Postcard circa 1923: Marache Maraş Marash Armenia Cilicia Turkey

"Marache - Panorama": Postcard from 1923 of  Marache Maraş Marash Armenia Cilicia Turkey

The reverse side of the postal card written in French as follows.
Transcription & Translation Credit: Andrea Colls-Halpern

[Le] Temps me parait moins long  vivement le mois d’octobre que je décampe de ce sale patelin   encore 5 mois et je pourrez [sic] dire adieu au gnacoué [ = an Indochinese peasant. By extension used of Asians, slang and highly pejorative]    et cela, sans regret.  Tu feras un gros poutou au tonton et a maman  le bonjour a Maréa et je termine.  Je vais faire la  sieste. Reçois chère cousinette un bon baiser. Ernest

TRANSLATION: Time seems to be dragging less   roll on October when I can leave this rotten place. 5 months more and I’ll be able to say goodbye to these peasants, and do so without regret.  Give a big kiss to uncle and maman. Say hi to Marea  I’m signing off I’m going to take a siesta. Kisses dear cousin. Ernest

A good friend emailed the above image with the following message: "I found this picture (of an old postcard) of Marash on the web and thought you would be interested in it."  The postcard was printed in Aleppo, [if you look at the picture, there is a vertical line in the middle saying "Wattar Freres, Alep" apparently French printers (in Aleppo?)] and probably mailed in an envelope during the genocide, as there is no stamp or postal mark on the card.  If you read SANDCASTLE GIRLS by Chris Bohjalian, you'll understand the importance of Aleppo during the Armenian Genocide. [Also see Marash Girl's post entitled, "YOUTUBE reveals the plight of the Armenians of Marash, 1915-1923".]   Marash Girl has never seen this image of Marash, as the spelling of the city on the card (MARACHE) differs from the generally used spelling: MARASH.  The photo is a different view of Marash than the one that Peter Bilezikian had among his papers. (See  http://marashgirl.blogspot.com/search q=Photo+of+Marash%2C+Western+Armenia%2C+c.+1900+marash+girl) Should any of you ever find other images of Marash, please send them along to share on this blog.   

Photo of Marash, Western Armenia, c. 1900

PHOTO OF MARASH FOUND IN THE PAPERS OF MARASH GIRL'S FATHER, PETER BILEZIKIAN, BORN IN MARASH, 1912