Categories: HistoryNewsWorld

Armenia on the Maps of the Ottoman Empire

On 19th-century Ottoman maps of Armenia, the territory between Lake Van and Erzurum is denoted as Ermenistan, said cartographer Ruben Ghalechyan, the founder of the scientific-cultural organization Armenian Institute stationed in London.

The indigenousness of Armenians to the Armenian Highlands and their cultural heritage has been frequently denied by Azerbaijani and Turkish historians.

“I have acquired these maps at the annual auction of maps in the UK several years ago. Two of them have been created in the early 19th century by the order of the Ottoman statesman Mehmed Emin Rauf Pasha. That’s why they bear the name “Atlas of Rauf”,” said Ghalechyan.

According to Ghalechyan, those maps are a powerful tool against the Azerbaijani and Turkish myths stating that the Armenians are actually nomads and their country was only established in the early 20th century. The maps have been drawn by Turkish cartographers, meaning that they aren’t falsified. However, Turkey doesn’t mention the maps today.

“Armenia is depicted on an 1877 map created by the order of the Ministry of War of the Ottoman Empire as well,” noted Ghalechyan. Turkologist Tiran Lokmagezyan thinks that the maps can play a crucial role in the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the scope of the modern informational conflict.

“The Ottoman Empire consisted of seized Greek, Armenian territories, and this has been openly mentioned at one time. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the government decided to establish a state-nation. In order to achieve their goals, they carried out exterminations of Greeks and Armenians, apart from other peoples,” said Lokmagezyan.

The Armenian Genocide has been the first genocide of the 20th century. Over the last years, Turkey has been traditionally refusing the intentional extermination of about 1.5 million Armenians carried out by the Ottoman Empire in the years of WWI. Moreover, Turkey reacts to the criticism of western historians and politicians rather oversensitively.

The Armenian Genocide is recognized by a number of countries, including Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Germany, the majority of US states, the parliaments of Luxembourg, Chile, Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Belgium, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, and Poland.

Vigen Avetisyan

View Comments

  • I have noticed you don't monetize your page,
    don't waste your traffic, you can earn extra bucks every month because you've got hi quality
    content. If you want to know how to make extra $$$, search for: Ercannou's essential
    adsense alternative

Recent Posts

Armenian Orphan Girls in New York (1917): A Forgotten Act of Witness and Relief

In 1917, at the height of global upheaval during World War I, a small but…

2 days ago

The Armenian Genocide: State Crime, Mass Participation, and the Burden of Historical Responsibility

The Armenian Genocide (1915–1921 ...) was not an accident of war, nor a tragic byproduct…

6 days ago

The First Printed Armenian Bible (Amsterdam, 1666–1668)

Introduction The first printed edition of the Bible in the Armenian language stands as one…

1 week ago

Armenopolis (Gherla): An Armenian “Ideal City” in the Heart of Europe

Armenopolis (modern-day Gherla, Romania) is a remarkable example of how the Armenian diaspora not only…

2 weeks ago

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia

Regarding the Remarks of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group at the Permanent Council…

2 months ago

The Armenian Genetic Code: An 8,000-Year Unbroken Journey

While empires rose and fell and borders shifted across millennia, one remarkable constant has endured:…

3 months ago