Yıldız Horata Collection (A) – Istanbul and Sharkushla (Sepasdia/Sivas Area), Turkey

Author: Maral Aktokmakyan 05/12/24 (Last modified 15/12/24) - Translator: Simon Beugekian.
This page was prepared in collaboration with the Hrant Dink Foundation (Istanbul). We would also like to thank Narod Avcı, Rudi Sayat Pulatyan, Lara Taş, Zeynep Taşkın, and Vahakn Keshishian for their assistance.

This article presents the history of two branches of the Horata family, the Kochounian and Pidedjian branches. The personal and familial stories detailed in the article mostly relate to the Kochounian family, and specifically to its most notable member, Srpouhi Kochounian. There are two important points to note regarding the Kochounian family history – first, the family’s role in the local economy (the Kochounians’ “Gürün/Gurin scarves” were sold as far afield as Europe and India); and second, Srpouhi Kochounian’s personal history, which is an important example of women’s unique experiences as survivors. In the second half of this article, we will also present the history of the Pidedjian family and describe the important role it played in local economic and cultural life.

This information was provided to us by Yıldız Horata (who lives in Istanbul), during several interviews conducted between November 2021 and January 2022.

The Kochounian family consisted of seven brothers from Gürün/Gurin who were engaged in commerce. They produced the famous silk scarves called “Gürün scarves”, and exported them from the port of Samsun as far as Europe, India, and China. The Kochounians were large landowners in Gürün and greatly contributed to the cultural life of the city.

The oldest of the Kochounian brothers (name unknown), was killed in Adana during a massacre known as a plshkha.

We will pause here to analyze this term and its use. The word is not found in any Armenian dialectical dictionaries, but there is the word plshdoug or plshdouk, which means dilapidated or destroyed. The term plishkha was used to denote an act of violence that was less devastating than a massacre, but still destructive. This term, which comes from Yıldız Horata’s memory, can further be described thus: a plshkha was an act of violence that was more serious than a tashkhala [bedlam, chaos], but less serious than agodoradz or chart [massacre, slaughter]. We will conclude this tangent by pointing out that the vernacular of a locality is influenced by various aspects, such as political-cultural factors and the physical environment.

The oldest of the Kochounian brothers often traveled to Adana for business reasons. The exact date of the plshkha that claimed his life is unknown, but presumably, it occurred before 1908.

After his death, the seven brothers became concerned with his daughter, Srpouhi, who was the only young girl in the family. By caring for her, the brothers wished to honor Hovhannes’s death. Thanks to their support, Srpouhi was sent to the American school in Marzvan (Marzifon), where she received the best possible education available at the time. She lived in Marzvan with her mother in the winters; and spent the summers back in Gürün with her uncles. She successfully graduated from the American school and returned to her birthplace. The education she received would be of great value. As we will see, throughout her life, thanks to the vast knowledge she had gained and the strong character she had developed while young, Srpouhi would overcome the various challenges of life and help many Armenians survive, including complete strangers.

After returning to Gürün, Srpouhi married Mikayel Nersesian, a compatriot. Mikayel and his brothers were known for crafting plates that were used to measure amounts of grain, called urupl ağı [1]. After the massacres of 1915, Mikayel and his brothers traveled from Gürün to Sharkushla/Şarkışla (or Sharghushla), with the aim of conducting trade. Sharkushla was an Armenian-populated settlement in the region of Sepasdia (Sivas), about 140 kilometers northwest of Gürün. Grasping the commercial advantages offered by this town, Mikayel and his brothers decided to move there. Srpouhi joined her husband in Sharkushla. Naturally, as she was a very sociable person, she did not sever her ties with Gürün and continued corresponding with her uncles.

Then came the massacres of 1915. Srpouhi lost her entire family. None of her relatives in Gürün survived. The tragedy was largely repeated in Sharkushla. From the extended family, the only survivors were Srpouhi, her sister-in-law, the wives of her husband’s two brothers, and 13 children. The oldest among these survivors was the educated and indomitable Srpouhi (still in her twenties). She assumed the role of a caretaker for the rest.

