Melkon ''Hrand'' Guirdjian ( hy, Մելքոն Հրանդ Կիւրճեան, 1859 in Palu,

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

– 1915 in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

) was an

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

n writer, professor, and civic activist.

Biography

Melkon Guirdjian was born in the Havav village in the Palu region that is now considered Elazığ. Guirdjian attended the local

n school. He then moved to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

at age 11 where he attended the prestigious Jemaran

n School of

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 ...

. After completing his studies at Jemaran and later Surp Hac Tbrevank, he became a teacher from 1878 to 1896. He taught

Armenian history The history of Armenia covers the topics related to the history of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the Armenian people, the Armenian language, and the regions historically and geographically considered ''Armenian''. Armenia is located ...

, language, and culture in many

n schools such as the prestigious

Getronagan Armenian High School Getronagan is an Armenian minority high school in the Karaköy district of Istanbul, Turkey, The school is attached to the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church. Establishment With the sponsorship of Archbishop Nerses Varjabetyan, Getronagan H ...

. In 1893 he was imprisoned for alleged political activity. Due to the political instability, he fled to Varna, Bulgaria. In

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

, he founded the Armenian school Artzrunian, which served as a haven for

n refugees. During his absence from

, his house was searched by local police and many of his manuscripts and writings were burned. He felt the need to return in 1898 and was immediately arrested once again upon return. After spending 6 months in prison, Guirdjian escaped to

Kastamonu Kastamonu is the capital district of the Kastamonu Province, Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 102,059 of which 64,606 live in the urban center of Kastamonu. (Population of the urban center in 2010 is 91,012.) The ...

, where he remained for 10 years. During his stay in

, he gave Armenian literature and history lessons covertly. In 1906, on the basis of a secret agent's reports, his literary pieces were once again destroyed. When the Young Turk Revolution succeeded in 1908, Guirdjian returned to

and began participating in civic and literary activities once again.

Death

On April 24, 1915, Melkon Guirdjian along with other prominent intellectuals and figures of the Constantinople's

n community were

deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...

to unknown destinations within the interior provinces of

Ottoman Turkey The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

as part of 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 ...

. Melkon Guirdjian found himself in the outskirts of

and was ultimately killed by

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

gendarmes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giurdjian, Melkon 1859 births Date of birth missing 1915 deaths Date of death missing Armenian-language writers People who died in the Armenian genocide Armenians from the Ottoman Empire Writers from Istanbul 20th-century writers from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century writers from the Ottoman Empire Expatriates from the Ottoman Empire Expatriates in Bulgaria People from Palu, Elazığ Prisoners and detainees of the Ottoman Empire