«Սինգապուրի և Մալայզիայի հայերի պատմությունը» (ըստ «Հարգարժան քաղաքացիներ» գրքի նյութերի)

Nadia Wright's article is devoted to the history of the Armenian diaspora in Malaysia and Singapore, examined on the basis of the book "Respected Citizens." The publication continues a series begun by an article of the same title, and covers the period from the first Armenian settlements in the region to the community's decline by the early twentieth century.

Introduction and Background of Migration

The author traces the routes by which Armenian merchants penetrated the region of Southeast Asia:

settlers from New Julfa, renowned for their trading skill, noted even by the English traveler John Fryer;
waves of migration caused by the chaos in Persia from 1722 onward and the subsequent strengthening of Armenian communities in India (Agra, Surat, Chinsurah, Calcutta);
the patronage extended to Armenian merchants by the British and Dutch East India Companies, which secured them privileges and protection.

Armenians in Malacca

Wright describes early eighteenth-century Armenian burials, including the grave of Hakob Shahamirian — a merchant, scholar, and founder of the first Armenian printing house in India (1772), whose patriotic epitaph is quoted in the article. After Malacca came under British control, the Armenian community there existed only briefly, giving way to the more promising Penang and Singapore.

Penang: The Community's Rise and Decline

The article's central focus is the history of the Armenian community of Penang:

the tragic trading episode of Hovhannes Set (1796), illustrating the risks of maritime commerce;
the growth in the number of Armenian merchants during the 1800s–1820s and their high social standing, confirmed by their service on juries and letters of gratitude from the colonial administration;
the construction of the Church of Surb Grigor Lusavorich (1824) as a center of community life;
the activities of the Anthony family and the company "A.A. Anthony & Company" (from 1840);
the phenomenon of the Sarkies brothers — Martin, Tigran, Aviet, and Arshak — who built a hotel empire that included the famous Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang and the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

Separately noted is the community's charitable activity: fundraising to aid victims of the 1895 massacres and donations for refugees of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

Conclusion

The author records the gradual disappearance of the Armenian community of Penang as a result of mixed marriages and the emigration of descendants to Great Britain. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Armenian presence in the city is recalled only by street names (Armenian Street, Aratoon Road) and surviving enterprises — the E&O Hotel and the firm A.A. Anthony & Company — whose historical connection to their Armenian founders has been almost entirely forgotten. A continuation of the study, devoted to the Armenian community of Singapore, is announced for the next issue of the publication.