Tamar Gürciyan
Balyan or Kadehciyan? A Debate on the Surp Asdvadzadzin Cathedral in Antep
The reason I bring this up is because, at the event held at Yesayan Salon in recent weeks, the Surp Asdvadzadzin Cathedral was presented as "a magnificent example of Balyan architecture in Anatolia." Furthermore, I believe that the statement I read in “Anadolu Kültür”’s post-earthquake assessment report—that ‘’This building, […] designed by Sarkis Balyan on a much larger scale, includes an attempt to implement a three-level gallery.”’—needs to be re-examined. Indeed, when I read in Elmon Hançer's latest interview with Agos that the building's plan was enlarged by 1.5 times by Sarkis Balyan, I felt the need to open this issue up for discussion.
A Violin, A Marriage, and a Century-Long Life
For me, this violin is a memory of lives trapped between two worlds, of a woman who struggled to adapt to a new life while carrying the weight of the past, and of my elders, who, despite everything, survived, lived, and loved life. With this exhibition, as I bring to light photographs and the violin hidden under the bed, I hope to uncover the pains, losses, and forgotten stories of the past—while moving closer to hope.
February 14 and Armenian Holidays
This year, Diyarnıntaraç will be celebrated on February 14, while the Surp Sarkis Feast will take place on February 15. I’m not sure if these holidays can be associated with St. Valentine, but for Armenians, these days represent not only hope, fertility, marriage, and purification but also have connections to the land and crops.
Dog Stories and Beyond
Following Chienne d’Histoire [The Barking Island], a wordless film from the perspective of the non-human, where we only hear the dogs’ voices, Avedikian’s documentary Histoire de Chiens [Dog Stories] was screened. This documentary, focusing on the relationships between Istanbul residents and street dogs 100 years after the 1910 dog massacre, differed from the first film in that it presented people’s perspectives on their relationships with dogs. The film momentarily eased the heaviness left by the first film with its style.
Armenian Carpets, Migration, and Solidarity
After the massacres of the Hamidiye Regiments in the late 19th century and after 1915, with the increase in the number of orphanages, Armenian women and orphans predominantly worked in the carpet workshops established by the missionaries. Carpet weaving was a craft that some orphan girls knew from their families. This craft provided them with a space of solidarity after they had lost everything in the face of savagery. In return, they were employed as cheap labor for the companies of American and European missionaries.
On Ariel Djanikian and “The Prospectors”
The historical framework of the novel “The Prospectors,” which emerged from a long process of research and writing, is based on Djanikian’s maternal family history, who is American. The writer’s paternal family is Armenian. While writing the novel, Djanikian examined forgotten sources, both old and new, particularly focusing on the Klondike region, and crafted a narrative that intertwines snippets of personal history with official history.
On the travel writings of Tlgadintsi
Harutyunyan, born in 1860 in the village of Tlgadin (Huylu, now officially known as Kuyulu) south of Harput, is generally known for his newspaper articles, travel notes, plays, and short stories. In these writings, Tlgadintsi not only critically conveys the condition of Armenian properties and monasteries perspective,but also depicts the details of daily life with an ethnographic finesse, and portrays, as Beledian described, an almost silent forewarning of the impending disaster.
“This is a mountain story”
SAR by dancer and choreographer Mihran Tomasyan and musician Saro Usta, which was first staged by the Çıplak Ayaklar Kumpanyası in 2015, was performed again a few weeks ago. We believe that the performance itself and the Q&A session afterwards speaks a great deal about the experience of being an Armenian from Turkey and we would like to share the discussion we, three of the Parrhesia members, had with Agos readers.
The Aftermath of a Death and a Life: Prof. Hermann Schlimme
I will never forget one day when I went to his class, before explaining in detail to the first graders how the dome of Hagia Sophia, which collapsed due to the earthquake in the 10th century, was restored, he came up to me and asked me the pronunciation of the name of Trdat (Dırtad), the architect who restored the dome, and tried many times to pronounce that name correctly before entering the class.
Sourp Asdvadzadzin as Cathedral, Prison and Mosque in Aintab
Tamar Gürciyan successfully defended her thesis entitled "An Investigation to the Adaptive Reuse of Late Ottoman Armenian church in Aintab, Surp Asdvadzadzin church/Liberty Mosque" at the Technical University of Berlin. With this thesis, Gürciyan carried out a comprehensive study on the transformation of the Surp Asdvadzadzin Church in Antep. Parrhesia Collective had an interview with Tamar Gürciyan about her thesis.