The Armenian Highland is a separate physical-geographical unit occupying approximately 400,000 square kilometers with an average elevation of 1,700 meters above sea level. It is the central among the three plateaus of the Near Eastern Highlands, along with the Iranian and Anatolian plateaus, which lay to the southeast and west, respectively. It is bordered in the north by the Black Sea and the Kura River, and in the south by the Mesopotamian plain. It includes the entire territory of the modern Republic of Armenia, some regions of Georgia and Azerbaijan south from the Kura River, northeastern regions of Turkey, and northwestern regions of Iran. This geographic description of the Near East was suggested in the nineteenth century by the German geographer and geologist Hermann von Abich who identified the specific characteristics of the geographical, climatic and geological conditions of the Armenian Highland. Following the tradition of Greco-Roman geographers and using the traditional name of the ethnic group inhabiting this area, von Abich called it the Armenian Highland. This term was commonly accepted and was largely used throughout the World until the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which established the current political borders of the nascent Republic of Turkey. After the Genocide of the Armenians, carried out by the Young Turks in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, which eliminated and exterminated the Armenians in their historical homeland, a policy of pressure was exerted by consequent governments of Turkey to eliminate all uses of the word "Armenian” and instead of "Armenian Highland” the term "Eastern Anatolia” was invented. The Armenian Highland is the cradle of the Armenian people. Inhabiting this territory for thousands of years, the Armenian – speaking ethnic groups formed a nation, established their kingdoms, ancient civilizations, creating a bright and unique culture. The rich archaeological heritage of the Armenian Highland spans approximately over two million years. The region’s successive cultures present the image of this historical-cultural area, and testify to the important role that Armenia played in the context of Near Eastern civilizations.

Hakob Simonyan INTRODUCTION