Summary
The paper starts with the history of the Armenian community in Cyprus. Their help to the Ottomans during the conquest of Nicosia in 1570, the Armenian monuments in Cyprus and the cultural contacts with the Turkish community during the British occupation and afterwards are dealt in the later parts.
The population of the Armenian Cypriots and its distribution on the island, their status after the Republic of Cyprus was declared are the following topics. When it comes to the inter-communal relationships between the Armenian Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots, many examples are given from the Turkish Cypriot newspapers, where the two communities cooperated in the fields of music, commerce, football and social life.
Among those cultural figures are music teacher of the Turkish Lycee Bedelian, historian Maksudian, who contributed historical articles in the Turkish Cypriot newspapers, the book-seller and writer Keshishian, the football player Sarkis der Avedissian of the AYMA and many others.
After Cyprus became a part of the Ottoman Empire, a population transfer from Anatolia took place and later the Turkish Cypriots emerged as the second largest ethnic-national community of the island. There was an Armenian minority in Cyprus since the 6th Century and a Maronite minority since the 8th Century.[1]
When the island was a part of the Byzantine Empire (395-1191), about 3,000 Armenian soldiers arrived in Cyprus during the reign of King Moris in Armenia and they constituted the first Armenian Cypriots. There was close commercial relations with the emerging Armenian-Cilicia state and Cyprus in the 11th Century.[2]
When Isaac Comnenos was appointed to Cyprus from Antioch in 1184 as a Byzantine ruler, he set up a terror administration in Cyprus. Richard, the Lionheart, who captured the island in 1191 by defeating Comnenos during the 3rd Raid of the Crusades, wrote in his notes on history that when he landed in Limassol, there were Armenian Cypriot villagers among the Herminiis, who were in the army of Comnenos.[3]On the other hand, the best assistant of Richard, the Lionheart was also an Armenian.[4]
At the beginning of the 13th Century, Armenians were among the Cypriot population together with the Greek Cypriots. Armenahor was one of the Armenian villages on the island and it was captured by the Hospitaller Knights from the Templar Knights.[5]
The Armenian community could survive the Lusignan (1192-1489) and the Venetian (1489-1571) Rules in Cyprus up to the Ottoman occupation. The Armenian Church in Famagusta dates back from the 14thCentury, i.e. the Lusignan period. Then the Armenian bishop was living in Nicosia and for a while, the second important bishop was living in Famagusta. When the King of Lesser Armenia, 6th Leo, died in Paris in 1393, he had no masculine heirs and the Cypriot James I, had to take over the post of King of Armenia, besides being the King of Jerusalem and Cyprus. The Lusignan rulers kept this situation until the island was captured by the Venetians.[6]
The old Armenian villages of Armenahor in the district of Limassol, Armenu of Paphos district, Sparthariko of Famagusta district and Kornokepos of Kyrenia district lost their Armenian inhabitants in the course of time.
The Armenian Cypriots did not like the Latins and it is a fact that they helped the Ottoman Turks during the siege of Nicosia in September 1570 and of Famagusta in the summer of 1571. It was recorded that the Armenians opened the Paphos Gate and helped the Ottoman soldiers to enter into the city during the siege of Nicosia on 9thSeptember 1570.[7]Later the control of the Paphos Gate was given to the Armenian Cypriots.[8]
The Benedictine Monastery near the Paphos Gate, which was built in the 14th Century and was used by the Venetians and also for a short while by the Ottomans as a salt-store, was given to the Armenian Cypriots as a gift by the Sultan with a firman dated 27 April/25 May 1571, sent to the first Ottoman Beylerbeyi (Governor) of Cyprus, Muzaffer Pasha. The Armenian Monastery in Nicosia had more than 40 rooms and very nice windows with arches. Near the monastery was the Primary School for the Armenian children and it was named after the families of Melikian and Ouzounian. The Melikian family built the school in 1921 and the Ouzounian family extended it in 1938.[9]Unfortunately all of these Armenian buildings are at the moment in a very bad situation, waiting for total renovation.
The firman of the year 1571 enabled the Armenian Cypriots to resume religious services at the Church of Surp Asdvadzadzin (Virgin Mary) near the Paphos Gate in Nicosia, while another firman of the year 1642 exempted the paying of taxes for Surp Magar (Blessed) Monastery in the Kyrenia district.[10]The quarter around the Victoria Street between the Paphos Gate and the Sarayonu Square is also known by the Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of Nicosia as the Armenian Quarter. Until the 1963 intercommunal troubles, the both communities, plus the Latins and some rich Greek Cypriots, used to live together in the Arabahmet quarter, which was the best residential area, where the Turkish high-ranking officials and the Kadis and Pashas had their homes.
