Arshaguhi Teotig ( hy, Արշակուհի Թեոդիկ, 1875–1922) was an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

social worker, educator, publicist, writer, and translator.

Life

Arshaguhi Teotig was born Arshaguhi Cezveciyan in the

Ortaköy Ortaköy ( ''Middle Village)'' is a neighbourhood within the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European shore of the Bosphorus. it was originally a small fishing village, known in Greek as Agios Fokas (Άγιος Φωκάς) in t ...

district of

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

in 1875. Her father Bedros Cezveciyan was an owner of publishing house in Ottoman capital

. She get her primary education at the Nunyan-Varduhyan College of the

Samatya Samatya ( el, Ψαμάθεια, pr. ''Psamatheia''; hy, Սամաթիա) is a quarter of the Fatih district of Istanbul. It is located along the Marmara Sea, and borders to the west on the neighborhood of Yedikule (the "Castle of the Seven Towers ...

district in 1895. She traveled to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and studied at the Westland high school in

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

. After graduating from Westland, she went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to continue her studies. She contributed to G. Lusinyan's French–

dictionary as a researcher of words and meanings. In 1898 she returned to Istanbul and continued her studies at the

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy; w ...

Jemaran Armenian College and Seminary. She began her career as a writer in newspapers and journals such as Hayganush Mark's ''Tsaghig'' (Flower), ''Manzume'', ''Surhantak'' (Messenger), ''Byzantium'', ''

Jamanak ''Jamanak'' (Armenian: Ժամանակ, meaning "time") is the longest continuously running Armenian language daily newspaper in the world. It is published in Istanbul, Turkey. History The first issue appeared on October 28, 1908 with Misak Koçu ...

'' (Time) newspaper. She also participated in the ''Polis Hayivare'' editorial magazine. In 1902 she married renowned Armenian writer and publicist

Teotig Teotoros "Teotig" Labdjindjian ( hy, Թեոդորոս "Թէոդիկ" Լապճինճեան, 1873; Üsküdar, Constantinople (Istanbul), Ottoman Empire – 1928; Paris, France) was an Armenian writer and publisher best known for his Armenian langu ...

. After her husband was imprisoned and subsequently sent to Der Zor, Arshaguhi Teotig became gravely ill. Arshaguhi Teotig was subsequently sent to

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

where she managed to live until 1922. It has been said that her last words were "All of us are victims", referring to the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

Work

Arshaguhi Teotig was part of the ''Azkanver Hayuhyats Engerutyuni'', an Armenian organization that supported the construction, maintenance, and operations of Armenian girl schools throughout the heavily Armenian populated districts of the Ottoman Empire. In 1909, the organization received word about the Adana massacre and were compelled to help in any way possible. Arshaguhi went to

Adana Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana Province, Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million. Adana lies in the heart ...

and was appalled by the scene. She then returned to

and published the paper and short book ''A Month in Cilicia'' in 1910. This was an eyewitness account of the situation in

. Arshaguhi Teotig also assisted her husband in his Amenuyn Daretyutsi periodical works.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Teotig, Arshaguhi Armenian philanthropists 20th-century Armenian writers Armenian lexicographers Armenian feminists 20th-century writers from the Ottoman Empire Armenians from the Ottoman Empire 1875 births 1922 deaths Writers from Istanbul