AI Summary & Key Takeaways
AI InsightThe findings indicate that in 1897, Azerbaijani Turks constituted the largest population group in the Erivan District, followed by Armenians.
📌 3 Key Takeaways
Abstract
This article examines the demographic situation in the Erivan District of the Erivan Governorate and the Zangezur District of the Yelizavetpol Governorate from the second half of the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. The study analyzes changes in population size, ethnic composition, and settlement patterns based on cameral surveys, population censuses, the Kavkazskiy kalendar (Caucasian Calendar), and other Russian-language statistical sources covering the period from 1850 to 1917. A comparative analysis of the sources indicates that the demographic structures of both districts changed in connection with administrative and territorial transformations, population movements, migration, natural increase, and the political and military developments of the period. The study also considers discrepancies among statistical sources reporting data for the same territories and years and demonstrates that such differences may be related to administrative boundaries, registration principles, and the classification of population groups. The findings indicate that in 1897, Azerbaijani Turks constituted the largest population group in the Erivan District, followed by Armenians. The demographic profile of the city of Erivan, however, differed from the overall demographic structure of the district. In the Zangezur District, statistical data for 1897 and 1917 indicate that Azerbaijani Turks and Armenians constituted the principal population groups, while in 1917 the Muslim population remained numerically predominant. Overall, the study demonstrates the necessity of evaluating the demographic development of the region through a multifactorial approach that takes administrative and statistical contexts into consideration.