Master of Maps on Border Disputes

In an interview with 1in.am Rouben Galichian, scholar and historical map collector, discusses historical changes to maps determining Armenian-Azerbaijani borders. Galichian explains how GPS is being used to demarcate current borders. He maintains that a major task inherited by Armenian politicians is to ensure integrity of Armenian borders through diplomacy and negotiations with Azerbaijan.

Rouben Galichian, of London, is the author of several books and articles on cartography that have been published in various periodicals. Galichian has lectured at many universities, including Yerevan, Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, Boston, and more. With an electrical engineering background, Galichian has, for fifty years, flourished in the gas/oil industry rising to directorship in Iran and Britain.

His interest in geography and cartography has led to collecting mostly old maps. In 2013, Galichian’s valuable collection was donated to the Yerevan Madenataran. His best-selling first book “Historic Maps of Armenia: The Cartographic Heritage” contains world maps and maps of Armenia over a period of 2,600 years. He is also the author of “Countries South of the Caucasus in Medieval Maps: Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan” and “The Invention of History: Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the Showcasing of Imaginations”, which documents Armenia’s centuries-long indigenous culture. Exposing Azerbaijan’s multiple historic and cultural misrepresentations of the past, “Clash of Histories in the South Caucasus. Redrawing the Maps of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Iran” presents the historical truth through authentic documents.