History Amshen Armenians

The Hamshen Armenians are an ethnic group of the Armenian people. The formation and development of the amshen Armenians took place in the historical region of Pont ( the southern coast of the black sea from Batumi to SINP). In this territory, from the VLL century to the last quarter of the XV century, there was the amshen khanate (Principality).

It is assumed that the Hamshen Armenians are descendants of ancient migrants from the South-Eastern historical and ethnographic regions of Armenia. Version of the origin of names: am – name nakharar (Prince) of the genus Amatuni, Shen – town village. Later the name of Mamasan transformirovalsya in Hamshen, where further literature was used, the term Hamshen Armenians, that is, immigrants from Hamshen.

Since the 15th century, the territory of Pontus has been part of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). Amshen Armenians are mostly Christians. Since the mid-60s of the XIX century, amshen Armenians have moved to the Caucasus coast of the Black sea and nearby territories. Reasons: invitation of the Russian government, difficult political and socio-economic situation of amshen Armenians in Turkey.

In the 80 – 90s XlX century. Hamshen Armenians began to settle in the Sochi district. By the beginning of the XX century, they lived in 22 villages (Loo, Uch-Dere, Vardan, Beranda, Khobza, etc.). In 1897, 3,857 Hamshen Armenians lived in the Sochi district, and 13,590 in 1916. After the Armenian genocide in Turkey in 1915, the flow of refugees increased

The main occupations of the Hamshen Armenians are agriculture (corn and wheat) and cattle breeding (small and large cattle, buffaloes, pigs, horses). Tobacco and cattle breeding have developed significantly. The main mass of Hamshen Armenians settled in the territory of the present Krasnodar territory and Abkhazia (about 150 thousand people in 1989), Adjara (16 thousand people in 1985), Armenia (about 10 thousand in the early 1990s)