maket_N_verjin.qxp


An Important 
Source of Information 

about Islamized Armenians

For centuries the history of the Armenians has beenaccompanied by struggles against foreign yoke,
massacre, attempts of forced Islamization. The Islamized
Hamshen-Armenians (Hamshenis) are of particular interest. As
far back as in the 19th century several Armenian and foreign
scholars such as Ghukas Inchichean (1806:396-397), Minas
Bzhshkean (1819:92-93,97), German scholar Karl Koch
(1846), Sargis Haikuni (1895:239-243; 1903:702-709), P.
Toumayeants (1899:174-177) and others mentioned these
Armenians. The listing, however, should start with a member
of the Mekhitarist Congregation - Poghos Meherean. The latter
was in the village of Khevak of Hamshen (also known as

Hamshin, Hemshin) as far back as in 1776 and provides us with highly important
information in his reminiscences “The Life Story ….”1.

Poghos Meherean was born in 1729 in the village of Arinch in Mush and became a
clergyman in 1767 (Mkhitarean yobelean... 1901:218). He obtained valuable
manuscripts for the matenadaran (depository of ancient manuscripts) of the Mekhitarist
Congregation (Sargissean, Sargsean 1966:1-49; Tchemtchemean 1993:19)2. He visited a
number of countries in Europe (Hungary, Germany, Holland, Italy, etc.) and in the East
(Turkey, Egypt, Syria, etc.). He even reached India and in 1811 wrote about all these
visits with a lively style in his reminiscences which are of exceptional value. P.
Meherean died in 1814, February 26 on the Island of St. Lazarus, Venice at the age of
85. (Mkhitarean yobelean 1901:218) Though Ghukas Inchichean published the first
volume of his “The Geography of the Four Parts of the World” in 1806, i.e. before
Meherean wrote his memoirs, while comparing his articles about the village of Khevak,
Hamshen with those given by Inchichean, one may assume that the source of
information (maybe oral) is Poghos Meherean. In one of the chapters of his book called
“Hemshyre or Hamshen” Ghukas Inchichean writes: “Khevak is a village at an 8-hour
walk from Hamshen and a three-hour walk from Khotorjur in the southern part, built
on a slope of a high mountain; the population is mostly made up of Turks, 200 families
of which used to be Armenians; 5 or 6 families still remained Armenians; the village
is known for its high-quality honey; the Pejanket tributary crosses Khevak and flows
into the Tchorokh)”. (Inchichean 1806:397)

In 1843-1844, i.e. 70 years after Poghos Meherean, Karl Koch, a professor of the
University of Berlin and Yena, and a famous scholar, was in Bardzr Hayq and the

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Sergey Vardanyan



Tchorokh Basin. According to him, Khevak which was included in the province of
Berdagrak, “is made up of 5 districts (or parts) and has 200 houses with a population
ranging from 1000 to 1200”. (Tashean 1980:218) Koch also mentions Greek and
Armenian Christians along with the Muslims who formed the majority of the population
in Khevak: “Today only 2 villages (Karmirk and Khotorjur) are the only habitats of
Armenian Christians while in the 4 other villages (Kutrashen, Nikhagh, Mokhrkut and
Khevak) Greek and Armenian Christians live side by side with Muslims”. (Ibid.:281)

Hakobos Tashean, who was quite familiar with Bardzr Hayq and the Tchorokh
Basin writes: “... there were already Armenians with Georgian ritual traditions in
Berdagrak and in Tortum. Armenians belonging to the Georgian church, native
Georgians and Christian Lazes could also be found among them. Most probably the
descendants of these Lazes came to live side by side with the so-called “Greeks” who
were mentioned here and there at the beginning of the early 19th century. They, being of
a smaller number than the native Greeks, have disappeared. Nevertheless, it is possible
that families of native Greeks could have also settled here and could have been
registered on this or that occasion”. (Ibid.: 214-215)

Meherean also mentions a Georgian monk who was a pastor “in the villages near
Khevak that professed the religion of Greeks”. (Meherean, Manuscript 560:168-169)

