Forgotten Ottoman legacy: Armenian intellectuals

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Forgotten Ottoman legacy: Armenian intellectuals

Nesim Ovadya Izrail (Photo: Sunday’s Zaman, İsa Şimşek)

April 20, 2014, Sunday/ 11:15:57 / ISTANBUL

The Young Turks and the Young Ottomans are the most popular Ottoman intellectuals. Namık Kemal, İbrahim Şinasi, Ziya Paşa and Abdullah Cevdet are renowned intellectuals who are considered Young Turks. These are names we are familiar with; however, there are also some leading figures most of us do not remember: Ottoman-Armenian intellectuals. One of these intellectuals attempted to translate the Quran and the Seerah (biographical texts on the Prophet Muhammad) into the Armenian language; another tried to launch a Western-style music school. Some of them were deputies in Parliament, whereas others were members of the Committee of Union and Progress. But all were Ottomans. And, sadly, they were taken to either Çankırı or Ayaş after massive arrests on April 24, shortly before the mass deportation. Here are the stories of these Armenian intellectuals.

Some refer to the 1915 mass killings as genocide; some, however, refer to them as deportation. According to Hrant Dink, what happened back then was total destruction for both the Turks and Armenians. Some terrible and horrible things that both communities are unable to define, acknowledge and address happened in that year.

The Deportation Law was adopted on May 27, 1915. The bill, which formally entered into force on June 1, was specifically designed to facilitate the deportation of the Armenian communities of the Ottoman state; thousands of Armenians were relocated under the provisions of the law. Even though the bill was adopted on May 27, April 24 is marked as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day by Armenians around the world. Interior Minister Talat Paşa ordered the arrest of leading Armenian figures on that day. Armenian intellectuals, writers, artists, teachers, lawyers, doctors and deputies were arrested in their homes early on April 24 and taken to detention centers. The arrests spread to other provinces within a few days. Nesim Ovadya İzrail, author of the book “24 April 1915 İstanbul, Çankırı, Ayaş, Ankara,” recalls that initially, 197 intellectuals were put under arrest. Then an additional 53 were taken into custody. Ninety-two people considered major criminals were imprisoned in Ayaş; the remaining 158 were taken to Çankırı and released, but they were not allowed to leave the town. Armenians who were forced to live in the town rented apartments there. There were doctors, dentists, pharmacists, lawyers, architects, engineers, scientists, clerics, actors and teachers among them. Nesim Ovadya Izrail notes that well-educated Armenian intellectuals were mostly engaged in writing and journalism in Çankırı. Overall, this group of Armenians could be properly called intellectuals. The people who were placed under arrest included high-level bureaucrats and bankers as well as politicians, local administrators and mayors.

İzrail further argues that 174 Armenian intellectuals were executed without a trial after four months of detention. The remaining 76 were released on the orders of the central government. Izrail says: “Back then, it was impossible for an Armenian to move from Çankırı or Ayaş to another part of the country without a certificate confirming his release. Some of them were even unable to survive despite the fact that they had such a certificate.”

Here are some of these intellectuals:

Krikor Zohrab: journalist, parliamentarian, university professor. Zohrab was elected after the pronouncement of the second constitutional monarchy as an İstanbul deputy; he was one of the Armenian representatives of the Committee for Union and Progress in Parliament. Zohrab, one of the most active members of Parliament, was famous for his eloquent speeches. He addressed a large audience in Turkish on July 31, 1908 in the Taksim Municipal Garden. He ended his speech saying: “We have different religions; but we do have the same path. And that path is the road to freedom.” These remarks suggest that Zohrab was an Ottoman. He was not a nationalist; he was a pro-Ottoman intellectual. He supported the idea of promoting different identities on the basis of a common Ottoman identity. He worked to foster brotherhood between Armenians and Turks. For this reason, he defined himself as both a Turk and an Armenian. He had a lot of friends, including Talat Paşa, the most powerful man of the time. According to Izrail, both were Freemasons. During the massive wave of arrests on April 24, Zohrab, like Erzurum deputy Vartkes Serengülyan, was comfortable, feeling no pressure at all. But this did not last long; while having dinner and playing cards on June 2 at the Cercle d'Orient, a social club and restaurant, Zohrab got up to leave, and Talat also stood up and kissed him on the cheek. Surprised, Zohrab asked why; Talat said he had wanted to do so. This is known as a kiss of death, because that same day, Talat signed the papers for the arrest of Zohrab and his deportation to Diyarbakır. Talat was aware that this simply meant death. Despite their friendship, Talat did not hesitate to make this move. Zohrab was killed in Urfa; his head was smashed with a stone.

Zabel Yesayan: She was an Ottoman-Armenian intellectual who lived in Üsküdar, İstanbul. She was born in the Silahtarbahçe neighborhood of Üsküdar in 1878. In her autobiography “Silihdari Bardezneri” (The Gardens of Silihdari), where she narrates her childhood memories, it is possible to get a good description and depiction of the Üsküdar of that time and to experience the mindset of İstanbul in the 1880s. She was the first Armenian woman to study literature and philosophy at the Sorbonne. She witnessed the Adana massacre in 1909. Yesayan compiled her observations in another book, “Averagnerun Meç” (Amid the Ruins) which was translated into Turkish. Most of her essays addressed to women are collected in a compilation, “Isbasman Sırahin Meç” (Waiting Room). Her novel “Geğdz Hancarner” (Phony Geniuses), in which she sarcastically criticizes Armenian intellectuals, was never completed because of pressure from male intellectuals. She was a socialist and an anti-militarist. She invited the Ottoman people to live in peace. She was never complicit in nationalist propaganda and asked her readers to forget about her nationality and religion. However, despite this, she was listed among those who would be arrested on April 24. Yesayan was the only woman on the list; she fled to Bulgaria. However, in 1937, she was placed under arrest for publishing anti-Soviet propaganda during Stalin's rule and exiled to Siberia. There is no precise information on when and how she died.

