The Armenian Minority in the Dutch East Indies
16:48, March 7, 2012
*Their correspondence with Persia (1897-1917)*
*The Armenian community in the Dutch East Indies constituted a little known
minority. What follows is an English
translation[1]of
an article, published in the monthly magazine Filatelie. Some background
of Armenia were presented to Dutch readers. It explains how Persia became
their home countryfor some Armenians and where they built their commercial
networks. The correspondence of the Armenians on the islands of Java and
Bali with their relatives in Persia provides an insight into the postal
routes between Persia and the Dutch East Indies at the turn of the 20th
century.*
Armenia is located in the Caucasus, the mountain range connecting Southeast
Europe and Asia. Geographically it belongs to Asia, but traditionally
Armenians consider themselves Europeans. The history of
Armenia[2]dates
back to 1500 BC. Armenia thus is one of the oldest nations of the
world. The kingdom had its heyday in the first century BC when it extended
between the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean. With a war against the Roman
Empire, this period came to an end and Armenia found herself under Roman
influence. Because the of Armenia’s location at the eastern border of the
Roman Empire, over the next centuries the Romans and the Persians fought
over the nation.
Surrounded by Persians and Romans, both trying to get hold of Armenia,
fueled by the search for national unity, Armenia in 301 was the first
nation to adopt Christianity as the state religion. The church would become
an important pillar of Armenian identity. Another important contribution
was made by the monk Mesrop Mashtots who in 405-406 developed an Armenian
alphabet.
The Armenians of New Julfa *The ruins of Julfa, dating from the invasion
of Shah Abbas I in 1604.*
Let us fast-forward the history of Armenia to about 1600. At that time the
country, again because of its strategic location (1) was fought over, now
by the Turkish Empire under the Ottomans and the Persian Empire under the
Safavids. In 1604 Shah Abbas I pursued a scorched earth campaign against
the Ottomans. Early in the invasion, the old Armenian town of Julfa was
taken. When a large Ottoman army approached, the order for withdrawal was
given but in their retreat Armenian towns and farms were completely
destroyed. The population of Julfa was ordered to leave their homes.
150,000 Armenians survived the traumatic relocation to Persia. Only ruins
remained in their home town**.
The residents of Julfa were famous for their silk trade. Shah Abbas treated
the silk merchants well. He hoped their presence would be beneficial for
Persia[3]and
assigned them a quarter in his new capital Isfahan, which was named New
Julfa. The Armenian merchants of New Julfa soon played a critical role in
the silk trade, both within the country and abroad. They developed an
international commercial network stretching far outside Persia. The network
in Europe comprised Venice, Livorno, Marseille, Amsterdam and London. In
Asia, several establishments were established in India. From there, the
network spread out as far as Canton and Manila. Archives in Venice, London
and the Vatican provide a fascinating picture of how communications were
maintained by couriers and the way Armenian agents informed each other
about markets and
shipments[4]
.
The Armenians in Batavia *Folded, commercial letter (1841), sent from
Manila to Jakob Arathoon,** the most prominent Armenian merchant*
*in Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies *
The dispersion of the Armenians over Southeast Asia took place almost
simultaneously with the expansion of the English East India Company and the
Dutch East India Company. In all the main cities where these prominent
commercial corporations established agents, Armenians were represented too.
During the 18th century the first Julfa Armenians arrived in Batavia, the
commercial centre of the Dutch East India Company on the island of Java
(Batavia is now Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia). Most of the Armenians
arrived directly from Isfahan or from Armenian settlements in India.
Because Armenians were Christians, the Dutch Government in 1747 granted
them the same rights as Europeans.
*Persian postcard addressed to the priest of the Armenian
Church** in Batavia, sent by his father in New Julfa.*
During the era of Ecumenical Councils, the Armenians in 451 were not
represented at the Council of Chalcedon because at that moment they were
embroiled saving their country from Persian invasion. Afterwards the
Armenians rejected the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon, perhaps also
because they were offended that in their struggle with the Persians no
support was provided by Byzantine Rome. So, the Armenian Apostolic Church
was founded, which would develop independently from mainstream Christianity.
