Armenians of Iran and the Oil Industry

A childlike question—arising from encountering a new and strange word—was the impetus for writing the book “Armenians of Iran and the Oil Industry.” The author recalls when and how they first encountered the word “Armenian” and how this encounter led to further exploration about these people. For the author, the presence of a foreign group in a remote city in southwestern Iran seemed strange. Iran’s oil industry has a history intertwined with various ethnicities and religions who settled in the oil towns and played significant roles in advancing this industry. This coexistence around oil is socially, culturally, and historically important enough to assert that alongside the history written about oil, the social life that formed in oil cities should also be discussed. In this book, the author compiles documents, photos, and oral histories to record part of the social life history of various people in southwestern Iran, showing how it is possible to be different without being enemies. How diverse religious and cultural beliefs can exist, yet peaceful coexistence is maintained.