Gomidas Vartabed: Born in Kütahya, Vartabed is one of the most important musical artists in this country. He was the first non-European musician to be admitted into the International Music Association. At an early age, he compiled folk songs that he heard from his classmates from different parts of Anatolia. In 1896, he moved to Berlin to study music. After his return, he continued his work compiling folk music in different cities in Anatolia. He performed in concerts in İstanbul, trained musicians and recorded compilations. He occupied a special place among the Ottoman intellectuals of the time because of his talent in music. He started preparations to found a Western-style music academy. However, he was sent into exile before he could realize his dream. It is reported that Ottoman intellectuals, particularly Halide Edip, tried to secure Gomidas' release. İzrail says that there is evidence suggesting that Edip worked hard to ensure that he would be released, concluding that she worked all her connections to this end. He returned to İstanbul after a while, but most of his friends were already dead. This made him depressed. Izrail says: “Germans are proud of Beethoven; and Turkey would have been associated with Gomidas. But unfortunately, Turkey is remembered with a Gomidas who lost his mind because of what he had to deal with in his country.”

Levon Larents: Born in Samatya in 1875, Larents graduated from Robert College, a private high school in İstanbul. He had a short life; Larents was a journalist, writer and interpreter. A supporter of the pro-Armenian Hınçak Party in his youth, Larents became a highly skilled journalist and interpreter; he was fluent in French and English. In 1911, he translated the Quran and the biography of Prophet Muhammad into the Armenian language. He was placed under arrest while he was translating Rumi's seminal work, “Mesnevi.” He was only 33 when he was taken from Ayaş to a rural area in Ankara, where he was killed.

Dr. Dikran Allahverdi: He studied medicine in Berlin and Vienna; his work on typhoid fever was remarkable. Allahverdi, who was charged with containing a cholera epidemic in Bandırma and Edincik, brought it under control in a very short time. He was an ardent supporter of the Committee for Union and Progress and served as chairman of the Pangaltı Branch of the Association of National Defense created by the committee. Pangaltı was a predominantly Armenian neighborhood in İstanbul. Armenians were generally cool to this association; however, he made a generous donation to the association, which attracted the attention and appreciation of the Turkish press. But this leading committee member was arrested on April 24, 1915 and sent to Ayaş as a major criminal. He was later released, but things were never the same for him. Allahverdi did not leave his country; he died in 1930 in İstanbul.

Born in Adana, Arisdekes Kasparyan was a lawyer who practiced law in a modest office in Galata, İstanbul. He is also known for his works on law. Kasparyan, who wrote “Kavanin” (Sources of Law), “Cüzdan-ı Kavanin-i Osmaniye” (A Treatise on Ottoman Laws), “Hukuk Müşaviri” (Legal Adviser) and “Tefsir-i Usul-i Muhakeme-I” (Procedural Law) is also known for his opposition to nationalistic movements and sentiments among Armenians. But he was also one of those who were sent to Ayaş. Kasparyan was one of the 54 Armenian intellectuals who were killed in Ankara.
Armenian intellectuals in Turkish nation-building Ottoman Armenian intellectuals were supportive of nation-building efforts in Turkey. Izrail says: “Given that we are aware of Armenian intellectuals who defended Turkish nationalism, without the Armenian massacres in 1915, there would have been many Armenian intellectuals promoting Turkish nationalism and nation-building.” Such intellectuals include Gomidas Vartabed and Diran Kelekyan. Gomidas performed a concert at the Military Academy in İstanbul in 1912 for the veterans who were injured in the Battle of Tripoli. He was praised in the Turkish press. Gomidas, at an event organized by the nationalist Turkish Association, delivered a famous speech where he emphasized strong ties of friendship and brotherhood between different peoples and nations sharing a common culture under the same roof. The audience included famous Turkish nationalists Hamdullah Suphi Tanrıöver, Mehmet Emin Yurdakul and Halide Edip Adıvar. Papers of the day described the speech as touching and influential, and reported that it brought the audience to tears. Turkish intellectuals frequently visited Gomidas at his home in Pangaltı.

Another example is Kelekyan, chief columnist of the Turkish-language Sabah daily of the time, who delivered a speech at a political rally organized by Committee of Union and Progress members in Sultanahmet Square on the eve of the Balkan War. Izrail says: “It was Diran Kelekyan who delivered one of the most enthusiastic and nationalistic speeches to encourage the Ottoman state to enter the war and defended the reacquisition of the lands that were previously lost in the Balkans in his columns. If history had been written differently, he would have been remembered as a nationalist intellectual who would promote Turkish nation-building.” Kelekyan, who also taught political history at İstanbul University, was one of the people who were arrested on April 24; he was murdered in Sivas.

Keywords: Ottoman legacy , armenians in turkey