BITLIS, Turkey—The Bitlis town council recently approved the renaming of five streets in this historic town in south-eastern Turkey. Among the names is “William Saroyan Street,” after the great Armenian-American writer whose ancestors came from Bitlis before 1915. Saroyan was born in Fresno, Calif., but felt strong ties to his ancestral home. He visited Bitlis in 1964; 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of that visit.
Ara Sar
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Thank you for this article. The Gomidas Institute has been a beacon of light in softening the destructive effects of our huge losses by encouraging the children and grandchildren of our perpetrators to make amends, small as they are…but it is a beginning.
My Grandfather, Levon Koumrian was born in Bitlis around 1886. I would like to find where he and his family lived.
Fantastic!
Bitlis, VAnm, Kars, Ardahan Eerzeroum,you name it…Can all(rather should all)wait until our commemoration ofr the 100th Annioversary of the Genocide is PRESENTED TO THE WORLD AT LARGE, PROPERLY ,with claim lodged at appropriate instances AND ONLY THEN VISIT SUCH LIKE VISITS.
Did not finish above above. These sort of anticipated visits, please great Turkey immensely.Showing tot he world that the doors are open we are VERY FRIENDLY WITH THE heirs of the Genocided(so called) Armenians.Fact is we have always been nice to the Armenians,otherwise we would not let these people come and visit their so caLLED ANCESTRAL LANDS…
One does not have to be a diplomat to guess what these sons of murderers are upto.Only Paremid, not to say barxzamid Armenians do not grasp what their diplomatice machine is grinding….
Please have patience, wait a bit then you can go as much as you please…
Wait and see what the Armenian TSUNAMI WILL BRING fwd…
These gestures mean very little, while turkey blockades Armenia, actively supports the Azeri aggression toward Armenia and still denies the occurrence of the genocide.