Hazirlayanlar

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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: [phone] ®

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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. 

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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-

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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-

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