ABSTRACT

A study of the Iranian Armenian community of the late nineteenth century demonstrates a period of transformation, especially in the areas of education and political activity, for a significant segment of the population. The presence of Armenians in Iran dates back as far as the Achaemenid period, but little information exists regarding an ancient Armenian community. Armenians voluntarily and forcibly migrated to Iran centuries before the Safavis came to power. Estimates for the number of Iranian Armenians come from the two dioceses of Azerbaijan and Isfahan, European travel accounts, and contemporary surveyors or chroniclers. The influence of missionaries through education and conversion was not the only reason for opening Armenian schools and expanding the education first of boys and later of girls. Clearly, schools existed in Iranian Armenian communities before the nineteenth century.