Two Turkish families in Sharkushla were of great help and protected this surviving family of five young women and 13 children.

During the Genocide, the Turkish authorities had collected the Armenian men and had slaughtered them at a site called Mahsutlu’nun ağılı (“Mahsutlu’s Hayloft”). When the women of the family interrogated a Circassian, Hakku Effendi Ziya, regarding the fate of their husbands, he told them: “You’re worried about your husbands, right? Do you know where they are? They are sleeping comfortably at Mahsutlu’nun ağılı and are waiting for you there. Come, I’ll take you to them.” Srpouhi grasped the situation and spared no effort to convince the women to stop making inquiries and not to listen to the stories they heard. Nevertheless, the women, relying on the Circassian’s information, decided to go to the site he had mentioned to see their husbands’ bodies. Srpouhi’s fears were realized, and the women’s journey was disastrous. Srpouhi’s sisters-in-law were all attacked and raped. One of her sister-in-law’s son, who had accompanied them, could hardly run away and returned to Sharkushla in terror. Srpuhi made all efforts to heal the child. The surviving women, in a terrible state, made their way back to Sharkushla and fell at Srpouhi’s feet.

One of Srpouhi’s sisters-in-law who survived this ordeal was Hnazant (often called able or able eme). After this incident, and until the end of her life, she refused to speak a word of Turkish. Sometimes, she would speak to kindly Turks who visited the home, but we know that generally, she would tie a yazma [handkerchief] around her head, even in her home, and claim that she suffered from a headache. Evidently, she wished to avoid conversation with others. And in fact, the family remembers Hnazant as always wearing the ubiquitous yazma. During the massacres, she lost three of her five children. Two of her sons survived.

One of Srpouhi’s sisters-in-law (brothers’ wives), Arshagouhi, who was raped continued suffering for a prolonged period. She fell pregnant, and during her child’s birth, weeping in the throes of birthing pains, she begged the others to kill her baby. At the time, this terrible practice of killing babies who were the product of rape was called anodzadzg unel (leğen kapatmak). The baby would be suffocated by being placed under a large bowl. Arshagouhi, delirious with pain, cried out: “Put him/her under a bowl! Please don’t show me his/her face!” But her wish was not granted, and the baby lived. Arshagouhi later emigrated, where her brother also lived. Her two sons died in Lebanon at a young age, one from tuberculosis, and the other as the result of a family tragedy.

The 13 children who had survived the massacres contracted typhoid and fell seriously ill. Five of them died, and eight survived. Srpouhi lost two of her own children to this disease.

Here, we will take a moment to describe the unique circumstances of Srpouhi’s and her family’s lives in Sharkushla. Immediately after the massacres, two Turkish families took Srpouhi under their protection. The main figures in the first of these families were Yedi belanın Fadime abla, her brother Ibrahim Effendi, and Ibrahim’s brother Mehmet Effendi; while the main figure in the second family was the father of İhmallar’ın Yusuf (Yusuf of the Ihmals). These two families tried to convince Srpouhi to marry a Turk as a formality. This was a way to protect the widowed Srpouhi from unwanted attention. Srpouhi immediately replied that she would rather die than resort to such a measure. After having this suggestion rejected repeatedly, this man, alongside some other kind Turks who had befriended Srpouhi, made a vow to protect her and her family without insisting that she marry a Turk. This allowed the five women and the children to live together in Sharkushla. Two Sunni Turkish brothers, Ibrahim Effendi and his brother, took turns guarding them. Notably, another Ibrahim Effendi (Göker) had been Yıldız Horata’s grandfather’s (Hovhannes) classmate at the Aramian School of Sepasdia (Sivas). In subsequent years, he served as a mayor, and later, he was elected twice to the Turkish Parliament, representing the Turkish Republican People’s (Cumhuriyet) Party (CHP). He often used his political influence to help Armenians. At times of political instability, he informed Armenians of the course of events. The two brothers would sit in Srpouhi’s home, rifle in hand. They continued protecting Srpouhi and her family until the day they left Sharkushla. In Hovhannes' time, this kind of protection was provided by Muderris Hodja and Seyfi Emmi (son of Ibrahim's uncle), two Turks who also became close family friends. When they gathered in Hovhannes' house, the common language became Armenian.

