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Article: Eden in the Valley : The Diaspora.(Armenia)
- Article from:
- The World and I
- Article date:
- December 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Armenian diaspora dates back centuries, to the Ottoman takeover of Constantinople in 1453. At that time, Armenians fled the oppression of the Turks to Russia, Poland, and India. Those who stayed in Constantinople eventually established a prominent church center there.
In 1639, following a lengthy conflict between Persia and Ottoman Turkey, the two countries divided Armenia into western and eastern halves. Catherine the Great annexed parts of Armenia during her reign, and in 1828 more of eastern Armenia was brought into Russia. Western Armenia was still under the Ottomans, severe rulers who incited many uprisings following a trend through the empire in the ...