The Armenians

Introduction

4 July 2007

By Housewife4Palestine

A short time ago, I was listenening to a group of foreigners talking about the Armenian language in that it was and extinct language.

While I made an error on my part, thinking the language was Semitic and have since learned different.

What made me most surprised, were these people did not know of the existence of the Armenian people; which I found astounding.

In respect, to the Armenian people here is a simple introduction about them, I must admit I know little about them; but that for some reason, I have always found them to be fascinating.

The Armenians (Armenian: Հայեր, Hayer) are a nation and an ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia. A large concentration of them has remained there, especially in Armenia, but many of them are also scattered elsewhere throughout the world (see Armenian diaspora). The Armenians have had a significant prescence in countries such as Russia, Georgia (country) and Iran due to their proximity to Armenia. After the Armenian Genocide, a large influx of survivors fled to France, the United States, Argentina, the Levant and other countries that welcomed the Armenians. There are an estimated 8 to 10 million Armenians around the world.

Christianized from the early 4th century, most Armenians adhere to the Armenian Apostolic Church. They speak two different, but mutually intelligible dialects of their language: Eastern Armenian, spoken mainly in Armenia and the former Soviet republics, and Western Armenian, spoken primarily in the Armenian diaspora.

Armenians have developed unique, long-lasting, and modern culture through contact with both Europe and Asia. Traditional Armenian dance and music are among the oldest, richest and most original ones in the Near East, and are still learnt and practised today. Armenian cuisine, as ancient as the people itself, is a combination of different tastes and aromas native to the Armenian Highland. Over time, it has been spread to neighbouring nations and to the New World by the Armenian diaspora.

Update:

20 July 2007

Tens of thousands of Armenians live in Istanbul, with their own churches and schools. Nazanine Moshiri tells us more about the city's Armenian community.