There are also similarities between Meherean’s and Koch’s extended descriptions of
the severe climate in the nearby mountains. Meherean was in Khevak in September and
writes that “no one could pass” those mountains already covered with thick snow in
October. Koch visited the same places in August and very expressively portrays the
freezing panorama not typical of a summer: “An icy wind was blowing bitterly when, at
last, for the second time we reached the peak of the Pontic Mountain Chain. The mount
in Khevak which we passed yesterday, lay below. Only a dark-brown pile of rocks made
up of ruins and enormous massive peaks covered with eternal ice and snow that
resembled the peaks of Helueti, rose above us. About 100 feet above a water circle could
be seen that had turned into ice in the course of many centuries and no sun ray could bring
it back to its former state. Though my body shivered with cold from time to time, I
managed to climb up another height and suddenly the sparse flora vanished. On my left I
could see Kajkar, the peak of which I was unable to see because it was too close to me.
A lower mountain was leaning on this immense mountain rising between the Black Sea
and the Tchorokh River. Only several peaks pierced into the clouds. So, I was not lucky
enough to see the sea which could be reached 8 hours later if we took the straight road”.
(Koch 1846:100-101; Tashean 1880:89-90; Houlunean, Hatchean 1964: 96-98)

Ghevond Alishan also writes about the village of Khevak in his “Teghagir Hayots
Metsats” (Topography of Great Armenians). Noting, mistakenly, that Hamshen belonged
to the “state of Erzrum” (Alishan 1855:36-39), he writes that Hamshen is rich in honey
and that “in the middle of the previous century its Armenian population was converted
into Muslims, but they still preserve their Armenian names and traditions. Among the
most famous villages of Hamshen is Khevak, a spot of Khachekars”. (Ibid.:39) Though
Alishan made no references to his work called “Sisuan” we infer that he had already read
Meherean’s manuscript. While speaking about Peylan Alishan writes: “One of our

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Fathers [Mekhitarists] stayed here in 1773”. And then he presents an extract from
Mehrean’s reminiscences and mentions in the footnote “Poghos Meherean of the village
of Arinch in Mush” without any reference as to when Meherean lived and what
handwritten or printed source he had taken that large passage from. This, probably, is the
first indication of P. Meherean’s name in printed sources. (Alishan 1885:420, 421)

In 1907, a century after Gh. Inchichean, S. Eprikean, another Mekhitarist member,
in the second volume of his “Patkerazard...” (Dictionary of Illustrated Homeland) making
abundant use of Gh. Inchichean’s and partly Alishan’s works, writes about “Khevak – a
village in Hamshen about 3-hours’ walk from Khotorjur and 8-hours’ walk from
Hamshen, built on the slope of a high mountain. In the mid 18th century 200 Armenian
families were Islamized. There is also a small number of Catholic Armenians. The honey
of the village is perfect”. (Epikean 1907:167)3 It is not difficult to see that the only novelty
is the indication of Catholic Armenians in Khevak. Barsegh Sargissean was the first to
attach special importance to the handwritten reminiscences of Poghos Meherean. In his
“Usumnasirutiwn...” (A Study of Messalian-Pavlikian Tondrakiys’ Sect and the Letter of
G. Narekatsy), retelling about the sectarian Armenians Meherean had met on his way
from Aleppo to Karin in 1773 (the Tonraketsi4, the Keskes5 or the Arevordi6”) and the
stories of false Bishop Hovhannes from Burchimasur, he writes that Meherean “recalled
the 200 Islamized Armenian families in Khevak” and adds in the footnote: “This
unpublished work, that is now in our matenadaran is a very relevant material about the
contemporary history and state of the Armenian people of the given period”. (Sargissean
1893:102-104)

B. Sargissean refers to Meherean’s reminiscences later, too. In his article
“Vichakagrakan nor...” (A New Statistical Theory for the Benefit of Independent
Armenia) published in “Bazmavep” he tells the story of Meherean’s meeting with the
Islamized people in the village of Khevak. 

