The Armenians of Tbilisi: Silk, Culture, and a Lost World

Long before the Soviet era, the Georgian capital Tbilisi was a thriving center of Armenian culture, commerce, and political life. By the 19th century, Armenians made up a large part of the city's population, dominating trade along the Silk Road and building grand churches, schools, and printing presses. This episode explores the rise and fall of the Armenian community in Tbilisi — from the merchant princes of the 18th century to the cultural flourishing around figures like the poet Hovhannes Tumanyan, and the gradual erosion of that world under Tsarist Russification, Soviet policies, and the post-Soviet nationalisms. Along the way, we uncover the story of the Armenian theater, the influential Tiflis Armenian Charitable Society, and the legacy of the Armenian cathedral of Saint George. It's a story of diaspora, adaptation, and loss — and one that reverberates through Armenian identity to this day. #ArmenianTbilisi #HovhannesTumanyan #SilkRoad #Tiflis #ArmenianMerchants #GeorgianArmenians #RussianEmpire #SovietNationalitiesPolicy #ArmenianTheater #SaintGeorgeArmenianCathedral #TiflisArmenianCharitableSociety #Caucasus #19thCentury #Diaspora #ArmenianCulture #FexingoHistory #History #Armenia Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo