Armenian Iranians
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Armenian Iranians (Armenian: "Իրանահայ" translit. Iranahay or "Պարսկահայ" translit. Parskahay) are Iranian people with Armenian descent. Their current population is somewhere around 400,000. They mostly live in Tehran and Jolfa district. The Armenian-Iranians were very influential and active in the modernization of Iran during the 19th and 20th centuries[citation needed]. After the Iranian Revolution, many Armenians immigrated to Armenian diasporic communities in North America and western Europe. Today the Armenians are Iran's largest Christian religious minority.
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[edit] History
Since Antiquity there has always been much interaction between Ancient Armenia and Persia (Iran).
On the Behistun inscription of 515 BC, Darius I of Persia indirectly confirmed that Urartu and Armenia are synonymous when describing his conquests. Armenia became a satrap of the Persian Empire for a long period of time. Regardless, relations between Armenians and Persians were cordial.
Prior to the 3rd century AD, no other neighbor had as much influence on Armenian life and culture as Persia. They shared many religious and cultural characteristics, and intermarriage among Iranian and Armenian nobility was common. Armenia's conversion to Christianity in 301 alienated them from the Persians, who were mostly Zoroastrian, and the Persian conversion to Islam in the 7th century deepened this alienation.
In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks drove thousands of Armenians to Iranian Azerbaijan, where some were sold as slaves and others worked as artisans and merchants. After the Mongol conquest of Iran in the 13th century many Armenian merchants and artists settled in Iran, in cities bordering historic Armenia such as Khoi, Maku, Maraghe, Urmia, and especially Tabriz.[1]
Although Armenians have a long history of interaction with Persia/Iran, Iran's Armenian community emerged when Shah Abbas relocated tens of thousands of Armenians from Nakhichevan to an area of Isfahan called New Julfa, which was created to become an Armenian quarter. Iran quickly recognized the Armenians' dexterity in commerce.
The community became active in the cultural and economic development of Iran.
[edit] 20th century
In early 20th century many Iranian Armenians, under the command of leaders like Yeprem Khan, participated in the Iranian constitutional revolution.
The modernization efforts of the Pahlavi dynasty were beneficial for the Armenian community in Iran and soon Tehran became a center of Armenian life.[2]
After the 1979 Islamic revolution as many as 100,000 Armenians left Iran; however, the Armenian minority is still the largest Christian community in Iran.[3]
Armenians are a recognized religious minority and are apportioned two seats in the Iranian parliament. In addition to having their own churches and clubs, Armenians are one of the few linguistic minorities in Iran with their own schools.[4] Many Armenians served in the army, and some were “martyred,” during the Iran-Iraq War.[5]
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