“And Poghos Vardapet Meherean who 30 years after Inchichean, i.e. in 1776,
travelled to Hamshen, describes in vivid colours the unusual reception by his own kins
who had been converted to Turks in the village of Khevak and in the surrounding
villages and presents a really pathetic scene. Hearing that he was a clergyman, people
crowded around, kneeled and kissed his hand and stared at his companion standing on
the table that served as a church stage. Thus, he guessed that they had ceased being
Christian Armenians but they had not forgotten it. He looked for the church and found
it, which, like a reasonable widow who had been left alone by its apostate sons, was still
pure and blameless though closed. He made them open the church, cleaned it and after
celebrating the Holiday of St. Cross with the help of the four newly-ordained clergymen
accompanying him, he also officiated a liturgy .

The voice of the mysterious song aroused the remorse of the apostates. They began
to recollect the faith of their grandparents and mothers and tried to rush in. He tried to
block their way but in vain. He commented on “The Testament” to the people from the
neighboring villages in Arabic reminding them about the faith of the ancestors of theirs.
And being extremely excited he left the village, for in those days of persecution he could
be arrested as a prang [ed.Catholic]” (Sargissean 1919:284-285)7.

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Drawing a comparison between the version told by B. Sargissean and the original by
P. Meherean, it is not difficult to notice that he presents the aforementioned passage with
a style and comparisons typical of fiction. Sometimes he gets off the point and makes
unnecessary complements writing that Poghos commented on the Testament in Arabic
(Nor bargirq haykazean lezoui 1837:2; Zhamanakakits hayots lezvi batsatrakan bararan
1974:250). This can give rise to groundless conclusions about the people of Khevak and
those of the surrounding villages being speakers of Arabic. He writes that Poghos left
Khevak hastily as he was afraid to be arrested as a “prang” while this haste can be
explained not only by his fear of being accused as a Catholic but by the truly dangerous
reality. As it is known, the reconversion of Muslims to Christians, i.e. “making them
Armenians again” by a clergyman was a capital crime in the Ottoman Turkey.

In his book “Hay bnakchutyuny Sev tsoven...” (The Armenian Population from the
Black Sea to Karin) (Tashean 1921:81) and in the first and, particularly, the second
volumes of his three-volume “Tayq, Neighbors and Khotorjour” Hakobos Tashean
mentions Khevak several times. (1973-1981) Unfortunately, he is unaware of Meherean’s
reminiscences, though, as we have already stated, B. Sargissean mentions the name of
Meherean and the village of Khevak found in Meherean’s reminiscences, in his above-
mentiond book and in his article entitled “A New Statistical Theory...”. Thus, Hakobos
Tashean would have been able to answer a number of questions with Meherean’s
assistance. In one of the chapters of his research entitled “The Islamization of Khevak”
H. Tashean writes: “Unfortunately, we do not have detailed information, about the
Islamization of this province. At least it is not known to us. The essential information
is provided by Inchichean. Various information is given by Koch, too. But it is only this
much” (Tashean 1921:216). 

About two centuries after the conversion, we find relevant evidence about the
people of Khevak being Armenian speakers in the works by H. Tashean. In 1910-1911
(Ibid.:6) travelling from the Black Sea to Karin, he writes:

“During our trip we questioned the people we met about this or that Armenian
word that was used by them, asking for interpretation deliberately, as if we did not
know the answer, and we saw that the Turkish equivalents of many of these were
unknown to them. ‘They call it this way in our village’, this was the only explanation.
More and more often we came across cases when the early Islamized (e.g. the people
of Khevak) pretended as if they could not speak any other language except Turkish but
they understood Armenian fully.” (Tashean 1973-1981:150)

“ Even today the people of Khevak, at least most of them, either know Armenian
or understand it though they (particularly the men) speak Turkish to foreigners. The
Islamized have preserved Armenian proper surnames (Keshish-oghlu; Makar-oghlu;
Minas-oghlu, etc).” (Ibid.:219)

