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Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան,Arevmdian Hayasdan) is a term to refer to the western parts of theArmenian highlands located withinTurkey (formerly theOttoman Empire) that comprise the historical homeland of theArmenians.[2] Western Armenia, also referred to asByzantine Armenia, emerged following the division ofGreater Armenia between theByzantine Empire (Western Armenia) andSassanid Persia (Eastern Armenia) in AD 387.
The area was contested during the Ottoman–Persian Wars and was conquered by the Ottoman Empire during the wars of1532–1555 and1623–1639.[3] The area then became known also as "Turkish Armenia"[4] or "Ottoman Armenia",[5] and includedsix vilayets. During the 19th century, theRussian Empireconquered sections of Western Armenia, includingKars.
The region's Armenian population was subjected towidespread massacres in the 1890s, as well as extermination anddeportation during the 1915Armenian genocide and over thefollowing years. In addition to physical erasure, the systematic destruction of Armenian cultural heritage, which had endured over 4000 years,[6][7] is an example ofcultural genocide.[8][9] In 1920 theTreaty of Sèvres– signed between the Ottoman Empire and theAllies Powers of World War I–called for borders where Western Armenia was included theRepublic of Armenia; however, this was never implemented and theTurkish invasion of Armenia resulted in theannexation of Kars andSurmalu. These annexations were formalized by theTreaty of Alexandropol (1920),Treaty of Moscow (1920), andTreaty of Kars (1921).
Since theArmenian genocide andTurkey's invasion, Armenian—both in thediaspora andindigenous to modern Turkey—have pursued political representation orreunification with the Republic of Armenia, with a congress ofgenocide survivors' descendants active in the diaspora.[10][11] In 2020, the three traditional Armenian parties—theArmenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaks),Social Democrat Hunchakian Party (Hunchaks) and theArmenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavars)—issued a joint statement on the centenary of theSèvres Treaty, stating that it is the only internationally legal document that demarcates theborder between Armenia and Turkey.[12] Transit between Western Armenia and Eastern Armenia has remained barred since 1993 due to the ongoingTurkish–Azeri blockade of Republic of Armenia.
In theArmenian language, there are several names for the region. Today, the most common isArevmtyan Hayastan (Արևմտյան Հայաստան) inEastern Armenian (mostly spoken inArmenia,Russia,Georgia,Iran) andArevmdean Hayasdan (Արեւմտեան Հայաստան) inWestern Armenian (spoken in theDiaspora:US,France,Lebanon,Syria,Argentina, etc.). Archaic names (used before the 1920s) includeTačkahayastan (Տաճկահայաստան) in Eastern andDaǰkahayasdan in Western Armenian. Also used in the same period wereT'urk'ahayastan (Թուրքահայաստան) orT'rk'ahayastan (Թրքահայաստան), both meaningTurkish Armenia.[16]
In theTurkish language, the literal translation ofWestern Armenia isBatı Ermenistan. The region has been officially described asEastern Anatolia (Doğu Anadolu) since the sevengeographical regions of Turkey were defined at the 1941First Geography Congress. Throughout much of recorded history the eastern boundary of Anatolia was not considered to extend as far as theAraxes, the river which marks the present day boundary between the states ofArmenia andIran.[17] The name "Armenia" was forbidden to be used in official documents by Ottoman authorities in the 1880s, and the region was officially renamed "Eastern Anatolia" by the Turkish successor state in the 1920s.[18] This has been characterized as an attempt by Turkey toerase the Armenian history of the region.[19][20][21][22]
After theOttoman-Persian War (1623–1639), Western Armenia became decisively part of theOttoman Empire.[3] After theRusso-Turkish War, 1828–1829, the term "Western Armenia" referred to theArmenian-populated historical regions of the Ottoman Empire that remained under Ottoman rule after theeastern part of Armenia wasceded to theRussian Empire by theQajar Persians, following theRusso-Persian War (1804–1813) andRusso-Persian War (1826–1828).[23]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help bymaking an edit requestadding missing information.(July 2025) |
In 1894–1896 and 1915 the Ottoman Empire perpetrated systematic massacres and forced deportations of Armenians[24] resulting in theArmenian genocide.The massive deportation and killings of Armenians began in the spring 1915. On 24 April 1915,Armenian intellectuals and community leaders were deported from Constantinople. Depending onthe sources cited, about 1,500,000 Armenians were killed.
