A new acquaintance just emailed me asking, "Is Marash still a town in Armenia?" How about a thesis on the topic! This year marks the 100th year commemoration of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide (1915-1922) by the Turkish government, a genocide that has yet to be recognized and admitted by the perpetrators. And no, Marash is not a town, but a city, and no, not in Armenia, but in Turkey, and no, there are no Armenians left in Marash. All of the Armenians' properties (if not their lives) were confiscated by the Turkish government; some of us survived to tell the tale. Marash is still alive in our hearts -- those of us whose ancestors were born and lived in Marash -- and yes, the city of Marash still exists, but without its Armenian population.
BTW, Marash is now called Kahraman Marash (Courageous Marash) commemorating the year that the Turks fought the French and there, and finally got rid of us!!!!
Lest we forget..Thank you for keeping us aware of the sad history of hatred and oppression with its accompanying affirmation of the courage and selfless commitment to humanity of these who oppose it.
ReplyDelete