“These forcibly Islamized people still remember their kinships and in-law
relations with the Christian relatives who had left the country and emigrated to other
countries mainly to escape religious violence. The writer of these lines had a chance
to get acquainted with the Islamized inhabitants of Khevak in Karin who used to come
here to pay visits to their relatives and who knew Armenian.” (Tashean 1921:81)

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From the book by F. Hakob Qosean “Bardzr Hayq. Karin qaghaqy...” (1925) we
learn that in 2 records out of 3 belonging to the people of Khevak in Karin, the village
is mentioned as Khevek. E.g. in the “List of Liturgies” engraved in the marble of the left
wall of the Armenian St. Astvatsatsin Church (built in 1842), one can read: “Master
Sargis Grigorean from Khevek”. Gravestones were found in the Armenian cemetery
engraved “Zorapean Grigor from Khevak” (in 1871) and “Pnavetis Arakelean from
Khevek” (in 1872) (Ibid.: 460, 464, 479, 480). Not all the gravestones bear the indication
of the birthplace, so it is quite possible that there were other tombs belonging to the
people of Khevak, as well.

“Haykakan sovetakan hanragitaran” (the Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia) refers to
the village of Khevak, too. T. Gevorgyan, the author of the material on Khevak in the
Encyclopedia, for unknown reasons, ascribes the Islamization of the Armenian families
to the first half of the 19th century while Meherean and other sources point at the first
half of the 18th century. “Khevak - an Armenian-speaking Muslim village in Western
Armenia, situated in the Province of Kiskim, in Erzrum on the eastern slope of Kaj(k)ar
Mountain to the north of Kiskim was mostly engaged in apiary (the village was famous
for its high quality honey), cattle-breeding, farming. The Christian Armenians of Khevak
(nearly 200 houses) were forced to convert to Islam in the mid 19th century. Some
escaped and found shelter in Khotorjur and Karin. At the beginning of the 20th century
only ten Armenian houses adopted Muslim during the Armenian Genocide in 1915. The
Armenian Church in Khevak that has now been turned into a mosque, is still preserved”
(Haykakan sovetakan hanragitaran 1979:47). Unfortunately, being familiar with other
sources, the authors of “Hayastani ev harakits shrjanneri teghanunneri bararan”
(Dictionary of the Place Names in Armenia and Surrounding Areas) quote T. Gevorgyan,
hence, repeating his mistake:

“Khevak, Kheva, Khevi – a village in Western Armenia, in the Province of Erzrum,
in the small province of Kiskim, to the left of the Tchorokh River, near the mouth of its
left tributary Kobaksu, on the eastern side of Kajkar (Khachekar) Mountain. The
Bejanget River that passes through the village is also known as the Khevak. At the
beginning of the 19th century nearly 200 Armenian families and churches were engaged
in apiary, cattle-breeding, farming: The majority of the Armenian population was forced
to adopt Islam in the first half of the 19th century. The rest left the village. In the early
20th century only 10 Armenian families remained in the village”. (Hayastani ev harakits
shrjanneri teghanunneri bararan 1988:720)

If there were really 10 Armenian Christian families left in the early 20th century,
then it is not clear why A-Do, who, while travelling about the state of Erzrum in 1909
and collecting information about the Armenian population of Kiskim in his work “Vani,
Bitlisi ev Erzroumi vilayetnery” (1912:5) singles out only 6 villages out of the 68 as
having Armenian inhabitants. The 6 villages were: Khotorjur (with its seven villages or
districts), Karmrak, Gasapa, Prtikner, Nikhakh, Kutrashen. Khevak is not mentioned,
whereas Gasapa with only 15 houses and Nikhakh, made up of only 7 houses are
indicated (199).

