In 1905, the Armenian provocation yielded results also in Tbilisi. Fearing the avenge of the Azerbaijanis because of murders and fires committed by the Armenians in the neighborhood populated by the Tatars (Azerbaijanis), the Russian authorities brought troops and artillery into the city. However, the Armenian instigators did not achieve their goal – the law-abiding Muslims did not fall into the trap set by the Armenians. Otherwise, the Tatar population of Georgia could have been massacred – even more brutally than it was committed on January 9, 1905 in St. Petersburg. I imagine how unarmed Tatars eager to learn about the fates of their relatives could have become direct targets for artillery when trying to enter the city, shrapnel rains could have killed people. I also imagine a lake of blood, shouting, victims, the great satisfaction of Dashnaktsutyun members. But it did not happen.

According to the rumors (it is interesting to learn who was spreading those ugly rumors), the cavalry were stationed and the cannons placed in appropriate places in the city to prevent the entry of the masses of armed Tatars into the city. The key positions, which had been earlier held by military organizations of various political parties were occupied by the troops. (“Qafqaz”, 01.12.1905) At first glance, it sounds attractive. But let’s look more deeply. The authorities abandoned the Muslim population of the city when the latter was slaughtered by Armenian gangs; the Muslim men had to face the Armenians in order to protect their families. And when the Azerbaijanis started organizing armed groups at the expense of losses, the authorities suddenly realized their duties and hurried to expel those groups out of their positions, even it was impossible to disarm those groups. The military was ordered to shoot marauders (ibid). At least, it gives some console as the marauders were Armenian robbers.

And again the Muslims demonstrated a surprising obedience to the law and obey the authorities, which had failed the Muslims several times. The armed Tatars from different villages (the Azerbaijani forces, who came to defend their loved ones and relatives – author`s note) returned to their villages on November 29. 300 armed Tatars left Tbilisi that day. Tatars left also yesterday (ibid). Had the Tatars been so bloodthirsty as presented by Armenian and pro-Armenian authors, they could have committed such a massacre in the city that no one could have called Tbilisi “an Armenian city” as did the Armenians when invading Georgia in 1918.

At least, one fact confirms that the Tbilisi events called the 1905 revolution were anti-Azerbaijani turmoil provoked by Armenian extremists. As the clashes faded, the authorities created an Armenian-Azerbaijani conciliatory commission instead of conducting political reforms. A closer look would attribute this outcome to all events that occurred in the Caucasus in 1905. In other words, the Armenians once resettled by the Russian colonists from various parts of Asia in order to prevent any turmoils, caused problems in an almost frontal and strategically important area of the Russian Empire. The result is still relevant for the current local and central Russian authorities.

Yesterday, on November 30, in the city hall, office building, the representatives of Armenian and Muslim communities decided to organize a conciliatory commission. The commission will be commissioned with elaborating provisions to determine good-neighborly relations between the two warring sides. (ibid)

Despite the efforts of the government and the loyalty of the Muslims, the Armenian provocations did continue, albeit on a small scale. According to the police, at 12 o`clock on November 29, the 10 Tatars riding the Korganov konka from the railway station were attacked and fired at by a group of Armenians at a stop in Nekrasov Street. As a result, the Tatars fled in different directions, while two unrecognized Tatars were murdered: one of them in Nikolaev Square, the other in Crossroads Streets. His corpse was thrown into the Kura. The third man, Nagi Sadig oglu, an Iranian subject, who got injured in his right shoulder and hand, himself jumped into the river; he was saved by the Molokans somewhere in the 8^th area and taken to Mikhailov hospital. (ibid) Dear readers, does it remind you of anything? The events similar to manhunt by Armenians in Baku, brutal murder of Agarza Babayev in Baku continued in Tbilisi now. People were persecuted simply on national and confessional grounds. In this case, we are discussing not only unknown Armenian terrorists, but the Armenian community impregnated with poison of hatred against other nationalities, particularly Azerbaijanis.

A hundred years have passed ever since, but nothing has changed. The Armenians repeated their atrocities also in Karabakh and when driving Azerbaijani population out of Armenia.

Yesterday, on December 1, at the city council meeting hall, the representatives of Muslim and Armenian communities met to discuss the terms of the peace prepared by Muslims. (“Qafqaz” newspaper, 02.12.1905). And again, we see that the social conflict, although it did happen in the Caucasus in 1905, was not the primary issue. The major confrontation was determined y Armenian-Azerbaijani clashes provoked by the Armenians. The fact that the Armenian were provocateurs in those events is affirmed by the attempts of the Muslims to arrange terms of peace and their desire to force the Armenians to fulfill those terms. Aggressors and provocateurs do not need peace; only the defending side tries to stop the violence.

This is another confirmation on which side got more damaged as a result of the ethnic conflict. The information is also valuable as it is given by a Russian newspaper. The fire in the Tatar neighborhood of the city was finally and completely extinguished on November 29. This part of the city is in more need. More children are suffering from hunger and cold. (ibid) Several neighborhoods comprising mostly wooden houses were burned completely as a result of the three-day fire. Even now November is not a hot month in Tbilisi, when you can stay without a shelter. In 1905, when global warming had not even started, nights were freezing. It is impossible to imagine adults and children overnighting in streets. After the earthquake in Spitak on December 7, 1988, when the Armenians faced a similar situation, the entire world pitied and supported them. However, in the cold winter of 1905, the Tatars of Tbilisi were left alone before the disaster – disaster caused not by nature, but by malevolent will of the Armenians. The town council sent 25 rubles to the Muslims in need through doctor A. I. Scherbinina. (ibid) But this help was like a drop in the ocean.

Yesterday, on December 1, the dead bodies of 27 person murdered in Armenian-Tatar shooting were held in the Mikhailov hospital. Two of them were Armenians, the remaining 25 Muslims. (ibid) As the saying goes, the figures are the best proof. Despite such a rate of losses, the biased imperial newspaper could not call the event a slaughter – instead, a slippery word “shooting” was used. Otherwise, it would have admitted the massacre committed by the Armenians against the Tatars in Tbilisi. The Armenian gangs caused such chaos in the future capital of Georgia that the hospital was not able to bury those 25 corpses as no one dared to take them to the Tatar cemetery. (ibid) And it happened in the light of the strong Islamic rule that demands dead bodies be buried before sunset. The relatives of the victims were afraid to carry out their funeral duties. The intricate explanation of the events demonstrates that the imperial newspaper was not even informing about one percent of the atrocities committed by Armenians against Azerbaijani civilians.

Ingvar Ryurikson

http://kavkaztimes.com