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The Woman in the Wall: A Story of People, Places, and Things
Special to the Armenian Weekly
In 2005, a Turkish workman named Murat finds a dusty postcard hidden behind the wooden panels of a wall in an old house in south-central Turkey, in the city of Antep (Gaziantep).
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My grand-parents as well as great-grand-parents are from Antab,Turkey.Along the many stories we heard as we grew-up…were the stories of the hidden treasures my ancestors left behind,property documents, letters, jewelry and more. As a matter of fact they also told us where exactly are hidden…if any is interested please e-mail me
Hi Fernande.My name is Erol.I was born in aintab and still have been living in aintab.I am searching history of aintab.Especially between 1874-1922.and ı need document-photos and letter.I read your message and if you would like I can help you.
I wait for your answer impatiently.
Erol.
I know Murad and Armen and if I could be of help let me know.
Fascinating article – very much captures the mystery of questions when confronted by such places as Historical (western) Armenia.
Fascinating story. One can only wonder how and why that postcard ended in the wall of the church for a hundred years. For the sake of completion, here’s the correct reading of the third, dubious line: «Մեր յիշատակի նուէրը առ» / “Mer hishadagi nvere ar” (Our Memento To)
Vartan, thank you! առ makes perfect sense there. I couldn’t make it out in the image… As for the postcard, it was found in a home that was being renovated, not the church. Thank you, again.
I think the translation is more like “Take our gift of memory”.
Մեր our
յիշատակի memory of (remembrance)
նուէրը the gift
առ take
I think it likely that the signature ‘Halladjian’ on the portrait found in the wall refers to a portrait studio that at least in the 1890s was located in Aleppo (the provincial capital). I have a number of family photographs from that era that bear the embossed stamp ‘Halladjian’, ‘Halladjian Aleppo’, etc., including one, of my grandmother, in a strikingly similar format. (Even had she been so inclined, she was at least ten years too young to wear a bandolier or bear arms!)
It is not take, it is to! “Given to”. Ar Asdvadz is To God (It is krapar, not ashkharhapar!).
Very informative and interesting article.Made me feel good. Thank you !
What a find!.
Of all the finds that have been reported over the years by the visitors to the Western Armenia, this one stirred me the most and rekindled in me dormant memories of my youth when I used to read about her husband’s exploits with fascination.
I did not know her name until now. She never became acclaimed as Sosse Mayrig – Serop Aghpuyr’s wife – did. It may be because there was no picture of her to this day. Her secret marriage caused much discomfort among the ranks pitting another titan of a fedayee – Sbghanats Magar of Sassoun – against her husband Kevork Chavoush for having broken his vow of celibacy. The conflict became so acute and so disruptive that the A.R.F. Bureau stepped in and delegated young Roupen Der Minassian to sort the issue. Roupen’s tale in his memoir as to how he resolved the issue is an epic story.
Her husband was mortally wounded and died on May 27,1907 after requesting that the rest leave the battle scene and leave him alone. They had a son named Vartkes. Her husband’s old nemesis Sbghanats Magar personally took over her safety after her husband’s death considering her an honor least she could be caught and molested. He paid the ultimate price. Sbghanats Magar and his long time battle-hardened companion Shenegi Manoug were killed protecting her and her son to flee for their freedom. The names of these two fedayees – Magar and Manoug – are hyphenated with names of villages in Sassoun they hailed from.
I had wandered what happened to her. It appears now that she was still alive at least up to 3 years after her death and that she also had become iconic figures in
her own right to have such inscription on such a card with a such a pose. She may have very well perished in 1915.
Sbghanats Magar does not have a photograph of himself. That may also be the reason that he also could not stir imagination as Kevork Chavoush did with that one picture in that unique pose. Goms- Vahan Papazian –took that historic snap shot next to a rock, not far away from Akhatamar’s Soupr Khatch church. And now we find out that a picture of his widow has also survived. She can now claim her own rightful place in the annals of the liberation movement history.
Thank you Vahe for reporting this fascinating account of such a historic find.
Very dedicated and well informed article…I like the coined word you used “Church -Mosque”
I think you should be more specific to use “Armenian Church transformed to Turkish Mosque”
Because the real Arab muslims will not do this…Being most of our lives with Arabs in Islamic countries…
we have never seen flags in the mosques…because these are religious places…
Why the Turks after invading the churches…they put their bloody flags inside and outside…
we saw it in Akhtamar Holy church as well…To say we are hear …??? …Where is god to assess and tell them you thieves, you confiscated this place …you never build a stone there…how can you take…such a place and put your dirty flag inside a clean place…”I feel there is no god to punish them”…Full stop.