The Armenian Church has a certain influence on the Armenian Cypriots and the Armenian language is learned as mother tongue, although Greek and English are the other languages of communication for many Armenian Cypriots who are raised according to the Armenian customs and traditions.
When Pococke visited the island in 1738, the number of Armenians living in Nicosia was very small and they were very poor. He writes that they had a church, an archbishop and a monastery in the country side.[11]This is the Surp Magar Monastery, which is on the Five Finger Mountains, one mile west of the Halevka Forest Station and four miles from Kythrea. It originally belonged to the Egyptian Coptic Christians and was given to the Armenian community in 1425. The main building had collapsed during an earthquake and it was rebuilt in 1811-14 and used later as a summer camp by the Nicosia Armenian Orphans Fund. The Armenian Cypriots used to make a religious feast on 1st May there. 10.000 donums of land belonged to the monastery.[12]
In 1811 the Ottoman administration granted permission to the Armenians to build a church near the monastery and as a token of their gratitude, the Armenians put the monogram (tugra) of the Ottoman Sultan on a special marble plaque set into the wall at the entrance of the church.[13]Unfortunately, today, also the Surp Magar Monastery is in a bad situation.
The Austrian Archduke Louis Salvator, who visited Cyprus towards the end of the Turkish period and printed an account of his visit in 1873 writes that “The Armenians are everywhere integrated with the Turks.”[14]Because they could speak Turkish fluently and wherever they lived within the Ottoman Empire, they adopted Turkish customs and became close friends and associates of Turks in social, commercial and cultural life.
When the British took the administration in Cyprus in 1878, there were about 150 Armenians on the island. Their number increased up to 8,000 during the period of oppression by Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamit II (1907-1908) and by Talat Pasha (1915-1918) when many Armenians escaped to Cyprus. But in 1925, most of them left for America, Canada and European countries. In 1921 there were 1,197 Armenians in Cyprus and in 1931 their number increased to 3,337. [15]
Since the Anatolian Armenians knew the Turkish language very well, they helped the British administration in reading and translating the Ottoman documents into Turkish in the first years of the British occupation. There were no Turkish Cypriot officials who could understand the English language.
“A certain Apisoghom Utidjian was invited from Constantinople by the British Governor of Cyprus as an official translator of the Ottoman State papers and as an interpreter to the newly formed British administration. His son, Hrand Utidjian continued in the profession during the period when the island was annexed in 1914 and fully declared a British Crown Colony in 1925.”[16]
Beside the private Armenian schools, the Melkonian Institute was the main educational institution, which was originally built in 1924-26 for the Armenian orphans by the Egypt-born brothers Krikor and Garabed Melkonian after the genocide of 1915 and the school was named after them. The Melkonian Educational Institute of Nicosia was built at a cost of 54.000 Sterling as the largest establishment of its kind in those days.[17]Today it is closed. There are about 2,000 graduates of Melkonian School all over the world. For example, Mr.Pars Tuglaci, a well-known cultural figure of Turkey, is also a graduate of this school. An article published in the Turkish Cypriot daily, Soz, in 1937, had appreciated the Melkonian Institute as follows:
“There has been an Armenian community in Cyprus, but this entity was felt more lively after the Melkonian School was built and was opened. Baron Melkonian spent more than half a million (sic!-A.An) British pounds for this cause and without doubt he made a big service to his community and put his name among those of eternals.”[18]
In 1946, Soz newspaper gave the number of the voters for the election of the councilors for the municipality of Nicosia as follows: 5,264 Greek Cypriots, 1,460 Turkish Cypriots, 642 Armenian Cypriots, 94 Catholics, 20 British and others, making a total of 7,480 voters. [19]
Again in Söz, in the same year, an Armenian reader wrote in a letter to the newspaper about the Armenian community the following:
“Until one hundred years ago, the Armenians in Anatolia and the Greeks in Karamania did not know the languages of Armenian or Greek and they used to speak in Turkish. Because both the Armenians and the Greeks were Turkish (citizens). Only that their religion was Christian, they were called as Armenian and Greek. We heard this from our fathers and mothers.. It is wrong to immigrate to Erivan Republic.”[20]
In 1929, the football team of the Nicosia Turkish Lycee used to play matches with the football teams of the other schools, e.g. Armenian Club, Armenian Orphans’ School, Armenian Shopkeepers’ Club.[21]The Armenian Sports Association (Gaitzak) was one of the seven clubs, when the first meeting of the Cypriot football clubs was made in March 1931. Nicosia Turkish Sports Club and five Greek Cypriot clubs (AMOL, Pezoporikos, AEL, APOEL and Trust) were the other participants.[22]
The first unofficial football tournament was started among the Greek Cypriot clubs and later the Turkish Cypriot and the Armenian football clubs were included. Ahmet Sami Topcan remembers that in one of the tournaments, when the Armenian Gaitzak won, it caused resentment among the Greek Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots put an embargo on the Armenian businessmen. In the end the Gaitzak club stopped playing football.[23]
In 1934, a group of young refugee Armenians founded the Armenian Young Men’s Association (AYMA). Their football team was accepted as a member of the Cyprus Football Association (KOP) in 1947-48 football season. There were football matches also between the Armenian and Turkish Cypriot football teams within the Cyprus league. In the footnote below, I give the results of 20 matches with their scores, which I quoted from my book “The History of the First Turkish Cypriot Football teams and the Chetinkaya (1902-1963)”,Nicosia 2007. [24]
Most of the Armenian Cypriots used to live side by side with the Turkish Cypriots and many could speak the Turkish language since they emigrated from Anatolia and the Turkish language was used also within the Armenian families as a second language.