It was during these difficult years, when she and her family had to be guarded by armed friends, that Srpouhi finally relented and agreed to marry the father of İhmallar’ın Yusuf.This marriage was to be a formality. To Ibrahim Effendi and the other Turks arranging the marriage, Srpouhi insisted that this new “husband” of hers would never be allowed to enter her home. To satisfy the neighbors that the marriage was genuine, every morning, before dawn, Yusuf's father would come and sit right next to the front door of the house, where Srpouhi would bring him a cup of coffee. Yusuf's father would loudly thank her, then go to his work. This scene was staged every morning. One day, Yusuf's father suggested: “I come here every morning. You can let me come inside at least once, can’t you?” Srpouhi refused, and placing her hand on the door handle, reminded him that only one man had crossed the threshold of her home, and no other man would. The topic was never brought up again. Yusuf's father and Ibrahim Effendi continued to watch over the family over the years.

These Turks protected the family from outside threats. Within the household, Srpouhi accepted the responsibility of caring for her family, putting to use her intelligence, courage, education, and social connections. She cooked for the family, and later, she began making arak, wine, and cognac.At home, she had various imbiks (devices used for distilling alcohol), with which she produced arak and cognac. She also made wine. Some of the recipes Srpouhi used to make these beverages were handed down to the younger generations and reached Mrs. Horata – three generations beyond Srpouhi. Srpouhi began selling her products to American missionaries, with whom she had maintained good relations since her school days. Soon, this became Srpouhi’s permanent occupation and grew into a full-fledged commercial operation. According to Yıldız Horata, her great-great-grandmother may have been the first businesswoman in the Republic of Turkey. Her products were well-known not only in Sivas, but also in neighboring cities. Without any assistance, she expanded her business, opening chapters across the country. Eventually, she had chapters in 13 different cities. Yıldız Horata remembers some of these – Istanbul, Sivas, Sharkushla, Mersin, Adana, and Iskenderun.

Srpouhi also began selling zahiri or tahıl (legumes, such as chickpeas and beans). She kept animals, specifically sheep, and to a lesser extent, cows. She was so successful that she began supplying food to the Turkish army.

By the 1920s, these businesses were on solid foundations. Srpouhi did not wish to part with her children, but also hoped that they, especially her oldest son, would receive a good education. She enrolled her own two sons, her sister-in-law’s son, and her son’s two cousins at the Aramian boarding school in Sivas. Her oldest son, Boghos (Turkish name: Hidayet), did not enjoy school, although he showed promise in mathematics; but her younger son, Hovhannes (Turkish name: Hadjelin), was a good student. Later, both boys, as well as their cousin, Toros, would continue their education at Talas College.

Beyond her successes in business, Srpouhi also devoted herself to two other important roles – her ecclesiastical work; as well as her efforts to rescue abducted Armenian girls.

First, we will examine her ecclesiastical work. As we have seen, Srpouhi agreed to be married, as a formality, to a Muslim.At the same time, to ensure their survival, she and her entire family converted to Islam.They all adopted Turkish names, with Srpouhi taking the name Zoulfiye.But Turkish officials were well aware that Srpouhi was still Srpouhi. The people of Sharkushla continued to consider her Armenian, and the Armenian community also considered her a papaz, meaning a priest or a cleric.After the Genocide, there was no functioning Armenian church in Sharkushla, and so, until the family’s departure from the town, Srpouhi and her son conducted church ceremonies, with hymns and prayers. These ceremonies were held at the family home, and sometimes, on the holiday of Saint Nshan, at the ruins of the Saint Nshan Monastery.

Srpouhi also tried to help and care for abducted Armenian girls in the villages around Sharkushla. These girls were cut off from the Armenian community. Many had been raped, and many were unhappy with their living conditions and needed a helping hand. Srpouhi proceeded very cautiously in this work. She would establish contact with the girls secretly. Once she was sure that they wanted to reunite with their families, she would immediately set to work. She would make inquiries in Istanbul, America, and Europe, until luck favored her, and she found the girls’ families. We know that she rescued and sent many girls to Istanbul and Izmir, and one to Mersin, where they reunited with their families. In fact, for her involvement in these activities, the independent court of the Republic of Turkey (Istiklal Mahkemesi) issued three sentences against Srpouhi.

