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The Armenians in Kuwait are people of Armenian descent living in Kuwait. As of 2013, there has been a large population increase and now the Armenians number 6,000.〔(We have around 6,000 Armenians in Kuwait, says ambassador )〕 Before the Gulf War, the Armenian population reached its peak of 12,000.〔(The Armenians of Kuwait: Rebuilding after the Gulf War )〕 But after the Iraqi invasions, the numbers of the Armenians resident in Kuwait greatly diminished to just 500〔 as they left the country. ==History== The first known Armenian presence in Kuwait came in the late 1890s-1900 (turn of the century). The first Armenian families were established in 1947 (Boghos Hovakimian with wife Arousiag, Mihran Zakarian and family). At that time there was less that 40 single Armenian men there. Among them were Nerses Shaghzoian and Ashot Babken. The most famous Armenian presence in Kuwait came immediately after the rise of Arab nationalism in Syria and Egypt in the 1950s and the 1960s. The first wave of Armenian immigrants to Kuwait were people looking to escape the turmoil in other Arab states. They were mainly skilled craftsmen from Aleppo who found work in Kuwait’s light industry, auto repair, auto body, plumbing, electrical and service sector. A new influx of young Armenians created the need to establish an Armenian school in Kuwait, which was spearheaded by Vigen Shaghzo (aka Vicken Shaghzoian). In 1960, founders Vigen and Arshavir Shaghzo and the Armenian community opened its first Armenian School and church in Kuwait. By the mid-1980s, this Armenian population of Kuwait reached its peak of 12,000. During and after Operation Desert Storm, the population diminished as Armenians immigrated to North America. As of 2013, there are roughly 6,000 Armenians in Kuwait. As a result of the Armenian Genocide, many survivors were forced to first settle in the Levant including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Iraq. In 1958, the first wave of Arab nationalism appeared in Syria and Egypt. This did not sit well with the large Armenian communities in these countries. The establishment of the United Arab Republic triggered a mass exodus of Armenians to Lebanon (from Syria) and to Canada and the United States (from Egypt). Some Syrian-Armenians immigrated to Kuwait, when it was still a British mandate then. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Armenians in Kuwait」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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