Aurora Mardiganian (1901–1994)

“Ravished Armenia” (orig. 1918 – my version 2016), is written by Aurora Mardiganian. Ms. Mardiganian was seventeen when she wrote this, three years after she, and her family, and millions of other Armenians, had been forced out of their houses in SE Turkey to be expelled from that country. She describes, in sickening detail, her journey, initially on the way to the Syrian desert, intended destination for the Armenians. How the men were separated, and were killed first. How the women and children were marched south and east, under the guard of the zaptieh – Turkish policemen – and soldiers, or of Kurdish bands of irregular militia. How many of them suffered unimaginable thirst, and starved to death. Or were left behind, outright killed, or starving, because they could not keep up with the convoy. How children were stolen from the groups, to be sold to rich Turkish families. How many of the young women were taken, either to be sold into harems, or to be gang raped by the soldiers until they died. The could-not-care-less attitude, the indiscriminate killing, the most cruel torture for pleasure. By soldiers and zaptieh, by Kurds, by the power brokers and the Turkish leaders, even by some German officers that were stationed in the area as Turkish allies in the first World War. By normal villagers, who opportunistically robbed whatever they could put their hands on, too.
Of course I had heard, and read, about the Armenian genocide of 1915. But this detailed account takes the genocide from an abstract historical event to the very real horror experienced by one of the few survivors. How a people had nobody, absolutely nobody, to fall back on. How they became victim of collective barbarism, there is no other word for it. And that a little more than 100 years ago, only.
It is not a pretty story, of course. It is not even well written. But it needs to be read – if you have the stamina for it.… (lisätietoja)