Armenians were very religious. Once an establishment in foreign parts
seemed sustainable, a church was built. Jacob Arathoon (Hakob
Haroutyounian) was a prominent Armenian merchant in Batavia**. In 1841, he
had a wooden chapel built at own expense, dedicated to St. Hripsimé. In
1854 the Armenian community erected a new church building which was
dedicated in 1857[5].
The Armenian church was located at the southwest corner of King’s Square,
the main square of Weltevreden, the wealthy, Western suburb of Batavia. The
Armenian Churches in Southeast Asia were governed by the Apostolic Chair in
New Julfa. Priests, who were sent out, mostly served a parish for a period
of three years until they were transferred again.
*Reverse of the postcard with text in Armenian.** The Armenian alphabet
was developed in 405-406* *by Meshrop Mashtots and was an
important** pillar of the Armenian idnetity.*
Of course priests working overseas maintained contacts with their home
country. The postcard (1900), addressed to the Reverend Simon Vardon in
Batavia comes from his father in New Julfa. The Armenian text on the
reverse *(4b)*, translated in
English[6],
in part reads: *Julfa, 1900, February 20. Our dear and deeply missed
Reverend Father Vardon Simon Vartanian We trust in the good care of the
Lord that you are alive and well. We are all likewise alive and well by the
Grace of the Lord. The card which you sent on December 29 arrived in good
time, but last week we received neither a card nor a letter. The following
people send their greetings and best wishes *(a list follows of 23 names!)*.
May the feast of Saint Sarkis be grace-filled. With all of the blessings of
a parent. Simon Vartanian.* St. Sarkis was an Armenian martyr who was slain
by the Persians in the 4th century.
To Surabaya, Bali and Macassar
In the second half of the 19th century, the center of the Armenian
community in the Dutch East Indies (DEI) gradually moved from Batavia
(Western Java) to Surabaya (Eastern Java). Around 1900 Surabaya was the
most important `Armenian city’ in the Dutch East Indies. The new immigrants
sometimes had to make a long journey to reach their new residence. First,
the dangerous leg from Isfahan to Basra per caravan, then by ship to
Madras, where usually the local Armenian Church would take care of them.
The next leg would take them to Calcutta and finally, via Singapore they
would reach Surabaya.
In India Calcutta was the city with the largest Armenian population. It was
an important centre for the Julfa Armenians in Southeast Asia. Many parents
sent their sons to the Armenian College where friends were made and the
foundation was laid for social networks. The Armenian College was founded
in 1821 and still remains.
*Postcard to Calcutta, written by an Armenian,** working for
a commercial firm in Buleleng** on the island of Bali, the center
of the illegal** opium trade.*
The postcard from Singaradja on the island of Bali *(5)* was sent to the
Armenian Church in Calcutta (probably the Armenian Holy Church of
Nazareth). The sender writes to his father in classic Armenian: `*For a
little change of things, today, I am going to Surabaya with dear Avetik to
spend a few days there together*’. Below on the front side is the chop
(company stamp) of Zorab, Mesrope & Co. This leading Armenian trading firm,
founded in 1884 by Martyrose Mackertich Zorab and James Aviet Mesrope,
owned large sugar and tapioca
plantations[7]
.
Its head quarters was in Surabaya with a branch in Buleleng on the North
coast of the island of Bali. In those times Buleleng was the centre of the
illegal opium trade in DEI. At first importing opium was a monopoly of the
Netherlands Trading Society until the Government decided to operate this
goldmine by itself. Raw opium was imported by the Government, the
processing and the distribution would be granted according to a farming
system. An opium farm was a monopoly concession, granted by the state to a
`farmer’ for a period of time to sell opium in a city or a province.
Periodically, public auctions for these concessions were held. Only the
very wealthy could bid at these auctions. Almost all the farmers were `*
peranakans*’ (ethnic Chinese, born and raised in the Dutch East Indies).
