems that have been raised," said Azerbaijani foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Tagizade, "it will be possible to study Christian monuments on the territory of Azerbaijan, including in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic."[66]

Recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Nakhichevan's parliament issued a non-binding declaration in the late 1990's recognizing the sovereignty of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and calling upon Azerbaijan to do so. While sympathetic to the TRNC, Azerbaijan has not followed suit because doing so would prompt Greek Cypriot recognition of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.[67][68]

Claims by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) claims that Nakhichevan belongs to Armenia. The programme of the party states: The borders of United Armenia shall include all territories designated as Armenia by the Treaty of Sèvres as well as the regions of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Javakhk, and Nakhichevan.[69] However, it should be noted that Nakhichevan is not claimed by the government of Armenia. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian reaffirmed this on December 13, 2006 by openly stating that Armenia, as a legal successor to the Armenian SSR, is loyal to the Treaty of Kars and all agreements inherited by the former Soviet Armenian government.[70]

Culture

Main article: Culture of Azerbaijan

Music and the arts are abound in Nakhichevan. In 1923, a musical subgroup was organized at the State Drama Theater (renamed the Dzh. Mamedkulizade Music and Drama Theater in 1962). The Aras Song and Dance Ensemble (established in 1959) is another famous group. Dramatic performances staged by an amateur dance troupe were held in Nakhichiven in the late 19th century. Theatrical art also greatly contributed to Nakhichevan's culture. The creative work of Jalil Mammadguluzadeh, M.S. Gulubekov, and G. Arablinski (the first Azerbaijani film director) are just a few of the names that have enriched Nakhichevan's cultural heritage. [15] The region has also produced noteworthy Armenian artists too such as Soviet actress Hasmik Agopyan. Nakhichevan has also at times been mentioned in works of literature. Nezami, considered a master of Persian literature once wrote:

که تا جایگه یافتی نخچوان
Oh Nakhichevan, respect you've attained,
بدین شاه شد بخت پیرت جوان
With this King in luck you'll remain.

Famous people from Nakhichevan

File:Heydar.jpg
Former Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev was born in Nakhichevan.

Political leaders

Religious leaders

Military leaders

Writers and poets

Others

Photographs of Nakhichevan

  • The Momine Khatun Mausoleum in Nakhichevan City.
    The Momine Khatun Mausoleum in Nakhichevan City.
  • Ram grave stones dating back several centuries recollected near the Momine Khatun Mausoleum.
    Ram grave stones dating back several centuries recollected near the Momine Khatun Mausoleum.
  • A ram grave stone embedied on concrete construction.
    A ram grave stone embedied on concrete construction.
  • Statue of Dede Gorgud in Nakhichevan City.
    Statue of Dede Gorgud in Nakhichevan City.
  • General view of Ordubad with a range of high mountains in neighboring Iran in the distance.
    General view of Ordubad with a range of high mountains in neighboring Iran in the distance.
  • Houses of Ordubad photographed near the east bank of Ordubad-chay (also knowm as the Dubendi stream).
    Houses of Ordubad photographed near the east bank of Ordubad-chay (also knowm as the Dubendi stream).
  • The famous narrow streets of Ordubad.
    The famous narrow streets of Ordubad.
  • A famous mosque in one quarter of Ordubad.
    A famous mosque in one quarter of Ordubad.
  • A shot of the mountainous terrain of Nakhichevan.
    A shot of the mountainous terrain of Nakhichevan.
  • The landscape of Nakhichevan.
    The landscape of Nakhichevan.
  • The Yusuf ibn Kuseir Mausoleum in Nakhichevan City.
    The Yusuf ibn Kuseir Mausoleum in Nakhichevan City.
  • The Armenian khachkar cemetery at Julfa, before its destruction.
    The Armenian khachkar cemetery at Julfa, before its destruction.

