Հայեր Սինգապուրում | |
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Total population | |
100 [1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Singapore | |
Languages | |
Armenian, English | |
Religion | |
Christianity | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Armenian diaspora |
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The Armenians in Singapore are a small community who had a significant presence in the early history of Singapore. They were among the earliest merchants to arrive in Singapore from the British Raj when it was established as a trading port by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. They numbered around 100 individuals at their peak in the early 1920s, [1] but most have moved on to other countries or become absorbed into the wider Singapore community. Despite their small number, they had an impact in the commercial life of early Singapore and members of the community co-founded the newspaper The Straits Times and built the Raffles Hotel. The Armenian Apostolic Church of St Gregory the Illuminator on Armenian Street, the second church to be built in Singapore, is today the oldest surviving one.
For many the Armenians predominantly came to Singapore during the British Raj. [2]
The early Armenians of Singapore had their origin in Julfa, whose population were deported to Isfahan (forming New Julfa) by Shah Abbas of Persia after he captured the city in 1603. [3] Some of these Armenians that became merchants would migrate to British Raj India and further beyond and by the 18th century, Armenian traders had established themselves in British Raj India (particularly Kolkata), Myanmar, the Malay Peninsula (particularly Penang and Malacca) and Java. Soon after Sir Stamford Raffles founded Singapore as a trading port in 1819, Armenian merchants arrived in Singapore. [2] The first census of Singapore in 1824 showed 16 Armenians [4] and the 1826 census showed that there were 16 male and 3 female Armenians in Singapore. [5]
Although small in number, the Armenians were active in the commercial activity of early Singapore. Armenian trading firms such as Sarkies and Moses (1840–1914), Apcar & Stephens (1826–1845) and Mackertich M. Moses (1820s–1839) were prominent in Singapore's economy. By the 1830s, Armenian merchants began investing in land. In March 1836 the Church of St Gregory the Illuminator was consecrated, making it the second church in Singapore.[ citation needed ]
There were around a hundred individuals in the early 1920s but the number declined. The 1931 census showed 81 Armenians, although actual numbers were around 95. [2] Many of the Armenians, being British subjects, were interned by the Japanese during World War II. By the 1950s, much of the local Armenian community had emigrated to Australia or Europe or become assimilated into other larger communities of Singapore. Nevertheless, during the Feast of the Epiphany, the flags of Singapore and Armenia are still raised at the Armenian church.[ citation needed ]
The Armenian community in Singapore remains small. A dozen families in Singapore are descended from the early immigrant families: Aviet, Carapiet, Galestin, Galistan, Johannes, Moses, Sarkies, and Zechariah. [6] In the 2000s, the first Armenians emigrated from Armenia to Singapore. [1]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(June 2019) |
Catchick Moses (Movessian) (1812-1895), was a co-founder of the Straits Times, which was to become the national English newspaper, in 1845. He sold the paper a year later because it was unprofitable.
The Sarkies brothers (Martin and Tigran) founded the Raffles Hotel, and were later joined by younger brothers Aviet and Arshak. The firm Sarkies Brothers also founded the Eastern Oriental Hotel in Penang, Malaysia and Strand Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar (previously known as Rangoon, Burma).
The brothers' cousin Arathoon Sarkies, together with Eleazor Johannes managed the Adelphi Hotel in the early 1900s. Sarkies Road is named after Arathoon's wife Regina Sarkies (née Carapiet). Their direct descendants still reside in Singapore. [7]
Martyrose Arathoon who became a partner in Sarkies Brothers in 1917 managed Raffles Hotel during its halcyon days of the 1920s.
Agnes Joaquim (Hovakimian) born in Singapore on 7 April 1854, hybridised the orchid named Vanda Miss Joaquim by Henry Ridley. In 1899 at a flower show, Agnes unveiled the Vanda Miss Joaquim for the first time, and won the $12 first prize for her flower. As she was suffering from cancer at that time, Agnes died 3 months later at the same year, at the age of 44. In 1981, the Vanda Miss Joaquim was designated Singapore's national flower. Her tombstone stands in the Armenian Church in Singapore and reads:
In loving memory of Agnes, eldest Daughter of the late Parsick Joaquim, Born 7th April 1854 - Died 2nd July 1899,'Let her own works praise her. Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy Cross I cling'
Agnes' younger brother Joaquim P. Joaquim (1856-1902) became one of Singapore's most prominent criminal lawyers. He served as president of the Municipal Council, member of the Legislative Council, and Vice-Consul for the USA.
George Seth, born in 1877 was Solicitor-General of the Straits Settlements in the 1920s.
Emile Galistan, born 1881 was domiciled in Singapore. Galistan owned an extensive collection of orchids and was master at growing them, and he freely shared his knowledge of growing orchids with his regular contributions of articles to the Malayan Orchid Review, the journal of the Malayan Orchid Society that was founded in 1931. He was elected an honorary member of the Society in 1958. Galistan Avenue in Singapore was named after, which recognizes the work of Emile Galistan of the Singapore Improvement Trust.
