Armenian_cultural_heritage_in_Turkey

Armenian cultural heritage in Turkey

Armenian cultural heritage in Turkey

Add article description


The eastern part of the current territory of the Republic of Turkey is part of the ancestral homeland of the Armenians.[4] Along with the Armenian population, during and after the Armenian genocide the Armenian cultural heritage was targeted for destruction by the Turkish government. Of the several thousand churches and monasteries (usually estimated from two to three thousand) in the Ottoman Empire in 1914, today only a few hundred are still standing in some form; most of these are in danger of collapse. Those that continue to function are mainly in Istanbul.

Armenian community in Turkey
Armenian... 1914 2011
population1,914,620[1]60,000[2]
churches and monasteries2,538[1]34 (functioning only)[3]
schools1,996[1]18[3]

Most of the properties formerly belonging to Armenians were confiscated by the Turkish government and turned into military posts, hospitals, schools and prisons. Many of these were also given to Muslim migrants or refugees who had fled from their homelands during the Balkan Wars. The legal justification for the seizures was the law of Emval-i Metruke (Law of Abandoned Properties), which legalized the confiscation of Armenian property if the owner did not return.[5]

Language, literature, education

Schools

Before 1915, most Armenian schools were located in eastern Turkey, now all in Istanbul. Sanasarian College in Erzurum and Getronagan in Istanbul pictured.

Armenian schools were not allowed in Ottoman Empire until the late 18th century. Unofficially, a number of schools existed in the Bitlis region, but the first school "in real terms" was opened in 1790 by Shnork Migirdic and Amira Miricanyan. During Patriarch Garabet's reign from 1823 to 1831, Armenian schools were established at unprecedented levels. The first higher education institution was opened in 1838 in Uskudar and was named Cemeran School. By 1838, according to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, 439 Armenian schools operated in Anatolia.[6] By the time of the proclamation of the Tanzimat era by Sultan Abdülmecid I in 1839, the Armenians had some thirty-seven schools, including two colleges, with 4,620 students; several museums, printing presses, hospitals, public libraries and eight different published journals in Constantinople alone.[7] According to the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople there were 803 Armenian schools in the Ottoman Empire with 81,226 students and 2,088 teachers in 1901–1902. Of these 438 schools were in the Six vilayets with 36,839 students and 897 teachers.[8] During the Armenian genocide, the Armenian population of the empire was targeted a mass extermination. Most schools in Anatolia were destroyed or were set to be used for other purposes. As of 2005, 18 Armenian schools were functioning in Istanbul.[9]

Literature

Notable writers from this period include Siamanto, Hagop Baronian, Vahan Tekeyan, Levon Shant, Krikor Zohrab, Rupen Zartarian, Avetis Aharonyan, Atrpet, and Gostan Zarian.

The 19th century beheld a great literary movement that was to give rise to modern Armenian literature. This period of time during which Armenian culture flourished is known as the Revival period (Zartonk). The Revivalist authors of Constantinople and Tiflis, almost identical to the Romanticists of Europe, were interested in encouraging Armenian nationalism. Most of them adopted the newly created Eastern or Western variants of the Armenian language depending on the targeted audience, and preferred them over classical Armenian (grabar).

The Revivalist period ended in 1885–1890, when the Armenian people was passing tumultuous times. Notable events were the Berlin Treaty of 1878, the independence of Balkan nations such as Bulgaria, and of course, the Hamidian massacres of 1895–1896.

Dialects

Press

Sample from the Arevelk daily newspaper

Some specialists claim that the Armenian Realist authors appeared when the Arevelk (Orient) newspaper was founded (1884). Writers such as Arpiar Arpiarian, Levon Pashalian, Krikor Zohrab, Melkon Gurjian, Dikran Gamsarian, and others revolved around the said newspaper. The other important newspaper at that time was the Hayrenik (Fatherland) newspaper, which became very populist, encouraged criticism, etc.

Today, three dailies (Agos, Jamanak and Marmara) are published in Istanbul.

Alphabet

As Bedross Der Matossian from Columbia University describes, for about 250 years, from the early 18th century until around 1950, more than 2000 books in the Turkish language were printed using the Armenian script. Not only did Armenians read Armeno-Turkish, but so did the non-Armenian (including the Ottoman Turkish) elite. The Armenian script was also used alongside the Arabic script on official documents of the Ottoman Empire written in Ottoman Turkish. For instance, the first novel to be written in the Ottoman Empire was Vartan Pasha's 1851 Akabi Hikayesi, written in the Armenian script. Also, when the Armenian Duzian family managed the Ottoman mint during the reign of Abdülmecid I, they kept records in Armenian script, but in the Turkish language.[10] From the end of the 19th-century, the Armenian alphabet was also used for books written in the Kurdish language in the Ottoman Empire.

