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Aleppine Armenians during the Last Decades of the Nineteenth and the First Quarter of the Twentieth Centuries
Abstract
The purpose of the paper is to examine the socio-economic, political, religious, cultural and educational situations of the indigenous Armenians of Aleppo during the last decades of the nineteenth and the first quarter of the twentieth centuries with a particular focus on their evolution during the relocation process and the following years. At first, the Aleppine Armenian community’s structure, way of life and efficiency in many branches of Ottoman life will be situated within the Ottoman context. Then, the process of relocation itself will be assessed at the level of Aleppo, that is, the questions of how did the relocation process affected the indigenous Armenians of this centre and under which circumstances they continued their lives will try to be answered. Furthermore, their relations with each other as well as the Syrian government will also be touched upon widely. The main incentive that determine the focus of the paper as Aleppine Armenians is that Aleppo was a crucial centre for both the Armenian community and the Ottoman Empire in the sense that Aleppo neighbored the historical Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, and was a place where, especially in and round Aleppo, old Armenian communities had settled as early as twelfth century and also included the important See of Aleppo of the Armenian Cilician Catholicate beginning from the fourteenth century which contributes the significance of Aleppo for the Armenian community. On the other hand, the proximity of the region to the Vilayet-i Sitte (Six Provinces), the area considered as highly populated by the Armenians, as well as its central position during the relocation process added the significance of the region for the Ottoman Empire. The material for this study is based on original documentation from Ottoman, American, and European consular, diplomatic and private archives and memoirs. Especially, the main task of the paper is necessarily grounded on the Ottoman provincial year-books or salnames which record the names, ranks and functions of the paid officials and unpaid community representatives and private citizens who served in numerous local bodies as well as the geographic, demographic and socio-economic situations of the provinces.
Discipline
History
Geographic Area
Syria
Sub Area
19th-21st Centuries