Antranig Chalabian: “Armenia After the Coming of Islam”

Vahe H. Apelian

“Armenia After the Coming of Islam” is Dr. Antranig Chalabian’s third of the four books he wrote, excluding a booklet titled “Emperors, Tsars and Commisars”.  It was followed by his last book “Dro” in Armenian, which was also translated by his son Jack, a psychiatrist, into English and was published a few years later. Preceding it were his two other books “General Antranig and the Armenian Revolutionary Movment” (in Armenian and in English) and “Revolutionary Figures” in Armenian which the late Dr.Arra Avakian translated into English.

“Armenia After the Coming of Islam” book had two publications. It was first published in 1999, in Southfield, MI. The copy I have is a personalized copy. He was my maternal uncle.  He notes that “this book is about Arabic, Persian, Byzantaine Greek, Seljuk Turkish, Turkoman, Mongol-Tatar, and Ottoman Turkish history, all in conjunction with the ARMENIAN HISTORY”.

The book is 608 pages long. The main text comprises pages 27 to 552, followed by the EPILOGUE (pages 555-561), BIBLIOGRAPHY (565-574), the INDEX (577 to 607), listing on a bi-columnar format the names of places, events and personalities who shaped the era. The book contains 10 maps all painstakingly drawn by him. Dr. Antranig Chalabian was also a cartographer, calligrapher and a reputed medical illustrator having illustrated a few medical book all by himself. He also did the graphical illustrations of research papers and academic thesis. He did the graphical illustration of my Master of Science thesis.

The text is divided it two parts, Part I and Part II. I have listed the chapters in each part and the number of sub-chapters in each to shed light on the extent of the historical coverage made easy and lively to read for the average reader who harbors an interest in the post Christian Armenian history most of which was under Islamic rule.

PART I

CHAPTER 1 -        RELIGION IS BORN ( pages 27-42, 7 sub-chapters.)

CHAPTER 2 -    ARMENIANS PAYS A HIGH PRICE FOR NOT ADOPTING ISLAM (pages 47-63, 6 sub-chapters).

CHAPTER 3  -     THE BAGRATID DYNASTY ( pages 69-83, 10 sub chapters)

CHAPTER 4  -      THE SELJUK (SELJUKID) TURKS ( pages 89-015, sub chapters)

CHAPTER 5  - THE SELJUKS RETURN TO ARMENIA (pages 109-129 sub chapters)

CHAPTER 6  -     AREMNIANS IN THE SERVICE OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE ( pages 133-1893, 4 sub chapters)

CHAPTER 7 -      THE ARMENIAN PRINCIPALITY OF CILICIA (pages 157-189, 15 sub chapters)

CHAPTER 8 -      THE KINGDOM OE CILICIA ARMENIA ( pages 197 – 219, 9 sub-chapters)

CHAPTER 9 -  THE HARASSMENT OF CILICIAN ARMENIA BY THE MEMLUKS OF EGYPT (237-243, 7 sub-chapters)

CHAPTER 10 -    CILICIAN ARMENIA RULED BY FRENCH ARMANIAN KINGS (pages 249-275, 12 sub-chapters)

CHAPTER 11 - LITERATURE, EDUCATION, AND ARTS DURING THE CILICIAN PERIOD (pages 279-299, 3 sub-chapters)

CHAPTER 12 -    THE STIPULATION OF THE EASTERN PROVINCES (pages 303-309, 5 sub-chapters)

PART II

CHAPTER 13 -ARMENIA UNDER MONGOL-TURKOMAN-TURKISH RULE (pages 327-338, 6 sub-chapters)

CHAPTER 14 -   THE FALL OF CONSTANTINIPLE (pages 343-364, 7 sub-chapters)

CHAPTER 15 - ARMENIA DEVASTATED BY OTHER PEOPLES WARS (pages 369-372, 3 sub-chapters)

CHAPTER 16 - THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE REACHES THE PINNACLE OF ITS POWER (pages 383-403, 8 sub-chapters)

CHAPTER17 -     THE DECLINE OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE (pages 407-440, 15 sub-chapters)

CHAPTER 18 -   A LULL IN THE TURKO-PERSIAN WARS GIVES RESPITE TO THE ARMENIANS (pages 447-481, 11 sub-chapters)

CHAPTER 19 - ARMENIAN LIBERATION ATTEMPTS DURING THE DARK AGES (491-511, 10 sub-chapters)

CHAPTER 20 -  ARMENIANS SHIFT THEIR FOCUS FOR LIBERATION FROM EUROPE TO THEIR NEIGHBORS RUSSIA AND GEORGIA (pages 519-549, 4 sub-chapters).

Hopefully the listing of the chapters and their sub-chapters shed light on that extent of that crucial era in the Armenian history under Islamic rule, the book covers. As noted earlier, the maps and the pictures included in the book make for lively, informative, and interesting reading. The book is primarily for readers in the west, notably on the north American continent. 

The author, Dr. Antranig Chalabian, ends the introduction of his book as follows: “The Armenian nation survived approximately a millennium-and-a-half of Muslim oppression, exploitation, and atrocities. With patience and faith in our cause and national heritage we bore our cross and pulled through all sorts of trials and tribulations during the centuries. Shall we give up the struggle and forget our past, simply because we are better-off economically and no one is persecuting us here for our Christian faith and national aspirations? If we do that, we will make our enemies happy and serve their cause, which is the obliteration of the Armenian people from the surface of the earth.”