The provinces of medieval Armenia and the province of Mokk‘, or Moks (in green), south of Lake Van, which is the border between the larger provinces Vaspurakan (in the east) and Turuberan. Prince Afranik of Mokk’ (left), 1453 (Source: New York Public Library) Toponym Mokk’ (Մոկք) or since the 8th century Moks was an ancient Armenian province, which became known in Greek as Moxoene and as Moxos in Latin; the Armenian toponym Mokk’ derives from ‘place of the magician’ (in classical Armenian), whereas the toponym Moxoene is believed to derive from an Urartian tribal name ‘moxoenne’. Population Armenian nobles ruled the province until the 10th [...]
Archives: Regions
Our CPT for the regions
Kaza Gevaş – Ոստան (Vostan)
Toponym The Armenian place name ‘Vostan’ (‘prince’, ‘aristocrat’) refers to the former dominion of the noble family Rshtuni. Armenian Population In the kaza Gevaş 25 Armenian villages with a population of 6,851 existed before the genocide. Destruction After the assassination of the Dashnak leader Ishkhan in the village Hirj (205 inhabitants) on 17 April 1915, general massacres were started the following day. In Hirj alone 46 men were killed; at the same time attacks began on the other Armenian villages in the eastern part of the district; the villages Atanan (372 inhabitants) and Spitak Vank (124 inhabitants) were set on fire. In the village of [...]
Kaza Karçikan / Garjgan / Gardjgan / Çavuşlar
Administration Previously a nahiye of the kaza Gevaş (Vostan) and until 1884 a nahiye in the province of Bitlis, Gardjgan/Karçikan was returned to the Van province in 1888. Toponym It is known under a multitude of toponymic varities: Kirtvan, Kırdivan, Garcgan, Gardjgan, Kerdigan, Kercigan, Karçikanare, Karçikan, Karcikan, Karçigan, Karçıkan, Kardigan, Gentrants, Kindiranıs, Kindirans, Kindartz, Kinderantz.
Kaza Adilcevaz (Ardzke; Western Armenian: Ardzge) – Արծկե
Armenian carts with oxen Armenian bag-piper, 1862 (Van-Lennep, Henry J. (Henry John) (1815-1889), Artist Parsons, Charles (1821-1910), Lithographer W. Endicott & Co., Printer; source: New York Public Library) Toponym The Armenian toponym Ardzke (Arcke) derives from ‘archangel’. Ardzke was known for its high quality wheat that was exported to the adjacent districts. History The area belonged to the Urartian kingdom (9-6th century B.C). In the 7th century A.D., it was destroyed during the Arab invasion. Between 885 and 1001, Ardzke belonged to the Bagratid Kingdom, then of the Principiality of Vaspurakan until 1021, when it was conquered by the Seljuks. In the 14th/15th century, some [...]
Kaza Erciş (Ardjesh, Ardjish, Akants) – Արճեշ, Ականց
Toponym The toponym Ardjesh possibly derives from the Urartian king Argishti I or the former Urartian royal residence Arzashkun, which was located about 150 kilometers northwest of Lake Van. Until the genocide of 1915, Armenians predominantly inhabited the kaza of Erciş. Population In the early 20th century, the administrative center, called Akants in Armenian, had approximately 1,000 houses, a quarter of these being Armenian. At the end of the 19th century, Henry Finnis Blosse Lynch reported on Akants: „According to the Kaimakam there are no less than 500 houses in Akantz; but I am inclined to consider this figure excessive. A number among them [...]