The formation of toponyms in any ethnic-cultural area is a prolonged process. Geographical names are shaped by the inhabitants of a given area and take their place in historical sources and maps over time. Oikonyms (names of settlements, cities, villages, summer settlements, winter settlements, etc.), anthrotoponyms (geographical names derived from personal names), hydronyms (names of water bodies), oronyms (names of mountains, valleys, hills, ridges, etc.), phytotoponym (place names derived from the names of plants), zootoponyms (geographical objects related to animal names), etc. in a particular area reflect the history, geography, culture, and ethnography of the people living there. On the other hand, toponyms serve as witnesses to historical events, refreshing memories and recalling the processes that have taken place in that area.

Thousands of years have passed since the formation of toponyms belonging to the Oghuz and Kipchak tribes of the ancient Turks in the South Caucasus. Tens of thousands of toponyms were formed in the ancient layers of history in the territories of Azerbaijan, Georgia and present-day Armenia. The ancient Turks named toponyms mainly based on the geographical relief of the area they lived in, and the names of their historical personalities and tribes.

Armenians who came to the South Caucasus as Christian missionaries since the Middle Ages initially wrote pseudo-history books and presented themselves as the indigenous inhabitants of this region. However, they were not successful in changing the existing toponyms. Despite the toponyms invented by Armenians in their pseudo-history books, in reality, toponyms belonging to the Oghuz-Kipchak and Alban tribes were used in daily communication and continue to be used today.

Since the Middle Ages, Armenians, arriving in the South Caucasus as Christian missionaries, initially wrote pseudohistory books and portrayed themselves as the indigenous inhabitants of this region. However, they were not successful in changing the existing toponyms. Even though the toponyms invented by Armenians may be found in their pseudohistory books, in reality, toponyms belonging to the Oghuz-Kipchak and Alban tribes were used in daily communication and continue to be used today.     

Today, the state called the Republic of Armenia was mainly established on the territory of the historical land of Azerbaijan - the Iravan Khanate.

Armenians lived in only 62 out of 1111 villages included in the territory of the "Armenian Province" - in the new administrative-territorial unit established after Russia’s occupation of the khanates of Iravan and Nakhchivan in 1827. Those Armenians had been resettled there before 1828. It is worth noting that only 14 out of the mentioned 62 villages had names of Armenian origin.

From 1828 to 1830, 40,000 Armenians from Iran and over 90,000 from Turkey were relocated to the South Caucasus.

Russian researcher N. Shavrov wrote in 1911: "More than one million of the 1,300,000 Armenians currently living in the South Caucasus are not local people and have been resettled here by us."

The process of changing the toponym system that has been formed over centuries and millennia in a particular territory serves to erase the traces of the historical and geographical presence of a nation in that territory. While it may not be a straightforward issue in cartography, changing the toponyms belonging to Azerbaijanis has become part of the official state policy in the Republic of Armenia.

During the period starting from the Russian occupation of the Iravan Khanate in 1827 until the establishment of the Republic of Armenia in the historical Azerbaijani territories in 1918, only a few Azerbaijani toponyms in that area had their names changed. After the occupation of the city of Iravan in 1828, it was renamed "Erivan". After the arrival of Russian emperor Nicholas I in Gyumri in 1837, the city's name was changed to "Alexandropol" in honor of the consort of the emperor, Alexandra Feodorovna. Following the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, Armenians were resettled en masse from the territory of Turkey's Beyazid Pashalik to the vicinity of Lake Goycha. In 1850, when the Iravan Governorate was created, the name of the Kavar settlement was changed to "Novo-Bayazet" and turned into a district center with the same name. The Turkic-origin names of the settlements and other toponyms were retained in the administrative and military-topographic maps and statistical information issued during Tsarist Russia.

Taking advantage of the pro-Armenian stance of the ruling circles of Tsarist Russia, the Armenians began to carry out a policy of ethnic cleansing by force of arms in the territories inhabited by Azerbaijanis in 1905-1906 to establish the Armenian state in the South Caucasus.

