Remembering Armenia
GUEST COLUMN
It's hard to imagine the complete destruction of a homeland and the creation of a "new" one in its place in a matter of just a few years.
Anyone who visits today's eastern Turkey, known as Armenia before 1915, will notice something very mysterious about the land they see. The tragedy that befell the native Armenians 85 years ago, which the Turkish government hoped would remain unknown to the world, still haunts the region. This vast territory is dotted by virtually hundreds of ruins, barns, stables and mosques that were once Armenian churches or monasteries.
Ruins of ancient Armenian cities, cemeteries and fortresses, once part of a thriving Armenian homeland, are left in deplorable condition and are often destroyed intentionally to eradicate any trace of pre-existing Armenian culture on those lands. Most Turkish travel and history books deliberately describe the handful of Armenian historical landmarks that still remain as "Aramaic," "Hittite" or from some other no-longer-existent people.
And as for the inhabitants of the lands? Well, you see, as Turkish nationalism reached its peak in the early 20th century, non-Turks — mainly Armenians, Greeks and Jews — were given no place in the country.
According to the book, "The Dark Fold of the Turkish Revolution" by Rifat Mevlanzade, the executive secretary of the Young Turk Central Board once announced, "Let the non-Turkish elements be completely destroyed, no matter what their nationality and religion are ... Pitiful will be our part, if a total liquidation, a total extermination, is not consummated."
These words did indeed become a reality when among the oldest inhabitants of Anatolia, the Armenians and the Greeks, were subject to one of history's most successful acts of ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Even though eastern Turkey is emptied of its native Armenian population and western Turkey of its Greek inhabitants, the Turkish government today vigorously and ruthlessly denies that a genocide ever took place.
Unfortunately, some scholars in the field of Middle Eastern Studies, many of whom rely on Turkish grants for research, travel and awards — UCLA professors being no exception — remain silent regarding this immense tragedy or side with the Turkish government in its shameless denial.
Today, almost all the Armenians scattered around world as a result of the genocide trace their roots to their historical homeland of western Armenia.
Over the past three years, UCLA's own Richard Hovannisian, Armenian Education Foundation chair in modern Armenian history, has organized a series of international conferences on the historic Armenian cities and provinces that are currently in Turkey.
While those regions are empty of Armenians and retain only a small number of surviving Armenian architectural monuments, historians from around the world have a lot to say about them.
From their birth more than 3,000 years ago to their cultural renaissance before the Turkish invasions of a few hundred years ago, to the current political developments around them, these regions are still important areas of scholarship for many historians. Topics covered include ancient, medieval and modern history, culture, religion, art, geography, educational and social developments, among other things.
I would personally like to thank those who give us the opportunity to celebrate the ancient culture of the Armenians, which no longer exists in its core of western Armenia.
This column first appeared in the Daily Bruin at UCLA and is reprinted courtesy of the U-Wire.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Tuesday, November 9, 1999
