The Cilicians who were the worthy inheritors of the last Armenian Kingdom (11th -14th centuries) and had glorious traditions of the national emancipatory strug gle of the past, could once again fight in self-sacrifice, but this plan was hindered by the Catholicos of Cilicia, Sahak Khabayan and many other Armenian notables, who, deceived by the false promises of the Turkish government, called the Armenians to obedience, arguing that "a little movement could endanger all the Armenian population of the provinces of Turkey." The voluminous ballad "The black message came from the Catholicos" ("Gatogigosdan geldi kara haber") we have written down relates also about this fact. The government, as elsewhere, had collected in Cilicia the arms of the Armenians, had drafted the young men into the Turkish army, while the cruel officers and policemen robbed and plundered the helpless people and violated the Armenian girls and women. Unable to endure these humiliations, about twenty young men of Zeytoun, under the leadership of Panos Chakerian, had recourse to self-defense and opened fire. On the following day 300 notables of Zeytoun were carried enchained to Marash, some of which were sent to the gallows by the Turks and the rest were exiled.
Thereafter Zeytoun was ravaged.
The deportation and massacre of the Armenian population of Cilicia started in the spring of 1915. One after the other, Marash, Ayntap, Hadjn, Antiok, Iskenderun, Kessab and other Armenian inhabited localities were deserted.
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Surgunluk cikti, koy bosandi, Benim kiymetli malimi turklere kaldi, Coluk-cocuk yolcu olduk, Alan-talani basladi. |
The exile started, the village was deserted, My valuable possessions we left to the Turks, We set out infant and old, Robbery and plunder started. |
The armless, leaderless and helpless Armenian people were driven, with tearful eyes, from their native flourishing homes under the strokes of whips and bayonets. The genocidal policy initiated by the Turkish government had embraced almost all the Armenian inhabited localities. The extermination of the Armenians was realized both on the spot and in the places of exile, in the deserts of Mesopotamia, especially in Deyr el Zor and Ras ul Ayn.
According to the information provided by our narrators, the massacre began in April, on Easter Sunday, the day of the crucifixion of Christ, so that the Armenians, too, would be worthy of the Passion of Christ. "The Armenians will dye their Easter eggs with their own) blood," said the Turks, while the affliction of the Armenians, turned into a song, resounded in a heart breaking manner:
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Zatik-kiraki* cadir soktuler, Butun ermenileri cole doktuler, Keci gibi ermenileri kestiier, Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
They dismantled the tents on Zatik Kiraki*, They filled the Armenians into the desert, They slaughtered the Armenians like goats, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |
* The Armenian words Zatik Kiraki (Easter Sunday) have been used in the Turkish version.
And the indescribable tortures of the Armenians began:
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Agaclardan kus uctu, Yandi yurek tutustu. Yanma, yuregim, yanma! Bu ayrlik bize dustu, Bu muhacirlik bize dustu, Bu derzorlik* bize dustu. |
The birds flew away from the trees, My heart is on fire, blazing, Don't bum, my heart, don't bum, This separation was our fate, This emigration was our fate, This derzolik* was our fate. |
* Exile to Deyr el Zor.
The desert of Deyr el Zor had become the living cemetery of the Armenian genocide, where there was no hope of salvation:
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Der Zor gidersem, gelemem belki, Ne ekmek, ne su olurum belki. |
If I go to Deyr el Zor, I won't return may be, Without bread, without water I'll die may be. |
The mass media were silent, while a laborious, creative and most ancient people were martyred and exterminated before the eyes of civilized mankind for the only sin of being Armenian:
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Der Zor varmadan ermeni muhaciri oturmus Hongur-hongur agliyor. |
Before getting to Deyr el Zor, the Armenian exile sat, And cried his heart out, |
because the condition of the Armenian people was horrible:
Der Zor colunde uc agac incir, Elimde-kelepce, boynumda-zincir, Zincir kimildadikca-yuregim incir: Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
Three fig-trees in the desert of Deyr-el-Zor, Handcuffs on my hands, a chain on my neck, My heart aches every time the chain moves, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |
The deported Armenians passed this death road barefoot and bloodstained, with thirsty lips under the scorching sun:
Der Zor colunde bitmedi yesil, Kursina duzduler elli bin kisi: Meraktan dokuldu milletin disi, Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
Green grass did not grow in the desert of Deyr-el-Zor, Fifty thousand persons were shot down, The people's teeth fell down from affliction, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |
And everything was stained with the blood of the shot people:
Der Zor colunde burudu duman, Amanim, yaman, hallerim yaman! Insan ve yesil boyandi kana Dininin ugrina olen enneni! |
The desert of Deyr-el-Zor was covered with mist, Alas! Alas! Our condition was lamentable, People and grass we stained with blood, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |
The Armenian people were exterminated ruthlessly:
Der Zor colunde curuldum kaldim, Kargalara tahin oldum, kaldim, Oy anam, oy anam, halimiz yaman! Der Zor collerinde kaldigim zaman. |
I rotted and remained in the desert of Deyr-el-Zor, I remained and became a meal for the crows, Alas, mother! Alas, mother! Our condition was lamentable At the time we were in the desert of Deyr-el-Zor. |
Lonely and helpless were the Armenian people in their distress:
Der Zor colunde yarali cokdir, Gelme, doktor, gelme, caresi yokdir, Allahdan baska kimsemiz yokdir, Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
There are many wounded in the desert of Deyr-el-Zor, Don't come, doctor, don't come, it's useless, We have no one but the Lord Himself, Armenians dying for the sakeof faith. |
The mournful song of the Armenian people was changed into a prayer:
Cika-cika ciktim yokus basina, Neler geldi ermeninin basina! Hizor* allah, hizor*, yetis! Ermeni milletini kurtar, gecir! |
I climbed and rose to the top of the mountain, So many misfortunes fell on the Armenians, Hzor* God, hzor,* help us! Deliver the Armenian people, save us! |
*The Armenian word "hsor" (almighty) has been used in the Turkish version.