Of course this farmer system created conditions, ideal for a black market.
Farmers could have bought the opium directly in Singapore to smuggle it
into the DEI themselves. Instead most of them used local trading houses.
Armenian firms with offices in Surabaya dominated this trade. They
purchased opium via agents in Turkey, India and Singapore for their Chinese
clients and delivered it in Bali: several Balinese ports transshipped large
amounts of opium but Buleleng dominated the
trade[8]
.
The postcard from Singaradja is not only of interest, to the postal
historian the card also offers a variety of transit cancellations. So the
route from Singaradja (25/3/98) via Surabaya (27/3/98) to Singapore
(1/4/98) can easily be followed. There the card boarded a French
*Paquebot*on its way to the next destination, Colombo (6/4/98). After
transferring to
another ship for Tuticorin, it reached its final destination Calcutta
(12/4/98). This trip took 18 days, not bad at all.
The Armenian correspondence from Persia to the DEI mainly consisted of
postcards. For that reason, the letter to Macassar (1897) is quite
exceptional. As usual in those days stamps in Persia were attached to the
back of the envelope *(6a)*. This side also offers the complete route from
Julfa (12/5) to the Persian port Boushir (29/5), over sea to Singapore
(14/6) and Weltevreden (17/6), on to Surabaya (19/6) to reach Macassar by
boat (25/6). In total 44 days en route, broken down: within Persia 17 days,
Persia – Weltevreden: 19 days, Weltevreden – Macassar 8 days. The journey
within Persia shows transport by caravan in that time was very
time-consuming.
The trading company Michael, Stephens & Co *(6b)* was founded in the 1870s
by Minas Stephens and John Marcar Michaels. They had their head quarters in
Macassar on the island of Celebes, with branches in Singaradja and Ampenan
on Bali.
Correspondence with Persia
Connected by their common language, a unique alphabet and an own religion,
Armenians abroad formed a strong community. The Armenians in the Dutch East
Indies maintained close contacts with their home country, Persia. Their
correspondence with the Armenians in New Julfa (Isfahan) is interesting for
postal historians because their incoming and outgoing mail offers an
overview of the postal routes between DEI and Persia in the period 1897 –
1917.
*The routes from Java to Julfa*
The sea route from the DEI to Persia went via India. Tuticorin at the
Coromandel Coast *(7)* is the most common transit cancellation seen. In
antiquity Tuticorin was an important port and when the European powers
arrived, it was heavily contested. In 1658 the Dutch managed to wrest this
foothold from the Portuguese, but in 1825 they handed it over to the
English. The port on the Southeast coast of India was not far away from
Ceylon and at the end of the 19th century it developed to an important
junction.
Another important port en route to Persia was Bombay on the west coast of
India. The Portuguese `Bom Bahia’ of Bombain’ (good bay) was corrupted by
the English to Bombay. In the second half of the 19th century, Bombay was
one of the main seaports on the Arabian Sea and also housed the head
quarters of the East India Company. Postcards from Armenians to Julfa
either show a transit cancellation at Tuticorin, or a transit cancellation
at Bombay. Occasionally a postcard shows both transit cancellations, with a
cancellation at Colombo into the bargain *(8)*. From the card, the main
route from Java to Persia can be deducted: Singapore – Tuticorin – Bombay –
Boushir.
Boushir (Bushir, Bushehr) was founded in 1736. Around 1800 the Dutch and
the English started to concentrate their regional commercial activities
there and the city became an important commercial center. After the
Anglo-Persian war (1856-1847) the English influence increased considerably.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the route to Boushir led via India.
The transit cancellation at Boushir is not very clear, so a better strike
from another card is shown *(9)*.
After 1900 postcards from DEI entered Persia also from Mohammerah *(10)*,
now Khorramshar. Mohammerah was situated at the border river with the
Ottoman Empire *(11)*. This resulted from the improved connection from
Mohammerah with the hinterland, leading to its increased importance as an
international port.
