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SYRIAN CONFLICT TAKING TOLL ON THE LAST ARMENIAN VILLAGE VAKIFLI IN TURKEY: AL-MONITOR
ARMENPRESS
3 October, 2012
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS: Al-Monitor dwelled on Vakifli village,
the last Armenian village in Turkey's Hatay province, reports
Armenpress. "I am in Vakifli village, the last Armenian village in
Turkey's Hatay province, Samandag township, near the Syrian border.
Vakifli is on the slopes of the Musa Mountain. Over time this village
became a neighborhood of Samandag. We climb up to reach Vakifli
village, which is a couple of kilometers away from [Samandag] town
center. We are surrounded by reed beds, olive, mulberry and pomegranate
trees, while walking up the Musa. The Gabris coffeehouse, under the
shadow of gigantic pines, serves orange, lemon, mandarin and mulberry
syrups. The cool breeze coming from the Mediterranean adds pleasure to
our chat. Bogos Silahli, a retired philosophy teacher from Istanbul,
is occupied with his preparations for the Philosophy Days festival,
which will celebrate its fourth anniversary in 2013. He already decided
the topic: "The Ethics of Food and Human Rights." I asked whether
Silahli considers organizing Philosophy Days on the Middle East or
the Syrian issue. He calmly said he doesn't want to get involved in
politics. Despite its decreasing population, Vakifli is becoming more
and more important since it is the only Armenian village in Turkey. It
is undergoing restoration, while preserving its old architecture. Its
population has dropped down to 135 Armenians. There are 35 households
in Vakifli. During the 1940s, it used to be the biggest village in the
area, yet its population decreased to 320 by 1964. Its youth immigrated
to big cities or abroad to either work or study. The average age in
the village is now about 60-70. With the decrease in the number of
children, the village school was shut down.
You come across old people in the streets and gardens of Vakifli,
while the roads are filled with luxury cars with foreign plates
owned by youngsters. During the holidays, those who live abroad or
in big cities visit their native village; in summer the population
of Vakifli goes up to 2,000. The family of Levon Ter-Petrosyan,
the first president of Armenia, is originally from Vakifli. The
family first migrated to Syria from Vakifli, and then to Armenia
from Syria. With the opening of the nearby Hatay airport, Antakya's
increasing prospects of becoming a touristic city, development of
relations between Turkey and the Middle East, and the lifting of visas
between Turkey and Syria, as well as Lebanon, Vakifli started to enjoy
many visitors. Accordingly, some small hotels and social facilities
were constructed in the village. However, the civil war in Siria
and the worsening relations between Turkey and Syria had an adverse
impact on the village. The tourist flow from abroad and Turkey to the
village has decreased. Villagers are worried about the hardships faced
by Armenians in Syria and the beginning of their emigration to Armenia.
They are hesitant to talk about the Syrian issue. In general, they
hold the opinion that it is the imperialist powers that stirred
up the crises in Syria. They also think that the fall of [Syrian
President Bashar] al-Assad is inevitable, yet that peace won't come
to Syria after his fall. The church in Vakifli serves as a unifying
factor. The building was constructed for silk farming in 1890. It
was converted to a church in 1924 and reconstructed in 1996. It is
a beautiful architectural monument with stone masonry. The two bell
towers of the church distinguish it from other examples. Every year,
Surp Asdvadzadzin (Annunciation Day) is celebrated on the second Sunday
of August, which is also the harvest time, in this church. Herise (a
special food eaten during this occasion) is cooked in seven boilers in
the garden of the church. There is a symbolic meaning of this number.
Each boiler represents the seven other Armenian villages that used to
be located in the region (the contemporary names of these villages can
be listed as: (Yogunoluk, Bityas, Kebusiye, Hidirbey, Hacihabipli, Azir
and Vakifli). Vakifli hosts its guests coming from other regions of
Turkey, Armenia, Syria, Lebanon, the United States and other countries
during the Christian festivals. Despite the clashes in Syria, this
year this festival was celebrated in peace in Vakifli."
