Kanaker. The Great Surgun of 1604

Kanaker is one of the oldest and most prominent historical settlements in Yerevan, located on the left bank of the Hrazdan River.

The 17th-century historian Arakel Davrizhetsi described Kanaker as the “northern gate” of Yerevan and one of the most prosperous settlements in the Ararat Valley. It was a major center of education and manuscript writing, housing the churches of Saint Astvatsatsin and Saint Hakob. Kanaker is also the birthplace of the great Armenian writer Khachatur Abovian and the historian Zakaria Kanakertsi.

In 1603–1604, a war broke out between Persia and Ottoman Turkey. Persian Shah Abbas I launched a large-scale campaign to the north with the goal of capturing the entire eastern part of Armenia, including Artsakh, Nakhijevan, and Javakhk. A prominent role in the Persian army was played by Turkic Qizilbash tribes, who were known for their particular cruelty toward Christians. Later, they also became a plague for the Persians themselves.

In 1604, Kanaker became a primary target of Shah Abbas I’s large-scale campaign. Despite the inhabitants’ resistance and attempts to seek refuge in the Hrazdan Gorge, the Persian forces set fire to the settlement and forcibly deported 90 to 95 percent of its population to Persia.

Despite centuries of hardship, the people of Kanaker preserved their identity and later returned to rebuild their native home. Today, Kanaker is part of the Kanaker-Zeytun district of Yerevan.

More interesting details about the settlement in the video:

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