Thread by @517design

History of Armenian Genocide memorial construction - 1965-1967 panarmenian.net/eng/photoset/a…

Descendants of #ArmenianGenocide victims were silent in USSR, talks of the past were prohibited. Up today I don't know where they come from Western Armenia, because no one dared to talk even inside our family. History was kept in memories of older ppl, who were passing away.

All until 50th anniversary of arrest of 270 Armenian elite of Ottoman Empire - political figures, composers, poets, writers. Among them was Grigor Zohrap, parliament member from Constantinople, writer & lawyer, whose head was smashed with stone during detention.

Among them was #Komitas, whose crime was in being an Armenian composer in Ottoman Empire. He was escaped by bribing guards & sent him abroad, where he soon lost his mind resulted all he witnessed during detention. Most of those intellectuals were massacred.

#ArmenianGenocide was held in 3 main stages.
1. Majority of Armenian men were mobilized to WW1 front, gathered in groups and were exterminated in coming months away from front.
2. Armenian public figures were arrested, sent in exile, but mostly massacred.
3. Last stage was

order to deport entire left Armenian population - women, kids & elderly from all around Empire to Arab deserts. Lots of cases were Turkish soldiers just formed caravan of ppl w/ all their belongings, took out of cities, killed all together, not to go all way to desert on foot.

Others died on the way. Those who survived, found themselves in en empty desert, and lots starved to death. Entire empire lost its native Armenian population, Armenian diaspora around the world enlarged drastically.

April 24, 1965 descendants stood up, risking their safety. Only fact there were tens of thousands of people prevented them from brutal persecution. Protest voices was heard, resulted a project of memorial
genocide-museum.am/rus/29.11.2017…

State funded project was realized by architects Artur Tarkhanyan & Sashur Kalashyan in two years and was opened in 1967.

The most important issue today, that rises occasionally in Armenian society - how long shall we mourn the past, should we stop it and just live, or we shouldn't. Must we forget our ancestors killed, ain't it a betrayal. Must we feed the victim complex in our kids, ain't it wrong?

My position - we must have following principles in the basis:
1. They tried to destroy us, but they failed. We are alive & have to rise up. We aren't victims, because we survived.
2. No talk of forgetting it, because consequences of the destruction are not overcome, we have our

heritage lost - land, cultural heritage, financial assets. Each needs solutions, that Turkey has to provide, not only as legal successor of Ottoman empire, but as a state, that carried out final stages of the genocide until 1923. Until then, the issue must be of highest

importance in our foreign affairs.
3. Our kids must know, Turks are our neighbors & are not enemies. We must demand justice together & Turks must condemn #ArmenianGenocide like Germans condemn #Shoa. We must know each other better & live together. I still believe it's possible.

4200 Armenian orphans in Gyumri orphanage. There were dozens orphanages around the region, but this is the largest. 25000+ homeless kids were found & saved here. These kids made the core of modern Republic of Armenia.
Al least 3 of my grand-grand mothers were here

Map of Near East Relief orphanages, rescue homes, refugee camps, hospitals, etc and directions of deportations.

Collections of Near East Relief posters, published in US to support people of Near East. This was something that saved lives of millions of #Armenia|ns, #Greeks, #Assyrians & other Christians. 1/3

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