Shortly after the establishment of the first Armenian state, the Republic of Armenia (Ararat), on the historical lands of Azerbaijan in the early 20th century, a policy of ethnic cleansing accompanied by genocide and deportations was followed against the local Azerbaijani population. In addition to the resettlement of Armenian refugees who fled from Turkey in Azerbaijani residential areas that were vacated by force of arms, the renaming of these residential areas has been started.

By the decision of the meeting of the National Council of Azerbaijan held on May 31, 1918, the city of Iravan was transferred to the Republic of Armenia as the capital on the condition that it renounce its territorial claims against Azerbaijan. However, the Armenian government not only failed to fulfill this promise but continued its policy of occupying the territories of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and committing genocide against Azerbaijanis in the former Iravan Governorate.

On June 4, 1918, according to the Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed between Türkiye and Armenia in Batumi, the territory of the Republic of Armenia was approximately 10,000 square kilometers, and its population was about 321,000 people (including 230,000 Armenians, 80,000 Muslims, 5,000 Yezidi Kurds, and 6,000 people of other nationalities). However, Armenian armed forces sought to expand the republic's territory by using force to gain control over Azerbaijani-populated areas in surrounding regions.

The Dashnak government of Armenia intended to realize the decision of the Dashnak parliament on May 28, 1919, on the establishment of "United Armenia" by completely ridding Zangazur of Azerbaijanis, putting the Paris Peace Conference in front of reality, and then seizing Karabakh and Nakhchivan. In 1916, 373,582 Azerbaijanis were registered in the Iravan governorate, while in November 1920, only 12,500 Azerbaijanis were registered in the Armenian SSR.

Until March 1918, Armenian armed forces had already destroyed 198 villages in the Iravan province alone. The Armenian Dashnak government intended to realize the decision of the Dashnak parliament on May 28, 1919, on the establishment of "United Armenia" by completely ridding Zangazur of Azerbaijanis, then seizing Karabakh and Nakhchivan, presenting the Paris Peace Conference with a fait accompli. While in 1916, there were 373,582 Azerbaijanis registered in the Iravan province, by November 1920, there were only 12,500 Azerbaijanis recorded in the Armenian SSR.

In December 1919, by the decision of the Armenian government, a special commission for changing the names of villages, cities, rivers and mountains was established at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the rule of Dashnaks in 1918-1920, the names of 17 settlements were Armenianized in the territory of present Armenia.

After the establishment of Soviet power in Armenia in 1920, the process of Armenianization of toponyms of Turkic origin continued rapidly. In the first years, changing the names of settlements was entrusted to the Land Committee. Since 1935, the renaming of Azerbaijani residential areas was carried out by the decisions of the Presidium of Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR.

Until 1935, the names of nearly 200 settlements (oikonyms) were changed in Armenia.

During the Soviet rule, based on the decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR, renaming operations were carried out in the years 1935, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1957, 1962, 1968, 1969, 1977, 1978, 1980. By August 1988 - that is, until the deportation of Azerbaijanis from their historical-ethnic lands, the names of 521 settlements of Turkic origin had been changed in the present territory of Armenia.

In general, 499 Azerbaijani settlements have been erased from the list of living areas in present-day Armenia through various means (by subjecting the population to mass killings, genocide, deportation, etc.). Most of these settlements were left deserted after the genocide committed against Azerbaijanis in Armenia in 1918-1920 and the deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia in 1948-1953.

On January 3, 1935, by the decree issued by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR, 72 Turkic toponyms were changed and subjected to spiritual genocide in 29 districts. 

In accordance with the decisions of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated December 23, 1947, and March 10, 1948, the names of more than 60 settlements were changed after the deportation of over 100,000 Azerbaijanis from the historical-ethnic lands in the Armenian SSR to the Kur-Araz lowland of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1948-1953. The Garabaghlar region was abolished after the deportation of Azerbaijanis, and many of its villages remain abandoned to this day.

In 1978 alone, the names of 60 toponyms of Turkic origin were changed in 23 districts.