“Why the Turks after invading the churches…they put their bloody flags inside and outside…
we saw it in Akhtamar Holy church as well…To say we are hear”
Because even after all these years, Turkey knows that their country was created through conquests and what that they see as theirs was taken by force. In their minds, the flags are their way of showing who owns it.
Arab conquests were a long time ago. Turkish conquests are still relatively recent.
Very nicely written article with great sensitivity. The photographer: “M. H. Halladjian,” and at bottom-right is a place name, “Aintab Asia-Minor.” My files show no record for a Halladjian as photographer in Aleppo. There is a J. H. Halladjian who worked in Haifa, but that seems to remote and the card says clearly Aintab. In Aintab there were two photographers with that name and probably from the same family. In my files: H. Haladjian, 1910 in S. Boghossian, no. 1036; Mihran Haladjian. The H. is documented for 1910 independently. Thus, the Heghine photo was taken by the brothers (H. and M.) I presume, working together, or, Mihran and H. are the same person, Mihran H. Haladjian. I cannot explain why my records spell the name with one l, carelessness on my part? But it is definitely from Aintab.
Fascinating article!! Dear Dickran, In light of your information, it seems likely that the initials refer to the names of the two brothers working together, since Armenians rarely used middle names in those days.
“M.H.Halladjian” was a professional studio photographer based in Mercin. There are other photos by him that can be found on the internet.
The name Halladjian is quite common, and it comes from the cotton & wool fluffing trade, which was called “Halladji”, as it was a traveling tradesmen who used to make the pillow and mattress stuffing fluffier (which were washed once a year), by beating the cotton or the wool on piano strings mounted on a special wooden jig. They beat the cotton or wool using a special wooden mallet.
Fascinating story
My mother was Armenian from Tarsus the family name was Yanekian. My grandfather Dicran was a coppersmiths and a self appointed veterinarian. I have very little information about my grandfather and his family. All this brothers were killed in the genoside. His sisters two or three of them were spared. One got married and came to Cyprus where I was born and the other two ended up in Aleppo. My grandfather was spared because he gained the favor of the police inTurkey for taking care of their horses when they got Ill. Not much else is known
Sireli vahe, urakhutyamp gartatzink hedakrkragan hotvaze ayntebi mech kdnvaz ngari yev yegeghetzvo masin.tzoghige desaz er ays hotvaze ,yes al gartatzi.urakh yem gartalu haygagan temanerov gratznerut masin.hayeren darerov che ays yergdoghe vorovhedev i padov ge krem,pan me vor yerprk chem sirer sagayn labtope interneti chi gabvir tjpakhdapar.shnorhagalutyun hedakrkragan hotvatzin hamar.parevner znoghkit yev zavagnerut voronk yeridasart yen aylevs. Garodov. Yessayi yev tzoghig
I LOVE THE BEAUTIFUL BIOGRAPHY OF THEARMENIANS FROM AINTAB.MY FAMILY IS ORIGINATED FROM ANTAB.GRAND FATHER FATHER AND UNCLES. IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE.THANKS A MILLION.
A very interesting and thought-provoking article. I believe the author you mentioned, A.Kesar, was my uncle, Assadoor Khederian. He
used the pen name A. Gesar when he translated Saroyan’s The Human
Comedy from English to Armenian and he worked for the Hairenik at that time. I phoned the Hairenik… they have located a copy of the
book for verification and will notify me but the Editor does believe
they are one and the same person. It will certainly add another
piece of Armenian history to the Khederian family if he authored that
book. (My uncle was born in Gesarya, lived in N.Y.City most of his
life as well as a short time in Fresno, CA. where he was the editor
of an Armenian newspaper. He passed away in 1955.) Thank you!
I had been looking for a long while to find out who A. Gesar was. Thanks for this valuable piece of information! Incidentally, Asadour Khederian (1893-1955) also wrote down and edited the memoirs of Misak Torlakian, “Oreroos Hed,” first published in Los Angeles in 1953.
