Armenians in Bangladesh

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Armenians in Bangladesh
Armenian, English, Bengali
Religion
Armenian Apostolic
Related ethnic groups
Armenians in India, Armenians in Pakistan, Armenians in Myanmar

The Armenians in Bangladesh were ethnic Armenians who lived in what is now called Bangladesh. Their numbers have gradually diminished and there are now no Armenians in the country.

There was a fairly large Armenian colony in Dhaka, concentrated in the neighbourhood of Armanitola, during the early part of the 18th century. The Armenian community played a significant role in Bengali trade and commerce in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Armenian Apostolic Church of the Holy Resurrection established by the community in 1781, along with the adjacent cemetery, is a major landmark and tourist attraction of old Dhaka.[1][2]

Their presence, however, began to decline from the beginning of British rule.[3] Michael Joseph Martin (Mikel Housep Martirossian), reported to be the last Armenian in Dhaka, died on 9 May 2020.[4][5][6]

History

There is no exact record of when the Armenians first came to Dhaka. Some historians suggest that they came in Bengal in the early 17th century as a part of the migration of Armenians from Persia.[7] After

Shah Abbas deported about 40,000 Armenian traders specialized in inter-Euroasiatic trade to Isfahan and New Julfa.[8]

Armenian traders first came to Bengal from Isfahan and New Julfa in the wake of Persian adventurers, eventually establishing their own trading community. They were recognized as a distinct trading community by the Mughal government since late 17th century.[8] It is not known when they came to Dhaka, then one of the commercial centres in Bengal. On the evidence of dates on tombstones the time is assumed to be early 18th century.[9]

As Persian was the official language of the Mughal court, the Persian-speaking Armenians could easily settle themselves down in the Mughal Empire.

Dhaka Nawab Family by accumulating wealth by doing business with Greek and Armenian merchants. This trend was followed by his nephew and the first Nawab of the family Khwaja Alimullah.[10]

Initially they lived in the neighborhoods of

Kasimbazar
.

The Armenian Community Dhaka celebrating Armenian Christmas, 1952

Living and lifestyle

The Armenian community of Dhaka were initially engaged in export trade paying a duty of 3.5% to the government.

Benares.[13]

They were also prominent in the jute trade.[13] Most of Armenians were engaged in the jute trade. Prominent Armenian jute merchants had their own companies, like Messrs Sarkies & Sons, Messrs David & Co. and others. But gradually the jute business was monopolised by the more powerful and better-organised British firms.[14] Besides these, they also did businesses of saltpeter, salt, and betel nut.[7]

The Armenian community in Armanitola was small but rich. Some wealthy Armenians used to reside in European-style bungalows. was one such bungalow that was quite popular. Parts of the gardens of Shahbag, Ruplal House (another major landmark in old Dhaka) and the land where Bangabhaban (the presidential residence) stands belonged to Armenian zamindars (landlords).[15][16][17] There is still a Manuk House inside Bangabhaban, bearing the name of the original owner's family. Armenians introduced Ticca-Garry (horse-carriage) in Dhaka and it became a popular transport of Dhaka. They also set up western-style department stores in Dhaka. The stores mostly sold European and British goods.[7]

They also played a major role as patrons of education and urban development in Dhaka. The Pogose School, the first private school in the country, was founded by Nicholas Pogose, a merchant and a zamindar.[18] P Arathon was the headmaster of the Normal School. According to the Dhaka Prakash, a newspaper of his time, students in his school scored better in examinations than students of other normal schools in Bengal, including the one in Hoogli.

Armenian church

Prior to building the church at Armanitola (popularly known as the Armani Church) they worshiped at a small chapel in the same area, while deceased members of the community were interred at the Roman Catholic Church at Tejgaon, which was five miles from Dhaka at the time. Some of the Armenian tombstones there date back to 1714 to 1794.[9] The oldest tombstone is “Avetis”, an Armenian merchant who died on 15 August 1714.[12]

After moving to Armanitola, Armenian settlers built a small chapel in the midst of their community graveyard. By the end of the 18th century, the Armenian community had grown considerably, and the chapel was found inadequate for the needs of the community. It was then replaced by the Holy Resurrection Church, completed in 1781 and consecrated by Bishop Ephreim. A

parsonage
was added and the floor of the church was decorated with marble, and electric lights in 1910.