ARMENPRESS
3 October, 2012
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS: Al-Monitor dwelled on Vakifli village,
the last Armenian village in Turkey's Hatay province, reports
Armenpress. "I am in Vakifli village, the last Armenian village in
Turkey's Hatay province, Samandag township, near the Syrian border.
Vakifli is on the slopes of the Musa Mountain. Over time this village
became a neighborhood of Samandag. We climb up to reach Vakifli
village, which is a couple of kilometers away from [Samandag] town
center. We are surrounded by reed beds, olive, mulberry and pomegranate
trees, while walking up the Musa. The Gabris coffeehouse, under the
shadow of gigantic pines, serves orange, lemon, mandarin and mulberry
syrups. The cool breeze coming from the Mediterranean adds pleasure to
our chat. Bogos Silahli, a retired philosophy teacher from Istanbul,
is occupied with his preparations for the Philosophy Days festival,
which will celebrate its fourth anniversary in 2013. He already decided
the topic: "The Ethics of Food and Human Rights." I asked whether
Silahli considers organizing Philosophy Days on the Middle East or
the Syrian issue. He calmly said he doesn't want to get involved in
politics. Despite its decreasing population, Vakifli is becoming more
and more important since it is the only Armenian village in Turkey. It
is undergoing restoration, while preserving its old architecture. Its
population has dropped down to 135 Armenians. There are 35 households
in Vakifli. During the 1940s, it used to be the biggest village in the
area, yet its population decreased to 320 by 1964. Its youth immigrated
to big cities or abroad to either work or study. The average age in
the village is now about 60-70. With the decrease in the number of
children, the village school was shut down.
You come across old people in the streets and gardens of Vakifli,
while the roads are filled with luxury cars with foreign plates
owned by youngsters. During the holidays, those who live abroad or
in big cities visit their native village; in summer the population
of Vakifli goes up to 2,000. The family of Levon Ter-Petrosyan,
the first president of Armenia, is originally from Vakifli. The
family first migrated to Syria from Vakifli, and then to Armenia
from Syria. With the opening of the nearby Hatay airport, Antakya's
increasing prospects of becoming a touristic city, development of
relations between Turkey and the Middle East, and the lifting of visas
between Turkey and Syria, as well as Lebanon, Vakifli started to enjoy
many visitors. Accordingly, some small hotels and social facilities
were constructed in the village. However, the civil war in Siria
and the worsening relations between Turkey and Syria had an adverse
impact on the village. The tourist flow from abroad and Turkey to the
village has decreased. Villagers are worried about the hardships faced
by Armenians in Syria and the beginning of their emigration to Armenia.
They are hesitant to talk about the Syrian issue. In general, they
hold the opinion that it is the imperialist powers that stirred
up the crises in Syria. They also think that the fall of [Syrian
President Bashar] al-Assad is inevitable, yet that peace won't come
to Syria after his fall. The church in Vakifli serves as a unifying
factor. The building was constructed for silk farming in 1890. It
was converted to a church in 1924 and reconstructed in 1996. It is
a beautiful architectural monument with stone masonry. The two bell
towers of the church distinguish it from other examples. Every year,
Surp Asdvadzadzin (Annunciation Day) is celebrated on the second Sunday
of August, which is also the harvest time, in this church. Herise (a
special food eaten during this occasion) is cooked in seven boilers in
the garden of the church. There is a symbolic meaning of this number.
Each boiler represents the seven other Armenian villages that used to
be located in the region (the contemporary names of these villages can
be listed as: (Yogunoluk, Bityas, Kebusiye, Hidirbey, Hacihabipli, Azir
and Vakifli). Vakifli hosts its guests coming from other regions of
Turkey, Armenia, Syria, Lebanon, the United States and other countries
during the Christian festivals. Despite the clashes in Syria, this
year this festival was celebrated in peace in Vakifli."