Fereydan
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Fereydan (Persian: فریدن, Georgian: ფერეიდანი, Armenian: Փերիա) is a county of the Province of Isfahan, Iran.
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[edit] Armenians in Fereydan
Fereydan or Peria was heavily populated by Armenians who were brought to this part of Iran by the Shah of the time, Shah Abbas of Safavid dynasty in 1603 and 1604, However the Armenian settlement in Fereydan dates back at no earlier than 1608.
The following is a list of villages inhabited by Armenians, which were part of Peria:
- Boloran (still inhabited by Armenians)
- Gharghan (still inhabited by Armenians)
- Khoygan (still inhabited by Armenians)
- Zarne (still inhabited by Armenians)
- Chigan
- Drakhtak
- Gharghoon
- Khong
- Khoygan (another one)
- Millagerd
- Namagerd
- Sangbaran
- Senegerd
- Shooreshkan
- Savaran
- Hezarjerib
- Khoshgaleh
- Hadan
Many Armenian villages are not totally deserted. From time to time they are visited by Fereydani Armenians who still possess properties there.
[edit] History
Author: Jacklin Gharibian
Title of Article: "ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF PERIA--400 Years in the Making"
Publisher: Hye Sharzhoom, Dec. 1995 (Armenian Studies Program, California State University Fresno)
In the early 1600s, the Persians controlled the eastern half of Armenia; while the Ottomans ruled over western Armenia. At the time, the two empires were playing a power game -- each trying to expand its jurisdiction over Asia Minor, including Armenia.
In 1603; Shah Abbas I of Persia launched an attack on Ottoman lands, conquered Tabriz, fought against the Turks to seize Nakhichevan, and in 1604, captured Yerevan. From Constantinople, Sultan Muhammad sent forces to fight the Persians. Because of this, Shah Abbas ordered the Armenians to pack up and abandon their homes. To enforce his ruling, the Shah commanded his men to burn down the Armenian homes -- this way, the Armenians would have no choice but to leave. From Armenia, they were forced to march towards Iran. On their way, the Armenians encountered another obstacle; they had to cross the Araks river -- but there were no bridges available and the Persians (having learned that the Ottomans were in the surrounding area) forced the Armenians to swim across the river. Old men, women and children jumped into the freezing waters of the Araks -- only the fortunate few successfully made it to the opposite side; the rest died as their bodies floated on the waves of the Araks river.
Finally, in the spring of 1605, the Armenians were transferred to Isfahan. Approximately 25,000 families took this journey from 11 known regions in Armenia, such as Van, Kars, Alashkert, and Manezkert. The Persians burdened themselves with this for a very simple reason: Shah Abbas wanted to improve the agricultural economy of the Persian Empire, and the Armenians (being advanced in this field) were the best candidates to fulfill the needs of the Persians. Of those who arrived in Isfahan (New Julfa), some were transported to Peria. Peria had rich soil and a climate that favored the agriculturists. The Armenians were reminded of their homeland as they glanced over the heavenly landscape of Peria. At the time of settlement, Shah Abbas executed careful politics, as he reasonably sided with the Armenians at times of conflicting instances with the local Persians, and he even allowed the Armenians to continue living as Christians. However, Shah Abbas believed that within time, the Armenians would automatically integrate with the local Persian population and adopt the Islamic way of life. Although this scenario took place in certain Armenian communities, Perians proved to contradict the Shah's predictions, as they fought to maintain their cultural and religious identities. Several Armenians of Peria were butchered to death for refusing to become Muslims.
The population of Peria fluctuated along with the number of villages that existed. People over time moved away, and some relocated from one village to another. In 1851, 4,949 people lived in 19 villages; by 1910 the population increased by more than 200 percent (25 villages were populated by 12,083 people). These figures from the 20th century indicate that Peria was a strong Armenian community outside of New Julfa. Interestingly enough, Peria was a segregated community; no Muslims were allowed to reside in any of the villages. At certain times, the villages of Peria survived harsh economic conditions, such as droughts, by assisting one another without depending on the Persians. Hence Peria was a self-supporting, self-governing community under the authority of the Muslims.
[edit] Georgians in Fereydan
The Fereydan Georgians (Georgian: ფერეიდნელები) are an ethnographic group of the Georgian people who mostly live in the city of Fereydoon Shahr and in the Fereydan region of Iran.
[edit] Origins
During the Persian invasion of eastern Georgia by Shah Abbas in 1612 AD, the region of Kakheti was devastated, and some of its population forced into exile. Upon the Shah's return to Persia, more than 300,000 ethnic Georgians from Kakheti were expelled to Isfahan province and the Fereydan county. Under the forced labour, Georgians constructed bridges and organized the rehabilitation of the farmlands in the Fereydan valley. Since the forced migration and islamisation, none of the Fereydan Georgians had any contacts with their motherland. However, they managed to maintain the Georgian language, which they call Phreidnuli (and is intelligible with East Georgian dialects).
