Western Armenia facts for kids

Western Armenia (Armenian: Արևմտյան Հայաստան) is a historical region. It was also known as Byzantine Armenia, and later Turkish Armenia or Ottoman Armenia. This name was first used after the ancient Kingdom of Armenia was split in 387 AD. One part went to the Byzantine Empire (this was Western Armenia), and the other part went to Persia (this was Eastern Armenia).

History of Western Armenia

After the Armenian king Arshak III died in 390 AD, Greek generals ruled Western Armenia. In the 7th century, Western Armenia became a center for a Christian group called the Pavlikians. Later, in the 9th century, much of Western Armenia, including areas like Vaspurakan and Taron, was ruled by the Bagratid dynasty of Armenia. In the 13th and 14th centuries, some parts of Western Armenia were included in the Zakarid Armenia kingdom.

After wars between Turkey and Persia from 1602 to 1639, Western Armenia became part of the Ottoman Empire. After the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, the term "Western Armenia" began to refer to parts of the Ottoman Empire where many Armenians lived. These areas stayed under Ottoman rule, while the eastern part was given to the Russian Empire.

Western Armenia, under the Ottomans, was made up of six large provinces called vilayets. These were Erzurum, Van, Bitlis, Diyarbekir, Kharput, and Sivas.

After the Ottoman Empire ended, Western Armenia remained under Turkish rule. Sadly, between 1894 and 1896, and again in 1915, Turkey carried out widespread massacres and forced removals of Armenians.

Western Armenian Language

After these terrible events, a special way of speaking the Armenian language called the Western Armenian dialect is now mostly spoken in places like Istanbul, Lebanon, Egypt, and other parts of the Armenian diaspora. The diaspora refers to Armenians living outside their homeland.

Western Armenian is written differently from Eastern Armenian, and it also sounds a bit different. Eastern Armenian is the official language of the Republic of Armenia. In some Armenian schools outside Armenia, like L'École Arménienne Sourp Hagop and the Armenian Sisters Academy, students learn Western Armenian.

Modern History and the Armenian Question

The future of Western Armenia is a very important topic in the modern history of the Armenian people. It is often called "The Armenian Question."

The first and second meetings of Western Armenians took place in Yerevan in 1917 and 1919. Since the year 2000, a group has been working to organize a meeting for the descendants of Western Armenians who survived the massacres. This group is active in Armenian communities around the world.

Related pages

• Kingdom of Armenia
• Armenian Highland
• Wilsonian Armenia
• Armenian Empire

Images for kids

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  Distribution of Armenians in Turkish Armenia.

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  The treaties as summarized in 1923 by Ray Stannard Baker, who was Woodrow Wilson's press secretary during the Paris Peace Conference.

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  A 1927 version of the map used by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (later restored)

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  Western Armenia in the first half of the 18th century, from Herman Moll's map, 1736.

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  Armenia Turkomania on an 1810 map.

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  Persis, Parthia, Armenia. Rest Fenner, published in 1835.

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  The Six Armenian vilayets (provinces) of the Ottoman Empire were defined as Western Armenia.

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  The area of Russian occupation of Western Armenia in summer 1916 (Russian map).

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  The area of Russian occupation of that region in summer 1916.

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  The modern idea of United Armenia as used by Woodrow Wilson and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun).

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  Early 1600s spread of Armenians within modern Turkey, a few decades after Ottoman conquest.

See also

In Spanish: Armenia Occidental para niños