Hazirlayanlar

500

HOŞGÖRÜ TOPLUMUNDA ERMENİLER

Armenians; a people very industrious in all kind of labour: their Women 

very skilful and active in shooting,and managing any sort of weapon, like 

the fi erce Amazones in antick time; and the women at this day, which in-

habit the Mountaine Xatach in Persia. Their families are very great; for 

both Sons, Nephewes, and Neeces, doe dwell under one roofe, having all 

their substance in common: and when the Father dyeth, the eldest Sonne 

doth governe the rest, all submiting themselves under his Regiment. but 

when the eldest Sonne dyeth, the government doth not passe to his Sonnes, 

but to the eldest Brother. And if it chance to fall out, that all the Brethren 

doe dye, then the government doth belong to the eldest Sonne of the eldest 

Brother, and so from one to another. In their dyet and cloathing, they are 

all fed and clad alike, living in all peace and tranquilitie, grounded on true 

love and honest simplicitie.(34) 

While enjoying full religious freedom the Armenians possessed a 

practical attitude towards life. They were liberal. The European travel-

ers disapprove of their “absurdities”in religious and social practices.and 

criticize the frugal attitude of their Emperors also. The then contempo-

rary travelogues confi rm that system: “This people have two patriarchs, to 

whom, they give the name of Universall: the one keepeth his seate in the 

Citie of Sis in Caramania, not farre from tharsus: the other in the Monas-

tery of Ecmeazin, neere unto the Citie Ervan in this countrey. Under these 

two patriarchs are eighteene Monasteries, full straight with Friers of their 

Religion; and foure and twentie Bishopricks. the maintenance allowed in 

times past unto each of these two Patriarchs, was a Maidin on an house: 

each patriarch having under him twentie thousand housholds: but now that 

large benevolence the great Turke hath seased into his owne hands; and 

therefore now they are constrained to live on the Almes of the people, go-

ing continually in visitation from one Citie to another, carrying their Wives 

and whole family with them. (35). The people of this nation have amongst 

them the Christian Faith, but at this day it is spotted with many absurdities. 

They hold with the Church of Rome in the use of the Crosse, affi rming it to 

be meritorious, if they make the same with two fi ngers, as the Papists use;: 

but idle and vaine if with one fi nger, as the Jacobites: They adorne their 

Churches in every place with the signe of the Crosse, but for other Images 

they have none, being professed enemies against the use of them. In keep-

ing ancient Reliques they are very superstitious, and much devoted to the 

blessed Virgin Mary, to whom they direct their prayers. They imitate the 

Dioscorians in eating White-meats on Saturday, which to doe in Wednes-

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501

Prof. Mansure HAİDAR

day and Friday were a deadly sin: nevertheless, they will not refraine from 

the eating of fresh on every Friday, between the Feast of the Passover and 

the Ascention. They abstain fi ve Sabboths in the year from eating fl esh, in 

a remembrance of that time which the Gentiles did sacrifi ce their Children 

unto Idols. they celebrate the Annunciation of the Virgin Marie on the sixt 

of Aprill, the Nativitie of our blessed Savior on the sixt of january, the Pu-

rifi cation the fourth of February, and the Transfi guration the 14 of August. 

The ministration of their Liturgie or Service is performed in their native 

language, that all may understand: but in their Service of the Masse for the 

dead, they are most idolatrous, using at the solemnizing thereof, to sacri-

fi ce a Lambe, which they fi rst lead round about the Church, and after they 

had killed it and rosted it, they spread it on a faire white Linnen cloath, the 

priest giving to each of the Congregation a part and portion thereof. They 

are (unlesse some few families) so farre from yeelding obedience unto the 

Sea of Rome, that they asume all Antiquitie unto themselves, as having re-

tained the Christian Faith from the time of the Apostles. Many Jesuites and 

Priests have beene sent from Rome, to bring this oppressed Nation under 

her government, but they have little prevailed; for neither will they yeeld 

obedience, nor be brought by any perswasion to forsake their ancient and 

inveterate errours, to become more erronious with her.” (36). The passage 

clearly brings out the Christian attitude towards the Armenians.

It was, however, not only the diligenceand imagination of the Arme-

nians that had paid dividendsto them. The nature had, endowed Ottoman 

Armenians with many resources to distinguish and enrich them.The Ar-

menian possessions were rich in oil also. Marco polo says that, “.... There 

is a fountain from which oil springs in great abundance, in so much that a 

hundred shiploads might be taken from it at one time. This oil is not good 

to use with food, but it is good to burn, and is also used to anoint camels 

that have the mange. People come from vast distances to fetch it, for in all 

the countries round about they have no other oil”.Not only Hanikoff refers 

to naptha in the vicinity of Tifl is but Russian explorers like Berg, Ignatov, 

Obruchev also refer to it. If Ricold is to be believed, the same naptha was 

supplied to the whole country as far as Baghdad, and Barbaro says that the 

camels were being anointed with the oil.(37)John cartwright describes the 

lake Arctamer ‘which was under the rocke over which they passed and two 

miles from this shore in the aforesaid lake were two islands called the Ec-

menicke Ilands inhabited only by Armenians and some Georgians which 

two islands do bring forth and yield such store of cattle and plenty of rice, 

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