"Van" (continued) - Sergey VARDANYAN

Sergei Vardanyan's article "Van" (continued)" represents another chapter from the book "Capitals of Armenia" and is devoted to the history of the city of Van at the end of the 19th — beginning of the 20th century, as well as to the tragic events of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 connected with the heroic defense of the city. The publication continues the series begun in previous issues of the journal "Aniv".

Introduction and Methodology

The author builds his narrative on a broad range of sources — eyewitness accounts, diaries of participants in the events, materials from the periodical press of the early 20th century ("Murch", "Masis", "Mshak"), as well as works by travelers and researchers (Pierre Amédée Jaubert, Garegin Srvandztyants). This approach makes it possible to recreate a multidimensional image of Van — both as a commercial, cultural and spiritual center of Western Armenia and as an arena of tragic historical events.

Van at the Turn of the Century: The City and Its Life

This part of the article describes in detail the urban topography and everyday life of Van:
– the structure of the city's districts — Kaghakamech and Aygestan;
– developed trade and shipping activity on Lake Van;
– the education system (25 schools of various confessions) and book printing (24 newspapers in five printing houses);
– religious and cultural life, including the activity of the clergy and the underground work of Aram Manukyan;
– economic prosperity owing to remittances from Vantsis working outside their homeland.

Particular attention is given to the description of Aygestan as a symbol of harmony between nature and human labor, conveyed through the poetic testimonies of contemporaries.

The Defense of Van in 1915

The central place in the article is occupied by the description of the heroic self-defense of the Armenian population of Van in the spring of 1915, amid the onset of the Genocide:
– the plundering and violence inflicted upon the Armenians of Vaspurakan from the beginning of the First World War;
– the siege of the city by a twelve-thousand-strong Turkish-Kurdish army;
– the creation of Military Self-Defense Bodies in Kaghakamech and Aygestan;
– the organization of supply, medical aid, and weapons production;
– the steadfastness of the defenders, armed with a minimal quantity of weapons against a regular army and artillery.

The author cites documentary testimonies of participants in the defense — Hayk Kosoyan, Onik Mkhitaryan, A. Poharyan — conveying the atmosphere of fierce fighting and the unbreakable spirit of the city's defenders.

Conclusion

The key conclusion of the article is that the defense of Van in 1915 became one of the most vivid examples of organized resistance by the Armenian population to the policy of genocide, demonstrating a high degree of national consolidation, self-sacrifice and the ability for self-organization in the face of mortal danger. At the same time, the author emphasizes the cultural and historical value of pre-war Van as one of the significant centers of Armenian civilization, whose destruction became an irreparable loss for the Armenian people.