Tophane and Arabahmet were the prestigious neighbourhoods, where the two communities used to coexist. Armenians were known as tradesmen and they were famous especially in the fields of jewelry, dress-making, photography and carpet-selling.
A Turkish Cypriot writer, Hizber Hikmetagalar, describes in his book “Heighbourhood and Memories from old Nicosia” some Armenian families from the Tophane neighbourhood where Turkish Cypriots, Greek Cypriots, Armenians and Latins were living side by side until 1950’s.:
“At the end of the Tophane Mesdjidi (Granikou) Street, the longest of this quarter, used to live the coachman Sarkis Degirmencian, his daughters Mara and Alis and his son Arman, in front of the Tophane Mesdjidi, the internist Dr.Tumaian, his son Onnik, his daughter Louise who was also a piano teacher for the Turkish Cypriot girls, the shirt tailor and trader Setrak Bijian and his son Hamparsun, the marble worker Agop Yerganian, the soap-maker Garabet Nalchadjian.”[25]
Hikmetagalar gives also information that the Ouzounian Street of today in this neighbourhood was named after Mr.Dikran Ouzounian, the tinsmith, the son of Artin, who emigrated from Anatolia, with his Ottoman gold coins, hidden under the butter boxes. He had bought the garden of Hadji Sofu Family in the Tophane Neighbourhood of old Nicosia (named as Ay Andrea Quarter in 1945) and after parcellation of the plot for housing the street in between, was named after him as Ouzounian Street, which exits still today.[26]
When Mr.Dikran Ouzounian died in 1957, an obituary was published after three days in the Turkish Cypriot newspaper, Hursöz, telling that Mr.Ouzounian had come to Nicosia from Diyarbakir and started to work as tinsmith, later he used to repair bicycles. In 1907 he started business with Mr.Petridis and they worked together long time. Afterwards they broke apart.[27]Mr.Ouzounian made a company with Mr.Sultanian and the Turkish Cypriots were their good customers, for example, buying their first Phillips radios or Raleigh bicycles.
It is recorded that the first newspaper in Turkish language in Cyprus was published by an Armenian. In a study called “Mass Media in Cyprus”, we read the following:
“From recent research it appears that the first Cypriot paper in the Turkish language (old Turkish-Arabic) was issued not by a Turk, but an Armenian, who was expelled from Turkey. He originally went to Cairo and after the coming of the British to Cyprus he sought refuge here. His name was Alexan Sarafian and he was the editor of the newspaper titled “Umit” (Hope) which circulated five issues only in Larnaca in 1880. The publisher of the newspaper was Henry S. King and Co. The second Turkish newspaper was Dik-el-Sharke (The cock of the East) which was issued again by Alexan Sarafian on June 16, 1889.”[28]
Another story was published in the Hursoz newspaper by the journalist-printer M.Akif about the founding of the first modern Turkish Cypriot private school called“Numune-i Terakki Mektebi” (School of Example of Progress). I summarize the story as follows:
“Four years before the occupation of the island by the British, an 18-year-old Armenian youth, named Artin Keshishian came from Kayseri to Nicosia and rented a shop to sell combs and furs. He also helped Hasan, son of the night-watch of the marketplace, to study the elementary and the secondary school, teaching him also the art of comb-making in his free time. Hasan later opened his own comb-shop with a good revenue.
Fur-seller Artin Agha also helped the young teacher Lisani Efendi, who resigned from the Omerie School. Comb-maker Hasan used to teach the children of some Turkish Cypriot notables at his comb-shop at the Friday’s Market. He cooperated with Lisani Efendi on the recommendation of his master Artin Agha and they established together in 1883 a modern private school in the region, where the advocate Fadil Korkut had his office.