Armenian expatriates in Singapore include Ashot Nadanian, who has coached the Singapore National Chess Team since 2005 [8] and Gevorg Sargsyan, conductor of Singapore Camerata Chamber Orchestra and Tanglewood Music School since 2008. [9]
The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a 165-year-old tropical garden located at the fringe of the Orchard Road shopping district in Singapore. It is one of three gardens, and the only tropical garden, to be honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Botanic Gardens has been ranked Asia's top park attraction since 2013, by TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards. It was declared the inaugural Garden of the Year by the International Garden Tourism Awards in 2012.
Raffles Singapore is a historic luxury hotel at 1 Beach Road, in Singapore. It was established by Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies Brothers, in 1887. The hotel was named after British statesman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore.
The association of Armenians with India and the presence of Armenians in India are very old, and there has been a mutual economic and cultural association of Armenians with India. Today there are about a hundred, most of whom currently live in or around Kolkata.
New Julfa is the Armenian quarter of Isfahan, Iran, located along the south bank of the Zayanderud.
The Armenian Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, referred to locally as the Armenian Church, is the oldest surviving Christian church in Singapore, located at Hill Street in the Museum Planning Area, within the Central Area. The church was completed in 1835 and consecrated the next year. Originally a parish of the Armenian Apostolic Church, an Oriental Orthodox denomination, the last Armenian parish priest left in the late 1930s as Armenian population in Singapore dwindled. It was designated as a national monument in 1973. Armenian and Oriental Orthodox services are now regularly held at the church.
George Drumgoole Coleman, also known as George Drumgold Coleman, was an Irish civil architect who played an instrumental role in the design and construction of much of the civil infrastructure in early Singapore, after it was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819. Only a few of his buildings have survived in Singapore, most notably Armenian Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, Maxwell's House, and Caldwell House.
The Sarkies Brothers, Martin (1852–1912), Tigran (1861–1912), Aviet (1862–1923), and Arshak (1868–1931), were a group of brothers of Armenian ethnicity best known for founding a chain of luxury hotels throughout Southeast Asia. The brothers were born in Isfahan, Iran.
The first Armenians in Burma were merchants who arrived in 1612, and settled in Syriam, where the first Armenian tombstone is dated 1725.
Many Armenian merchants from Amsterdam went to Southeast Asia in the 19th century to trade, and to set up factories and plantations. Armenian merchants settled in parts of Java, then part of the Dutch East Indies, as did Armenians moving east from the Persian Empire, establishing a community of Armenians in Java.
The Apcar family is an Armenian family originally from New Julfa in Isfahan, Persia. After moving to India they became prominent in commerce and industry. Later members were involved in the practice of law and the legislature.
Stamford House is a historic building located at the corner of the junction of Stamford Road and Hill Street, in the Downtown Core of Singapore. Originally known as Oranje Building, it formerly housed a shopping mall. The building had since redeveloped along with adjoined Capitol Building and both were reopened as a hotel The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore in October 2018.
The Kartika Wijaya, now éL Hotel Kartika Wijaya is a colonial-style hotel located in Batu, East Java. The address is at Jalan Panglima Sudirman 127.
Saint George's Church is a 13th-century Armenian church in the old city of Tbilisi, Georgia's capital. It is one of the two functioning Armenian churches in Tbilisi and is the cathedral of the Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is located in the south-western corner of Vakhtang Gorgasali Square (Meidani) and is overlooked by the ruins of Narikala fortress.
The Bengal Armenians were ethnic Armenians who lived in what is now called Bangladesh. Their numbers have gradually diminished and there are now no Armenians in the country.
Papilionanthe Miss Joaquim, also known as the Singapore orchid, the Princess Aloha orchid, and commonly known by its original name Vanda Miss Joaquim, is a hybrid orchid that is the national flower of Singapore. For its resilience and year-round blooming quality, it was chosen on 15 April 1981 to represent Singapore's uniqueness and hybrid culture. This orchid is the first registered plant hybrid from Singapore.
Armenians first traveled to Java towards the end of the 18th century. They established several well-known commercial houses engaged in trade with overseas markets.
The Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth is an 18th-century Armenian Apostolic church at Kolkata (Calcutta), India, serving as the centre of the Armenian Community of Calcutta and the seat of the Armenian Vicariate of India and the Far East. It is affiliated with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It was first built in the year 1688 during the Moghal era and rebuilt in 1724 on the old cemetery of the Armenian community, through the efforts of Agha Nazar after the original wooden structure perished in a fire in 1707.
Bilateral foreign relations exist between the two countries, Armenia and Singapore. Neither country has a resident ambassador. The Embassy of Armenia in Jakarta, Indonesia is accredited to Singapore. Singapore has no representation in Armenia.
Ashkhen Hovakimian was a Singaporean Armenian who bred Singapore's first hybridised orchid hybrid, Vanda 'Miss Joaquim'. Joaquim was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2015.
Charles Emmerson was a prominent U.S.-born restaurateur, hotel proprietor and veterinarian in Singapore. He was the first veterinary surgeon to practice on the island.
Wright, Nadia H. (2003) Respected citizens: The History Of Armenians In Singapore And Malaysia. Melbourne: Amassia Publishing.