K. S. Yerevanian, History of the Armenians of Charsanjak, Beirut, 1956 Translated into English by Aram Arkun, November 2009 [[email protected], [email protected]] PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A QUICK DRAFT TRANSLATION—if this is to be published, further polishing, regularization, and review is necessary; in some places I have added either question marks or CHECK to denote a phrase worth rechecking; some words may be Kurdish and were not found in Armenian or Ottoman dictionaries] Introduction By Arshag Albôyajian, September 15, 1956 Bois de Bologne (Lebanon) Numerous volumes were prepared for many regions of Armenia by compatriotic unions or other organizations. They present the geography and history of a region; the past and the life of the Armenians living there; their habits and customs; the roles they played in various arenas, as well as the terrible history of their collective annihilation. Some twenty such works have been published up until now, with greater or lesser success, and others are being prepared. The present volume dedicated to Ch`arsanjak will have its place in these ranks. The latter will be valued particularly because the author, patriotically putting all his energy to the preparation of this work, has been able to provide nearly seven hundred pages of fresh material on a secondary—if not tertiary—district like Ch`arsanjak. He has succeeded in producing a useful volume on a practically ignored Armenian district which does not have a history. He gives to us the description of this district lost among Kurdish areas, which perhaps at one time purely Armenian, was prosperous and then lost its importance, and became backwards. He provides completely new and personal information, because the author of the book has travelled all corners of the district step by step and span by span. GET MORE LATER…. Several Words By Kévork S. Erevanian GET LATER? For History By the Central Executive of the Pan-Ch`arsanjak Compatriotic Union Fresno, September 10, 1956 LATER? Part I Ch`arsanjak Section 1 Physical Location and Borders Ch`arsanjak is located at the northeastern end of Kharpert (or Mamuret-ül-Aziz) province, and forms part of the district of Dersim, occupying its southern plains area. Its borders are: from the north, Dersim; from the south, the Aradzani or Murad River; from the east, the regions of Havav and Bulanêk of Palu district; from the north-east, Perri River; and from the west, Ch`mshgadzag (see the map). Ch`arsanjak is four to five thousand feet above sea level. Although it is in the plains area of Dersim, it contains small mountains and mountain chains. From the south, [there is] the Ch`alkhadan and Sallar mountain chain, which stretches up to Khazan Dere and reaches the border of the Aradzani with its famous downhill slope, which is called It Yokuşı (Dog Slope). This vexatious ascent lasts one hour for travelers. From the west, the Kharach`or mountain chain, which begins from the areas of Vasgerd and Pashaghag and extends until Pertag. In the central portion of Ch`arsanjak, a branch of the Mntzur mountain chain accompanies the Mntzur River until the latter joins the Perri River. There are large and small hills in the central portion of Ch`arsanjak whose slopes are cultivatable and fertile. It is surrounded on four sides by tall mountains, and with its extensive area forms a beautiful mountain plain. Section 2 The Name Ch`arsanjak or Karach`ôr: There are various ideas and points of view about this. Fr. Ghugas Vartabed Injijian ascribes the origin of the word Ch`arsanjak to “êsd krots` Ch`ehar Sanjak,” that is, four districts. Mr. A[rshag]. Albôyajian, however, gives the following explanation. “This name, in our humble opinion, must be Persian, probably created in the fourteenth to fifteenth centuries; and I do not think that it is connected with the name Fourth Armenia [Ch`orrort Hayk`], which even Armenians did not use because it was foreign and given by foreigners.” Injijian in his geography (Geography of the Four Parts of the World [Ashkharhakrut`iwn ch`orits` masants` ashkharhi], Venice, 1806, Volume I, p. 226) adds next to the names Ch`arsanjak=Ch`ehar Sanjak the word Karach`ôr with an “or,” which makes it the equivalent of the previous two names. Mr. A. Albôyajian continues: “Although it is a bit of temerity on my part, I consider this word Karach`ôr a corruption of the words K`ar`atzor—Ch`ors tzor [Four Valleys] taking valley here in the meaning of district, as it has been used in our oldest literature, such as the seventy valleys Dikran [Tigran] the Great left to the Persians.” According to Injijian, the name Ch`arsanjak was given to this territory because it had four districts: 1. Medzgerd