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ETHNIC STRUCTURE OF MOUNTAINOUS KARABAGH AND NEIGHBORING AZERBAIJANI REGIONS IN 1921
(According to agricultural census of Azerbaijan in 1921)
In
mid-August of 1921, nearly a month after the promulgation of the famous Resolution
of the Caucasus Bureau of the Central
Committee of the Russian Communist Party as of Juy 5, 1921,.under
the directive issued by N. Narimanov, an agricultural census was conducted
in of leading specialists of CAS were Karabagh and the
neighboring Azerbaijani regions. The Central Agency of Statistics (CAS) of
Azerbaijan started the publication of the results of the census from 1922
in small numbers of copies (300-500).
The materials
of the census regarding the ethnic structure of the populace were also disclosed
in 1921-1923, in separate issues of the "Bulletin of the Azerbaijani Agency
of Statistics". The analyses also published in the said Bulletin: Rostovtsev
("Primary Data on Number of Population in Urban and Similar Areas of Azerbaijan
in 1921"), M. Avdeyev ("Number and Ethnic Structure of Rural Population of
Azerbaijan according to Census in1921"), V.V. Alishevskie ("Composition of
Population of Towns and Settlements in Districts of Azerbaijan"), etc. The
aforementioned surveys, as well as other materials published in the Bulletin
of CAS of Azerbaijan represent most valuable references for the review and
assessment of the dynamics of the number of the Armenian population of Azerbaijan
(The overall assessment of these materials is given in the review of V. Khudadov
(cf. "New East", M. 1923, Vol. 3, pp. 525-527).
The materials
of the census evidently witness to the policy run by the Azerbaijani Mousavats
in 1918-1920 towards other ethnic groups inhabiting in the territory of Azerbaijan.
In this respect the Soviet ethnographer I. G. Volkova wrote, "Those areas
of Azerbaijan which were formerly inhabited by the Armenians were deserted
or settled by Azerbaijani or Kurds. In Shemakh District 24 settlements with
a population of 17 thousand people were destroyed, in Nukhi District 20 settlements
with a populace of 20 thousand people were ruined. Similar facts were observed
in the towns of Aghdam, Gyanjha, Nukh, Shemakh. The Armenian population survived
only in those areas where the Mousavats failed to penetrate, i.e., highlands
of Yelizabetpol Province (Kazakh, Yelizabetpol, Jhevanshir Districts)" ( cf.:
N. G. Volkova, "The Ethnic Process in Transcaucasus in XIX-XX Centuries",-
"Caucasus Ethnographic Manual", IV, M., 1969, p. 10 ). The above-stated is
supported in full by the materials of the agricultural census of Azerbaijan
in 1921. Thus, if in 1914 the Armenian populace was 12,6 % of the total number
of population of Geokchay District, in 1921 it was recorded to be 4,9 %, in
Shamakh District it was 13,4% and 7,3% respectively. In Aghdash District the
corresponding data for the above periods were 19,5 % and 0,7 %, in Nukhi they
were recorded to be 20,2 % and 2,4 %. As of 1914 the number of Armenians in
Geokchay, Shemakh, Aresh and Nukhi Districts equaled 73 526 whereas in 1921
the number of the Armenian populace was 12 716.
If in 1914 84
259 Russians lived in Shemakh, Geokchay, Saliani, Kuba, Lenkoran, Gyanjha,
Karyagin and Shoushi districts, in 1921 their number equaled 40 801. In the
regions which were more exposed to this process, i.e., in Saliani and Lenkoran
14 291 Russians were recorded versus 40 800 in 1914 ( cf.: "Bulletin of CAS
of Azerbaijan", 1923, ¹ 1( 7 ), p.47 ).
Only in four districts
the destroyed Armenian villages had the following areas of land under cultivation:
Aghdash District . . . 24.896 desyatinas (measure of land = 2.7 acres),
Nukhi District
. . . 30.754 desyatinas,
Geokchay District
. . . 26.431 desyatinas,
Shemakh District...
. 10.000 desyatinas.
The total area
of the cultivated lands was 92.081 desyatinas. ( cf.: "Bulletin of CAS of
Azerbaijan", 1922, ¹ 1 ( 3 ), p. 6 ).
In Nukhi District
the population declined by 30.000 people or 29% against 1917. In this respect
the massacres of the Armenians played a critical role in the process. As of
the date of the census the below given Armenian settlements which were in
1917 no longer existed.
1. Chartagh (581 people),
2. Dashbulagh (1672 people), 3. Taraka (362 people), 4. Zaraf (637 people),
5. Yaghubli (1229 people), 6. Top (132 people), 7. Akhpilakend (899 people),
8. Yengikend (121 people), 9. Jhujhamish (186 people), 10. Salibeili (469
people), 11. Kozli(766 people), 12. Mejlis (311 people), 13. Jhafar-Abad-Khoy
(510 people), 14. Aydin-Bulag (431 people), 15. Sabatli (1954 people). Overall,
the population of the aforementioned settlements was 10260 people.