In the “Patkerazard...” (Illustrated Dictionary of Homeland) by S. Eprikean,

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published in 1907, listing the 278 villages of Karin that were inhabited by Armenians,
Turks and were known to have a mixed population, the author does not mention Khevak.
(Eprikean 1907:51,300-301)

Thus it follows that the sources as to where Khevak belongs to are diverse. P.
Meherean, Gh. Inchichean, Gh. Alishan, S. Eprikean, B. Sargissean as well as B.
Torlaqyan consider it to be one of the villages of Hamshen. K. Koch, T . Gevorgyan and
the authors of “Hayastani ev harakits shrjanneri teghanunneri bararan” (Dictionary of the
Place Names of Armenia and Surrounding Areas) place it in the small province Kiskim
(Berdagrak) of Erzrum villayet. Tashean, placing Khevak in Kiskim, thinks it possible
that the border of Hamshen once reached the southern slopes of the Pontic Mountain
Chain including Khevak, too: “Thus, Inchichean places Khevak in Hamshen as a
separate village. Due to its position it could be seen easily, though being separated from
Hamshen by such a mountain chain covered with eternal snow, the impassability of
which is so nicely described by Koch”. “It can be seen, however, that Hamshen once
used to stretch to the southern slope of the Pontic Mountain Chain.” (Tashean 1973-
1981:197) Further research is required to show how convincing H. Tashean’s
assumptions are. With the desire to put it in action in the scientific circles, we present to
your attention extracts scattered on different pages of P. Meherean’s reminiscences
which are of exceptional importance for the study of the history of converted
Armenians8. The publication also comprises evidence about the clergymen in Khotorjur
in the 18th century. It should be noted that the adoption of Catholicism started in the
second half of the 17th century (Houlunean, Hatchean 1964:165) and already in 1748,
according to a report sent to Vatican from Constantinople, in all the villages of Khotorjur
there were Catholic Armenians with one or two vicars also Armenians by origin.
(Hofmann 1935:128-129)

Extracts adduced below introduce Meherean’s interpretation of the events.

*  *  *

“…They brought two psalm-readers from the village of Karmirg and another one
from the village of Mokhrakuit and one named Serobe from the village of Khevak,
Hamamashen Province. The people of Karmirg - the vicar and the inhabitants and those
of Mokhrakuit approved of their readers. As to Serobe from Khevak, he had no one from
his village to speak for him. Hence, the elderly vicars of Khotorjur told the following
story, “When the people of Khevak were converted to Turks there remained only five or
six Christian families for which the vicars of Khotorjur served as religious leaders. There
lived an old man, the father of this psalm-reader Serobe. When he was down with illness
he called his Christian brothers of Khevak and said to them, “My dear brothers, you know
that 200 homes among our villagers have become Turks and only our sacred faith in God
spared us. So, now we do not have a vicar and I fear that our and your sons will lose their
true way without a vicar. Then they asked him, “Ter, what shall we do?”. The old man
said to them; “Look, my son Serobe is 9 years old. I will give you 2000 dahekans to send

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my son to Khotorjur, to their metsavor Ter Hakob. Let him stay there and learn and when
time comes, bring him back and ordain him not to let our sons get lost, as it happened to
our villagers”. Ter Hovsep from Khotorjur, Ter Margar from Chichapagh, Ter Alexan and
Karapet from the Village of Syuni, Ter Poghos from Kaghmkhut, Ter Hovhannes from
Khantadzor and many others confirmed all this. (p. 161-162)

*  *  *

And as to these two psalm-readers from Karmirk, one from Mokhrakuit and Serobe
from Khevak, they were ordained taking into consideration the wish of the people and
the priests (p. 164) .

*  *  *

Several days after the celebration of Virgin Maria in Khotorjur, I took the newly-
ordained vicars – Ter Avetis from the village of Mokhrakuit, Ter Serobe from Khevak,
Ter Petros from Chichapagh and left for Mokhrakuit where Ter Avetis served a grand
liturgy. Then I took the officiating priest home in his liturgy clothes with cymbals and
singing church psalms on our way, in accordance with the Armenian ritual.