or Mazgerd 2. Saghman 3. P`eri or Perri 4. Pertag Injijian writes: “Though these are separate districts to be called with one name four districts, perhaps in translation of the old name Fourth Armenia, because the four sanjaks practically all are in Fourth Armenia which is an old province of Armenia Major. It is a two days journey to Gaban [Geban] Maden. The government of these four districts is also in the hands of the Kurds, who are practically independent. Each major town has eight hundred homes of Armenians and Kurds. Each has fifteen or twenty villages, inhabited by Armenians and Kurds, [and] their land is fertile.” Fr. Ghevont Vartabed Alishan, in his work Topography of Armenia Major [Deghakir Hayots` medzats`] (which is the geography of Armenia) when he speaks about Kharpert (page 42) considers Jabagh Chur, Palu, Ch`ehar Sanjak, Chmshgadzak “and other districts [vijagk`]” as its parts. Alishan writes the following about Ch`arsanjak: “To the west of Palu at the right of the Murad to its mixing with the Euphrates, there are four little districts [vijagk`], those called Ch`ehar Sanjak or Karach`ôr; and they are Saghman which is the land of Saghman in the Middle Ages, Pertig, Medzgerd, and Perri, which was called land of Khoznay in the past, and to the west of all of them along the Euphrates is the land of Ch`mshgadzak, which now is called Ch`imishgezeg; the city of the same name along the tributary streamlet of the Murad was formerly called Herapolis, and it took on its new name from being the birthplace of the emperor H`ovhannés Chmshgig. Outside of the city there is Garmir Sarug, where H`ovhannés the married priest [k`ahanay], martyred in Palu, built a church which was destroyed out of envy by his enemies.” Thus, we can conclude about the examination of the name Ch`arsanjak that Ch`arsanjak—Four Sanjaks—or Karach`ôr--K`ar`atzor—are the same, and through the union of four districts (Perri, Pertag, Medzgerd and Saghman), they receive the name Ch`arsanjak which has come into general use in our day. Section 3 Orography The small mountain chains found in Ch`arsanjak by extending from the north to the south delimit its plains areas. From the Khr`an mountains to the south, Tzorag, Masdan, Hayvat`li, Géôk`t`ép`é [Turkish Göktepe], Urtz, Basu, Paghnik`, Khushin [this village is also occasionally called Hushi elsewhere in this volume], and Hoshé, with their spacious expanse, form the plains area. From the west, Khr`nég, Ismayél, Lusadarich`; from the northwest, Vasgerd, Pashaghag; from the south, Ch`alkhadan, Dérmêrchi, Sallar, Khazan Déré; and from the east, from above Hoshé up to Baghnadun, the Gollan area, form the mountainous area. One of the two mountain chains particular to Ch`arsanjak is [along] the path of Perri’s river from the east, which starting from K`ghi stretches to Pertag, while from the west, the mountain chain that accompanies the Mntzur (Muzur) River up to Zeri village. On the southern part of Perri the Ch`alkhadan mountains, which stretch from east to west, rise up like ramparts. Section 4 Hydrography Two chief rivers run through Ch`arsanjak: the first is the Perri or Miws Kayl River; the second, the Mntzur or Muzur River. The Perri River springs from the Piwragnean (Bingöl) Mountains, and passing in front of K`ghi, from the northeast of Dersim it enters Ch`arsanjak. After passing in front of the Baghin, T`il, Khsuhi, and Paghnik` villages, and delimiting the plain of Perri, it goes towards the west and past Zéri village near Ch`at` it unites with the Mntzur (Muzur) River. The well known American-Armenian writer Mr. Vahan Ch`ukasêzian in his private memoirs, while describing the Perri area, calls the Perri River the Ôrôr River, according to historian Professor M. Minasian. In 1901, the author of the work Dérsim printed in Tiflis—Antranig—writes (p. 132): “Perri is built on the right bank of the Lêch`êk Ch`ay.” Fr. Ghugas Vartabed Injijian, in Geography of the Four Parts of the World writes thus about K`ghi: “GET LATER In the geographical map Hayasdan ew trats`i ergirner [Armenia and neighboring countries] composed by Ardashés Apeghian, we see at the southwestern side of K`ghi a village named Ôrôr in front of which a streamlet passes and joins the K`ghi River which hpasses in front of K`ghi. Similarly, at the northwestern side of K`ghi there is Lêch`êk village, in front of which a streamlet flows named Lêch`êk which joins the K`ghi River. Thus the places called Lêch`êk and Ôrôr belong to the two small streamlets of those names which pass through K`ghi, which, joining with other streamlets, take on the name K`ghi River in front of K`ghi; after entering Ch`arsanjak the latter is called Miws Kayl River or Perri River.