This what I read in a 1976 National Geographic source about Armenians.
Respected as artisans, scientists, and energetic merchants, Armenians form a highly concentrated population in the rocky valleys of Transcaucasia. Adherents to the Armenian Church - a distinctive form of Orthodox Christianity - they receive guidance from Catholicos, head of the church. The character of the Armenians is both strengthened and saddened by a dark and bloody history of wars, occupations, massacres, and deportations. Their traditional homeland was centered in northern Turkey, but Armenian culture thrives chiefly in Soviet Armenia. Since World War II, the republic has welcomed more than 200,000 Armenians from communities abroad, including the United States.
Armenian family names are common in certain parts of the USA such as California. According to what I've heard from Armenian sources, there was a general genocide of Armenians by Turks after WW I. Turkey chose to be on the side of the Central Powers during the first War. I suspect the Armenians didn't agree.
The Turkish people, as opposed to the Armenians, came from Central Asia where other Turkic languages are spoken such as Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Turkmen, and Uzbek. The Christian Armenians seem to be surrounded by Muslim peoples, and after the breakup of the Soviet Union, were involved with ethnic troubles in Azerbaijan. That is roughly an area where there are oil fields and to the east of Azerbaijan is the Caspian Sea.
Charles |
