13/04/2015 20:58
Special Project. Survivors of Armenian Genocide. Nazar Ghazaryan about deportation of Jlkani population
Aysor.am is launching the third series of project “Armenian Genocide: Breaking the Silence.” Under the headline “Survivors” we will regularly present the testimonies of survivors of the 1915 Armenian massacres in the Ottoman Turkey
Testimony of survivor Nazar Ghazaryan about Armenians’s deportation of the village Jlkani, Alashkert region, Baiazid province.
“Before the war, the village had 90 houses with Armenians and 2 with Kurdish, 1000 sheep, 1200 cattle, 4 mill, lots of willow and poplar trees. The population of the village was engaged in wheat and barley Industry. Annually the village had 400 piles of grass, 40 plough. The church was new-built (now it’s burned). The church had utensil, manuscripts and there were also ottoman gold coins in the money box. The Clergyman of the church Mr. Priest Hakob is now alive.
The village is now ruined and uninhabited. Not far from the village there were barracks with 10-15 families. When the war started and Turkey declared a general mobilization, the enemy came and took 30 people from Jlkani and sent them to Erzurum. 10 of them stayed for serving, 20 escaped. The government took 30 bushels of wheat, 40 bushels of barley, 5 kilos of linseed, 60 piles of grass, eggs, sheep as a tribute. The enemy forced the rest of the people to work beating and torturing them.
When the Russian-Tajik war began Armenian’s condition worsened, the villages were looted by Kurds. Some Kurds helped the villagers because Armenians were waiting for Russian support. Qolen and Churuk were Kurdish villagers who defended Armenians for 15 days. When the Russian army approached, Armenians left the Kurds. In December, 1914 the army retreated from Alashkert. At midnight Armenian volunteers joined the Russians retreat. The villagers packed their household objects (December, 1914) and in 7 days they reached Caucasus settling in surrounding villages of Ejmiatsin”.
The project was prepared with the assistance of the Information and Analytical Center of the Armenian Government Staff.