From 56d58b54589cd9b2d7015208478d09339e4136dc Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Blaise Thompson Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2021 16:49:14 -0500 Subject: porcupine tills --- source/armenian-heritage-trip/erzincan/index.html | 455 ---------------------- 1 file changed, 455 deletions(-) delete mode 100644 source/armenian-heritage-trip/erzincan/index.html (limited to 'source/armenian-heritage-trip/erzincan/index.html') diff --git a/source/armenian-heritage-trip/erzincan/index.html b/source/armenian-heritage-trip/erzincan/index.html deleted file mode 100644 index 85db243..0000000 --- a/source/armenian-heritage-trip/erzincan/index.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,455 +0,0 @@ - - - - - - Erzincan & Kemah - - - - -

Erzincan & Kemah

- -Part of the Armenian heritage trip memory. - -

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note: historical vs modern Erzincan

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-Erzindjan is now north of the location as of 1907. -When Azniv was born, Erzindjan and the surrounding area was part of Armenia. -It was made part of Turkey in 1920 after the conclusion of WW1. -Besides the genocide, Erzindjan is earthquake prone. -In 1254 William Rubruck said more than 10,000 people were killed by an earthquake. -In 1939 there was another earthquake which led to the death of 32,962. -The old site was entirely abandoned and the town was relocated to the north. -

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note: family connection with Erzindjan

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-The following photo was taken in 1906, four years after Stepan and his family arrived in the US. -Standing from left to right in the back row are: Azniv/Agnes Torosian (born Shakargian, who is Nancy and Jim’s maternal grandmother), her brother Arshag and his wife, Nartouhi Pojojian (alternates Nartoo, Pazozian, Posozian). -The adults sitting from left to right in the front row are Nancy and Jim’s great-grandmother, Lucien Shakargian (born Donegian), and great-grandfather, Stepan Shakargian. -The family believes two of the children are Arshag's children but the third child may be one of the sister's, Eva Kapigian (born Shakargian) children. -The travelers think Azniv was born in Erzindjan proper rather than adjacent villages because: 1) they used the Turkish bath house which was a Roman ruin, 2) they had a shop where folks bought things- perhaps sugar, candy, coffee, 3) Azniv went to a school and the city had a school for girls (Chrisdinian). -

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2019-09-22 Sunday

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arrival

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-The travelers took a 1.5 hour flight from Istanbul to Erzincan, arriving around 15:00. -Erzincan is a medium sized city, with an official population roughly 37,000. -The true population is twice that, with many of the undocumented being Roma. -The airport is quite modern and nice, funded extensively by Russians. -

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-Erzincan airport.
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-The city of Erzincan has been almost entirely rebuilt since the 1939 earthquake. -Unlike other cities visited by the travelers, the roads are clearly planned and the buildings seem quite modern. -

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-The travelers stayed at Hayat Home Suite in the center of town. -The hotel was quite nice, more like an apartment than a typical hotel room. -There were two small bedrooms, a bathroom including washing machine, kitchen complete with stove, and a very large living and dining room. -Jim and Nancy took the bedrooms, while Blaise slept on the living room couch. -Total cost of hotel was 480 TL for two nights. -

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-Living and dining room of Erzincan hotel.
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dinner

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-The travelers met their guide (Ahmet Cetin) and his driver. -The driver spoke only Turkish and was not very communicative for the entire trip. -All five enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant. -Credit cards were a problem, but the travelers were able to withdraw cash from nearby ATMs. -After dinner, all five visited a local bar to plan the trip. -At the bar, Nancy enjoyed drinking special Erzincan carbonated lemon drink (Kizilay). -

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Tevhit Karakaya

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-On the flight from Istanbul to Erzincan Nancy was placed in first class for some reason. -Nancy sat next to a local politician and business man Tevhit Karakaya. -Tehvit was interested in Nancy's historic photos of Erzincan. -Tevhit did not speak English, but a friend of his translated on the plane. -

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-Tevhit invited the travelers to stop by his hotel to obtain a book of historic Erzincan photos which he himself had compiled. -Once Ahmed heard of the Nancy's interactions with Tevhit, Ahmet called Tevhit and all were invited to meet Tevhit at his hotel. -

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-While at the hotel, Tevhit and his associates asked Nancy and Jim for more information regarding their Erzincan relatives. -All enjoyed tea and special Erzincan grapes. -The travelers needed to be instructed to eat the grape seeds, and indeed the seeds were easy to eat and even seemed to enhance the grape texture. -The grapes were very sweet and the seeds were not at all bitter. -