The tragic condition of the people was contrasted with the radiant beauty of the nature:
Sabahtan ciktim, gunes parliyor, Osmanli askyari silah yagliyor, Ermeniye baktim - yaman agliyor, Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
I woke up in the morning; the sun was shining, The Ottoman soldier was oiling his gun, I looked at the Armenians, they were crying bitterly, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |
The desert air was saturated with the stench of corpses:
Der Zorun icinde naneler biter, Geberinin kokusu dunyaya yeter, Bu surgunluk bize olumden beter, Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
Mint has grown in the desert of Deyr-el-Zor, The stench of corpses has spread all over the world, This exile is worse than death for us, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |
Not only the desert air was polluted, but also the water was poisoned:
Der Zorun icinde zincirli kuyu, Ermeniler ictiler zehirli suyu./I> |
A well with a chain in Deyr-el-Zor, The Armenians drank the poisonous water. |
The social evil was complicated with a spontaneous one: the typhoid epidemic:
Der Zor colunde bir sira mismis, Ermeni muhaciri tifoya dusmus, Oy anam, oy anam, hallimiz yaman! Der Zor colune buldugum zaman. |
A row of apricot-trees in the desert of Deyr-el-Zor, The Armenian exiles we infected with typhoid, >Alas, mother! Alas, mother! Our condition was lamentable, At the time we were in the desert of Deyr-el-Zor. |
There was no salvation from that widespread evil, since the condition of the living was more inconsolable. Then the bewildering scenes followed one another:
Der Zor colunde uzanmis, yatmis, Kellesi yokdir, ki yuzune bakayim. |
He was sprawling, lying in the desert of Deyr-el-Zor, He had no head so that I could see his face. |
And their dull sighs of agony were heard:
Der Zor varinca koptu klyamet, Bu kadar muhacir kime emanet? Ermeniye baktim-yaman agliyor, Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
The world turned upside-down in the desert of Deyr-el-Zor, Who are so many exiles entrusted to? I looked at the Armenians, they were crying bitterly, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |
The corpses of the Armenians "dying for the sake of faith" were scattered everywhere and the Ottoman soldiers had become "butchers":
Der Zor dedikleri buyuk kasaba, Kesilen kelleler gelmez hesaba, Osmanli efrati donmis kasaba, Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
The place called Deyr-el-Zor was a big locality, Where there were uncountable cut heads, The 0ttoman chiefs had become butchers, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |
The Armenian people were passing their death road in an indescribable suffering:
Gide-gide, gidmez oldu dizlerim, Agla-agla, gormez oldu gozlerim, Amanim, yaman halim pek yaman! Der Zor colunde kaldigim zaman. |
Walking and walking, my legs were unable to move, Crying and crying, my eyes were unable to see, Alas! Alas! My condition was ho lamentable At the time I was in the desert of Deyr-el-Zor. |
Among the songs of Deyr-el-Zor, the tragic pictures of despoiled and child-deprived mothers and virgin girls form a separate series:
-Su dagin ardinda ermeni kizi var, -Gidin, bakin cantasinda nesi var? -Guzel gozleri var, Sirma saclari var. |
There is an Armenian girl on the side of the mountain, Go and see what she's got in her bag? She has beautiful eyes, She has silky hair. |
The Turkish policemen and commanders treated the Armenian girls with unspeakable cruelty:
Sabahtan kalktim kapi kapali, Binbasi geliyor eli zopali, Ugruna birakmis kor ve topali, Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
I got up in the morning and found the door closed, The major came, a club in his hand, The blind and the lame spread before him, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |
Karapet Mkrtchian, an eighty-year old Armenian from Tigranakert (born in 1910) has narrated us with emotion and with a trembling voice the images impressed on his childhood memory, murmuring at the same time the following lines:
Der Zor geldi bir Sekir pasa, Atini bagladi delikli tasa, Ermeni sigmadi dag ilan tasa: Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
A certain Shekir pasha came to Deyr-el-Zor, He tied his horse to the hollow stone, No room was left for the Armenians in the valley, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |
"On the way to Deyr-el-Zor," he has continued, "they detached us, the children, and led us toward the valley and put us in a line. The adults were about three to four hundred and we, the children, were nearly as many. They made us sit on the green field; we didn't know what would happen next.