…Several days later, I took Ter Petros, the newly-ordained Ter Avetis and Ter Serobe
from Hamshen with me and set out for the village of Khevak in Hamamashen but it was
bitterly cold and stormy on the way, and we all lost the slightest hope to survive. I made
an attempt to make them eat but the meat was terribly frozen. Halve9 had especially
hardened into stone and they were unable to eat it. Then, it was September and they said it
was impossible for anyone to pass those places in October that’s why people went to
Khevak along the River Tchorokh. Coming down the mountain we went to Khevak and
when we entered the village the men and women of the village who had become Turks
gathered around me and were kissing my hand. Here we stayed in the house of the newly-
ordained Ter Serobe, who had uncles here who were quite well-off. First, we put a table
and together with Ter Petros and  Ter Avetis I served the liturgy and the people who had
become Turks came to the house to see the liturgy. I asked them if there was a church there
and they said, “Yes, but it is ruined”. And when I saw that it was quite easy to repair it I
did so at once, cleaned it with the help of five or six other people. Then I washed the hard
stone with water and wine as the door had been closed and no one had come in or out, I
sanctified it and we – the three vicars, served a liturgy. And the converted filled the church
in the course of the mass and I could not drive them away with my crosier. I feared they
might inform on me to other people saying that the preacher had come to turn the people
of Khevak back into Armenians. And in the month of September we all gloriously
celebrated the Holiday of the Great Cross. One Georgian priest, named Ter Israyel, who
used to preach in one of the nearby villages in Khevak in the Greek tradition, following
our ceremonial tradition, tried to bring them back to the right faith. Without giving thougth
to it he intended to change his ritual bringing it close to ours, especially as far as the
consecrated bread was concerned. I forbade him presenting many examples and

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persuading him against doing  it. ‘If you bring your villagers closer to the Church of Christ
and change your Greek rituals, you will not be able to control your people’. After this, I
promised him a gown for liturgy according to the Greek ritual. Then, as I had promised, I
sent him all the necessary clothes together with their ornaments from Gimishhana.

And after the liturgy, according to my nation’s traditions, we left the church with a
chasuble and a cross and set out to bless the graves of the perished Christians. The
converted gathered around us, put food on the tombs of their fathers and each of them
begged and implored me to come and consecrate the graves of their ancestors as they had
been Christians. Others felt guilty of being faithless and asked me, especially the elderly,
to listen to their confessions. However, there were some women who had remained
faithful to their religion and I taught them the basic elements necessary for the faith. I
absolved their sins and assigned the newly-ordained Ter Serobe to take care of them. I
left Ter Petros of Khotorjur in Khevak, and took Ter Serobe and went to their home town
that was only an hour’s way from Khevak. It lay between thick big trees and several
farms where one could find sheep, cows, bees and a small hut belonging to  Ter Serobe.
Here we spent the night and in the following morning we performed a mass after which
I was asked to bless the farm, the sheep and the oxen. Then we had dinner. Later they
gave us food to take with us to eat it on our way. They put some snow-white and
delicious honey, tasty butter, excellent cheese, etc. in our bags. From here we went down
to the gorge - to the bank of the River Tchorokh. 

And we were walking along the bank of the river, decorated with vineyards,
gardens of olive-trees and with marvelous fruit-trees. I walked around but I could not see
good fruit anywhere. The fruit was lying right on the road, squeezed under the feet of
passers-by. The soil was drenched with the fruit pulp. There were very big pomegranate-
trees, the branches of which were intertwined. I was moving under the trees on
horseback. Big and blown-up pomegranates could be seen hanging on the trees or lying
along the road. I picked them up and ate them with great pleasure. And to my question
why they let such good fruit get spoilt they said. “What shall we do, then? There is no
one to buy them”. And when I offered them money for fruit they answered, “Go to the
garden and take any fruit you wish, eat it, take it with you and please, pray to the God
for the souls of those who have planted these trees and for the souls of our ancestors who
were Christians”. Though their ancestors had changed their religion they were quite
gentle, polite and hospitable. They kissed my hand, took me to their place to read the
Testament for their sick relatives as they really believed in the power of the Testament.
It took us three days to go to Ardvin from Khevak. On October 5,1776, I stayed at Ter
Hovsep’s place who received us with pleasure. So did the citizens”. (p. 167-170)

Notes:

1. See the detailes in: Patmutiwn Varouts Tearn H. Poghos Vardapeti Meherean //
Sharagreal Yiwrme in 1811 in Venetik, i Vans Srboyn Ghazaru. The Matenadaran
of the Mekhitarist Congregation of Venice, Manuscript 560.