Serious issues arose if these girls had given birth to children of Turks. With Srpouhi’s help, some of the girls fled without taking their children with them. Others did not want to abandon their children, and wanted to know how they would be treated by their parental families– would they be accepted? Rejected? Or dismissed as Türk sıpası (“Turkish foals” in Turkish), as the phrase went?

Twice, Srpouhi was prosecuted for rescuing abducted Armenian girls. On both occasions, she paid a bribe to secure her acquittal. She and her family had inherited a barrel full of gold from the Kochounian family, which was kept by a cousin called Khacher Dayı (Uncle Khacher). Srpouhi made use of this gold during the trials. Without it, it is very likely that she would have been sentenced to death. Once, the judge asked her: “You are being tried for the same crime a second time. Do you have anything to say?” Srpouhi confidently replied: “What you consider a crime is not so in my view. I did what I had to do.” The judge was enraged by this audacious attitude, but Srpouhi continued: “I will never regret my actions. I did what I did knowingly. If you want to hang me for it, go ahead, hang me!” Then she recited a Turkish proverb: “The finger broken by justice is not injured,” and added: “Not one drop of my blood will be spilled. Break your pencil, if you wish!”

The judge, a day before sentencing Srpouhi, told his wife of the trial and described Srpouhi’s boldness. His wife was an Islamized Armenian, whose name had previously been Araksi. She insisted that the judge acquit and release Srpouhi. Determined, she told her husband: “I love you very much, but if you don’t set that woman free, I can’t stay with you for another moment.” The judge did not sleep till morning, thinking of a way to acquit Srpouhi. The next day, he went to the prison to see her. He whispered to her that he intended to free her, but that he required the payment of a bribe. Srpouhi lost hope that she would escape prison a third time. She called her children and husband to her. She advised her children to always listen to their aunts, kissed them, and bade them farewell. The judge was convinced that he could not sway this singular woman. Eventually, he relented and said:“Evden öyle talimat aldım. Dinle papaz!” [“These are the instructions I received from home. Listen to me, priest!”]. Srpouhi realized that the judge was attempting to relay a message to her. She summoned Khacher Dayı and asked him to bring the gold, so that he judge could offer it to the right people and secure her freedom.

With great difficulty, the judge was able to accomplish the impossible. Srpouhi was released from prison, and the judge took her straight to his home. As soon as she walked in, Araksi embraced her and two two women wept together. To celebrate Srpouhi’s release, Araksi had prepared a dinner of traditional Armenian dishes. The judge found a moment when he was alone with Srpouhi to ask her not to muddle Araksi’s mind and destroy his marriage. Srpouhi assured him that she had no such intentions. Srpouhi spent that night at the home of the judge, and returned to her home the following day, reuniting with her family. Srpouhi maintained good relations with the judge and his wife, though naturally in secret.

In addition to being an exceptional individual, Srpouhi Kochounian-Nersesian was also an unparalleled mother-in-law. She arranged for his oldest son, Boghos, to marry a brave girl called Arshagouhi, from the Chamkerten family of Hadjin. After the marriage, one day, Boghos came home drunk, and his wife, upset with him, called him meyhur (drunkard).Enraged, Boghos slapped his wife. Srpouhi heard of this, and very upset, decided to make sure that her son paid a price for his act. Next morning, she went to see him. First, she asked him to take off his belt and give it to her, then, she began speaking with mock pride: “What a great boy I have raised. You took a wife and were upset with her, right?” Boghos was slightly flattered by his mother’s words. Srpouhi continued: “You grew up to be a big man so that you can beat your wife, right?” Boghos was confused, but Srpouhi continued: “I didn’t get you a donkey. And even a donkey can’t be beaten. I got you a wife, so that you can relish her like a rose. But here, I’ll show you how to beat someone. That’s not how you do it, this is how you do it. Show me which hand you used to hit her.” And Srpouhi began beating her son with the metal buckle of the belt.

