Mari Vardanyan
Mari Vardanyan
105-years-old, spends most of her time sitting cross-legged on the sofa. A radio and a Bible are lying next to her. She has special earphones, with the help of which she follows the news of Radio Liberty every day.
“We go to work, and mama stays at home alone the whole day. A few years ago she was reading a lot, but then her eyesight worsened and now she prefers using earphones and listening to news much more,” says Armen Vardanyan, her son.
The old woman carefully examines her guests. She especially pays close attention to the movements of their lips. Her son says that the old woman is trying to understand (read) her guest’s speech.
The centragenarian starts talking. Her faded eyes become alive, when she speaks about her birthplace – Malatia, Western Armenia. Her voice is shivering with excitement, but she keeps on talking.
“I am the granddaughter of Gevorg Effendi Mazmanyan. He worked at the government of (Ottoman) Turkey as a chief treasurer. Turks had killed my grandfather days before the massacre. I can still recall how the horse carrying his dead body returned home in the morning,” Vardanyan recalls.
For a moment she seems lost in her memories. She recalls how beautiful their home town was.
“Malatia was like a dream. It was famous for its gardens and parks. Even now I remember our two-storey house with its large balconies,” she recalls. “I remember each street and block.”
Now Malatia is in the territory of Turkey. But it used to be one of the major towns in Western Armenia. About 20,000 Armenians lived here before the Armenian Genocide in 1915. More than 7,500 died in Malatia. Those who survived were forced out, and they had to leave for different countries.
“My grandmother, my mother and I managed to survive only thanks to our Turk friends, who hid us,” the old woman recalls. “There was a command those days to hang all those who hid even a single Armenian in their houses. And in spite of that horror, those people (our Turk friends) were having us in their house.”
The eyes of the old lady, which have seen a migration, massacre, slaughter, and cruelty, became smaller out of pain. Her tears roll across veins visible under her transparent skin, when she recalls how people were killed on the road of the migration, how they (Young Turks) transformed the famous apple orchard in Malatia called ‘Almaloghlu Bakhcha’ into a graveyard for Armenians.
“There was a command not to kill Protestants and Catholics. My mother said that she was a Protestant. She was set free. Then we stayed in Malatia with fear and horror in our hearts until 1937; later we moved to Aleppo, Syria, to live there,” Vardanyan recalls.
She remembers the notes posted in the public transportation in Aleppo: “Do not speak Turkish, remember the one and half million victims.”
In 1946, along with many Armenians Vardanyan repatriated to Armenia. Now she lives in Malatia district of Yerevan. Many Armenians who immigrated from the ancient Malatia have been settled here since 1925, founding Malatia district.
Vardanyan follows news of protocols and open borders and so forth on her radio. She doesn’t like what she hears of news favoring “normalization”. She opposes getting friendly with Turkey.
Her tongue is understandably sharp when referring to Armenia’s western neighbors and says Armenia should not be so quick to welcome the Turks.
“Let them recognize the Genocide first,” she says.
The old woman does not believe that the opening of the border will improve living standards in Armenia, or that it will promote the development of Armenia’s economy.
“At the beginning it might be good. What about the future? Why were they killing us? Because they (Turks) were saying that whoever killed a single Armenian, would merit the kingdom of God (Allah). How can I wish the border to be open?” Vardanyan says.
105-years-old, spends most of her time sitting cross-legged on the sofa. A radio and a Bible are lying next to her. She has special earphones, with the help of which she follows the news of Radio Liberty every day.
“We go to work, and mama stays at home alone the whole day. A few years ago she was reading a lot, but then her eyesight worsened and now she prefers using earphones and listening to news much more,” says Armen Vardanyan, her son.
The old woman carefully examines her guests. She especially pays close attention to the movements of their lips. Her son says that the old woman is trying to understand (read) her guest’s speech.
The centragenarian starts talking. Her faded eyes become alive, when she speaks about her birthplace – Malatia, Western Armenia. Her voice is shivering with excitement, but she keeps on talking.
“I am the granddaughter of Gevorg Effendi Mazmanyan. He worked at the government of (Ottoman) Turkey as a chief treasurer. Turks had killed my grandfather days before the massacre. I can still recall how the horse carrying his dead body returned home in the morning,” Vardanyan recalls.
For a moment she seems lost in her memories. She recalls how beautiful their home town was.
“Malatia was like a dream. It was famous for its gardens and parks. Even now I remember our two-storey house with its large balconies,” she recalls. “I remember each street and block.”
Now Malatia is in the territory of Turkey. But it used to be one of the major towns in Western Armenia. About 20,000 Armenians lived here before the Armenian Genocide in 1915. More than 7,500 died in Malatia. Those who survived were forced out, and they had to leave for different countries.
“My grandmother, my mother and I managed to survive only thanks to our Turk friends, who hid us,” the old woman recalls. “There was a command those days to hang all those who hid even a single Armenian in their houses. And in spite of that horror, those people (our Turk friends) were having us in their house.”
The eyes of the old lady, which have seen a migration, massacre, slaughter, and cruelty, became smaller out of pain. Her tears roll across veins visible under her transparent skin, when she recalls how people were killed on the road of the migration, how they (Young Turks) transformed the famous apple orchard in Malatia called ‘Almaloghlu Bakhcha’ into a graveyard for Armenians.
“There was a command not to kill Protestants and Catholics. My mother said that she was a Protestant. She was set free. Then we stayed in Malatia with fear and horror in our hearts until 1937; later we moved to Aleppo, Syria, to live there,” Vardanyan recalls.
She remembers the notes posted in the public transportation in Aleppo: “Do not speak Turkish, remember the one and half million victims.”
In 1946, along with many Armenians Vardanyan repatriated to Armenia. Now she lives in Malatia district of Yerevan. Many Armenians who immigrated from the ancient Malatia have been settled here since 1925, founding Malatia district.
Vardanyan follows news of protocols and open borders and so forth on her radio. She doesn’t like what she hears of news favoring “normalization”. She opposes getting friendly with Turkey.
Her tongue is understandably sharp when referring to Armenia’s western neighbors and says Armenia should not be so quick to welcome the Turks.
“Let them recognize the Genocide first,” she says.
The old woman does not believe that the opening of the border will improve living standards in Armenia, or that it will promote the development of Armenia’s economy.
“At the beginning it might be good. What about the future? Why were they killing us? Because they (Turks) were saying that whoever killed a single Armenian, would merit the kingdom of God (Allah). How can I wish the border to be open?” Vardanyan says.