OTTOMAN-ARMENIAN
RELATIONS IN THE
LIGHT OF MEDIEVAL HISTORICAL SOURCES
HİNT KAYNAKLARI IŞIĞINDA
OSMANLI-ERMENİ İLİŞKİLERİ
Prof. Mansura HAIDAR
Jawaharlal Nehru Üniversitesi
E-mail: mansurahaidar2000@yahoo.ço.In; Tel: 0091 11 261 74 396 ®
Özet
XIX. yüzyıl sonları ve XX. yüzyıl başlarında Osmanlı
İmparatorluğu’nda yaşanan siyasî olaylar, birçok nedeniy-
le, Hindistan’ın ilgisini çekmiştir. Asya insanına örnek teşkil
eden Türkiye’nin girişim ve faaliyetleri, Asyalılar ile Türkle-
ri aynı çatı altında toplamıştır. Bu toplanmanın şüphesiz
ki en büyük etkileri ortak amaçlara bağlı yapılan savaşlar,
şölenler Asya’nın Türkiye ile olan bağlarını daha da güç-
lendirmiştir. Bir Asya ülkesi olarak Hindistan’da Türkiye
ile ilişkilerini her zaman iyi yönde muhafaza etmiş ve et-
kileşim içerisinde olmuştur. Söz gelimi yüzyıllar boyunca
Avrasya’yı yöneten ülkelerin izlemiş oldukları sessiz poli-
tikalar ile değişen sömürgeci mirasçılara karşı mücadele
veren Hindistan’a Türkiye’nin katkıları yadsınamaz.
Günümüzde uluslararası tepki ve polemikleri ile gün-
deme gelen Ermeni sorunu, Hint kaynaklarında detaylı
olarak incelenmemiştir. Makalemizde günümüz Hint dü-
şünürlerinin Osmanlı- Ermeni ilişkileri hakkında görüş ve
düşüncelerine yer verilecek ve Hint kaynakları çerçeve-
sinde Osmanlının izlemiş olduğu ılımlı politika üzerinde
durulacaktır.
485
Prof. Mansure HAİDAR
The Ottoman-Armenian relations had a long history and a living past
with a background of variegated and multi-dimensional contacts. Valuable
works have already been produced in English language on the Armenian
role in Persian Gulf, Red sea and Indian Ocean trade, Ottoman penchant
for possession and control of all maritime trade routes, subsequent Turco
Armenian commercial enterprises and resultant imperialist wars which
shook Europe and Asia alike. Studies on the more enduring socio-religious
and cultural bonds between Turkey and Armenia have presumably been ig-
nored or overlooked simply due to being overshadowed by more compul-
sive political and economic issues.. In this paper, an attempt is being made
to highlight and discuss certain socio- religious, economic and cultural
features of this age-old relationship in the light of medieval travelogues
and Indo – Persian sources. Geographically speaking, India and Turkey
were distantly located from each other, yet the travelogues and Indo-Per-
sian historical sources of ancient and particularly those of medieval period
had plenty of interesting and novel historical material throwing light on the
relationship between Turkey and Armenia on a regular basis.
The socio religious activities of sages and Sufi s and continuous in-
gress and egress of merchants and missionaries had removed the barriers
between the heterogenous people in the region as ‘great effl orescence of
culture, learning, art and architecture had brought the fortune seekers to-
gether. Since cities in Gujrat emerged as a gateway of Hind and as ‘a great
kingdom’ in this era, Armenian merchants and navigators frequented this
and other thriving ports and stray references to them are available in In-
486
HOŞGÖRÜ TOPLUMUNDA ERMENİLER
dian sources. Travelers from Marco polo to Burnes confi rm the multifari-
ous bonds. (1). During medieval period, the presence of Portuguese in the
Indian waters, the Ottoman concerns goading them to maintain friendly
relations or at least hobnobbing with powers that be in Gujarat and other
relevant corners of India, the professed love of Gujaratis and others for
the Ottoman Sultan as confi rmed by Sidi Ali Reis also as well as the con-
tinuous touch with the Armenians who were the dominant element in the
commercial activities were the factors which had necessitated recording of
various details about Ottoman Empire and its relations with the Armenians.
The geographical accounts(like Surat ul Arz,Jughrafi ai Hafi z Abru, Ajaibul
Makhluqat, Ajaibul Tabaqat,Haft Iqlim, Majmaul Gharaib, and so on), pro-
vincial histories (like Tarikhi Gujarat, Tarikhi Ahmadi, Tarikhi Masumi,
etc.), the chronicles compiled under the sultans of Delhi and the Mughal
Emperors in which stray information is available (like Akbarnama,,Tarikhi
Alfi , etc.), the court records and the travelogues(from, Ibni Batuta to Abu
Talib Isfahani and several others) are full of useful information. As per
reports available, both Armenia and Turkey had a long record of close con-
nections which is being discussed here to fi ll a historical void.
Ecology plays an important role in determining the common cultural
traits and subsequent mutual affi nity. The historical sources refer to this
ecological commonness between Turkey and Armenia as both belonged
to the fourth and fi fth climate though parts of Turkey fell in the sixth cli-
mate also.(2). Besides, there did exist harmonious relationship between
these two heterogenous people due to close and continuous contacts. The
brisk exchange of ideas, commodities and people between the two lands
since time immemorial was made possible due to geographical proximity
and contiguous borders particularly at Arzinjan and Oj.The Armenian state
----then a gateway to wilayati Ifranj,--- had its special strategic and geo-
political signifi cance and was connected with Rum(Turkey) by four roads
---the fi rst one ran through Kaisariya, called as the “rahi Khushkhwar and
rahi Dulu “; the second was said to be “rahi Luluh “ ie silver mines and
passed through the upper Baluch fort and was “caravan sipar “. The third
was “ rahi Qaraman” stretching from bank of Rum river upto the city of
Asas; the fourth went from Malatia to Helb and dayari Sham (3). Since Ar-
menia lay on the main road from north west to Sultaniah and from Tabriz
to Black sea, (4), its active relations with the territories on Silk road had all
the possibilities of outreach and it served as a bridge between several cul-