Breaking the line, my mother came several times to us, she kissed and kissed us and went back. We, my elder brother, my one-year old younger brother and myself, saw from a distance a row of women moving about, among which was our mother. When we came out of our house, our mother was dressed in national costume, a velvet dress embroidered with gold, her head was adorned with gold coins, on her neck was a golden chain, twenty-five gold coins were secretly sewn inside her dress on each side. When my mother came for the last time and kissed us like a madwoman, I remember, she was clad only in her white undergarments, there were no ornaments, no gold, and no velvet clothes.... We, the children, were unaware of the events happening there. In reality, they had taken off their clothes one after the other had arranged the garments on one side, they had divested all the people of their robes, and they had cut their heads with an axe and had thrown them in the valley.... My mother came for the last time, kissed us and went away. In fact, she had given a yellow gold coin to the sentry every time she came to see us, her three little children, and to kiss us...."
The following folk song has also been composed on the basis of these historical events:
Sabahtan ciktim, cantama baktim, Aglaya-sizlaya boynuma dagdim, Malimi-mulkumi devlete sattim, Hasligim tukendi,evladim sattim. |
I got up in the morning and looked at my bag, Crying and lamenting I hung it from my neck, I gave all my possessions to the State, My money was consumed, my son given away. |
The 85-year-old Grikor Gyozalian (born in 1903) remembered with a feeling of infinite gratitude the kind old Christian-Arab woman from the village of Muhardi near the town of Hama, who distributed in secret every evening the rice she had cooked and the pieces of bread thrust in her belt to the Armenian orphans lying exhausted under the walls and then disappeared secretly in the darkness. The same fact has also taken a poetical form in the following song, where the child-deprived mother hurried to find her children sheltered in the Arab village:
Yol ver, Habur*, yol ver, geceyim colu, Evladim cis - ciplak arabin koyu. |
Khaboor*, make way for me, let me cross the desert, My child is in the Arab village, bare and naked. |
* River flowing near Depe-el-Zor.
"It so happened," has narrated Harutyun Alboyadjian (born in 1904) from Fendedjak, "that the boys were put to flight, circumcised, forced to speak only Turkish, while the girls were raped, then either killed or taken as a wife for the purpose of ennobling their race."
There are numerous cases of forced apostasy in the historical testimonies we have registered.
Mariam Baghdishian (born in 1909) has narrated that she was five or six years old when, on the roads of the exile, together with her sister, they played with the curls of their mother lying on the sands of the desert, unaware that she was already dead; then a certain Arab woman took her home, where the little Mariam carried water from the well with a jug during four years. 0nce when they wanted to tattoo her face with blue ink, she ran secretly away and took refuge in the Armenian orphanage with the help of a priest:
Turkler basladi evlad kacmaya, Analar kiymadi uzu opmeya, Baktim ki gizlica agliyor yaman, Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
The Turks started to kidnap children, Before mothers had time to kiss their cheeks, I saw them crying bitterly, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |
"It happened also," Eva Chulian (born in 1903) from Zeytoun has narrated, "that they kidnapped the children or the daughters from the mothers, they raped the young brides and the girls and then, tying them up, threw them into the valley or into dried wells and, setting fire to them, burned them all."
Hayatin cesmeyi buz gibi akar, Turk bacilari cadirdan bakar, Ermeni geliyor elleri bagla: Analar agliyor - cocugum deyi, Gelinler agliyor- hocamim deyi, Kizlar agliyor - namusum deyi. |
Ice-cold water is flowing from the fountain in the yard, Turkish women are looking at us from the tent, Armenians are coming with hands bound, Mothers are crying over their children, Brides a crying over their husbands, Girls ate crying over their honor. |
In this infernal turmoil, mothers lost their children; children lost their parents.
Der Zor koprusi dar dir-gecilmez, Kan olmus sular-bir tas icilmez, Anadan, babadan vaz gecilmez, Dininin ugrina olen ermeni! |
The bridge of Deyr-el-Zor is narrow and impassable, The water is bloody and undrinkable, It is hard to part with one's mother and father, Armenians dying for the sake of faith! |