Updated on 16 March 2018 to include the 1920 American map of the proposed boundary between Turkey and Armenia as determined by US President Woodrow Wilson. One of the most enduring myths of Caucasus history involves the little-noticed and oddly placed border between Turkey and Azerbaijan. At first glance at any map, this border is…
By Lilit Grigoryan and Pietro Shakarian Ajara is a unique region in the Caucasus. A state within a state, it is an autonomous republic of Georgia, located in the southwestern corner of the country on the Black Sea coast, with Turkey to the south. It is home to a significant Armenian community and has served…
One of the most fascinating cities in Armenia is the town of Meghri. Situated on the Iranian frontier 230 miles away from Yerevan, in the southern extremity of Armenia’s historic Syunik province, Meghri is a town of 4,600 people. It can take several hours to reach Meghri, at least six if traveling by taxi and…
Here’s an interesting piece of Soviet Armenian history from my personal archive: an official NEP-era map of the Armenian SSR (then part of the Transcaucasian SFSR) from 1924, as printed on a Soviet-produced postcard: Some notes: 1) In this map, the Armenian SSR is comprised of nine raioni (or districts), some of which are so…
The Abovyan Group (Աբովյան խումբ) 