BABAIAN-KHACHIKIAN PUTS FOCUS ON ARMENIANS OF IRAN

ARTS, MASS., NEWS | MARCH 26, 2015 12:29 PM
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Sourp Amenaperkich Church in Isfahan

By Aram Arkun
Mirror-Spectator Staff

WATERTOWN — Ani Babaian-Khachikian gave an illustrated lecture on
the Armenians in Iran at the St. James Armenian Church’s Men’s Club
on March 2, with a specific focus on the New Julfa Armenian community.

Men’s Club Chairman Dick Janjigian served as the master of ceremonies.

Nearly 100 people were present at this talk.

Babaian-Khachikian started by expounding on the ancient ties between
Armenia and Iran. For centuries Iran ruled over Armenia, and even in
modern times parts of historical Armenia lie within Iran’s borders,
including areas to the west of Lake Urmia. Armenian conversion to
Christianity, and Iranian conversion to Islam, increased tensions
between the two peoples. The famous Battle of Avarayr of 451 AD,
for example, took place on territory today located in Iran.

In the 17th century, Shah Abbas I, king of Iran, deported several
hundred thousand Armenians from Ottoman-controlled historical Armenia
into new locations in Iran as part of a scorched earth policy against
his Ottoman enemies. This led to new Armenian settlements outside
of historic Armenian territory, especially in Isfahan. Further
new communities of Armenians were created in the 1930s due to the
expansion of the Iranian oil industry in the southwest of the country,
though during the recent Iran-Iraq war (1980-88) most of them were
depopulated.

Babaian-Khachikian turned her attention to the Armenians of New Julfa
(Nor Jugha in Armenian), who were deported in 1605 from the famous
medieval trading center of Jugha on the Araks River in the heart of
historical Armenia. They were settled in a new suburb of Isfahan named
after their old city. One of the many bridges connecting New Julfa to
Isfahan was built by the Armenian general Allahverdi Khan. It has 33
arches, Babaian-Khachikian said, which are said by some to symbolize
the 33 years of Christ on earth.

Many of the streets of New Julfa bear Armenian names even today. The
oldest one, Nazar Street, is named after the famous merchant
Khoja Nazar. More recently, the city hall of Isfahan replaced many
non-Armenian street names with the names of Armenian soldiers for
Iran killed in the Iran-Iraq war.

Many of the homes of the wealthy Armenian merchants of New Julfa had
beautiful interiors. While most have been destroyed, the state Iranian
Cultural Heritage Organization added the few that are still standing
to its architectural heritage list. They are being used by the Isfahan
Art University and are still known by their original owners’ names.

Babaian-Khachikian pointed out that education was important for the New
Julfans even in the 17th century. At that time the Surb Amenaprkich
Monastery was a center not only of religious education but also
provided practical lessons necessary for the Armenian mercantile class.

Armenian girls were taught by nuns at the St. Katarine Armenian
Apostolic Church until the founding of the first girls’ school in
1857. In 1880, the Armenian central school was founded for the needs
of all students.

Today, the Armenian schools go from kindergarten to high school,
following the official state curriculum. Graduates get both state
diplomas and Armenian ones. Furthermore, in the 1960s the University
of Isfahan established a Center for Armenian Studies. Today, there
are only Persian students studying at this center, though some of
the teachers are still Armenians.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, Armenians continued to wear
their traditional costumes from Old Julfa. Today in public Armenian
women must wear a headscarf, but are free to dress as they please
at home.

New Julfa had 24 Armenian Apostolic churches in the late 19th century,
and 13 are still operational today. Each of their domes has the form
of an Islamic mosque’s dome, but the dome of the mosque is covered
with ceramic tiles, while the Armenian dome uses brick and has a cross
on top. During the 18th century, bell towers with conical domes were
added to the churches.

Surp Amenaprkich Monastery (1664), and the churches of the Holy Mother
of God (1613), Holy Bethlehem (1628), and St. Stepannos (1666) are
decorated with extensive mural paintings. The clerics of New Julfa
produced a unique style of manuscript illustration.

Surp Amenaprkich Monastery includes a cathedral, museum, offices,
chancellery, bell tower, clock tower, an Armenian Genocide monument,
and a library with the second largest collection of manuscripts in the
diaspora. The first Armenian printing press in Iran was established
in this monastery complex in 1636, 192 years before the printing of
the first Persian-language book in Iran. The monastery’s publishing
house is still active today. The church still commemorates all the
important Armenian church holidays and many Iranians come to place
flowers before the Armenian Genocide monument every April.

Ani Babaian-Khachikian participated in restoration works of the murals
of the gavit or narthex of the cathedral of the monastery thanks to
the support of Iran’s Cultural Heritage Organization. It is thanks to
the Islamic Republic of Iran that three Armenian churches on Iranian
territory have been placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and now
efforts are being made to add the Surp Amenaprkich Monastery to the
same list.

Babaian-Khachikian, a native of Isfahan, has a bachelor of fine arts
degree from Islamic Azad University and a Master of Fine Arts degree
from Alzahra University in Tehran. Her thesis at Alzahra was entitled
“Mutual Influences: New Julfa and Isfahan Mural Paintings of the 17th
Century.” She has authored numerous articles on Armenian and Persian
art and has taught art courses in Iran. After marrying Saro Khachikian
from Peabody she moved in 2010 to Massachusetts, where in 2013 she
joined the National Association of Armenian Studies and Research as a
cataloguer of the Mardigian Library. Aside from her scholarly work,
she is also a fine arts painter who frequently participates in solo
and group exhibitions.