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 present article concerns the final work of the British missionary of German-Jewish origin, Joseph Wolff (1795–1862), Travels and Adventures of the Rev. Joseph Wolff (1860–1861). As an autobiographical memoir and the culmination of his journeys from 1821 to 1845, it contains rich testimonies about the Armenians, both in their historical homeland and in various regions and countries, including the Ottoman Empire, Persia, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and India. Wolff provided accounts of both ordinary Armenian inhabitants and prominent figures of the time. Possessing profound knowledge of Armenian history and culture, he often included historical digressions covering both distant and more recent epochs. Thus, his final travelogue-autobiography serves as a valuable source for studying the history, demography, and daily life of Armenians in the first half of the 19th century.

KeywordsJoseph Wolff travelogue missionary Armenians of Middle East Jerusalem Syria Persia

Joseph Wolff (1795–1862), a British missionary of German-Jewish origin, wrote six travel accounts about his journeys to Eastern countries. During these travels, he considered it necessary to record the populations of the various peoples living in the places he visited, including Armenians. In this respect, his travelogues constitute an exceptional source for clarifying the quantitative picture of the Armenian population in the first half of the nineteenth century, both in Eastern and Western Armenia, as well as in neighboring and other regions (the Ottoman Empire, Persia, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and India). In particular, in his works Missionary Journal of the Rev. Joseph Wolff, Missionary to the Jews and Researches and Missionary Labours among the Jews, Mohammedans, and other sects, by the Rev. Joseph Wolff, he recorded the number of Armenian inhabitants in the cities and villages he visited. Thus, according to his data, there were 8,000 Armenian families in Karabakh, 114 in Baku, 4,000 Armenians in Shapin-Garahisar, 5,000 in Sivas, 130,000 Armenians in Constantinople, 40 families in Kabul, 1,000 Armenians in British India, and so on. When noting the number of Armenian inhabitants in the cities and villages he visited, Wolff almost always distinguished between Apostolic and Catholic Armenians, and often found it necessary to indicate the number of clergy as well. Considering that Joseph Wolff, as a missionary, was in contact with Armenian ecclesiastical and educational figures and obtained his information from them, the data he provides may be regarded as at least largely reliable.

KeywordsJoseph Wolff travel accounts Armenians rural population Ottoman Empire Mesopotamia Persia