Recognition of the Cultural Identity of the Armenians in Isfahan Julfa, Emphasizing on the Intercultural Relations with the Iranians

Armenia is one of the areas that has undergone successive attacks throughout the history by different ethnic groups and has been confronting with the cultures of other ethnic groups. After repeated attacks by the Ottomans on this land and the migration of this people to Iran during reign of Shah Abbas I, as well as the transfer of privileges by him on the basis of utilizing the Armenians in the economic, political and cultural situations, the establishment of intercultural relations with Iranians and, at the same time, the survival of ethnic identity of Armenians could be observed. This was due to the common historical background of these two ethnic groups in ancient Iran and before the Safavid era, as Armenian territory used to be ruled by the Iranian kings in the ancient era of Iran. The present study is trying to answer the question regarding the different factors that created the intercultural relations between the Iranians and the Armenians of the land of Armenia. Thus, it is assumed that the common historical and cultural backgrounds of Iranians and Armenians of ancient times have led to the interactions between the two ethnic groups during the Safavid period. Regarding the importance of Armenian migration to Iran during the Safavid period, considering the state of their interactions with the Iranians is the essential requirement in carrying out this study. In this respect, the aim of the present study is to identify the bases for the establishment of intercultural relations between the Iranians and Armenians of Armenia, to examine the effective components of the ethnic identity of the Armenians, and also to analyze the cultural commonalities between the Iranians and Armenians. Regarding its aim, this study is based on the developmental approach and for its methodology and nature, it is on historical and descriptive-analytical basis. Hence, it has sought to achieve its aims through desk studies and reliable sources. The obtained results indicate that the Achaemenid and Parthian governments in ancient Iran have had a significant interaction with the lands of Armenia and their common background was due to the interactions of these two ethnic groups in the fields including language, ceremonies, music and architecture. Nevertheless, their identities had independent subjective and objective characteristics that preserved the values and stability of Armenian ethnic identity in Iran during the Safavid period.