Roupen Der Minassian, in “Hye Heghapokhagani Meh Hishadagnereh”, 2004 republication, book 4, gives certain details about Yeghso (of Heghin), and Vartkes. With Dikran of Aragh to Moush; Ghazar of Shenig to Van ( to Aram); to Barsgasdan ( where infant Vartkes dies of illness, buried in St. Thaddeus cemetery); possibly with Vartan Shahbaz to the Caucuses (stays at Roupen’s residence through A.R.F. Bureau care). Then comes 1908 Ottoman “Sahmanatrootyun”, and she leaves back to Bolis, Jerusalem, Aleppo, and to her birthplace Heghin, where she stays till 1915. Then she is kidnapped by a Kurd, but not killed (possibly saved as a wife)…
Yeghso, Eghso, Yeghsa… of Heghin village. She has been in Aleppo, where this picture was taken; she has been in Aintab on July 21, 1910, where she gave this momento picture to the Piranians…
Haladjian reminds me our San Francisco Calvary Armenian Congregation Church’s social hole which is also named Haladjian Srah after both Mr&Mrs Haladjians passed away.
Կուզեմ շնորհակալուդիւն յայտնել այս յետագրգրական հատուածը մեզ հետ բաժնեկցող Վահէ Հապէշեանին։
Կեցցէ Հայոց աշխարհը եւ Հայրենիք
Wow, i have to ask my grandma about her, Kevork was my great uncle!
According to Roupen Der Minassian, Kevork dies right after sunrise on May 28, 1907…
How can we heal when the pain is still present
The Bibilical traits of Satan: Kill, steal and destroy. Further, Satan is the father of lies (denial). How incredibly sad to see the abomination of a church consecrated to the holy spirit. Justice come quickly! They look for treasures among the ruins but they don’t know that the treasures – the REAL treasures of Aintab – are dead and gone. The sweet and industrious Armenian people, with great love of family, and especially the adorable children. They dig and search, but the treasures are gone. The toddlers unprepared for the cold who froze in the middle of the night, knocking on the front doors of their own houses. Frightened. Where were their teddy bears, blankets, and warm hugs, let alone, where were their parents? Killed, raped. The 8 and 6 year old brother and sister whose cries for safety from a loving family became increasingly quiet as they slowly froze to death. The cries were ignored by the Turkish family who was on the other side of the front door of the house that they stole. Slowly, the cries became more quiet and eventually stopped. In the morning, the toddlers were dead on the doorstep of what used to be a loving home. This happened in Aintab. These are the treasures of Aintab. They can look for all the treasures they want in those old buildings. Nothing that they find will replace that sister and brother. Ever. “Justice is mine” – God. They have every reason to be frightened and shaken to the core. My grandparents are dead, and their grandparents are dead. Now the judgment.
Compliments for an excellent article and also thank you to Mr. Murad Ucaner for the work that he has been doing, to preserve the history of Armenians in Antep (origin of name “Ayn-Tayib”, which is Sweet Water Spring in Aramaic), where for centuries until the 1830s, out of an entire population of 30,000, there were only 3,000 Armenian, when by the late 1840, population of Antep grew to 90,000, out of which, 30,000 where Armenians who had come from throughout the region, mostly as tradesmen. This was primarily due to Wazir Ali of Egypt and his son, rising against the Ottomans and making Antep their new Capital until 1850. Very little is known about this segment of history. As a result, all international powers established their presence in Antep.
Missionaries followed in large numbers, WHERE BY 1892, THERE WERE 3,772 AMERICANS BASED IN ANTEP and more in other nationalities. Very little is known of these dynamics.
It was during that period of renaissance, that after a decade of planning and approval process, starting in 1873, St. Mary’s Cathedral construction commenced and was completed as the article correctly states in 1893. My maternal grandfather Baruyr Sarkis Kazanjian and his older brother Nerses worked on it. It was the tallest structure in Antep. All made of contrasting black and white granite.
The truth; hidden in walls, hidden by name, hidden by faith, hidden behind flags, hidden by lies, hidden in plain sight, hidden in my heart, is being exposed by pony-tailed, mustachioed faces called Murat/Murad.
Hallelujah/ma-ash-allah!
My Mother is from Hallajian family name now we’re going to do research. The family’s tree , weach was writhen by Cezar Checkijian , He is in New York city or New Jersey his mother is Hallajian too.I was born in Alepo. ….!? To be con….we have an uncale name Jack Hallajian.
Fascinating, thought provoking, an extraordinary story. Thank you.
My grandmother, Azniv Yacobian born in 1894 was the sister of Lutfi Yacobian (Artist) who was the father of Hirach Yacobian (Violinist), Florence Yacobian (Pianist) and other sibs were all born in Antep.
