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310
Chistianity
Armenia was the first nation to accept Chistianity as its state religion. Chistianity was brought to Armenia by Tridates III, who was the first king to serve the newly Christan country. Christianity brought a new feeling of community to Armenia but later was the cause of persecution. However, Armenians refused to leave their Christian beliefs and Christianity has been an important cultural part of Armenian life ever since. -
405
Alphabet
The Armenian alphabet was created by Mesrop Mashtots and modeled after the Greek alphabet. It was remodeled because the prior alphabet was deemed unsuitible for religious works by the Armenian chuch. The bible was the first book to be immediatlly translated once the new alphabet was created. -
Jan 1, 1000
Golden age of Azerbaijan
Literature, art, architecture, and science flourished in the first golden age of Azerbaijan. Nizami Ganjevi created his literary masterpieces such as Khamsa, which affected poetry for many years to come. Many new buildings were built (such as the one pictured), which brought the infrastructure of Azerbijan to a higher level. -
Jan 1, 1400
Ottoman Empire
Armenia became part of the Ottoman Empire on this date along with Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Ottoman Empire was responsible for the Armenian genocide. Armenians faced persecution in the Ottoman Empire because priority was given to Muslims (whereas Armenians were Christan). Non-muslims were denied basic civil rights, political participation and were required to pay extra taxes. -
Oil field built in Baku
This year marked the beginning of oil drilling on a massive scale. As a result, there was flurry of financial activity and various bank societies and organizations were created. The oil industry influenced the architectural appearance of Baku as a modern city. Administrative and social institutions were established which, in turn, influenced the city's infrastructure. -
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation was started on this date. It was based on social justice, democracy and national self-determination for the Armenian people. It led to the establishment of the first Armenian Republic in 1918 and played an important role in preserving the "Armenian identity." -
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian genocide is acknowledged to have been one of the first modern, systematic genocides. Between one and 1.5 million Armenians were killed. Most women and children were forced to walk in the desert without food or water, periodically being beaten, raped and robbed. The Armenian men were taken out to a field and shot. Turkey still denys that this ever happened and refuses to call it a genocide, even in the face of the evidence we have today. -
Spitak Earthquake
The Spitak earthquake had a magnitude of 6.9, killing 25,000 Armenians. The cause of so many deaths was the poor infrastructure of schools, hospitals and appartments. The whole city of Spitak was destroyed and for the first time since World War II, Armenia asked for foreign aid.
