The present article analyzes the participation of Armenian merchants in the development of the economy as an exceptional social reality in the region. This can also be considered as an expression of peaceful coexistence between Armenian and the local Christian and Islamic religious communities. Thus, from a chronological point of view, the study presents the XVII–XIX centuries when there was a conflict of interests between the great powers in the Middle East. However, even in those difficult times, the Armenian traders were able to expand their activities, connecting the East and the West, thus becoming a bridge between the local Middle East and the European societies. This explains the rise in the social structure of the Syrian, Iranian and Iraqi Armenian communities, bringing the traders’ progressive contribution to the development of these societies. Therefore, it can be said with certainty that being successful in trade contributes to the preservation of the national characteristics and image of their communities. This study was carried out by three researchers of the Armenian Communities and Diaspora Department of the Institute of History of NAS RA, based on some monographs, professional encyclopedias, periodical press articles and some other well-known experts’ studies in this field.

KeywordsArmenian traders Iraq Iran Aleppo economic history Basra Baghdad Old Julfa New Julfa caravan routes Levant Persian Gulf

The historians and academics of the Republic of Azerbaijan, preach and propagate that since the language spoken in the Iranian Province of Azerbaijan is the same as that spoken by the population of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the two are the same race and of the same background, therefore, they are the same people who presently live in two separate countries. Based on this baseless assumption, they propagate all sorts of misinformation aimed at the Iranian side, to separate from Iran and join their historical brothers and sisters in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The article suggests that language cannot be the sole basis for understanding the background of a certain society or tribe. Otherwise, most of the population of South America, all of Mexico, and the Philippines should actually be named Spanish. By the same token, many African countries that speak a European language would belong to the members of the same races, who, earlier on, had colonized their lands.

KeywordsAzerbaijan Caucasian Albania Armenia Iran the Azeri language the Turkish language Pahlavi dialect.