Azniv came to Ellis Island in 1909. In 1913 she married Roupen Parigian and lived in Providence Rhode Island, Detroit Michigan, and settled in Fresno.
Flo was my mother in law when she was married to Nicolas Vaty and I loved Hirach his playing was pure magic. How are you related to them?
To Angela (3,23,2018)
My grandmother was Azniv Yacobian, (her daughter Mary was my mother),
sister to Lutfi Yacobian, father to Hirach and Florence. I believe I’m second cousin to Florence. Get a copy of my book…”My Four Fathers” by Dee Kassabian
I have a different sense of this picture. It was NOT given by Heghine to the Piranians. It was given, on this date, by HO-HEE-TAH to the Piranians. Three years after Kevork’s death, the Tashnagtsootune acknowledges the Piranians for their possible devotion to the Party. (Consider how would the Catholicos; or the Pope; or any entity in position would acknowledge a devoted to that “cause”). Keep in mind it was time of peace with Tashnags/Armenians; and Tchavoosh was highly memorialized in hearts.
Daniel, you’re correct. It was a memento given to the Piranians by the ARF.
My father;s family was from Intep, Demerjian’s his mother Lussia Minassian] and my mothers family [father Belikians] mother Ishkanian] were also from Intep. We have posted some of the family history on the internet, Ishkanian family tree] but would like more infor on the Demerjian and Minassian sides.
I had forwarded this article to a friend of mine & please read his reply:
Quote
Thank you for sending the article, amazing story.
As you might have guessed, we went to that church/mosque with our guide Armen Aroyan. When we got there, we found a Turkish prisoner towards the end of his sentence, on a community service, acting as a guide. He only knew Turkish and I acted as a translator between him and our group. It was bit strange – our group got bit scared when we found out that he was convicted for attempted murder and assault. He worked very hard to explain the history of the church. But he got very upset when we did not tip him well and started following us around the city. We had to give him more money to get rid of him. Anyway, he mentioned that behind that large Turkish flag on top of the alter, there are some Armenian religious paintings and they are using the flag to cover it up.
I’ll send the article to my other fellow pilgrims, I am sure they will be very interested.
Best wishes,
Bedros
Isn’t there always something hidden behind the Turkish flags?
I would like to hear from you since my mother’s maiden name was Ishkanian, she was born in Aintep but grew up in Allepo where her family emigrated during the genocide.
This woman doesnt look a peaceful Armenian not surprisingly
And how does peace prevail? Isn’t the”Right to defend” the basis for defending peace, when peace itself is threatened? The Balkans rebelled against the imposing Ottoman Empire; the Empire hit back, and countered its losses by cleansing a Republic out of its “infidels”; and these “infidels” are to blame for being other than Turkic ( for being non-peaceful). Have you heard of “Right to self-defense, right to arms, when the State is unable to, or no more protects its citizens”???
My father and grand father born in gazi Antab I heard a lot of stories from my father and grand mother so my grandfather name is haroutioun who died in Damascus Syria he died befor I born . My father left damascause and came to Baghdad Iraq for work and he got married my mother who she was from haleb syria I and I born in Iraq 1954 my name is Berje Melkonian when I was age seven I was very close to my grandmother she used to tell me stories about my grandfather who was related to avedise and Levon kelemkerian and she said my grandfather name was in ayntaab haroutioun kelemkerian and he was the third brother of avedise and Levon kelemkerian she told me avedise and Levon never got married avedise he was general in the army but in the genoside time he had army and fight against Turkish ottoman army he divided ayntaab and build up canon his name became the herose avedis kelemkerian so I relies he was my grandfather brother or Cason who died in Aleppo Syria so when I born he wanted my name to be Berje , my father has ather Cason’s
The story is that the ‘Anitabtsi’ merchants who had a reputation of being savvy businessmen had this church erected and modeled after a church, a namesake I believe, in Istambul they saw during their business travels and liked a lot but on one condition that their ‘Aintabsi’ church is to be taller than the other church. The architecturally visible upper portion of the church is the addition to make to ‘their’ church stand up taller.
The Mosin rifle the widow of Kevork Chavoush Heghine (a.k.a Yegsho) is holding was the desired rifle for the fedayeens. The rifle that her husband is holding in his only picture is most likely a mosin as well.
