Surmalu uezd

The Surmalu uezd[lower-alpha 1] was a county (uezd) of the Erivan Governorate of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It bordered the governorate's Etchmiadzin and Erivan uezds to the north, the Kars Oblast to the west, Persia to the east, and the Ottoman Empire to the south. The district made up most of the Iğdır Province of present-day Turkey. As part of the Russian Transcaucasus, the Surmalu uezd possessed economical importance for its abundantly rich salt mines in Kulp (Tuzluca), and spiritual importance to Armenians as the location of the culturally significant Mount Ararat. The administrative centre of the county was Igdyr (present-day Iğdır).[3]

Surmalu uezd
Сурмалинскій уѣздъ
Uezd
Coat of arms of Surmalu uezd
Coat of arms
Location in the Erivan Governorate
Location in the Erivan Governorate
CountryRussian Empire
ViceroyaltyCaucasus
GovernorateErivan
Established1828
Abolished1918
CapitalIgdyr
(present-day Iğdır)
Area
 • Total3,581.58 km2 (1,382.86 sq mi)
Population
 (1916)
 • Total104,791
 • Density29/km2 (76/sq mi)
 • Rural
100.00%

Etymology

The Turkic name Sürmalī (سورمه‌لی) and Persian name Surmalū (سرمه‌لو), whencefrom the Russian form Surmalu (Сурмалу) descended, are Turkified forms of the old Armenian city of Surmari's name, which itself evolved from Surb Mari (Armenian: Սուրբ Մարի, lit. 'Saint Mary').[1][4][5] The castle of Surmari still stands today in the village of Sürmeli near the Armenia–Turkey border within the Tuzluca district of Turkey's Iğdır Province.[6]

History

A part of Persia's Erivan Khanate, Surmalu was annexed by the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Turkmenchay in the aftermath of the Russo-Persian War of 1826–28. The district was first administered as part of the Armenian Oblast and then the Erivan Governorate.[7] In 1829, Baltic German explorer Friedrich Parrot of the University of Dorpat (Tartu) traveled to Surmalu as part of his expedition to climb Mount Ararat. Accompanied by Armenian writer Khachatur Abovian and four others, Parrot made the first ascent of Ararat in recorded history from the Armenian monastery of St. Hakob in Akhuri (modern Yenidoğan).[8]

After the Russian Revolution, Surmalu was briefly governed by the First Republic of Armenia from 1918 to 1920,[9] until it was occupied in 1920 and formally ceded to Turkey by the treaties of Moscow and Kars, following Armenia's defeat in the Turkish-Armenian War and subsequent Sovietization.[10]

Administrative divisions

The subcounties (uchastoks) of the Surmalu uezd in 1913 were as follows:[11]

Name 1912 population Area
1-y uchastok (1-й участокъ) 41,149 725.65 square versts (825.83 km2; 318.86 sq mi)
2-y uchastok (2-й участокъ) 28,093 1,214.24 square versts (1,381.88 km2; 533.55 sq mi)
3-y uchastok (3-й участокъ) 28,090 1,207.20 square versts (1,373.87 km2; 530.45 sq mi)

Demographics

Russian Empire estimate (1886)

According to the Russian family lists accounts from 1886, of the total 71,066 inhabitants of the district, 34,351 were Tatars[lower-alpha 2] (48.3%), 22,096 Armenians (31.1%), and 14,619 Kurds (20.6%).[14]

Russian Empire Census

According to the Russian Empire Census, the Surmalu uezd had a population of 89,055 on 28 January [O.S. 15 January] 1897, including 47,269 men and 41,786 women. The plurality of the population indicated Tatar[lower-alpha 2] to be their mother tongue, with significant Armenian and Kurdish speaking minorities.[15]

Linguistic composition of the Surmalu uezd in 1897[15]
Language Native speakers %
Tatar[lower-alpha 2]41,41746.51
Armenian27,07530.40
Kurdish19,09921.45
Russian7250.81
Ukrainian6200.70
Polish310.03
Belarusian160.02
German130.01
Georgian110.01
Persian90.01
Jewish60.01
Greek30.00
Lithuanian10.00
Assyrian10.00
Other280.03
TOTAL 89,055 100.00

1910

According to the 1910 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Surmalu uezd had a population of 91,535 on 14 January [O.S. 1 January] 1909, of which 41,990 were Shia Muslims (45.87%), 29,734 Armenians (32.48%), and 19,811 Kurds (21.64%).[16]