The failure to timely counter the Armenian separatism that broke out in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region in 1988 resulted in the deportation of Azerbaijanis from their historical and ethnic lands in Armenia. Exactly due to Moscow's support for the Armenians, 170 pure and 94 mixed Azerbaijani settlements in the present territory of Armenia were emptied in the years 1988-1989. The last remaining Azerbaijani village Nuvadi (Nüvədi) presently called Nrnadzor by Armenians, situated in the border area of Meghri region with Zangilan region, was emptied on August 8, 1991. In general, as a result of the last ethnic cleansing, approximately 250,000 Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from their historical and ethnic lands in 22 villages, districts and 6 cities of Armenia.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated April 9, 1991, the names of 90 residential areas, by the decree of August 8, 1991, of 16 residential areas, and by the decision of the Armenian Parliament dated July 4, 2006, names of 31 residential areas previously belonged to Azerbaijanis were changed to be Armenian.

There were Azerbaijani settlements whose names were changed several times. For example, the name of Yeniyol village in Amasiya region, where Azerbaijanis were deported from in 1988, was changed to Aghvorik in 1991. However, the name of Yeniyol was Garanamaz until 1935. Another example is the settlement of Böyük Qarakilsə (Boyuk Garakilsa) in Pambak region, which was renamed Martunashen in 1926, Kirovakan in 1935, and currently Vanadzor.

The policy of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis in the territory of present-day Armenia, the deportation of our compatriots from their historical-ethnic lands to the last person was completed during the period when administrative regions existed, during the Soviet rule in Armenia. The names of the village and the district where they were born and raised at that time are exactly recorded in the memory of the population and the documents confirming their identity. These names continue to live in the memories in that way.

According to the information provided by the Armenian State Real Estate Cadastre Committee in 2007, the renaming operation was completed by changing the names of the remaining 21 settlements. The names of only a few settlements, which were not deliberately changed due to political motives, have been retained until now in Armenia. For example, Nizami (Zangibasar), Avshar (Vedi), Hallavar (Gugark), Shamlig (Tumanyan (Allahverdi)), etc.

In general, the names of over 700 administrative-territorial units of Turkic origin have been changed until recently in Armenia.

In addition to the changing of toponyms, the process of renaming hydronyms and oronyms has also been continuously carried out in the territory of Armenia during Soviet rule. For example, Lake Goycha became "Sevan", Zangi River became "Hrazdan", Arpachay became "Akhuryan", Bazarchayi became "Vorotan", Alagoz (Alayaz) mountain became "Aragats", Aghbaba mountain became "Medz Yeghnasar", Aghlaghan mountain became "Urasar", Darachichak plain became "Tsakhkadzor". ", Ishikhli mountain became "Ishkhanasar", Shahdag mountain became "Kaputan", Leyli Mountain became "Achkasar", Aghlaghan mountain became "Yeghnasar", and so on. During the Soviet rule, a copy of the resolutions of the Armenian SSR Supreme Soviet on the renamed toponyms was sent as a rule to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, its Secretariat, and the State General Department of Geodesy and Cartography under the USSR Council of Ministers, so that these changes could be taken into account in the list of settlements and on the released maps. Today, those documents are preserved in the relevant funds of the State Archive of the Russian Federation.

The electronic version of the book "Vandalism: Genocide Against the Historical Names" covering 702 administrative-territorial units subjected to genocide in the territory of present-day Armenia by ANAS Institute of History in 2014 is posted on the Library's website www.preslib.az: https://www.ebooks.az /book_nkuTAyEF.html 

In 2014, the Institute of History of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences published the book "Vandalism: Genocide Against the Historical Names" which covers the genocide committed against historical names in present-day Armenia and includes 702 administrative-territorial units. The electronic version of the book is available on the library’s website:

www.preslib.az

https://www.ebooks.az/book_nkuTAyEF.html

The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev stated the following: "This history should be known to everyone, especially young people, the way it is. The territory of the present Republic of Armenia is ancient Azerbaijani land. This is a fact, a historical fact. There is no need to go too far. Just look at the maps published by tsarist Russia in the early 20th century. Everyone will see that the vast majority of place names throughout the territory of present-day Armenia are of Azerbaijani origin".

The toponymic crimes of Armenia continue today as well. As Armenians distort history, they also falsify historical maps, replacing existing Turkic toponyms and microtoponyms with Armenian names. However, it is impossible to erase the toponyms that belong to Azerbaijanis in Western Azerbaijan from the memory of the history, from the maps drawn up during Tsarist Russia.

 

Nazim Mustafa

Doctor of Philosophy in History