Moreover, the Armenians
were either partially or completely ousted, and the majority of them either
died or was scattered throughout Transcaucasus, North Caucasus or other settlements
of the below given mixed or pure Armenian population areas:
Year 1917 Year
1921
1)
Mirzabaili 420 Armenians............................Settled by Turks and Daghestans
2)
Geiboulagh 1153 Armenians......................104 Armenians returned,
3)
Jhorli (Populated by Armenians) 398 Armenians..
4) Geibeili (244 Armenians)............................. Inhabited by 77 Turks,
Armenians - None
5) Aliar (313 Armenians)...................................Inhabited by 61
Turks, Armenians - None
6) Soultan-Nukha (1114 Armenians)............... Armenians - None,
7) Malikh (194 Armenians)................................41 Armenians returned,
8) Vardanli (66 Armenians).............................. Armenians - None,
9) Vardashen (around 1600 Armenians).........692 Armenians remained,
10) Nijh (around 3000 Armenians).....................447 Armenians remained.
It can be noted
that by 1921 the number of Armenian homes in 10 settlements decreased by 1350
or 7200 people (For details see "Bulletin of CAS of Azerbaijan", 1922, ¹ 3
(5), May-August, p. 51-52).
The finding of the census
showed that the Armenians did not return to Armenian-Turkish villages. Only
the villages of Nijh and Vardashen where the bulk of the population constituted
Udins, were partially inhabited by Armenians. On the other hand, the villages
abandoned by Armenians were settled by Daghestans, Turks from Nukhi and Armenia,
for example, villages Mirzabeili, Armenian Jhorli, Geibeili, Aliar and Nijh.
In 1921 around 580 Turks from Armenia lived in Nijh (cf.: Ibid).
The materials of the
agricultural census of 1921 are most valuable for the review of the ethnic
structure of Mountainous Karabagh.
Suffice to all publications
of the said data, materials on Mountainous Karabagh were also published in
a separate book in 1924: "Agricultural Census of Azerbaijan of 1921. Results
by Rural Communities of Re-established Districts of Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist
Republic (ASSR), Mountainous Karabagh and (Main) Districts with Changed Borders".
Vol. Ill, Issue XVII, Baku, 1924, Publishing House of CAS of Azerbaijan, ÓÏ+261
ñ, 400 copies. In fact, the book was published before the final establishment
of the borders of NKAR. For that particular reason the book contains apparent
errors and inaccuracies.
I. Reznikov, the publisher
of the book, notes in the Preface, "The tables included herein were built
by sections, i.e.,
a) population, b) cattle-breeding, c) cultivation of land, d) dead agricultural
inventory, based on the materials of census of Azerbaijan in 1921. The selection
of the settlements located within various administrative units was carried
out on the basis of the five-verst map where the borders were drawn based
on the information on Baku District which was obtained in the Baku Council.
As to the other districts, respective information was received from People's
Commissariat of Internal Affairs (PCIA)…. Undoubtedly, the references may
contain inaccuracies since the bordering villages might not have been included
by mistake in the relevant new settlement. This is attributed to the fact
that certain border lines drawn in the map by the PCIA were not so precise"
(Ibid, p. VII). These mistakes were identified and corrected by G.A. Kocharyan
in his book titled "Mountainous Karabagh" (Baku, Publishing House of the Society
of Survey and Review of Azerbaijan, 1925, pp. 52-53).
In the tables on the
ethnic structure of the population were taken into consideration both the
corrections made by G. A. Kocharyan, and the lists of settlements of Mountainous
Karabagh defined in "Resolution on Autonomous Region of Mountainous Karabagh"
issued by the Central Executive Committee of Azerbaijan as of November 26,
1924 (cf.: "Baku Worker", November 26, 1924; See republication: "On History
of Formation of Mountainous Karabagh Autonomous Region of Azerbaijani Soviet
Socialist Republic, 1918-1925. Documents and Materials. Baku, State Publishing
House of Azerbaijan, 1989, pp. 268-270).
