Arousyag Mgrdichian collection - Istanbul, Turkey

The materials on this page are from Arousyag Mgrdichian’s collection. Arousyag was born in the Balat neighborhood of Istanbul. She inherited these objects and photographs from her ancestors; her mother, Shnorhig Mgrdichian (born Kltian) was born in the village of Kangal in Sivas/Sepasdia in 1910 and died in Istanbul in 1985, while her father, Kevork Mgrdichian, was born in Erzincan/Yerznga in 1910 and died in Istanbul in 1983. Some of the material in Arousyag’s collection was part of her mother’s dowry.

The obsequies of Arousyag’s maternal grandfather, Hagop Kltian, which took place in Istanbul at the Holy Mother-of-God Church, in Kumkapi, in 1935.

Sivas, the Kltian family. Hagop Kltian is seated on the right. Hagop’s wife, Takouhi, is standing in the middle. The others are Hagop's daughters, Baydzar and Lousig. After his first wife's (Dirouhi) death, Hagop remarried with Takouhi, who was a widower and had a son named Missak. Hagop and Takouhi later had a daughter named Shnorhig (Arousyag’s mother).

Sivas, the Kltian family. Hagop Kltian is seated, to his left is his wife Takouhi Kltian. The others are their daughters – Baydzar, Shnorhig and Dirouhi.

The Kltian family in Sivas/Sepasdia. Standing (from left): Baydzar, Dirouhi, Shnorhig. Seated (from left): Takouhi, Hagop. The children of the first row are Hagop's and Takouhi's grandchildren (from left): Azniv, Krikor.

Baydzar Der Minasian (born Kltian), Arousyag’s maternal aunt, can be seen in the photo, she is with her husband Bedros Der Minasian. The photo was most probably taken in Sivas.