Armenian place names

Initial renaming of Armenian place names were formally introduced under the reign of Sultan Abdulhamit II. In 1880, the word Armenia was banned from use in the press, schoolbooks, and governmental establishments, and was subsequently replaced with words like Anatolia or Kurdistan.[11][12][13][14][15] Armenian name changing continued under the early Republican era up until the 21st century. It included the Turkification of last names, change of animal names,[16] change of the names of Armenian historical figures (i.e. the name of the prominent Balyan family was concealed under the identity of a superficial Italian family called Baliani),[17][18] and the change and distortion of Armenian historical events.[19]

Armenian geographical names renamed in Turkey

Most Armenian geographical names were in the eastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Villages, settlements, or towns that contain the suffix -kert, meaning built or built by (i.e. Manavazkert (today Malazgirt), Norakert, Dikranagert, Noyakert), -shen, meaning village (i.e. Aratashen, Pemzashen, Norashen), and -van, meaning town (i.e. Charentsavan, Nakhichevan, Tatvan), indicate an Armenian name.[20] Throughout Ottoman history, Turkish and Kurdish tribesmen have settled into Armenian villages and changed the native Armenian names (i.e. the Armenian Norashen was changed to Norşin). This was especially true after the Armenian genocide, when much of eastern Turkey was depopulated of its Armenian population.[20]

It is estimated by etymologist and author Sevan Nişanyan that 3600 Armenian geographical location names have been changed.[21]

Religious buildings

Overview

In 1914, the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople compiled a list of monasteries, churches and other religious institutions throughout the Ottoman Empire. The Patriarchate revealed that 2,549 religious sites under the control of the Patriarch which included more than 200 monasteries and 1,600 churches.[22][23]

In 2011, there were 34 Armenian churches functioning in Turkey, mostly in Istanbul.[3]

List of notable churches, monasteries

More information Early 20th century image with description, Current status with image today ...

