Vaspurakan

Van/Varak (Varag) & Our Armenian Past

(Click on any of the small thumbnail Photos to enlarge)

I am always looking for connections to anyone with family history from Shoushantz, Varak or Van areas.

Below is Van in about 1884

Photo is from www.antique-prints.de which has many of these miscellaneous prints.

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The map below has Varakavank or Varagavank (Warak Wank, on the map) listed just below Van, about 10 km's southeast of Van, circled in yellow.

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The spelling is either Varag or Varak, same with Varagavank and Varakavank.  I assume it is the Eastern and Western spellings.

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Armenian postage stamps, 1920-22:  Armenian Stamps

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( At the bottom of my Armenian page is a link to my handmade "Wire People" & "Wine Glass Marker People")

1897 near Van, received this two piece photo from my cousins wife Delores Oro-Bedrosian.

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(Received these two pictures from Delores Oro-Bedrosian)

Varagavank, near Van in about 1895.  My grandfathers brother is in this photo, somewhere.  He was about age 9.   The painting is from the picture on it's left.

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Photo of old Van

(Taken from Tour de Monde)

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Below are photos sent to me by Christine Gardon.  She was kind enough to share them so they could be viewed by all who come upon my website.  The first two are from her Granddad.

View of Van & Mount Varag  Ariel view of Van

These 4 photos (below) also were sent to me by Christine and were taken by Francois Balsan in 1937.

Fortified walls (Courtines du Gheurab)  Kurdish village, south of Lake Van region of Bitlis  Van

Van Fortress

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Andraniks "Road to Armenia" our ancient land with the music of  Hasmik Harutyunyan & many pictures in his photo gallery.

Andraniks journeys through Western Armenia

(Van, Varakavank, Old City & Fortress + Akhtamar)

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Varak & Van

These 2 photos of Varak & old Van are from Lilyan Chooljian.

Old City of Van , looking toward the new Van, & looking toward the Rock of Van

Aikestan, Van, Lilyan's Mothers families home  now lived in by a Kurdish family.

Also from Lilyan Chooljian, is a 1995 photo of Van.

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These two photos are from NAASR (National Association for Armenian Studies and Research) of Belmont, Mass., and John Donelian and his family website:  http://www.thedonelianfamily.ca

Varakavank (Varak Monastery)

 View of St. Cross Monastery, Varak, Van & St. Cross Monastery, Varak, Van

Photos taken by Vartan A. Hampikian, of New York. c. 1923

Also from the John Donelian family website: St. George Monastery, Van  & Fort of Van, from Tabriz Gate

Photos taken by Vartan A. Hampikian, of New York. c. 1923

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Varakavank (Varak Monastery)  c. 1910

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To Other Armenian LiNKS

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Tours to Historical Armenia

The above photo (Varak Monastery) was sent to me by Armen Aroyan.  Armen takes us diasporans on tours (or pilgrimages) of Historic Armenia (Eastern Turkey).  St. Vartan Bookstore (http://www.stvartanbookstore.com/) carries his videos of the pilgrimages (tours).   

Who is Armen Aroyan and what does he do for us Diasporans?  From what I have read on the internet about Armen, he is well known for being a self taught tour guide and has learned where to go and who the right contacts are when touring Turkey.  He has taken many groups of people to Historic Armenia and left an ever lasting impression for them.  When it comes to taking small groups to historic Armenia (now Eastern Turkey), he is the man to contact. I think he started the tours in 1993.

I hope one day to have the opportunity to go on one of his pilgrimages to Vaspurakan where my grandparents were from. I have heard the stories from
my mother and aunt but never did I ever hear my grandmother speak of the Genocide she experienced. She was born about 1895 and came to America in 1920.
He arrived in America, 1913 to get settled, not knowing of the coming events to take place which unfortunately separated him from his wife for 7 long years.

I have purchased some of Armen Aroyan's videos, which make me feel somewhat connected to where it began, to enjoy the scenes shown on his videos and listen to the historical and cultural information that comes from his videos by various people on the tour.

For Tour Information to Historic Armenia, Armen Aroyan can be contacted at:  aroyan@earthlink.net

To listen to Dr./Professor James Russell and others speaking of the historical past is very moving and historically educational.

Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian and James Russell accompany Armen Aroyan to Historic Armenia on many of the pilgrimages.

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My grandparents, Sarkis & Nazlu ( Movsesian ) Bedrosian.

My grandfather came to America in 1913, under the name Haroutune Garibedian.   Why is unknown, but it may have been political (my guess).   None of my family members had the answer.   He was born in Van, Armenia.   My grandmother came to America in 1920, going through the terrible years of the genocide.   She was born in Aradents, Van, Armenia.   My great grandparents names were Bedros & Shoushan (Garibian) Honoian.

If anyone know of Aradents, Van, could you give me more information?  No one that I have met knows exactly where Aradents is located in the Van area.   Also has anyone heard of Haratenskerry,Van?

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Men of Van    Women of Van    Picnic near Van    Graduates of Van

Our Grandfathers brother    Grandfathers sister names unknown

Unknown family    Unknown man    Unknown family

(These photos were in my relatives personal belongings and no names were on the back of them unfortunately)

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   Tatev, Armenia  

          Tatev Monastery,  photo is 1989 or before. I found it in "Architectural Moments in the Soviet Armenia".

Bartosz Musialowicz' trip to Middle Eastern countries:  Click me and take the ride  This is a picture from Bartosz' site of Tatev Monastery, 2003.

Tatev Monastery, taken by Grikor Agopian, 1995........ Check out Grikors' site !!

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Travel to:

Wearable Wire People Pins & Wire People with built on bases

Miscellaneous Wire People, Wine Glass Markers

Tribal Wire People, The Golfers, The Musicians

The Fishing People

little Wire People World ( main page )

my miscellaneous LiNKS page

my Armenian LiNKS page

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Armenian postage stamps, 1920-22:  Armenian Stamps

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Family

 mnak parov

Contact me here:   Barry@littleWirePeopleWorld.com

( Beam Me Up )