Nairi (people)

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Nairi, also called Nahri (probably meaning: land of rivers) was an ancient people and land corresponding to the territory of the later Kingdom of Urartu, located around lake Van from Hakkari to Dersim , in modern southeastern Turkey (northern Kurdistan region). They were probably part of (or akin to) other original peoples of the same region such as Hurrians etc.

This nation was mentioned first by the Assyrians in the 13th century B.C as 'Nairi'. Nairi was powerful and rivaled the Assyrian Empire. They had many wars with the Assyrians. Nairi were part of the peoples that formed Urartu.

[edit] Nairi in Popular Culture

Since the late nineteenth century, Nairi has come to stand as a synonym for Armenia among Armenians, who tend to see Nairi as one of their most ancient ancestors.

In 1916, Vahan Terian published a bundle of poems entitled Land of Nairi (in Armenian: Yerkir Nairi), in which he uses Nairi in place of Armenia. Likewise in 1923, Yeghishe Charents wrote a satirical novella entitled Land of Nairi, using once again Nairi as a synonym for Armenia. Hayastan Yeghiazarian, interestingly, used Nairi Zarian as his pen-name, replacing his first name, Hayastan (which is what Armenians call Armenia in their own language since the Late Middle Ages) with Nairi.

In the course of the twentieth and twenty-first century, Nairi has become a popular first name for both girls and boys in Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora. Variations, like Naira, exist side by side variations in spelling, including Nayiri, Nayri, and Nyree.

Armenians also use the name Nairi for many products and businesses ranging from restaurants to movie theaters, magazines to publishing houses, hotels to cognac, and even computers. In the United States, especially in areas where there are large Armenian communities, many businesses, including beauty-salons, bakeries, and grocery stores bear the name Nairi.

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