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century, the founder of which was Dadah Umar (d.892). This silsilah got 

currency in Azerbaijan, Aran, Armenia and Kudistan and spread from there 

to the environs of the place. (56)Since this order had reached Afghanistan 

and its vicinity and there were certain miscreants who often created diffi -

culties on the frontiers of the Mughal Empire in Hindustan, Akbar’s deputy 

and court chronicler Abul Fazl,therefore, always called them as “Tarikis” 

in his Akbarnama..(57)

 Undoubtedly, the impact of Sufi sm in the Eurasian region highlight-

ing the monotheism and monism of ancient religions greatly contributed 

towards bringing the heterogenous people of the region closer. Ibnul Arabi, 

Rumi, Bhakti saints of India had emphasized it. The messages of Rumi is 

quite clear and appealing:

‘What is to be done, O Moslems? for I do not recognise myself.

I am neither Christian, nor Jew, nor Gabr, nor Moslem.

I am not of the East, nor of the West, nor of the land, nor of the sea;

I am not of Nature’s mint, nor of the circling heavens.

I am not of India, nor of china, nor of Bulgaria, nor of Saqsin;

I am not of the kingdom of Iraqain, nor of the country of Khurasan.

My place is the Placeless, my trace is the Traceless;

‘Tis neither body nor soul, for I belong to the soul of the Beloved.

I have put duality away; I have seen that the two worlds are one;

One I seek, One I know, One I see, One I call’.(58)

 Controversy regarding the antecedents of Ottomans and Armenians 

and their mutual exchanges in the sphere of music, painting, architecture 

and their rich common heritage is also found in the sources. The Istanbul 

albums ‘seem to refl ect this taste for the exotic rather than the native work 

‘(59) There are several manuscripts available in India which carry the royal 

seal of Ottoman sultans like Sulaiman the magnifi cent, the seal of Shahja-

han and the names of Ottoman and Mughal Emperors and offi cers indicat-

ing that the Armenian traders must have brought the treasure of books also 

certifying the cultural exchanges taking place in the region. The Nuzhatul 

Arwah of Badruddin found in Muks in Armenia and the Anthology of Ara-

bic poetry entitled as Kitabal Aghani transcribed and illustrated in twenty 

volumes for Badruddin Lulu an Armenian(earlier a slave captured in a war 

who later became a regent and then a ruler 1233-59) of which half is now 

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511

Prof. Mansure HAİDAR

preserved in Istanbul(60)are examples in question. In the illustrated manu-

scripts of medieval period Armenian natural scenes are often depicted to 

fi ll up the void. One such painting included in the Mathnavi of ‘Laila wa 

Majnun” depicted Majnun in a woebegone and love stricken state wander-

ing in the woods of Armenia. This painting is considered to be one of the 

most remarkable productions of Central Asia. The books produced on mu-

sic from the time of Barbad to this day confi rm the exchanges taking place 

between the Ottoman and Armenian music. The lingual arena of Eurasia 

presents a marvelous adoption of new words from each other enriching the 

respective languages preventing them from languishing as dead language. 

When the mother tongue –an emblem of a peoples’s identity and entity 

adopts and carries the loan words from that of each other and a lingual 

fusion is also noticed, it is here that real affi nity takes place.The cultural 

exchange which had taken place over the centuries between Ottomans and 

the Armenians can well form the subject of a book given the magnitude of 

the material available, but this is beyond the purview of this article except 

by way of reference. 

The Armenian community is said to have played an important role 

in the foundation and development of socialist movement in the Otto-

man Empire between 1876 –1923. Towards the end of nineteenth century, 

nearly three to 3.5 million Armenian dispersed over Ottoman Empire.. It 

is also argued that the Armenian issues at the Congress of Berlin (1878) a 

precursor of Armenian Nationalist movement and the Treaty of Lausanne 

9July 1923) opened a new chapter. Those who are acquainted with his-

torical developments in the region know well that democratic traditions, 

socialist ideas, revolutionary movements and peoples’ uprisings were not 

unknown to the region. Armenian community is also said to have ‘one 

thing in common, they no longer had a country to call their own and the 

violent fragmentation of Arnenian society---the physical gap between the 

rural world rooted out in the Yerkir (the old name for Ottoman Armenia) 

and the Bourgeoisie dispersed all over the world(61). The Armenian nest 

in Turkey was no longer existent and uprooting is always agonizing.

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Bibliographical Notes

1. Achuyt Yagnikand Shchitra Seth, The Shaping of Modern Gujarat, 2005, p.8.

 2. Banakiti, Tarikhi Banakiti, p318; Haft Iqlim.

 3. Banakiti, 273.

 4. Basil Gray, Persian Painting, Geneva, 1977, p.104.

5. Barbad,, Dushanbe 1989, pp139, 230’Barthold, V.V Sochinenija vol. 5,Moscow 

ed. p.111.

6. Juvaini, Tarikhi Jahangusha I Juvaini, vol, 2, pp.438-439.

7. Claude Cahen, The formation of Turkey, Eng Tr. By P.M. Holt, Essex 2001,255-9; 

Anthony the Armenian,, Purchas 327-329.

Account of the Traveller Anthony the Armenian (AD 1307), Purchas His Pilgrimes, 

vol. X1, Glasgow, MCMVI, pp314-6; Ibni Batuta, Travels in Asia and 

North Africa, New Delhi, 2001, p. 132

8. Hasan Beg Rumlu, Ahsanut Tawarikh Tehran, 1349 pp505-6;Yezdi, Zafar Nama, 

194-; Claude Cahen, The formation of Turkey Eng tr. By P.M Holt, 

Essex 2001 pp255-9

 9. Rumlu, op. cit. p505-6;.Renaissance of Islam, 157-64;Anthony the 

Armenians,358

10. Sochinenija 212; Travels of Mirza Abu Talib Isfahani, Asia, Africa, and Europe 

during the years 1799-1803, New Delhi,pp 234-5,252-9; Travelogue 

of Thomas Coryat Purchas His Pilgrimes, vol. X Glasgow MCMV, pp 

426-27

11. Suraiya Farokhi, The Ottoman Empire and the world around it,2004, p, 212

12. Marwin Howe, Turkey Today, USA, 2000,pp 92-93,97-9

13. Thomas Coryat, 426-7; Isfahani 234-5,252-59

14. Suraiya, op. cit. 107

15. Basil Gray, Persian Painting, Geneva 1977, p.104

16. Purchas and His Pilgrimes, vol. 1, Glasgow, MCMV pp380-3;ibid vol.V111 pp 

66-76

 17. Purchas and His Pilgrimes, Vol,1,Glasgow MCMV, pp309-12

18.  İbid;also see Ambassador Morgenthau’s story, p.337The Turkish 

Transformation,,p75

19. Purchas His Pilgrimes, Vol 111, Glasgow, MCMV,pp166-169

20. Marco Polo op. cit, Book 1 note 1

21. Travels of Mirza Abu Talib Khan, Asia Africa and Europe during the years 1799-

1803, New Delhi, 234-35, 252-259

22.İbid 234- 235; 252-9

23.İbid 

24.George Sandys, Purchas His Pilgrimes, Vol, VIII, pp122-23

25. Purchas His Pilgrimes Vol. 1 Enquiries of languages of Christians, GlasgowMCMV, 

pp262-263.

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