Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Andrew Esguerra
Staff Writer
On January 27th Turkish journalist and author Osman Köker presented a lecture on his book Images of Armenians in Turkey 100 Years Ago to a packed Fresno State auditorium.
Mr. Köker’s presentation was part of the Spring 2011 Armenian Studies Program Lecture Series and was co-sponsored by the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research.
Known for bringing attention to the life of Armenians in pre-Genocide Turkey, through his pictorial exhibition, entitled Sireli Yeghpayrus [My Dear Brother], Mr. Köker shared a view of life in specific Turkish provinces during the early 20th century. Eventually seen by thousands of people, the exhibit presented photographs of Armenian life, drawn from a large collection of postcards owned by the collector Orlando Calumeno.
Köker, using a map of Turkey, spoke about the Armenian presence in the various provinces of Turkey, supplemented with images from his collection of century-old photographs and postcards. He presented interesting information, by giving the pre- and post-Genocide Armenian population, and detailing the Armenian contributions to the life of those provinces.
It is hard to imagine that there was place in Turkey with 108 Armenian newspapers, yet according to Köker, the vilayet (Turkish for province) of Istanbul did, in the early part of the 20th century. Istanbul also had Armenian schools and businesses; the presence of Armenians at the time was also apparent, demonstrated by the Armenian writing on signs and buildings throughout the region. The St. George Armenian Church in Istanbul served the Armenian population, and is still active today, though the traces of Armenian influence—the writing—is now nowhere to be found.
The region of Hudavendigar, with the large city of Bursa, was strongly influenced by the Armenian population living in an Armenian quarter with a population of 10,000. The Armenians made their presence known by adorning buildings with Armenian crosses. There are pictures of people, who are likely Armenians, working with silk in Bursa. This is unsurprising as Bursa has had strong historical association with the silk trade and a reputation for fine silks. Armenian influence was widespread in the economy, as nearly all firms in the business center were once owned by Armenians.
The seaside sanjak (a historical subdivision of the Ottoman Empire) called Izmir, also Smyrna, was once a place where the Armenian population reached 20%. Today, however, the once proud Armenian sector of this city has mostly been converted into six-story apartment buildings, lamented Köker. He showed the St. Stephanos Church in Izmir and explained how this Armenian church was important to the community, but that it had gone through tribulations and now is used for the annual Izmir fair.
Many of the people in the various provinces shared a similar story. A picture on a postcard or photograph projected onto the screen connects us to a city’s past, which today has been buried by a turbulent Turkey.
Köker’s goal to show the rich history of Armenians in Turkey and the contribution of the Armenians to society, through the photographs he showed. Köker intended to show Turks that the ideas taught in their schools about an exclusively Turkish-built nation of Turkey were false.
Through his book, Armenians in Turkey 100 Years Ago, and exhibit, Osman Köker created something to open the minds of the youths of Turkey to the rich history of people who shaped the landscape of Turkey. The result is an impressive, unique archive of Armenian history for all the world to see.