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-The travelers meet with Tevhit Karakaya (far right). -Picture taken in lobby of Karakaya hotel. -Note grapes held by Nancy.
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2019-09-23 Monday

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breakfast

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-At around 09:00, the travelers met with Ahmet and started their day with breakfast at a local restaurant, Siber Bilişim Sistemleri. -It was a typical middle eastern breakfast with a large variety of options. -The travelers enjoyed trying rose petal jam, similar to that made by Azniv Torosian and remembered as part of Nancy and Jim's childhood. -

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-Jim and Nancy enjoy breakfast.
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old Erzincan

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-Nancy and Jim's Grandmother (Azniv Torosian, nee Shakargian) was born in old Erzincan. -She left in 1902 with her parents, one brother, and the brother's wife and children. -An additional sister stayed behind as she was already married. -Azniv was roughly 16 years old at the time. -The travelers attempted to visit the place where Azniv and her family had lived. -

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-Nancy's notes contained a picture of old Erzincan (1907) behind which a particular view of the mountain range could be seen. -This was Mount Kazen Kaya. -It was also known that old Erzincan was next to the Euphrates river. -Since the earthquake and rebuilding, there are almost no remaining structures or clues about the position of old Erzincan. -Still, the travelers were able to find the mountain view as seen in the old pictures, and also where the Euphrates currently flows. -

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-Nancy and Jim pose in front of the mountain range from Nancy's notes. -Immediately behind the photographer is the Euphrates river. -[39.691N, 39.504E]
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-Detail of foothills adjacent to Mount Kazen Kaya.
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cemetery

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-Travelers attempted to see the ruins of an Armenian cemetery, but were taken to a muslim cemetery instead. -Saw tomb of a female Turkish soldier that died as a suicide bomber. -

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-Tomb of a Turkish soldier. -[39.717N,39.498E]
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drive to Kemah

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-The travelers headed to Kemah, which is about 40 miles from Erzincan by car. -Along the way many military instillations were seen. -The car passed through a check point, which our guide was able to talk his way through without difficulty. -The Turkish government has military in this region due to fears of Kurdish and Syrian terrorist attacks from the south. -

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-Along the drive, the travelers stopped at Kemah gorge, which is now used as a point of recreation (base jumping, climbing etc.) -There is a turkish monument at this place which memorializes a truckload of soldiers that died here in a car accident on the bridge. -This was undoubtedly one of the many places between Erzincan and Kemah where 25,000 Armenians were thrown into the Euphrates river (1915). -This gorge is 13 km from the town of Kemah. -

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-Kemah gorge. -[39.653N, 39.360E]
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Kemah

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-Nancy and Jim's Great Grandmother, Azniv's mother, Lucien Donegian is believed by the travelers to have grown up in the Kemah area. -Azniv's father, Stephan Shekargian, was living in Erzincan and traveled two days by horse to marry Lucien. -Azniv described trips to visit Lucien's family, where wonderful stones sparkled in the sun. -It's likely true that Lucien was from one of the several Kemah-associated villages. -

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-Arriving in Kemah, the travelers found the location of another photograph from Nancy's notes: the Kemah Fort. -They were able to find the exact point where the photograph was taken. -

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-Nancy and Jim pose in front of Kemah Fort. -[39.603N, 39.0372E]
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-The Fort was built into a mountain which gives a good view of modern Kemah. -There were also caves that had been fortified, and an ongoing archaeological excavation. -

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-Town of Kemah as seen from Kemah Fort. [39.604N, 39.035E]
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-Beside Kemah, on the other side of the Euphrates river, is a large ridge which is currently occupied by a Turkish millitary outpost. -The travelers believe that this is the famous ridge from which 25,000 Armenians were thrown to their death between June 10 through 14, 1915. -Oral history describes the Euphrates filled with bodies and red with blood. -Before that time, many Armenians lived peacefully in this area. -In 2019 the city of Kemah contains just 2000 people, all Turkish. -

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-Kemah ridge as seen from Kemah Fort. [39.604N, 39.036E]
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-After visiting Kemah Fort, the travelers spent some time in the Kemah city center. -Once Ahmet suggested tea, it was remarkable how quickly the young friend was able to procure it. -Kemah seems like a nice city, with local cats, dogs, and chickens. -The town is clean and bustling with activity. -

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lunch

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-The travelers had lunch at a rustic outdoor restaurant called Kemah Alabalık Tesisleri. -Specialty was trout, and delicious Shepherd's Salad. -The lunch featured special salt mined near Kemah. -There was a pomegranate sauce that was excellent on the salad: nar ekşisi kalori. -

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-Travelers enjoying lunch. [39.614N, 39.038E]
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Kemeryaka