Notable Armenians of Bengal

House of Nicholas Pogose before demolition

Armenian influence in the commercial life of Dhaka was led by the Pogoses, Agacy, Michael, Stephen, Joakim, Sarkies, Arathon (also spelled as Aratun), Coja (also spelled Khojah or Koja) and Manook (also spelled as Manuk) families. By 1868, five of the six European zamindars in Dhaka were Armenians - JG Nicholas Pogose, GC Paneati, J Stephan, JT Lucas and W Harney.[20] Alongside members of the major merchant families, Margar David, Mackertich Abraham George, Michael Sarkies, Abraham Lucas, M Highcazony, A S Mackertich, Tigran Nahapiet, Thaddeus Nahapiet, M.J. Catchhatoor, Joseph Lazarus, and M David were other prominent Armenians of Dhaka.[8]

Dhaka was not the only center of Armenian influence in the region, and there were Armenians who rose to prominence for all of Bengal. There is an Armanitola in Kolkata, and an Armanighat as well.

He had extensive business transactions with the
Masulipatnam
.
After the Battle of Plassey, he obtained a parwana (decree) from Mir Jafar, the new Nawab, "for the entire possession of the saltpetre trade at Patna", which he promised to use in assistance to the Company in procuring salt at the cheapest rate, provided they "assisted him in return to make the Dutch purchase from him". The Company took over his saltpetre empire in 1758, which grew to generate an annual revenue of Rs. 1 million in 1773. In 1759, he was captured and jailed by the Company, where he poisoned himself. After his death, Khoajah Petruse Aratoon took over as leader of the Armenian community in Bengal.
  • Coja Gregory: Popularly known as Gurgin Khan, he was a brother of Khojah Petruse and a minister to Nawab Mir Qasim as well as the Commander-in-Chief of his army. He is cited by Gholam Hossein in Siyar-ul-Mutakhkherin as the chief of the artillery and the Nwab's principal serviceman. An assassin killed him after the Battle of Giria (August 1763).
  • Nicholas Pogose: Popularly known as Nicky Pogose, he was a zamindar, a merchant, a partner of the first bank in Bangladesh - Dhaka Bank - and one of nine commissioners of Dhaka Municipality (1874–1875).

See also

Sources

  • Mamoon, Muntasir, Smriti Bismritir Dhaka, Ananya, Dhaka, 1993,
  • Ali, Ansar; Chaudhury, Sushil; Islam, Sirajul (2012). "Armenians, The". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

References

  1. ^ HAYK, The Ubiquitous Armenian: Dhaka, Bangladesh Archived 7 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Armeniapedia: Armenian Churches in Asia
  3. ^ Hunter, WW (1875). A Statistical Account of Bengal (Vol. 5). London: Truebner and Co. p. 46.
  4. ^ "The mission of Dhaka's last Armenian". BBC News. 10 January 2013.
  5. ^ "End of an era: Bangladesh's last Armenian dies". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  6. ^ Chapple, Amos (26 January 2021). "After 'Last Armenian Of Bangladesh' Dies, The Church He Saved Lives On". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e Morshed, Adnan. "Armenians in Dhaka". The Daily Star (Op-ed). Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Ali, Ansar; Chaudhury, Sushil; Islam, Sirajul (2012). "Armenians, The". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  9. ^ a b Sarkies, S. T. (July–December 1916). "The Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection, Dacca". Bengal, Past & Present. XIII. Translated by Johannes, G.: 221–223.
  10. ^ M Ali Akbar, Dhaka Nawab Estate, Banglapedia, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
  11. OCLC 7584810
    .
  12. ^ a b Syed Maqsud Jamil, Armenians of Dacca, The Daily Star, March 08, 2015
  13. ^ a b "Indo-Armenian economic relations". MENQ. Archived from the original on 18 May 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
  14. ^ Alamgir, Mohammad (2012). "Shahbag". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  15. ^ Ahmed, Nazimuddin (2012). "Ruplal House". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  16. ^ Ahmed, Helal Uddin (2012). "Bangabhaban". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  17. ^ Rahman, S M Mahfuzur (2012). "Pogose School". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  18. ^ Rahman, Mahbubur (2012). "Architecture". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  19. ^ Clay, AL (1898). Leaves from a diary in East Bengal. London. pp. 104–105.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  20. JSTOR 44146997
    . Armenian merchant, Khwaja Phanoos Kalandar, who in 1688 negotiated a treaty, on behalf of Armenians, with the English East.
  21. . Khwaja Israel Sarhad was an eminent Armenian merchant of Bengal during the late 17th & 18th centuries.

External links