The influence of the Armenians in the Orient during the 19th century was also significant within the spheres of education and teaching. In the Ottoman elementary and intermediate schools there were many Armenian teachers in particular in the scientific and linguistic subjects. The medical college in Constantinople, which apart from the military college was the only higher educational institution and the only medical school in the entire Ottoman Empire, was established on European norms in 1838 by Sultan Mehmet II with the encouragement of his special doctor, Shashian, who was an Armenian; moreover, several lecturers at the college were Armenians.
In Egypt, the first head masters of the technical college and professional college, both of which were established by Mohammed Ali Pasha, were Armenians. 198
There were also many Armenians in educational institutions in Persia. Philip Price points out that the Armenians, under the influence of new ideas which had come from Europe, were the first and foremost in the process of the europification of the Orient. 199
Very early demonstrations and manifestations of the national movement of modern Turkey have been traced to Armenians. Duda, for instance, points out that it was Oriental experts from the Lazarian Institute in Moscow who, during the 19th century, first tried to develop a modern Turkish language, replacing the Arabic and Persian words with pure Turkish words. 200
Turkish architecture, and in particular the beautiful buildings constructed during the 19th century, was indebted to Armenian architecture: the Balaians, Armenian architects, masterminded the royal palaces.
It has also been claimed that Armenians, during the 19th century, were the true founders of theatre in the Ottoman Empire; the creation of its first theatre, its first translations of English plays, its first Turkish plays and even its first actors were largely due to the Armenians. 201
The Armenian people were the source and power for progress of their neighbours during the 19th century. As Itentani surmises, the Armenian people in the Orient were the yeast which fermented the dough of the other nations. 202
The Armenians remained loyal to their past, to their history of bringing together seemingly remote factors, and during the 19th century essayed to strengthen the relations between East and West and enrich the ties and trade between the two.
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