1917

According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Surmalu uezd had a population of 104,791 on 14 January [O.S. 1 January] 1916, including 55,364 men and 49,427 women, 98,212 of whom were the permanent population, and 6,579 were temporary residents. The statistics indicated Shia Muslims to be the plurality of the population of the uezd, followed closely by Armenians, Kurds and Yazidis:[17]

Nationality Number %
Shia Muslims[lower-alpha 3]44,15342.13
Armenians32,68631.19
Kurds14,67914.01
Yazidis10,86910.37
Sunni Muslims[lower-alpha 4]1,8011.72
Russians4290.41
Jews950.09
Other Europeans600.06
Asiatic Christians190.02
TOTAL 104,791 100.00

Settlements

According to the 1897 census, there were 51 settlements in the Surmalu uezd with a population over 500 inhabitants. The religious composition of the settlements was as follows:[19]

Name Faith TOTAL
Russian Romanized Armenian Apostolic Muslim Eastern Orthodox Yazidi Male Female Both
Аббас-Гел Abbas-Gel (Abbasgöl) 483 274 253 527
Акарак Akarak (Üçkaya) 924 454 470 924
Алетлу Aletlu (Yüzbaşılar) 717 365 352 717
Алиджан Alijan (Yukarıalican) 835 421 414 835
Аликамарлу Alikamarlu (Ali Kamerli, Iğdır) 1,559 826 760 1,586
Аликизил Alikizil (Aşağıtopraklı) 523 301 244 545
Арабкирлу Arabkirlu (Bayraktutan) 623 321 302 623
Аралых-Башкенд Aralykh-Bashkend (Aralık) 1,948 1,003 947 1,950
Аралых-Сурб-Оган (Орта-кенд) Aralykh-Surb-Ogan (Orta-kend) (Ortaköy, Aralık) 979 510 469 979
Аратан Aratan (Yukarıaratan) 487 254 243 497
Аргаджи Argaji (Aşağıerhacı) 1,118 627 512 1,139
Ахвеис Akhveis 1,065 521 544 1,065
Ахшамед Akhshamed 718 375 343 718
Багарлу Bagarlu 1,199 620 596 1,216
Гасан-Хан Gasan-Khan 509 255 254 509
Гедаклу Gedaklu 540 276 264 540
Гекджалу Gekjalu 538 299 244 543
Гюллуджа (Гюлаб) Gyulluja 1,100 564 536 1,100
Дашбурун Dashburun (Taşburun) 2,103 1,100 1,026 2,126
Джаннар-абат Jannar-abat 903 466 437 903
Джувтлуг (Байрам-Али-Кенд) Juvutlug (Bayram-Ali-Kend) 598 313 285 598
Зильфугар Zilfugar 635 356 279 635
Зор Zor 749 394 363 757
Игдыр Igdyr (Iğdır) 3,932 565 2,689 1,991 4,680
Игдыр-мова Igdyr-mova 782 834 843 782 1,625
Казанчи Kazanchi 557 284 273 557
Казикишляг Kazikishlyag 326 380 359 347 706
Камышлу Kamyshlu 529 267 262 529
Каракоюнлу II Karakoyunlu II 1,857 1,013 858 1,871
Каракуй Karakuy 533 291 251 542
Кизил-Закир (Закирлу) Kizil-Zakir (Zakirlu) 194 325 307 217 524
Кульп Kulp (Tuzluca) 3,287 1,876 1,703 3,579
Кюллюк Kyullyuk 1,030 523 507 1,030
Малаклу Malaklu (Melekli) 2,126 1,129 1,011 2,140
Молла-Камар Molla-Kamar 577 303 274 577
Муршуд-Али Murshud-Ali 535 288 289 577
Наджаф-Али Najaf-Ali 497 79 291 285 576
Оба (Аликамар-Ислам) Oba (Alikamar-Islam) 603 308 295 603
Паник Panik 1,143 593 550 1,143
Парнаут Parnaut 682 125 477 330 807
Плюр Plyur 1,850 947 903 1,850
Сараглу (Гаджи-Ага) Saraglu (Gaji-Aga) 573 311 262 573
Сулейман-абат (Диза) Suleyman-abat (Diza) 1,828 950 878 1,828
Сурмалу Surmalu (Sürmeli) 512 282 230 512
Тейджерлу Teyjerlu 973 499 474 973
Тоханшалу-Баят Tokhanshalu-Bayat 512 289 223 512
Тоханшалу-Коджар Tokhanshalu-Kojar 1,063 554 509 1,063
Халфалу Khalfalu 986 556 494 1,050
Хош-Хараб Khosh-Kharab 693 367 328 695
Эвджиляр Evjilyar 1,531 764 770 1,534
Яйджи Yayji 1,289 664 625 1,289
TOTAL 26,890 26,048 690 530 28,919 26,058 54,977