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-The travelers were interested in trying to find the exact village where Lucien Donegian grew up. -In pursuit of this, Ahmet took them to the local village of Kemeryaka. -There they found many village men doing construction working together to build a new brick house in the center of town. -All shared tea and great conversation as translated by Ahmet. -In conversation, they recommended that the travelers visit Morik. -The crucial piece of information in recommending Morik was Nancy's remembering that Azniv had said the place where her mother grew up had a storage area where many (including Kurds) stored their freshly caught meat. -

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-Travelers meet with men of Kemeryaka. [39.550N, 39.068E]
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stone khachkar

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-It seems that local Turkish people believe that Armenians were some kind of treasure keepers, rich magical people of old. -The people of Kemeryaka seem excited to show the travelers some local "mythical" signs of historic Armenian presence. -One of the village elders jokes that when the travelers find the Armenian treasure they can split it "50/50". -There are interesting parallels between stereotypes about Armenians and those about Jews. -

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-Joined by several teenage boys from Kemeryaka, the travelers drove to a place where khachkars (crosses) had been carved into the stone by previous Armenian dwellers. -The valley that they visited was truly beautiful, and it was powerful to see sure signs of Armenian presence. -One of the two khachkars had recently been destroyed by other treasure seekers. -The travelers theorize that these khachkars were used as road markers for an old mountain pass. -

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-Khachkar carved into stone. [39.546N,39.0648E]
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-Travelers discuss khachkares. -Note two other khachkars on the right hand side of the photo. -[39.544N, 39.063E]
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-Second khachkar, destroyed. -[39.544N, 39.065E]
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-Second khachkar, detail.Note crosses above, writing below, and star or flower. -[39.544N, 39.065E]
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-Mountains where khachkars were carved. -[39.548N, 39.0648E]
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Morik

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-As mentioned earlier, one unique feature of Lucien's village was their unique storage facilities for meat and cheese. -These facilities were used by many local villages and nomadic Kurds as they were quite valuable. -When the travelers mentioned this to the men of Kemeryaka, those men instantly agreed that the village in question was likely Morik. -Morik's old name was Ayranpınar. -

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-On the way to Morik, the travelers dropped off the teenage boys from Kemeryaka and picked up an adult man Mehmet who seemed to be a local leader. -Mehmet sat on Ahmet's lap in the front seat for the trip between villages. -As the travelers arrived, the way into the village was blocked by cows. -The village director's son was moving them through the main street. -They drove to the village director's (Umit) home. -All enjoyed an active conversation sharing the reason for visiting and the history of Lucien Donegian. -

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-Cows on the way into Morik. -[39.634N, 38.998E]
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-Conversation on the deck of Umit, Morik's appointed director, home. -Left to right pictured Ahmet, Umit, Mehmet. -[39.634N, 38.998E]
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-Son of Umit (right), and his son grandson of Umit (left) during the conversation. -Grandson enjoying fresh tomato. -[39.634N, 38.998E]
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-From Umit's home all rode or hiked up to the storage cave. -Amhed's car couldn't make it all the way up because the mountain became too steep. -Umit shared that the cave is special because the mountain makes ice there all year round. -Currently it is mainly used for goat cheese (tulum), which develops in the cave for six months. -There are currently 40 tons of cheese inside. -Mehmet himself was storing cheese in the cave, despite the fact that he is from a different village. -

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-Jim and Mehmet riding a tractor up the mountain to visit the ice cave. -[39.631N, 38.997E]
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-Nancy, Ahmet, and Umit visit the ice cave. -[39.631N, 38.996E]
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-Umit showing off the key to the ice cave. -[39.631N, 38.996E]
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-Since the ice cave was higher up on the mountain, there was an excellent view of Morik and surroundings. -

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-View of Morik from near the ice cave. -[39.632N, 38.997E]
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-Nancy with Morik in the background. -[39.631N, 38.997E]
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return to Erzincan

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-The travelers went first to Kemeryaka to drop off Mehmet. -From Mehmet they bought a large amount of local goat cheese (tulum), totaling 630 TL. -Most of this was given to Ahmet and the driver, as there was way too much to take home. -

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-After all this the travelers returned to their hotel in Erzincan and slept well. -

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2019-09-24 Tuesday

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Euphrates

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-Tuesday morning Nancy placed her feet in the Euphrates river. -The place she chose was not far from the 1907 location of Erzincan. -After this, and breakfast, the travelers set on their way to Cappadocia. -

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-View of the Euphrates as it was when Nancy placed her feet. -[39.701N, 39.519E]
- - - -- cgit v1.2.3