The city of Yerevan (Irevan) is currently the only capital of the modern state, which does not have its historical center, despite its long history. The historical center of Irevan, the Irevan fortress and most of the architectural monuments were simply destroyed. Moreover, the Armenian authorities tried to destroy as much as possible the documents, based on which one could have an idea about historical Irevan - the capital of one of the Azerbaijani states - Irevan Khanate.

Therefore, photographs, documents and artifacts on which one can recreate the historical appearance of the ancient Azerbaijani city of Irevan that were actually destroyed before, the founding of the historical Azerbaijani Museum of History has such great importance.

The same “history” of Yerevan, which today in the Republic of Armenia is being offered to its residents and tourists, is rigged from beginning to end. Starting from the myth of the "ancient city of Erebuni," which turns out to be "older than Rome." But this, as a rule, the comparison of Rome and Yerevan ends. Indeed, in Rome, monuments of history and architecture of various epochs have been preserved, while in Yerevan, at best, tourists are offered "from scratch" a newly built "fortress of Erebuni".

Compiled according to historical materials and archival photos stored in the National Historical Museum of Georgia, the book “The Historical Center of Irevan (Yerevan)” allows you to get an idea of how the Azerbaijani city of Irevan was before it was made the capital of the newly formed state of Armenia. The publication is timed to the 100th anniversary of the transfer of the city of Irevan (Yerevan) under the capital for the Ararat (Armenian) Republic on May 29, 1918 and the tragic consequences of this act for the medieval historical center of the city.

At the very beginning of the book there is a brief history of the transfer of Irevan to Armenia, and how difficult this fatal decision was given to the Azerbaijani government, which at the same time put pressure on the Azerbaijani government by external forces.

The book also contains information about the mass settlement of Armenians in the South Caucasus in the temporary Russian Empire. There is shown the real ratio of various ethnic groups in the Yerevan province, from which it follows that, despite the massive resettlement before 1918, the Armenians were a minority here, and the main population was Azerbaijani. The book analyzes the phased implementation of ethnic cleansing by Armenian nationalists, their appropriation of Albanian churches, and the destruction of monuments of Azerbaijani culture.

In the book, particular attention is paid to the history of the targeted destruction of the center of the ancient Azerbaijani city of Irevan, along with its unique monuments - the fortress, the Khan's palace, and mosques. This is with the fact that in 1912 Russian Emperor Nicholas II, having familiarized himself with photos of Sardar’s Palace of Irevan and amazed by its beauty, ordered the palace to be restored, but this was not done. In the years of the USSR, the authorities of the Armenian SSR did everything to erase completely the memory of Azerbaijani Irevan.

However, the abuse of historical memory cannot continue indefinitely. Sooner or later, the people of Azerbaijan must gain access to their ancestral lands. “Irevan is our historical land, and we, Azerbaijanis, should return to these historical lands. This is our political and strategic goal, and we should gradually approach it,” - said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Of course, at the same time nobody is against the fact that the Armenian people have their own statehood within the internationally recognized borders. But this statehood should be civilized, with respect for the rights of other nations, as was originally supposed, when the Azerbaijani city of Yerevan in 1918 was given under the capital of the Armenian state. This will first benefit the Armenian people themselves, who are driven by their nationalists into the cultural ghetto by false historical myths.

Therefore, the book “The Historical Center of Irevan (Yerevan)” should be in the interest to sensible Armenians, who are beginning to understand that nationalist myths have led their people and their state into a geopolitical impasse.

KavkazPlus