During theCaucasus campaign ofWorld War I, theRussian Empire occupied most of the Armenian-populated regions of the Ottoman Empire. Atemporary provincial government was established in occupied areas between 1915 and 1918.
The chaos caused by theRussian Revolution of 1917 put a stop to all Russian military operations and Russian forces began to conduct withdrawals. The first and second congresses of Western Armenians took place inYerevan in 1917 and 1919.[25]
TheSazonov–Paléologue Agreement of 26 April 1916 betweenRussian Foreign ministerSergey Sazonov andFrench ambassador to RussiaMaurice Paléologue proposed to give Western Armenia to Russia in return for Russian assent to theSykes–Picot agreement.[26][27]
Western Armenia comprises theSix Vilayets (vilâyat-ı sitte):Erzurum,Van,Bitlis,Diyarbekir,Kharput, andSivas that existed during the Ottoman Empire.[28] Alternatively, Western Armenia is referred to as the "12 lost provinces" in theTsitsernakaberd complex which memorializes the Armenian genocide.[29][30] These provinces correspond to the following:
The fate of Western Armenia – commonly referred to as the "Armenian question" – is considered a key issue in the modern history of the Armenian people.[33]Armenia currently does not have any territorial claims againstTurkey, although one political party, theArmenian Revolutionary Federation, the largest Armenian party in thediaspora, claims the area designated as part of theRepublic of Armenia (1918–1920) in the 1920Treaty of Sèvres also known asWilsonian Armenia. Since 2000, an organizing committee of the congress of heirs of Western Armenians who survived the Armenian genocide is active in diasporan communities.[34]
A 2014 survey in Armenia asked what kind of demands should be made to Turkey. Some 80% agreed that Armenia should make territorial claims (30% said only territorial claims, while another 50% said territorial, moral, financial, and proprietary). Only 5.5% said no demands should be made.[35] According to a 2012 survey, 36% of Armenians asked agree or somewhat agree that Turkish recognition of the Armenian Genocide will result in territorial compensation, while 45% believe it will not.[36] The online publication Barometer.am wrote: "It appears that our pragmatic population believes that all possible demands should be forwarded to Turkey [...] but a relative majority consider the practical realization of territorial claims to Turkey is unrealistic."[35]
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![Early 1600s spread of Armenians, a few decades after Ottoman conquest, within modern Turkey, per the State Committee of the Real Estate Cadastre of Armenia[37]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aArmenian_presence_within_modern_Turkish_borders_in_early_1600s.png)
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)This date is important, for it marks the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, which destroyed the multi-thousand-year Armenian presence in historical, Western Armenia.
As a result of policies such as these, the expression Armenian Plateau, which had been used for centuries to denote the mountainous highlands around Lake Van and Lake Sevan, was eliminated and replaced by the expression 'eastern Anatolia'.
Most of historical Armenia presently constitutes a part of Turkey (renamed "Eastern Anatolia"), which conducts a policy of minimizing the role of the Armenians in history
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)A 1916 decree issued by Enver Pasha, the Young Turks' minister of war, required that all place names of non-Muslim peoples, be they Armenian, Bulgarian, Greek, or other, should be rendered in Turkish. After 1923, the geographic province that had been referred to as Armenia since the sixth century BC was officially renamed 'eastern Anatolia.'
As a result of policies such as these, the expression Armenian Plateau, which had been used for centuries to denote the mountainous highlands around Lake Van and Lake Sevan, was eliminated and replaced by the expression 'eastern Anatolia'.
Most of historical Armenia presently constitutes a part of Turkey (renamed "Eastern Anatolia"), which conducts a policy of minimizing the role of the Armenians in history
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)The Sazonov-Paleologue agreement of 26 April 1916 between Great Britain and France and the Sykes–Picot agreement of 16 May 1916 between Great Britain and France which together made up the Anglo-Franco-Russian accord of 1916...
Media related toWestern Armenia at Wikimedia Commons
