«Կիպրոսի հայ լուսանկարիչները» - Կիրակոս ԶԱՐԴԱՐՅԱՆ

The article "Armenian Photographers of Cyprus" is devoted to the life and work of Kirakos Zartarian — one of the early masters of Cypriot photography, whose biography is examined by the author as part of the broader history of the island's Armenian diaspora. The publication continues the "Aniv" series of materials about Armenians who became pioneers of the art of photography in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean, and draws upon albums published with the support of the Cypriot bank Marfin Laiki, as well as on a text by Stavros Lazarides.

Introduction and Context
The article opens with a brief overview of the background of the Zartarian family — a prosperous Armenian community of Adana in the early twentieth century, destroyed by the consequences of the political upheavals of the Ottoman Empire. The author traces the family's path through:
• the successful entrepreneurship of the father, Karapet Zartarian, and his brother;
• forced emigration to Cyprus in 1921 following the withdrawal of French troops from Cilicia;
• the resettlement of refugees first in Larnaca, and then in Nicosia.

The Biography of Kirakos Zartarian
Special attention is devoted to the personal fate of the protagonist — from his arrival in Cyprus as a six-year-old child, his education at the Melikian and Melkonian schools, to his formation as a photographer under the influence of the master Hayk Avedissian. It is noted that Zartarian's path is typical of the generation of Armenian refugees, whose integration into Cypriot society was accompanied by personal losses and constant adaptation.

Professional Activity
The author characterizes Zartarian's creative method as a diversity of styles and subjects rare for the era — ranging from studio portraiture to landscape and reportage photography. Emphasis is placed on:
• his mastery of light and composition;
• the uniqueness of his captured views of Nicosia from the 1930s–1950s;
• his status as the official photographer of the British colonial administration.

The Fate of the Archive and Legacy
An important thread of the article is the loss of Zartarian's photographic archive following the closure of his studio and the family's emigration to England in 1959. The surviving 360 postcards, published in 1935 and 1945–1950, are recognized as the sole complete testament to his talent.

The key conclusion of the article is that the biography of Kirakos Zartarian represents not only the history of an individual master, but also a documentary reflection of the collective fate of Armenian refugees in Cyprus, and that his photographic legacy, despite the loss of his main archive, remains a significant source for the visual history of the island in the first half of the twentieth century.