In the village of Por near Bitlis
In the recently restored church of Aghtamar
Kevork and Silva Keushkerian in Peri (Charsanjak)
Chengili Church near Kagizman
Reflections
Kevork & Silva Keushkerian (Pasadena, CA)
September, 2007
Published in Nor Gyank, Vol XXIX, No. 51, November 29, 2007
I had always dreamt about visiting Historic Armenia and Cilicia, especially the city of Antep in Cilicia, where both my parents were born. That dream was finally realized in September of this year, when my wife Silva I and joined Armen Aroyan and became part of his group of seven to tour the homes of our ancestors. Armen has been taking groups of various sizes to Historic Armenia for the past 20 years. I can testify without hesitation that he is the best group guide, as he has a vast knowledge of Armenian history and is well versed in Armenian Church history. He is also very sensitive to the needs of all the group members. For example, Mersin was not on our itinerary but we went there just to meet a tour member's cousin, whom she had not seen in over forty years.
On September 19, 2007, we landed in Istanbul, where we were greeted by Aghavni, a representative of Armen Aroyan. A mini-bus took us to-the Savoy hotel in Taxim Square, where Armen was waiting for us with a number of guests he had invited to have dinner with us.
The following day was unforgettable, as we embarked on visiting the many Armenian sites, before flying to Kayseri in the evening. First we visited the St. Gregory the Illuminator church in Galata, where Divine Liturgy was about to start, although it was Thursday. Adjacent to this church was the famous Central High School, established in 1886, that was attended by well known authors such as Hratchia Ajarian, Vahan Tekeyan, Arshag Chobanian, Aram Haigaz, and Levon Surmelian. Vahan Tekeyan was also the Principal of the school for a short while.
Then we visited the equally famous Bezjian Junior High School, established in 1830, which was in close proximity of the Armenian Patriarchate. After touring St. Mary's Cathedral, we were fortunate to be invited, through Armen's connections, to first visit the Treasury and then the seat of the Patriarch. Artifacts and religious icons from the 11'h century and on, plus paintings from the likes of Aivazovsky were a real treat for our eyes. Then we went to visit the Surp Prgich Hospital Complex. On the way to the airport, Armen had a pleasant surprise for us, the Balikli cemetery, where a real hero was laid to rest not long ago. It was very emotional for us, yet a sacred duty, to pay our respects to Hrant Dink at his fresh gravesite. Dink, editor in chief of the weekly newspaper "Agos", was assassinated on January 19, 2007 in front of his office.
Upon arrival at the Kayseri airport, we met our driver, Jemal, who was to take us to the many towns and cities of Historic Armenia in the next 12 days. St. Gregory the Illuminator church in Kayseri is fortunately kept intact, but services are conducted only twice a year as there are not many Armenians left in the area. Our hotel was located in nearby Cappadocia, where St. Gregory the Illuminator was ordained Catholicos of all the Armenians in 301 A. D. Cappadocia is well known for its dwellings and churches carved into the hillsides for protection from the enemy. The following day we visited Akrag and Gemerek, in the area of Sepasdia (Sivas) where my wife's maternal grandparents had lived. The Armenian Church in Gemerek was demolished to make way for the road, but some of the stones with signs of the cross were still lying around because they were deemed useless to the villagers. One villager said the cylindrical shaped pieces of the church columns were utilized for leveling the roofs of their houses that were made of mud and hay. He further ventured to say there were some Armenians who had converted to Islam, such as Antranig and his son Sarkis, whose Turkish name was now Cherkez. We were to encounter such sad stories throughout our adventure in the heartland of Anatolia. Mersin on the Mediterranean Sea was very impressive. Once the Lusignan stronghold, it is now a quiet sea resort with many private beaches along its shores. The Korykos Fortress there with its twin structures, on shore and off shore, was destroyed by the Muslim conquerors in 1375.
Antep was no different. The church there is now a mosque. The Karamanugian’s residence is turned into a museum, whereas the Arslanian’s house is transformed into a boutique hotel. The famous Girls' Seminary of Antep is now a hospital, with Dr. Shepard's grave in the backyard. The humorous Dr. Shepard, who was fluent in Turkish, was the President of the Antep College and legend has it that he used to ride to the College on a horse. The food here was to die for, very similar to the home made meals we eat daily. Incidentally, our driver's son, Jemal Jr., joined us in Antep and from that point on they drove the mini-bus interchangeably. Departing from Antep and on our way to Kharpet, we passed through many small cities such as Urfa and Dikranagerd that were once heavily populated by Armenians. St. Mary's Church in Urfa is now a mosque and the Der Bedrosian residence, across from the church, has been transformed into a hotel-restaurant complex, a familiar tourist site no less. One of the bellboys there showed me the secret tunnel that joined the house to the church. We then visited biblical figure Father Abraham's lake which contains a school of wild carp fish, fighting each other over food thrown by the tourists.
