Houshamadyan's column

The First Stone - Palu -
From today we can say that Houshamadyan has been born, is working and is appearing.The first geographical region that we are dealing with in these pages is Palu, with its town and surrounding villages. Of course it is possible to ask why Palu? Why this choice? Our research on Palu has given us the opportunity for unforeseen, enjoyable and useful meetings. We are hopeful that many more meetings like this will happen during our travels. more...

To Marash
The journey that Houshamadyan began with Palu continues with Marash. We will present, under this general heading, the district (sandjak) of Marash during the Ottoman era. The Marash work area on the website – just like that of Palu – was the place where new acquaintances and new meetings were made. Such encounters make us truly enthusiastic. more...

The Harput plain
Houshamadyan, under this heading, will reflect on the Armenian places in the plain. Under the Ottoman administrative system, this area accords to the Harput sub-district (kaza) which is part of the province (vilayet) of Mamuretül-aziz.

This area, during the Ottoman era, has had a dense population of Armenians located in villages and towns. Its main towns are Harput and Mezire (Mamuretül-aziz) and, around them, tens of villages and small towns inhabited by Armenians. More...

Zeytun
There are locations that have come to represent something emblematic in a people’s collective memory. The location and the name stop merely denoting a place, a city, a village, and start representing historic moments, or symbolic images closely associated with a people’s history. The memory of such an historical place can survive 100 years or more even when the place no longer physically exists, or even when it is destroyed, and the people who used to live there have vanished. More...

Yozgat
The town of Yozgat and the villages in the surrounding area
Under the title of ‘Yozgat district’ (sandjak), Houshamadyan turns its attention to a relatively less well known geographical area in the general history of the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire. This sandjak does not form part of the area historically settled by Armenians in the Ottoman Armenian world. More...

Van
The Van region, or the historic Vasbouragan, is one of the most important cradles in Armenian civilization. There are many age-old traces of Armenian identity and culture in this geographical area. The Armenian entity is an important presence also during the Ottoman years in the city of Van and in the whole region. In other words, during this era, the Armenian stamp is also felt tremendously on the local culture, and on the economic, social, political and religious life. More...

Sis
In the annals of Armenian history, the city of Sis (present-day Kozan) is mostly remembered as the long-time capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Sis also served as the seat of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia. Sis, however, was also a predominately Armenian city, and information regarding the daily life of its residents and the local history can mostly be found in rare primary sources. More...

Dörtyol
Located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, Dörtyol became an important center for orange production during the Ottoman period. The town’s Armenians played a major part in the quick growth of this agricultural sector. The Armenians of Dörtyol, who comprised a majority of the population, lived a flourishing life. An entire network of community institutions (churches and schools) was located here, and local Armenians were known for their prosperous standard of living. More...