The density of the rural
populace of NKAR, according to the census, can be compared to the respective
data for other districts:
(by
1 km2)
NKAR ............................................ 31,6 people,
Kuba District................................. 29,1 " - "
Aghdam District............................ 20,2 " - "
Jhebrail District ............................ 16,7 " - "
Gyanjhi District.............................. 16,7 " - "
Shamkhor
District......................... 16,4 " - "
Baku District................................ ..15,1 " - "
Kurdistan District.......................... 10,2 " - "
The average composition of households
was as follows:
Aghdam District ............................ 5,0 people
NKAR ............................................ 4,9 " - "
Gyanjha District ............................ 4,7 " - "
Shamkhor District......................... 4,6 " - "
Kurdistan District .......................... 4,3 " -- "
Kuba District ................................. 4,3 ". - "
Baku District ................................. 4,1 " - "
Literacy of the rural population
among all age groups was as follows:
Gyanjha District............................. 11,17 %
ÍÊÀÎ .............................................
8,93 %
Baku District.................................. 5,20 %
Shamkhor District .........................
4,94 %
Jhebrail
District.............................. 2,37 %
Kuba
District................................... 2,30 %
Aghdam District ............................ 1,84 %
Kurdistan
District ........................... 0,68 %
(For details see:
Results by Rural Communities in Re-established Districts of ASSR, Mountainous
Karabagh..., pp. III -V).
According to the publishers
of the materials of the census, "The nationality was identified according
to the personal indication of the inquirees, i.e., the registrar recorded
the answers to the questions directly obtained from the inquirees. The CAS
carried out the processing of the collected data in two versions: a) by the
personal indications of the inquirees, and, b) by the national characteristics
based on the sources published (the work was carried out together with N.
Avdeyev, a member of the Council of the Azerbaijani CAS)"
The below given table
which was prepared by the employees of the Azerbaijani CAS, reflects a clear
picture of the ethnic structure of the Azerbaijani districts by the aforementioned
two principles (See table on p. 9).
It is shown in the
table that based on the above two principles Armenians constitute the majority
of the populace in Mountainous Karabagh (94,40 %), and in Kurdistan District
Kurds represent the dominating ethnic group in terms of their number (80,70
%), by the first principle the Azerbaijani Turks outweigh in Baku District
(85,59 %), and Tats by the second principle (83,50%).
Large numbers of Armenians
were also recorded in Gyanjha (35,40%) and Shamkhor (10,60%) Districts.
We think it is worth
reflecting the incomplete list of the Armenian villages of these two districts
along with the number of their populations: Badakend (2188), Barsum (1220),
Barsum îòñ. Solar (1837), Jhagir (1584), Chardahli (2762), Nuzger (1211),
Golitsino (593), Ahkend [Ajhikend (216)], Banants (2522), Chovdar (1571),
Zournabad (1295), Karakeshish (587), Mirsik (1093), Morout (472), Upper Dashkesan
(952), Lower Dashkesan (343), Zaglik (3414), Kushchi (1659), Seidkend (918),
Kovalyovka (1694), Allah (267), Ajhikand (394), Azat (633), Mikhaylovka (336),
Getashen (4264), Upper Aghjakend (1928), Lower Aghjakend (1477), Boris-Armenian
(601), Gakhtut (127), Gyulistan (721), Yenshikend (542), Karachinar (1253),
Kharkhanut (296), Armavir (470), Buzluk (371), Karaboulagh (741), Manashid
(782), Erkech (1172), (cf.: "Bulletin of CAS of Azerbaijan", 1923, ¹ 1 (7),
pp. 106-111).
Below the table on the
ethnic structure of the population of NKAR is given, based on the data of
the agricultural census of Azerbaijan in 1921. Section
"Documents and Testimonies"
The table is built on
the basis of the references to the following sources:
Agricultural census
of Azerbaijan in 1921, Baku, 1922.
Vol. 1 Issue 5.Jhevanshir
District
Issue 6. Karngin District
Issue 8.Shoushi District
Issue 9. Kubatli District
Issue10. Gyanja District
Vol. 3, Issue XVII.
The results by rural communities of the Re-established districts of Azerbaijani
Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR), Mountainous Karabagh and (Main) Districts
with Changed Borders. Baku, 1924.
It can be seen from the table that
the population of Nagorno-Karabagh Autonomous Region (NKAR) in 1921 totaled
129 243, of which 122426 (94,73 %) were Armenians, 6 560 (5,07 %) were Azerbaijani
Turks and 267 people (0,20 %) constituted Greeks, Russians and Kurds.
9 223 people inhabited in the town
of Shoushi (of which 4374 were men and 4849 were women). The structue of the
populace was as follows: 8 894 Azerbaijani Turks, 289 Armenians and 40 people
belonging to other nationalities (Russians, Ukrainians, Georgians, Jews),
(cf.: "Bulletin of CAS of Azerbaijan", 1922, ¹ 2 (4), p. 100). For more vividness
it should be added that in 1914 the population of the town was 42.130, of
which only 22 004 (52,3 %) were Armenians (cf.: Caucasus Calendar of 1915,
Tiflis, 1914).
The details about the materials of the census of 1921 are given in "Documentc and Testimonies".