The name of the rifle is even captured in a folklore song about the raid of Khanasor (Մօսին հրացան պատրաստ ձեռին, Թուրքին վոխը պահած սրտին, դէպ Խարասոբ դիմէց ուժքին) (A mosin rifle in his hand, vengeance towards the Turks in his heart, he dashed towards khanasor in fury).
The fedayeens preferred the rifle not only for its accuracy but because it did not leave a trace of white fume when they fired it from their hideout positions.
M.H. Halladjian Aintab Asia-Minor
That’s what the postcard say. It is a photographer; of that name; located (or picture shot) in Aintab. Which is located in Asia Minor.
There is no country called Turkey. It’s not the Ottoman Empire. It’s a questionable area, a geography, called Asia Minor… not a country yet, but an area belonging to an Empire, in the year 1910. It was to be cleansed by some, of some, to later become Gaziantep in Turkey!
Still amazed at such a wonderful discovery!!
Wonderful article and I am in Aintep… Not sure why the Lord brought me here with my American husband but it remains to be seen. I know the area of the church and have pictures inside also.
Blessings
This bittersweet story, other than revealing the tenacity of our nation as displayed by the picture in defiance of the widow of one of our great Armenian heros Gevork Chavush, is a testament to how deplorable and despicable the Turks were. The Turkification and the renaming of the sacred Armenian Church from its original name to “Liberation mosque” should tell you all you need to know about the nature of these genocidal Central Asian nomadic invaders into the Armenian heartland.
There are hundreds of other Armenian churches throughout the occupied Western Armenia with similar destiny. What these infidel racist Turks have done to some of our churches display such deep hatred and blatant disregard for our nation that their actions leave not a morsel of doubt what their true intensions were. The fact that the structure of many of our churches in captivity has not been modified, other than replacing the gothic dome of the churches with Islamic domes and erecting minarets on the church grounds, speaks volumes about their deliberate intentions to remind us of our past we no longer possess, what they were capable of doing and who today is in charge of these lands.
I wonder what their Turkish Imams say when they converse with their “allah” from the altar of sacred Armenian churches they desecrated. Whether they praise him for giving them the strength to conquer the “infidel” houses of worship, rid them for good of their gavur Armenian congregations by extermination and, as good Muslims and “obedient” and “loyal” Turks, being rewarded for planting the Islamic as well as the blood-soaked Turkish flags on our church grounds.
I also wonder if the new generation of their Imams running these captive Armenian churches as mosques are the descendants of the former generations of Imams who would stand on the altar of their mosques on Friday prayer services and encourage mobs of illiterate “loyal” Muslim Turks, by digging deep into their anti-Christian and anti-Armenian racist emotions, to perform their Islamic and Turkish duty by attacking and killing the defenseless Armenian infidels.
As Armenians, it is our duty to do away with anything Turkish and Islamic infiltrating and desecrating our lands and sacred churches in captivity and to make sure the blood-soaked Turkish flags covering the sacred altar of our churches get their due respect and end up where they truly belong instead, under our feet that is.
As a Kurds and borned and lived in a Armenian Village Eastern Turkey at the city of Bedlis or Bitlis for all my childhood makes me interested in everything about Them..I feel like Kurds ands Armenians are even same people ( put religion out)..I have listened many stories from my Grandfather about them..In fact almost all were sad..Those stories made me grown as part of it..Loved that article very much but meanwhile felt very upset, deeply sorry..Last year i visited an Armenian village that no body lived ever since the genocide and tried to imaged the live of villagers with the stories of my grandfather..Visited their ruined graves and try to pictured the name of them on the tomb stone..I wish I could find the Armenian boy that my grandfather family saved and kept him at their house from genocide for 5 years.The story of this photograph is touching..
I am glad to know people like you are doing this kind of work in the world.
Thank you for preserving out heritage.
The photographer was my great-grandfather Mithran (Mihran?) Halladjian.
An earlier commenter thought it might be two brothers; I suspect it was father and son because Mithran’s father was Haroutune Halladjian (and his brothers were Jacob Henry Halladjian and Samuel Haroutone Halladjian). As such it is possible that Jacob H. Halladjian in Haifa might have been a brother.
Jeff, I found this page because I’m doing some superficial research on Samuel Haroutune Halladjian (1886-1971) (aka Sam Hall) who is buried at Angelus Rosedale cemetery in Los Angeles. Is this your relative? If so, I’ll explain my interest.
Rina – I’m happy to help – Samuel was born in 1886 but I don’t know when he passed. Shoot me an email at fuegoindiego@gmail.com