*The routes from Julfa (Isfahan) to Java*
It seems obvious the main route of the incoming mail from Julfa (Isfahan)
to DEI corresponds with the outgoing route, albeit in reverse order:
Djoulfa – Boushir – India – Java (whether or not via Singapore). Until now
the Persian post marks are shown as circular cancellations. Therefore this
is an appropriate moment to pay attention to the spectacular, spindle
shaped cancellations of later dates *(12)*.
In addition to the main route, an alternative route developed from Persia
through Russia, connecting with the European railway network. The postcard
to Surabaya *(13)* was mailed in Isfahan in 1913 with a written indication
of the desired route `Via Bacou + Brindisi’. The transit cancellation at
Teheran shows the postcard indeed did not follow the usual route to the
south via Boushir, but a route to the north, in the direction of Baku *(11)*.
Since 1813 Baku had belonged to Tsarist Russia. Since the 16th century the
existence of oil was known, but local exploitation was only partly
successful. In 1872 when the Russian Government terminated the state
monopoly and allowed exploitation by private companies, foreign capital
flooded in. Several European entrepreneurs brought in expertise and
investments. The Swedish brothers Nobel provided technical improvements in
the refining process and took care of effective oil
transport[9].
The French brothers Rothschild provided the capital for the construction of
a pipeline and the necessary railway network. Like a gold fever, Baku
developed its own oil fever. As a result, the city provided excellent
connections by railway and ship.
The picture postcard which was sent from Isfahan to Surabaya in 1917
initially followed the same route via Teheran to Baku *(14)*. Meanwhile,
since the previous postcard four years had elapsed. The First World War had
erupted and it could hardly be expected, mail from Russia to the Far East
would be transported through a hostile nation like Austria.
Russia had waged the war with varying success. In the summer of 1916 the
Russian army with the Brusilov offensive scored a significant victory, but
subsequently the Russians were driven back in a series of humiliating
defeats. These military setbacks, added to the abominable situation of the
economy, the continuing famine and the long standing dissatisfaction of the
population, in February 1917 led to food riots in St Petersburg, rapidly
turning to a general uprising fed by farmers, mutinous soldiers and
laborers. Czar Nicolas II came under extreme pressure and abdicated on
March 2. The February revolution was the start of the Russian
Revolution[10].
The machine cancellation Petrograd shows that the Persian picture postcard
on the 14th April 1917 found itself in the eye of this revolutionary storm
Considering this chaotic situation, it is remarkable that the postcard
still went through the system. In Baku a small violet censor strike Baku No
45 was applied, the card nevertheless again was censored in St Petersburg
(rectangular military censor mark Petrograd). The following postal
cancellation is quite a surprise: Shanghai (23 May 1917)! Due to
circumstances, the card in St Petersburg must have been sent to the Far
East on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Because of its wanderings in Russia,
the card from Isfahan took 70 days to reach Shanghai. Nothing to complain
about, at least the card survived the Russian Revolution! From Shanghai,
the card would ultimately reach its final destination.
Han T. Siem, Clearwater, USA
([email protected])
*Bibliography*
——————————
[1]The
contribution of Mrs Nadia Wright in the translation of the article and
providing valuable information is gratefully acknowledged.
[2]Wikipedia:
History of Armenia and other entries
[3]Wikipedia:
New Julfa
[4]Aslanian,
S.: `The Salt in a Merchants’s Letter’: The Culture of Julfan
Correspondence in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean. J. World History
19: 127-188 (2008)
[5]Merrillees,
S.: Batavia in Nineteenth Century Photographs (Singapore,
2006), pg 164
[6]I
am much indebted to Dr. George A. Leylegian for the translations of
the
Armenian texts and providing addition information.
[7]Wright,
N.S.: Respected citizens. The history of Armenians in Singapore and
Malaysia.
[8]Rush,
J.R.: Opium to Java. (Singapore 1990, reprint 2007)
[9]Yergin,
D.: The Prize. The epic quest for oil, money, and power. (New York,
1991)
[10]In
the second phase, the better known October Revolution, the power was
taken over by the Bolshevists.
From: A. Papazian