Dikranagerd, on the banks of the river Tigris, was a site to see. The ancient fortress is now a famous tourist attraction. When we were there, it was being used as a location for filming. Although many of the ancient cities were modernized and revitalized, the old Armenian sections stayed untouched, and are now inhabited by the poor Kurds or peasant Turks.
Kharpert, or Harput, is on top of a hill, with its upper and lower sections, but not much of the old town is left. The Armenian Church and the Euphrates College have been leveled completely. Instead, the town of Elazig (named after Sultan Aziz) at the skirts of the hill, has flourished. Stepan Maloyan, an Armenian speaking resident of this city said there were 15 Armenian families still living there. In this area, we visited Palu (where St. Mesrob had stayed while inventing the Armenian alphabet), Hoshe, and Peri, where my wife's paternal grandparents had lived. Peri is now called Akpazar, where a valley is still known by "Dakess Valley," called after their last name, Dakessian. My wife's grandfather was thrown into the Euphrates River after his lands were captured by the Turks. Ironically, the new owner of the land met us at the farm and confessed that his grandmother was Armenian.
Our next destination was the city of Van in the region of Vasburagan. Van is famous for its lake and the Island of Aghtamar, which was one of the highlights of our tour. Well known writers Silva Gabudikian and Kurken Mahari are from Van. Van was the seat of the Ardzrouni Dynasty, whereas Ani was the seat of its rival Dynasty, the Pakraduni. Ani was our last destination.
The Holy Cross Church on the island of Aghtamar was built in 915 A.D. It is a unique structure in the sense that its outside walls are covered with carved pictures representing different stories from the Holy Bible and the birth of Christianity in Armenia. This church has become a huge tourist attraction which is why the local authorities have taken upon themselves to restore it, except for the fact that the cross is still missing from the dome.
We had made a habit of singing sacred hymns in every church that we visited and the Holy Cross Church was no exception. As we were finishing our choral rendition of a hymn, a young Turkish couple and a few European tourists came in and asked if we could oblige them with another hymn because it had sounded so moving from afar. We sang the Lord's Prayer and took the opportunity to speak to them about the Armenian heritage and how it was cut short by the Genocide at the turn of the 20th Century. While in Van, we paid a visit to the Convent of Varag and its I7`h century church, St. Kevork. There were seven churches in this area, where Khrimian Hairig is known to have studied. Also, the Armenian periodical "The Eagle of Varag" was printed there.
Kars was our last destination. On the way to Kars, we made two stops. The first was at the Bendi Mahi River and its famous water falls. This river pours into Lake Van. The second stop was more sentimental to all of us, an open field from which to view Mount Ararat, which unfortunately was covered with fog. Still, we got out of the mini-bus and emotionally sang a few patriotic songs. Our hotel was located in nearby Sarikamish, a newly developed ski resort. Kars is the birthplace of poet Yeghishe Charents, whose house we visited. The Kars River, which has a bridge called Varian's bridge, runs through the city and joins Araks River. The Holy Apostles Church, built in the tenth century by King Abbas, is now a mosque and is being renovated. Ironically, it is situated within two existing mosques, which are not even 500 yards apart.
The ruins of Ani, on the west bank of the river Akhurian, is another tourist attraction with its many churches built in the tenth through the thirteenth centuries, most of which have long been destroyed. St. Gregory the Illuminator Church is a unique structure and the best preserved of all the churches in Ani, surviving the cruelties of time and the many enemies of our nation. All Savior's Church, the Cathedral, has lost its dome, destroyed in the 14'h century. Drtad, the architect of the Cathedral is also the architect of the famous Aya Sofia Cathedral's restored dome in Istanbul, which was destroyed in an earthquake. Aya Sofia is now a museum, after first being used as a mosque for centuries.
It's worth mentioning that Armenia is just a short distance away from the ruins of Ani, on the East bank of the river Akhurian. We could hear the sound of the heavy machinery digging for tufa stone, of which Armenia is well known. This was the last day we spent in Historic Armenia. We couldn't help but think about what a site Ani would have been ten centuries ago, under the rule of the Pakraduni Dynasty!
The following day we drove to Erzurum to catch the flight back to Istanbul. In Istanbul we had our farewell dinner in an Armenian restaurant, close to our hotel. What a trip it was. We crossed the country twice, through the Taurus and Amanos mountain ranges, alongside the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, and the Mediterranean Sea. Still, we could not see all of Historic Armenia as it is vast and scattered all over the Eastern provinces of modern day Turkey.
Before flying back to Los Angeles, we were privileged to accompany Mrs. Rakel Dink to Yerevan where she was to receive the Tekeyan Cultural Association's Vartkes and Rita Balian Literary Award, posthumously granted to her late husband Hrant Dink. It was the Tekeyan Cultural Association's 60th anniversary celebration in Yerevan, organized by TCA's Central Board of Directors of the United States and Canada.
I am quite certain my experiences will be cherished forever in my memory and I am very grateful to Armen Aroyan for making my dream come true.