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c GeoHive: Country Data: Azerbaijan
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Robert H. Hewsen. Armenia: A Historical Atlas, p. 266. ISBN 0-226-33228-4
  3. ^ Flavius Josephus and the Flood of Noah
  4. ^ Plant Genetic Resources in Central Asia and Caucasus: History of Armenia
  5. ^ a b Elisabeth Bauer. Armenia: Past and Present, p. 99. ISBN B0006EXQ9C
  6. ^ Firuz Kazemzadeh, Ph.D. The Struggle For Transcaucasia: 1917-1921, p. 255. ISBN 0830500766
  7. ^ Firuz Kazemzadeh, Ph.D. The Struggle For Transcaucasia: 1917-1921, p. 267. ISBN 0830500766
  8. ^ Noah's Ark: It's Final Berth by Bill Crouse
  9. ^ a b Template:Ru icon Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. "Nakhichevan". St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890-1907
  10. ^ "Nakhichevan", Volume V19, Page 156 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
  11. ^ Template:Ru icon Hamdollah Mostowfi. Nozhat al-Gholub
  12. ^ Template:Ru icon Evliya Chelebi. Seyahatname
  13. ^ Ibn Khordadbeh. Book of Roads and Kingdoms (al-Kitab al-Masalik w’al-Mamalik)
  14. ^ a b Richard Plunkett and Tom Masters. Lonely Planet: Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, p. 243. ISBN 1-74059-138-0
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Template:Ru icon Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
  16. ^ Armenia: The Yervanduni Dynasty
  17. ^ a b Argam Ayvazian. The Historical Monuments Of Nakhichevan, p. 10. ISBN 0-8143-1896-7
  18. ^ Hewsen. Armenia: A Historical Atlas, p. 100.
  19. ^ ARMENIA, by Richard Gottheil, Herman Rosenthal, Louis Ginzberg
  20. ^ Mark Whittow. The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025, p. 210. ISBN 0-520-20497-2
  21. ^ Encyclopedia Iranica, "Atabakan-e Adarbayjan", Saljuq rulers of Azerbaijan, 12th–13th, Luther, K. pp. 890-894.
  22. ^ UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Tentative Lists: Azerbaijan: The Mausoleum of Nakhichevan
  23. ^ The Status of Religious Minorities in Safavid Iran 1617-61, Vera B. Moreen, Journal of Near Eastern Studies Vol. 40, No. 2 (Apr., 1981), pp.128-129
  24. ^ Encyclopedia Iranica. Kangarlu.
  25. ^ Template:Ru icon Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Treaty of Turkmanchai.
  26. ^ Template:Ru icon A.S. Griboyedov. Letter to Count I.F.Paskevich.
  27. ^ Template:Ru icon Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. "Sharur-Daralagez uyezd". St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890-1907
  28. ^ Michael P. Croissant. The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Causes and Implications, p. 9. ISBN 0-275-96241-5
  29. ^ Ian Bremmer and Ray Taras. New States, New Politics: Building Post-Soviet Nations, p. 484. ISBN 0-521-57799-3
  30. ^ Croissant. Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict, p. 15.
  31. ^ a b c d Dr. Andrew Andersen, Ph. D. Atlas of Conflicts: Armenia: Nation Building and Territorial Disputes: 1918-1920
  32. ^ De Waal. Black Garden: Armenia And Azerbaijan Through Peace and War. New York: New York University Press, pp. 128-129. ISBN 0-8147-1945-7
  33. ^ Croissant. Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict, p. 16.
  34. ^ De Waal. Black Garden, p. 129.
  35. ^ a b Tim Potier. Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia: A Legal Appraisal, p. 4. ISBN 90-411-1477-7
  36. ^ Croissant. Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict, p. 18.
  37. ^ a b Ian Bremmer and Ray Taras. New States, New Politics: Building Post-Soviet Nations, p. 444. ISBN 0-521-57799-3
  38. ^ Text of the Treaty of Kars
  39. ^ a b De Waal. Black Garden, p. 271.
  40. ^ a b Armenia: A Country Study: The New Nationalism, The Library of Congress
  41. ^ Thomas Ambrosio. Irredentism: Ethnic Conflict and International Politics. ISBN-10: 0275972607
  42. ^ Stuart J. Kaufman. Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War. ISBN 0801487366
  43. ^ De Waal, Black Garden, p. 88-89.
  44. ^ Azerbaijan: A Country Study: Aliyev and the Presidential Election of October 1993, The Library of Congress
  45. ^ Contested Borders in the Caucasus: Chapter VII: Iran's Role as Mediator in the Nagorno-Karabakh Crisis by Abdollah Ramezanzadeh
  46. ^ Russia Plans Leaner, More Open Military. The Washington Post. May 23 1992
  47. ^ Background Paper on the Nagorno-Karabak Conflict. Council of Europe.
  48. ^ The Toronto Star. May 20 1992
  49. ^ a b US Department of State Daily Briefing #78: Tuesday, 5/19/92
  50. ^ Armenian Siege of Azeri Town Threatens Turkey, Russia, Iran. The Baltimore Sun. June 3 1992
  51. ^ Reuters News Agency, wire carried by the Globe and Mail (Canada) on May 20, 1992. pg. A.10
  52. ^ a b Overview of Areas of Armed Conflict in the former Soviet Union, Human Rights Watch, Helsinki Report
  53. ^ Azerbaijan: Seven Years Of Conflict In Nagorno-Karabakh, Human Rights Watch, Helsinki Report
  54. ^ a b Turkey Orders Armenians to Leave Azerbaijan, Moves Troops to the Border. The Salt Lake Tribune. September 4 1993. pg. A1.
  55. ^ Azerbaijan: A Country Study: Efforts to Resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh Crisis, 1993, The Library of Congress
  56. ^ Iran To Boost Gas Export To Nakhichevan, IranMania News. July 20, 2006.
  57. ^ Hewsen. Armenia: A Historical Atlas, p. 123.
  58. ^ Plunkett and Masters. Lonely Planet, p. 246.
  59. ^ World Watches In Silence As Azerbaijan Wipes Out Armenian Culture, The Art Newspaper. May 25, 2006.
  60. ^ Tragedy on the Araxes, Archaeology. June 30, 2006.
  61. ^ Armenica.org: Destruction of Armenian Khatchkars in Old Jougha (Nakhichevan)
  62. ^ Will the arrested minister become new leader of opposition? Azerbaijani press digest, REGNUM News Agency. January 20, 2006.
  63. ^ Azerbaijan: Famous Medieval Cemetery Vanishes
  64. ^ European Parliament Resolution on the European Neighbourhood Policy - January 2006
  65. ^ European Parliament On Destruction of Cultural Heritage
  66. ^ Azerbaijan 'Flattened' Sacred Armenian Site, The Independent. May 30, 2006.
  67. ^ iExplore.com - Cyprus Overview
  68. ^ Europe, the US, Turkey and Azerbaijan recognize the "unrecognized" Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, REGNUM News Agency. September 22, 2006.
  69. ^ Programme of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
  70. ^ In Vartan Oskanian's Words, Turkey Casts Doubt On The Treaty Of Kars With Its Actions, All Armenian Mass Media Association. December 13, 2006.

Template:Azerbaijan Template:Non-sovereign territories of Europe

39°20′N 45°30′E / 39.333°N 45.500°E / 39.333; 45.500

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