The Armenians in Bangladesh 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.
There was a fairly large Armenian colony in Dhaka, concentrated in the neighbourhood of Armanitola, during the early part of the 18th century. The Armenian community played a significant role in Bengali trade and commerce in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Armenian Apostolic Church of the Holy Resurrection established by the community in 1781, along with the adjacent cemetery, is a major landmark and tourist attraction of old Dhaka.
Their presence, however, began to decline from the beginning of British rule. Michael Joseph Martin (Mikel Housep Martirossian), reported to be the last Armenian in Dhaka, died on 9 May 2020.
History
There is no exact record of when the Armenians first came to Dhaka. Some historians suggest that they came in Bengal in the early 17th century as a part of the migration of Armenians from Persia. After Safavid rulers conquered Eastern Armenia in the Caucasus, Shah Abbas deported about 40,000 Armenian traders specialized in inter-Euroasiatic trade to Isfahan and New Julfa.
Armenian traders first came to Bengal from Isfahan and New Julfa in the wake of Persian adventurers, eventually establishing their own trading community. They were recognized as a distinct trading community by the Mughal government since late 17th century. It is not known when they came to Dhaka, then one of the commercial centres in Bengal. On the evidence of dates on tombstones the time is assumed to be early 18th century.
As Persian was the official language of the Mughal court, the Persian-speaking Armenians could easily settle themselves down in the Mughal Empire. The Nawabs of Dhaka are known to have engaged them to transact their personal businesses openly or clandestinely as well as the European maritime companies, who used them as local representatives and their vakils (spokesperson or pleaders) to the royal courts. Khwaja Hafizullah, a merchant prince, laid the foundations for the Dhaka Nawab Family by accumulating wealth by doing business with Greek and Armenian merchants. This trend was followed by his nephew and the first Nawab of the family Khwaja Alimullah.
Initially they lived in the neighborhoods of Moulvibazar and Nolgola, before moving to Armanitola. Between 1833 and 1918, at the height of Armenian presence, the records of Armanian Church in Dhaka list over 200 deaths, as well as over 250 baptisms and over 50 marriages. Apart from Dhaka there was a significant Armenian presence in Saidabad (a suburb of the capital Murshidabad), Hoogli, Kolkata, Chinsura, Patna and Kasimbazar.
Living and lifestyle
The Armenian community of Dhaka were initially engaged in export trade paying a duty of 3.5% to the government. Dhaka was the hub of fine textiles at that time, a fact that attracted Persians and Armenians to settle business there. In an estimate of the textile export from Dhaka (which was a major textile production center in Bengal), the Armenian share was said to have been 27% in 1747. In the silk market, there are indications that the Armenians were dominant buyers, along with Gujaratis and merchants from Delhi, Agra and Benares.
They were also prominent in the jute trade. Most of Armenians were engaged in the jute trade. Prominent Armenian jute merchants had their own companies, like Messrs Sarkies & Sons, Messrs David & Co. and others. But gradually the jute business was monopolised by the more powerful and better-organised British firms. Besides these, they also did businesses of saltpeter, salt, and betel nut.
The Armenian community in Armanitola was small but rich. Some wealthy Armenians used to reside in European-style bungalows. was one such bungalow that was quite popular. Parts of the gardens of Shahbag, Ruplal House (another major landmark in old Dhaka) and the land where Bangabhaban (the presidential residence) stands belonged to Armenian zamindars (landlords). There is still a Manuk House inside Bangabhaban, bearing the name of the original owner's family. Armenians introduced Ticca-Garry (horse-carriage) in Dhaka and it became a popular transport of Dhaka. They also set up western-style department stores in Dhaka. The stores mostly sold European and British goods.