See also


References

  1. Kévorkian, Raymond H. (2011). The Armenian Genocide: A Complete History. London: I. B. Tauris. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-84885-561-8. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  2. "Foreign Ministry: 89,000 minorities live in Turkey". Today's Zaman. 15 December 2008. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  3. Bedrosyan, Raffi (1 August 2011). "Bedrosyan: Searching for Lost Armenian Churches and Schools in Turkey". Armenian Weekly. Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  4. Melvin Ember; Carol R. Ember; Ian A. Skoggard (2004). Encyclopedia of diasporas: immigrant and refugee cultures around the world. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-306-48321-9. Currently, only one-sixth of that land [ancestral territory] is inhabited by Armenians, due first to variously coerced emigrations and finally to the genocide of the Armenian inhabitants of the Ottoman Turkish Empire in 1915.
  5. Biner, Z. Ö. (2010). Acts of defacement, memory of loss: Ghostly effects of the "Armenian crisis" in Mardin, southeastern Turkey. History and Memory, 22(2), 68–94, 178.
  6. Gökçe, Feyyat (Summer 2010). "Minority and Foreign Schools on the Ottoman Education System". E-International Journal of Educational Research. 1 (1): 44–45. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  7. Oshagan, Vahe (2004). Hovannisian, Richard G. (ed.). The Armenian people from ancient to modern times (1st paperback ed.). New York, NY: St. Martin's Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-4039-6422-9.
  8. "Armenian Claims and Historical Facts: Questions and Answers" (PDF). Ankara: Turkish Ministry of Tourism, Center for Strategic Research. 2005. p. 44. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2013. The Armenian community in Istanbul has 18 schools, 17 cultural and social organizations, three daily newspapers, five periodicals, two sports clubs, 57 churches, 58 foundations and two hospitals.
  9. Mansel, Philip (2011). Constantinople. Hachette UK. ISBN 978-1-84854-647-9. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  10. (in Russian) Modern History of Armenia in the Works of Foreign Authors [Novaya istoriya Armenii v trudax sovremennix zarubezhnix avtorov], edited by R. Sahakyan, Yerevan, 1993, p. 15
  11. Boar, Roger; Blundell, Nigel (1991). Crooks, crime and corruption. New York: Dorset Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-88029-615-1.
  12. Balakian, Peter (13 October 2009). The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response. HarperCollins. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-06-186017-1.
  13. Books, the editors of Time-Life (1989). The World in arms : timeframe AD 1900–1925 (US ed.). Alexandria, Va.: Time-Life Books. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-8094-6470-8. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  14. K. Al-Rawi, Ahmed (2012). Media Practice in Iraq. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-230-35452-4. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  15. "Turkey renames 'divisive' animals". BBC. 8 March 2005. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013. Animal name changes: Red fox known as Vulpes Vulpes Kurdistanica becomes Vulpes Vulpes. Wild sheep called Ovis Armeniana becomes Ovis Orientalis Anatolicus. Roe deer known as Capreolus Capreolus Armenus becomes Capreolus Cuprelus Capreolus.
  16. "Yiğidi öldürmek ama hakkını da vermek..." Lraper (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  17. "Patrik II. Mesrob Hazretleri 6 Agustos 2006 Pazar". Bolsohays News (in Turkish). 7 August 2006. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  18. Hovannisian, Richard G., ed. (1991). The Armenian genocide in perspective (4th ed.). New Brunswick, NJ [u.a.]: Transaction. pp. 128–30. ISBN 978-0-88738-636-7.
  19. Sahakyan, Lusine (2010). Turkification of the Toponyms in the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey (PDF). Montreal: Arod Books. ISBN 978-0-9699879-7-0. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  20. Nisanyan, Sevan (2011). Hayali Coğrafyalar: Cumhuriyet Döneminde Türkiye'de Değiştirilen Yeradları (PDF) (in Turkish). Istanbul: TESEV Demokratikleşme Programı. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  21. Bevan, Robert (2004). The destruction of memory : architectural and cultural warfare (1st ed.). London: Reaktion Books. ISBN 1-86189-205-5. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  22. "Cultural Genocide". Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  23. "Surp Arakelots Vank – The Holy Apostles Monastery". VirtualAni. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  24. "Varagavank' Monastery". Rensselaer Digital Collections. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Archived from the original on 21 December 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2009.
  25. Armenia, Travels and Studies. Volume 2. The Turkish Provinces By Harry Finnis Blosse Lynch – Page 114
  26. Hewsen, Robert H. (2000), "Van in This World; Paradise in the Next: The Historical Geography of Van/Vaspurakan", in Hovannisian, Richard G. (ed.), Armenian Van/Vaspurakan, Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces, Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publishers, p. 28, OCLC 44774992
  27. Suciyan, Talin (7 April 2007). "Holy Cross survives, diplomacy dies" (PDF). The Armenian Reporter. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  28. Papazian, Iris (19 July 1997). "Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian on a Sentimental Journey to Western Armenia". Armenian Reporter International. p. 18. The group also visited the village of Narek, now desolate. The image of a mosque on the very spot where once stood the famed Narek Monastery caused great sorrow.
  29. "The Condition of the Armenian Historical Monuments in Turkey". Research on Armenian Architecture. 1 October 2008. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  30. "A Pilgrimage to Lake Van" (PDF). EasternTurkeyTours. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  31. Kevorkian, Raymond (2011). The Armenian Genocide: A Complete History. London: I.B. Taurus and Co. Ltd. p. 322. ISBN 978-1-84885-561-8.
  32. "Ktuts' Anapat". Rensselaer Digital Collections. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
  33. (in Armenian) Harutyunyan, Varazdat M. "Ճարտարապետություն" ("Architecture"). History of the Armenian People. vol. iii. Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1976, pp. 381–84.
  34. Hewsen, Robert H. (2001). Armenia: A Historical Atlas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 232. ISBN 0-226-33228-4.
  35. Sirape Der Nersessian Aght'amar Church of the Holy Cross, 1964, pp. 7, 49–52.
  36. (in Turkish) "Paylaşılan Bir Restorasyon Süreci: Akhtamar Surp Haç Kilisesi Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine." Mimarizm. 26 February 2008.
  37. "Restoration Process". Bianet.org. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  38. "Asbarez, 1 October 2010: The Mass at Akhtamar, and What's Next". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  39. Antarnik L. Pladian, 1969, New York – Arapkir Union, p. 931
  40. (in French) Thierry, Jean-Michel, "Notes Sur des Monuments Armeniens en Turque (1964)," Revue des Études Arméniennes, volume 2, 1965.
  41. Hofmann, Tessa. Armenians in Turkey Today: A Critical Assessment of the Situation of the Armenian minority in the Turkish Republic (2002), 40.
  42. Dalrymple, William, "Armenia's Other Tragedy," The Independent Magazine, 18 March 1989.
  43. Sim, Steven. "The church of the Redeemer". VirtualANI. Archived from the original on 20 January 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2007.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Armenian_cultural_heritage_in_Turkey, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.