History
The presence of Armenians in Georgia was described since late antiquity in the works of medieval Armenian historians and chroniclers, such as Movses Khorenatsi, Ghazar Parpetsi, Pavstos Buzand, and others. A large wave of Armenian settlers in the country's capital city of Tbilisi took place in the 12th-13th centuries, especially after 1122, in the aftermath of liberation of the Caucasus from Seljuk Turks by Georgian and Armenian forces under the leadership of Kind David and Queen Tamar of Georgia.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, rich Armenian merchants, including famous jewelers and oil industrialists invested heavily in business in Georgia and helped build cultural centers and schools. The number of Armenians increased progressively such that by the early 19th century, the Armenians far outnumbered Georgians in the capital. Tbilisi became a veritable cultural center for Eastern Armenians ("arevelahayer", commonly called Russian-Armenians "rusahayer") just like Istanbul in Turkey became cultural center for the Western Armenians ("arevmedahayer" commonly called Turkish-Armenians "turkahayer" at the time).
Read more about this topic: Armenians In Georgia
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