Notes
  2. Before 1918, Azerbaijanis were generally known as "Tatars". This term, employed by the Russians, referred to Turkic-speaking Muslims of the South Caucasus. After 1918, with the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and "especially during the Soviet era", the Tatar group identified itself as "Azerbaijani".[12][13]
  3. Primarily Tatars.[18]
  4. Primarily Turco-Tatars.[18]

References
  1. Javadi, Abbas (2016). ایران و آذربایجان: در بستر تاریخ و زبان [Iran and Azerbaijan: in the background of history and language] (in Persian). H&S Media. ISBN 978-1-78083-536-5. در سال ۷۷۹ ه.ق. هم (۱۳۷۷-۱۳۷۸) ناحیه «سورماری» (سورب ماری) در جنوب دریاچه «گوکچه گول» این نام را داشت. همچنانکه نام «تریپولی» در آناتولی غربی تبدیل به «توربالی» (توبره‌لو) ترکی شده، «سور ماری» هم بزودی تبدیل به «سورمه‌لی» (سرمه‌لو) شد. منابع دوره تیمور نام این قلعه را معمولاً بصورت ترکی آن قید کرده‌اند.
  2. Sâmî, Şemseddîn (1889). قاموس الاعلام: تاریخ و جغرافیا لغاتنی و تعبیر اصحله كافه اسماء خاصه‌یی جامعدر (in Ottoman Turkish). Mihran Matbaası. pp. 840–841 – via Google Books.
  3. Tsutsiev 2014, p. 59.
  4. De Clavijo, Ruy González (2004). Embassy to Tamerlane, 1403-1406. London: RoutledgeCurzon. p. 186. ISBN 9780415344890. Surmari, Sulmari, or Sulmari, the Armenian Surb Mari, that is Saint Mary...
  5. (in Armenian) Danielyan, E. L. (2010). "Հայոց պատմական և քաղաքակրթական արժեհամակարգի պաշտպանության անհրաժեշտությունը [On the Necessity of Protecting Armenian Historical and Civilizational System of Values]". Lraber Hasarakakan Gitutyunneri (in Armenian) (3): 68. ISSN 0320-8117. ...Սուրմալուի (Սուրբ Մարի) գավառը...
  6. Parrot, Friedrich (2016) [1846]. Journey to Ararat. Translated by William Desborough Cooley. Introduction by Pietro A. Shakarian. London: Gomidas Institute. p. ix. ISBN 9781909382244.
  7. Tsutsiev 2014, pp. 16, 19, 21.
  8. Parrot, p. 139.
  9. Tsutsiev 2014, p. 75.
  10. Tsutsiev 2014, p. 81.
  11. Кавказский календарь на 1913 год, pp. 172–179.
  12. Bournoutian 2018, p. 35 (note 25).
  13. Tsutsiev 2014, p. 50.
  14. (in Russian) Свод статистических данных о населении Закавказского края, извлечённых из посемейных списков 1886 года, г. Тифлис, 1893
  15. "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  16. Саратанов, В. В. (1910). Кавказский календарь на 1910 год [Caucasian calendar for 1910] (in Russian) (65th ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. p. 518. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022.
  17. Кавказский календарь на 1917 год, pp. 214–221.
  18. Hovannisian 1971, p. 67.
  19. Troinitsky, N. A. (1905). Населенные места Российской империи в 500 и более жителей с указанием всего наличного в них населения и числа жителей преобладающих вероисповеданий, по данным первой всеобщей переписи населения 1897 г. [Populated areas of the Russian Empire with 500 or more inhabitants, indicating the total population in them and the number of inhabitants of the predominant religions, according to the first general population census of 1897] (in Russian). Saint Petersburg: Tipografiya Obshchestvennaya polza. pp. 52–56. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022.

Bibliography

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