A glimpse into the Assyrian community of Armenia
Armenia is the most homogenous country in the post-Soviet world, with 98% of its citizens identified as ethnic Armenians. Nevertheless, other ethnic groups live in the country, including Russians, Kurds, Greeks, Jews, Ukrainians and Assyrians.
Assyrians are indigenous to Mesopotamia, where they have lived for thousands of years. Historically, they were settled mostly in areas that now form modern-day Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Assyrians speak Neo-Aramaic varieties and practice Christianity; however, they are divided among several churches, including the Ancient Church of the East, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, the Assyrian Evangelical Church and the Assyrian Pentecostal Church. The group has faced persecutions and massacres throughout its history, particularly under the Ottoman Empire — which carried out a genocide known as Sayfo — and by ISIS militants.
One of the few places where Assyrians have been able to live in relative peace is Armenia. Assyrians arrivedin the Caucasus during the 19th century, when the Russian Empire defeated the Persian Empire in two wars. At the time, most of present-day Armenia and Azerbaijan was part of the Caucasian khanates, semi-independent entities under the sovereignty of Persia’s Qajar dynasty. During the conflict, Assyrians living on Persian territory — mainly in Iranian Azerbaijan — assisted the Russian army and fought for St. Petersburg. As a result, Emperor Nicholas I viewed them as useful allies. After the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, Russia allowed hundreds of Assyrian families to relocate from Iran to newly acquired territories. Most settled in the Armenian Oblast, later reorganized as the Yerevan Governorate.
Between the 19th and early 20th centuries, more Assyrian families — mainly from the Ottoman Empire — settled in Russian Transcaucasia after leaving their homelands. World War I brought a significant influx of refugees from Anatolia and Iran, as the Ottoman government — aided by some Kurdish tribal forces — carried out mass killings of Assyrians in what is known as the Assyrian genocide.
In 1886, there were 1,800 Assyrians in Armenia, but the number rose to 2,500 in 1914 and 3,280 in 1939. During the Soviet period, they lived in relative stability in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, where their population reached 6,183, according to the 1989 census. However, the dissolution of the Soviet Union negatively affected the community. The newly independent Republic of Armenia faced severe social and economic difficulties, prompting high levels of emigration. As a result, thousands of Assyrians left the South Caucasus for Russia, Ukraine, North America and Western Europe in search of better opportunities.
The 2001 census recorded 3,409 Assyrians, a number that fell to 2,769 in the 2011 census. However, some observers have criticized these figures, saying they underestimate the community’s size. Critics argue that many Assyrians with Armenian surnames — particularly those from mixed families — were recorded as Armenians. Additionally, some Assyrians are highly assimilated and do not identify as such in census data. As a result, alternative estimates place the population between 7,000 and 10,000.
Today, the community is divided along religious lines. Under Tsarist rule, many were compelled to join the Russian Orthodox Church. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, some Assyrians joined the Armenian Apostolic Church or the Assyrian Church of the East, while those in Dimitrov maintained affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate. Neo-Aramaic is still spoken in Armenia, but its use is declining, particularly among younger generations. Many Assyrians attend Russian-speaking schools, where they also learn Armenian and Assyrian.
Relations between Assyrians and the Armenian majority are generally peaceful, and mixed marriages are common. This coexistence is likely supported by the community’s longstanding presence in Armenia, a shared Christian faith and a common historical memory of persecutions and genocides committed by the Turks. The minority also has formal representation under provisions introduced in 2015. It holds a reserved seat in Armenia’s National Assembly, providing a direct voice in the legislative process. This reflects Armenia’s legal framework for minority representation and offers an institutional channel to preserve cultural and linguistic identity.
Today, most Assyrians live in five locations: Verin Dvin, Dimitrov, Arzni, Nor Artagers and Yerevan. Verin Dvin remains the only Assyrian-majority village in Armenia and the place where Neo-Aramaic is widely spoken. Dimitrov, Arzni and Nor Artagers had Assyrian majorities before the 1990s, but emigration and demographic changes have significantly altered their composition. In these communities, Neo-Aramaic is at risk of disappearing. In Dimitrov, it is increasingly being replaced by Russian, while in Arzni and Nor Artagers Armenian dominates among younger generations. Several Assyrian families live in Yerevan, where preserving cultural heritage is more difficult.
In the long term, demographic decline, migration and language shift are likely to remain significant challenges, threatening the community’s survival. Much will depend on its ability to balance integration with the preservation of linguistic and cultural heritage, as well as state support for minority languages.
