DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (A.W.)—One of Diyarbakir’s last Armenians, 87-year-old Baydzar Eken, passed away at a local hospital on June 23. A month earlier, on May 23, the Armenian Weekly editors, joined by a small group of Armenian writers, filmmakers, and authors from across the U.S., visited with Baydzar at her apartment, located within the walls of the Mother Mary Assyrian Church in Diyarbakir. In late April, Baydzar and her husband Sarkis had renewed their vows at a ceremony officiated by the newly-elected Diyarbakir mayor Gültan Kışanak.
Below we feature photographs of Baydzar and Sarkis, as well as snapshots from their family photo album.
Sad news and classic nice pictures.R.I.P Baydzar!
How lucky for them they were spared! How sad they had to conceal they were Armenian.
Bless her heart. She resembles my (Diyarbakirtsi) nene, who died a couple of years ago.
Attended the lecture at the Glendale Library last night regarding the turkish Armenian communities in Turkey. Most interesting
The indomitable spirit of the Armenian Spirit lives on, just like the injustice and denial of the Turkish Government for the Genocide and the Turkish/Kurdish refusal to return properties rightfully belonging to the descendants of Armenians, like my entire family, who were illegally and unjustifiably ousted from their homes, tortured and killed.
First Generation. It is amazing how they survived living in Turkey.