Later, Srpouhi’s youngest son, Hovhannes, married Hranoush, the daughter of famous architect Hagopos Pidedjian. As opposed to Srpouhi’s first daughter-in-law, Hranoush came from an Armenian-speaking, book-loving family, and she enjoyed writing and reading. Srpouhi had a very close relationship with her. Srpouhi shared her knowledge, especially her cooking skills, with her young bride. “It is thanks to this relationship,” emphasized Yıldız Horata, “that Srpouhi’s culinary skills have been passed down to the present generation.”

Srpouhi’s only daughter, Berguzar, did not have a happy life. During her childhood, her mother doted over her, tying gold and silver jewelry to her hair and satisfying her every whim. As Berguzar grew up, Srpouhi became increasingly concerned that Turks would harm her daughter in some way. And so, without lengthy deliberations, she consented to Berguzar’s marriage to a member of the Kesendji Armenian family, which was engaged in blacksmithing.

In Punarbashu (Pınarbaşı, formerly Aziziye), a Circassian wedding was taking place. Srpouhi and other members of her large family were among the attendees. Among the other guests was architect Hagopos Kalfa Pidedjian. He was a guest of honor, as he was the builder of some of the most important structures in the area. Srpouhi and Hagopos Kalfa were acquaintances. When they met at the wedding, Srpouhi decided that Hagopos’s daughter, Hranoush, would be an appropriate bride for her youngest son, Hovhannes. Hranoush and Hovhannes had three different wedding ceremonies – in the city of Kayseri/Gesaria, where the Pidedjians lived; in the city of Sharkushla, where Srpouhi and her family lived; and in Punarbashu, attended by the Circassians, as this community owed much to Hagopos Kalfa and Srpouhi. The couple had five children:Srpouhi (Yıldız Horata’s mother), Hagop, Arshagouhi, Yetvart, and Mary. Later, Srpouhi would marry Garabed Khorasandjian, from the village of Moundjousoun in Kayseri. The Khorasandjian family was forced to change its surname in the 1920s, and chose the surname Horata. Srpouhi and Garabed had two children: Varoujan and Yıldız. Yıldız is the source of the information presented in this article.

Architecture was the family occupation of the Pidedjians. Before Hagopos Pidedjian, his grandfather, Hagop Pidedjian, had been an architect. When Hagopos grew up, his father decided to send him to the Egyptian city of Alexandria to study. Around this time, many Armenians migrated from Kayseri to Egypt. Hagopos received the moniker “kalfa” during his time in Egypt. He spent the winters studying in Egypt, and the summers working for his father back in Kayseri.

Hagopos was 18 years old when his family arranged for his betrothal, and later his marriage, to Mary, from the Tokatlian family.This family originally hailed from the city of Tokat but had later migrated to Kayseri. One branch of the family, probably Mary’s maternal side, was called Marandjian. When she became engaged to, and soon thereafter married Hagopos, Mary was barely 15-16 years old. The reason for these hasty arrangements stemmed from concerns about the local environment, as the marriage was seen as a means to ensure her safety and protection. Initially, this marriage was merely a formality. Mary would sleep at her in-laws’, especially as young Hagopos was often in Egypt. But this situation gradually changed, and love flourished between Mary and Hagopos. Every time Hagopos returned from Egypt, he would bring back beautiful jewelry as a gift for his bride.

This family once had a different surname, which is unknown to us. But we know how their new surname was adopted. When one branch of the family decided to convert to Protestantism, the rest of the family decided to sever relations with these relatives, and thus adopted a new surname, Pidedjian. Presumably, they chose this name because Hagopos’s father, while working, often ordered pide. Pide was a type of unleavened bread, similar to lavash, but thicker.

Hagopos and Mary Pidedjian survived the Genocide. Thanks to Hagopos and his father’s involvement in the construction industry, they enjoyed close relations with government officials, which, presumably, was a crucial factor in their survival. During the years of World War I, Hagopos was commissioned with construction projects for the government. He received official permission to keep his wife and child with him while he worked onsite. Mary spared no effort to arrange for her newly married brother to join them, which would have saved his life, but this was beyond Hagopos’s capabilities, and it was impossible to save any of their relatives. Mary always felt bitterness towards her husband for this one failure.

