The Surmalu uezd was a county (uezd) of the Erivan Governorate of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It bordered the governorate's Etchmiadzin and Erivan uezds to the north, the Kars Oblast to the west, Persia to the east, and the Ottoman Empire to the south. The district made up most of the Iğdır Province of present-day Turkey. As part of the Russian Transcaucasus, the Surmalu uezd possessed economic importance for its abundantly rich salt mines in Kulp (Tuzluca), and spiritual importance to Armenians as the location of the culturally significant Mount Ararat. The administrative centre of the county was the town of Igdyr (present-day Iğdır).
Etymology The Turkic name () and Persian name (), whencefrom the Russian form () descended, are Turkified forms of the old Armenian city of Surmari's name, which itself evolved from Surb Mari (). The castle of Surmari still stands today in the village of near the Armenia–Turkey border within the Tuzluca district of Turkey's Iğdır Province.
History A part of Persia's Erivan Khanate, Surmalu was annexed by the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Turkmenchay in the aftermath of the Russo-Persian War of 1826–28. The district was first administered as part of the Armenian Oblast and then the Erivan Governorate. In 1829, Baltic German explorer Friedrich Parrot of the University of Dorpat (Tartu) traveled to Surmalu as part of his expedition to climb Mount Ararat. Accompanied by Armenian writer Khachatur Abovian and four others, Parrot made the first ascent of Ararat in recorded history from the Armenian monastery of St. Hakob in Akhuri (modern Yenidoğan).
Following the Russian Revolution, Surmalu came under the administration of the First Republic of Armenia in 1918. The district later fell under Turkish occupation during the Turkish invasion of Armenia in 1920 and was formally ceded to Turkey by the Treaty of Moscow in March 1921, following Armenia's Sovietization. The cession was confirmed in the Treaty of Kars, signed in October of that year. During the Kars negotiations, the Soviet side tried to secure "a concession on the salt-mining town of Koghb [Kulp], in Surmalu, for Soviet Armenia." However, Turkish diplomats rejected this proposal, "much to the disappointment of the Soviet side." Earlier, during the talks at Alexandropol, Alexander Khatisian tried to convince the Turkish Nationalists to leave the entire Surmalu region within Armenia, but unsuccessfully.
Administrative divisions The subcounties (uchastoks) of the Surmalu uezd in 1913 were as follows: Name1912 populationArea1-y uchastok ()41,1492-y uchastok ()28,0933-y uchastok ()28,090
Demographics
Russian Empire estimate (1886) According to the Russian family lists accounts from 1886, of the total 71,066 inhabitants of the district, 34,351 were Tatars (48.3%), 22,096 Armenians (31.1%), and 14,619 Kurds (20.6%). Свод статистических данных о населении Закавказского края, извлечённых из посемейных списков 1886 года, г. Тифлис, 1893
Russian Empire Census According to the Russian Empire Census, the Surmalu uezd had a population of 89,055 on , including 47,269 men and 41,786 women. The plurality of the population indicated Tatar to be their mother tongue, with significant Armenian and Kurdish speaking minorities. +Linguistic composition of the Surmalu uezd in 1897LanguageNative speakers%Tatar41,41746.51Armenian27,07530.40Kurdish19,09921.45Russian7250.81Ukrainian6200.70Polish310.03Belarusian160.02German130.01Georgian110.01Persian90.01Jewish60.01Greek30.00Lithuanian10.00Assyrian10.00Other280.03TOTAL89,055100.00
Kavkazskiy kalendar
1910 According to the 1910 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Surmalu uezd had a population of 91,535 on , of which 41,990 were Shia Muslims (45.87%), 29,734 Armenians (32.48%), and 19,811 Kurds (21.64%).
1917 According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Surmalu uezd had a population of 104,791 on , including 55,364 men and 49,427 women, 98,212 of whom were the permanent population, and 6,579 were temporary residents. The statistics indicated Shia Muslims to be the plurality of the population of the uezd, followed closely by Armenians, Kurds and Yazidis: NationalityNumber%Shia Muslims44,15342.13Armenians32,68631.19Kurds14,67914.01Yazidis10,86910.37Sunni Muslims1,8011.72Russians4290.41Jews950.09Other Europeans600.06Asiatic Christians190.02TOTAL104,791100.00
Settlements According to the 1897 census, there were 51 settlements in the Surmalu uezd with a population over 500 inhabitants. The religious composition of the settlements was as follows: NameFaithTOTALRussianRomanizedArmenian ApostolicMuslimEastern OrthodoxYazidiMaleFemaleBothАббас-ГелAbbas-Gel ()483274253527АкаракAkarak ()924454470924АлетлуAletlu ()717365352717АлиджанAlijan ()835421414835АликамарлуAlikamarlu (Ali Kamerli, Iğdır)1,5598267601,586АликизилAlikizil ()523301244545АрабкирлуArabkirlu (Bayraktutan)623321302623Аралых-БашкендAralykh-Bashkend (Aralık)1,9481,0039471,950Аралых-Сурб-Оган (Орта-кенд)Aralykh-Surb-Ogan (Orta-kend) (Ortaköy, Aralık)979510469979АратанAratan ()487254243497АргаджиArgaji ()1,1186275121,139АхвеисAkhveis1,0655215441,065АхшамедAkhshamed718375343718БагарлуBagarlu1,1996205961,216Гасан-ХанGasan-Khan509255254509ГедаклуGedaklu540276264540ГекджалуGekjalu538299244543Гюллуджа (Гюлаб)Gyulluja1,1005645361,100ДашбурунDashburun (Taşburun)2,1031,1001,0262,126Джаннар-абатJannar-abat903466437903Джувтлуг (Байрам-Али-Кенд)Juvutlug (Bayram-Ali-Kend)598313285598ЗильфугарZilfugar635356279635ЗорZor749394363757ИгдырIgdyr (Iğdır)3,9325652,6891,9914,680Игдыр-моваIgdyr-mova7828348437821,625КазанчиKazanchi557284273557КазикишлягKazikishlyag326380359347706КамышлуKamyshlu529267262529Каракоюнлу IIKarakoyunlu II1,8571,0138581,871КаракуйKarakuy533291251542Кизил-Закир (Закирлу)Kizil-Zakir (Zakirlu)194325307217524КульпKulp (Tuzluca)3,2871,8761,7033,579КюллюкKyullyuk1,0305235071,030МалаклуMalaklu (Melekli)2,1261,1291,0112,140Молла-КамарMolla-Kamar577303274577Муршуд-АлиMurshud-Ali535288289577Наджаф-АлиNajaf-Ali49779291285576Оба (Аликамар-Ислам)Oba (Alikamar-Islam)603308295603ПаникPanik1,1435935501,143ПарнаутParnaut682125477330807ПлюрPlyur1,8509479031,850Сараглу (Гаджи-Ага)Saraglu (Gaji-Aga)573311262573Сулейман-абат (Диза)Suleyman-abat (Diza)1,8289508781,828СурмалуSurmalu ()512282230512ТейджерлуTeyjerlu973499474973Тоханшалу-БаятTokhanshalu-Bayat512289223512Тоханшалу-КоджарTokhanshalu-Kojar1,0635545091,063ХалфалуKhalfalu9865564941,050Хош-ХарабKhosh-Kharab693367328695ЭвджилярEvjilyar1,5317647701,534ЯйджиYayji1,2896646251,289TOTAL26,89026,04869053028,91926,05854,977
Notes
References
Bibliography