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2. In 1775 F. Poghos assigned a psalm-reader and peddler to find manuscripts in
provinces. In Hamshen the psalm-reader stayed in the house of an Armenian,
forcibly Islamized 60 years before. Here, he was told that every Saturday evening,
the host lit a candle in honour of the Testament (in reality it was a Mashtots). The
psalm-reader was able to buy this most valuable book after many pleas. F. Poghos
later sent it to Venice. The manuscript which dates back to the 9th-10th centuries is
still believed to be the oldest Mashtots ever found. (Sargissean, B.; Sargsean, G.
1966 p.4-5; Tchemtchemean, S. Mayr Tsutsak.... p. 19; H. Gr. A Mashtots //
Bazmavep // 1949, N5-6, p 114-115).

3. In the explanation of the word Kheva that precedes that of Khevak, S. Epikean
indicates “a village in the province of Artanouch, one family of Armenians and 23
Turkish ones. There are 2 other villages with this name in the province of Artahan”.
Barunak Torlaqyan, one of the best experts of the ethnography of the people of
Hamshen, most probably got the data on Khevak from S. Eprikean. In one of the
parts of his study entitled “The region of Hamshen” he writes: “ Khevak - 8-hours’
drive from Hamshen to Khotorjur, located on a high mountain, a village populated
by Islamized Armenians. The village is noted for its high quality honey.” (See B.
Torlaqyan. Hay Azgagrutyun ev Banahyusutyun. // Nyuter ev usumnasirutyunner. N
13, Hamshenahayeri azgagrutyuny. Yerevan, 1981, N 13, p. 29) In his book the
village of Khevak is marked in the territory of the province of Hamshen, on the
slopes of the Parkhar mountain range. (The approximate schematic map of the
settlements as of 1915 is known as “Hamshenahayer ev pontahayer”) The source is
not given.
The village of Khevak is named Khevi on Russian maps. According to the
dictionary, there used to be a village called Kheva in the region of Artanouch of the
district of Ardvin in Batumi and two others in the district of Ardahan in the region
of Kars. (T. Hakobyan, S. Melik-Bakhshyan, H. Barseghyan. Hayastani ev Harakits
Shrjanneri Teghanunneri Bararan. Yerevan, 1988. p. 720. Vol. 2)

4. Tondraketsi – a sectarian social movement in Armenia in the 9th -11th centuries. The
movement was initially launched in the small town of Tondrak, hence the name of
the movement.

5. Keskes – half-Christians and half-Muslims.
6. Arevordi – descendants of the Christian sectarian movement in the 11th-12th

centuries in Cilicia and Armenia. Armenians and probably Assyrians by origin.
Worshiped the Sun, the poplar and lilies.

7. In 1992 the historian S. Poghossyan came up with a more concise exposition of
what Barsegh Vardapet Sargissean told. See S. Poghossyan. Sev Tsovits Vana Tsov,
Hing Amis Hing Or. Yerevan, 1992, p. 22.

8. A small extract was published from “Hamshentsi Musulman Hayeri
Usumnasirutyan Patmutyunits” by S. Vardanyan // Iran-Name. 1998, p.2, N 1-2-3;
see also: S. Vartanian. Des Armeniens oublies // Azad magazine. Grenoble, 1999,
p.16, N3.

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9. The word derives form an Arabic root and is used to describe many distinct types
of sweet confection, across the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. It is
made from a variety of ingredients, including sunflower seeds various nuts, beans,
lentils, and vegetables, such as carrots, pumpkins, yams, and squashes . 

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