Though Hagopos was unable to rescue more of his family members, thanks to his position, he was a true savior for many others. During the years of the Genocide, he needed workers. At first, the government supplied him with Turkish workers. But Hagopos, claiming that they were not qualified, asked the government to supply him with Armenian craftsmen (carpenters, masons, etc.). The authorities agreed to let him choose workers from among the Armenian deportees. It is said that until his death, Hagopos’s conscience was uneasy, because while he saved many Armenians, he was also forced to reject others, which would have meant their death. Hagopos later stated that he chose the healthiest and strongest among the candidates, hoping that these youths would later create Armenian families and help the nation survive. In fact, among the 17 youths he chose, none was a carpenter or mason by trade. They were simply healthy men. Hagopos lied about their skills, and later taught them the crafts himself. Government officials would sometimes eye these workers suspiciously, but Hagopos Kalfa would defend them by claiming that they simply practiced their crafts differently. When the government insisted that only 10 workers were needed, Hagopos Kalfa managed to keep all 17. After the Armistice, these 17 youths emigrated.

It is also said that Hagopos Kalfa saved Armenians by letting them hide in his closets. But unpleasant events occurred, too. An Armenian from Moundjousoun begged Hagopos to save his only son. Hagopos failed to do so, and Kölezin Hagop held a grudge against him, which became a real threat.This man lied to the authorities, claiming that Hagopos was an agent working for the Americans. The police searched Hagopos’s home but found no incriminating evidence. On another occasion, the same Armenian claimed to the authorities that Hagopos had received American grants, which he had pocketed. The police once again searched the home, and again found no evidence. But due to the repeated accusations, the police imprisoned Hagopos in the new prison of Kayseri, which he had built. Kalfa was effectively the first “guest” in this “house” that he had built. At prison, he was physically tortured. His fingernails and toenails were pulled out. His tormentors told him that they would “torture him like Christ,” and nailed his hands and feet to a plank. But Hagopos refused to confess to any crimes. In the early 1960s, when famous Turkish statesmen, such as Adnan Menderes, Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, and Celâl Bayar, were arrested and imprisoned on politically motivated charges, they were taken to this prison built by Hagopos Pidedjian in Kayseri before being transferred to the prison on Yassı Island.

Hagopos Kalfa built this prison unwillingly. It is said that for this act, he would often ask God for forgiveness and mercy. Later, the prison had a new warden, who defended Hagopos and advocated on his behalf with the government authorities. Thanks to this warden, Hagopos was released. While still in prison, and again thanks to the intervention of the warden, a doctor visited Hagopos in his cell. The warden wished to know the identity of his torturers, but Hagopos refused to divulge this information.

Hagopos Kalfa had a prolific career as an architect. Unfortunately, we are aware of very few of his works. We know that he was the architect of all the bridges along the railway line that connected Kayseri to Sivas (a photograph of him standing under one of these bridges has been preserved). The management of the construction of this stretch of the Berlin-Baghdad Railway (Baghdadbahn) was entrusted to the Germans, who made several abortive attempts to build a bridge over the Kızılırmak River (Red River). The locals told them that only Kalfa could build such a bridge. The Germans asked Hagopos for his help, and he obliged. They agreed that Hagopos would stand under the bridge when the first train crossed it. A photograph of him doing just that is presented on this page, and is evidence of his success. In the photograph, he sits with crossed legs, confident and a little proud, although Yıldız Horata recounts that her grandfather was never arrogant, and on the contrary, was exceedingly humble.

This bridge is now called On Gözlü Köprü (Bridge of Ten Eyes). It is on the road from Gömeç to Moundjousoun/Muncusun. It is the only bridge in the area, known to the family, that has not been modernized in any way, even to this day. When members of the Horata family visited the bridge in 2002, they noticed that it had been preserved in the same form as it appears in the above-mentioned photograph. This bridge is still in use today.