The claims of modern Armenian historiography regarding the borders of Caucasian Albania are contradicted by accounts in ancient historical sources, Azerbaijani historian and public figure Hasan Hasanov has said.
Speaking at a seminar in Baku, Hasanov made clear that the first state established in the eastern part of the South Caucasus was founded by the Cimmerians, referring to Assyrian sources which date back to 714 BC and mention a state called Gamir, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.
In his words, the Cimmerians were a Turkic-origin people; the Scythians arrived in the region later.
Hasanov outlined that his atlas challenges the claim in Armenian historiography that the Albanian state was established by the Parthians at the instruction of an Armenian king.
“Here I am trying to prove that the claim put forward in Armenian historiography that ‘the state of Albania was created by the Parthians on the instructions of the Armenian king’ has nothing to do with the formation of the foundations of the local Albanian state. From this point of view, the map is of very great importance,” he stressed.
He also addressed the disagreement over the territory of Caucasian Albania, noting that Armenian historiography places the state exclusively north of the Kura River and considers the lands between the Kura and Araz rivers to have been Armenian territories.
Hasanov said he examined the issue using historical sources cited by the Armenian side itself. Referring to the writings of Movses Khorenatsi, whom he described as an important historical figure in Armenian historiography, he said Khorenatsi identified the Araz River as the southern border of Albania.
“Consequently, this account by Khorenatsi contradicts the concept of modern Armenian historiography that ‘Albania was located only north of the Kura’,” Hasanov underscored.
He added that Movses Kalankatuatsi’s History of Albania also identifies the Araz as the southern border of the Albanian state.
“Thus, this is not only our assertion. It is about the information contained in ancient sources regarding the borders of Albania. These sources provide an important basis for discussing the connection of the territories between the Kura and Araz rivers with the historical geography of Albania,” he said.
Hasanov also discussed the religious landscape of Caucasian Albania, saying the region was not entirely Christian on the eve of the Arab conquest. Citing Movses Kalankatuatsi, he claimed that Tengrianism existed alongside Christianity and Judaism.
“Movses Kalankatuatsi mentions the existence of the Turkic belief of Tengrianism in Albania, and during this period religious beliefs such as Christianity, Tengrianism and Judaism coexisted in the region,” Hasanov remarked.
The historian also touched on ancient accounts concerning the emergence of Atropatene, suggesting that information provided by some classical authors supports the view that Atropatene was established following the fall of the Assyrian Empire in 612 BC.
The seminar also featured discussions of maps and historical sources concerning the history and geography of Caucasian Albania.
By Bakhtiyar Abbasov