The uncle of Artin Agha was the owner of the biggest book-shop in Istanbul in those days, called as “Tefeyyuz Kutuphanesi” (Progress Library). The new books for the school were provided from Artin’s uncle. In short time, the number of the pupils increased and the school became popular among the Turkish Cypriots of Nicosia. The school reached from one room to three rooms, but it could not suffice for the increasing number of pupils. Later it moved to Arabahmet School which was an old building. A few years later it moved again to Sarayonu, to the casino of Tuccarbashi Hadji Dervish Efendi, where the Barclays Bank of today is. Finally this elementary school amalgamated with the Ayasophia School in 1888.”[29]
When Hasan Efendi, the comb-maker, died of cirrhosis, the expenses of his funeral was paid by his master Artin Agha Keshishian. Mr.Keshishian used to pay also to Hasan’s mother until she died 3 kurushes every Friday.[30]
The founding of the first Turkish Cypriot bookshop was also with the support of Mr.Artin Keshishian. After the proclamation of the constitutional government in Turkey in 1908, the brother-in-law of Mr.Artin Keshishian, also a comb-maker, Nasipian Efendi came from Kayseri to settle in Nicosia. Mr.Nasipian had a 12-year-old son called Artin. He agreed with Huseyin Resmi Efendi that his son would take Turkish lessons from him. One day Mr.Nasipian recommended Huseyin Resmi Efendi to establish a bookshop. Artin Efendi visited the Educational Department and got the list of books for the new school-year. He sent the list to Istanbul, where the son of his uncle, Partih Efendi, had the bookshop of Tefeyyuz. Partih Efendi sent the books to Huseyin Resmi Efendi, who rented for 8 shillings and shared today's bookshop of Kemal Rustem together with the shoe-maker Sandikchizade Mustafa Efendi. The name of the bookshop was 10th July, which served to the Turkish Cypriot community from 1909 to the middle of 1913,
when Huseyin Resmi Efendi died of a chronic lung disease and the bookshop was evacuated by Artin Keshishian Efendi.[31]
In the 1920’s when the Turkish Cypriots were active in staging various theater plays, some Armenian or Greek Cypriot women took part in these plays, since the Turkish Cypriot women were not allowed to act on stage because of religious conservatism.[32]In some cases, a man dressed like a woman and played the role. The retired teacher, Hasan Saffet Hodjalar remembers that some Armenian entertainers used to work in Ilhami’s company and he gives the following names: Arma Hanim, Marika, the puppet-player, Afrotar, Viktor, Peruz Hanim.[33]The columnist Esref Chetinel remembers his father saying that Peruz Hanim was the only women, who acted in Turkish Cypriot plays in Famagusta in 1924.[34]
Chetinel gives us the following information in the same article, which he gathered after talking to Krikor Haskalian, who used to live in Famagusta until 2002:
“There were 6,000 Armenian in Cyprus. 4,000 of them used to live in Nicosia and the rest in Larnaka, Limassol and Famagusta. They were all businessmen. For example Ornik Zekerian in Nicosia used to import chemical fertilizers called “libazma”. Artin Bohdjalian had 5 stores selling textiles. Dicran Ouzounian and Movsest Sultanian were associates and they were the agency for Raleigh bicycles and Desoto motorcycles. According to Krikor Efendi, the Armenians brought the first shoes to Cyprus. Before, the Cypriots used to wear“charik” and “changar”. The trousers were also widely used by the Armenians as a daily dress that the Cypriots were influenced to wear them instead of the buggy local ones. In Nicosia, the Armenians Ornik, Krikor and Nersesian were importing sweets, lokoumi and other snacks and they used to market them.[35]
Mr.Vartan Malian, a Cypriot Armenian, gives another list of families from his own community, who used to live in the Arabahmet neighbourhood: Dentists Dr.Sarian and Dr.Muradian, photographers Zartarian, Avedissian and Yervant, grocer Pastor Hovanes, carpenters Vartan, Deliferian and Vaharjak, textile-trader Artin Bohchalian and many others. He also remembers the Armenian shopkeepers in the Arasta Street side by side with the Turkish Cypriots: Deliferian, Bedelian, Dadurian, Kostanian, Kazandjian and Chichekian.[36]
I, myself, remember from my childhood the following Armenians: my uncle's employer, the soap-maker Gabriel Casparian, the women's tailor Madame Shinorik, who after apprenticeship gave a diploma in 1932 to my mother as a dress-maker, my mothers' textile–retailers Onnik and Karnik brothers from Arasta Street, my mother's hair-dresser Peruz Haným, who was also our land-lord for a while in the beginning of 1960's, the kebap and lahmacun maker Parsek, where my father used to take me on special occasions, our favourite colourful soft-drink with the trade-mark "Bambakian" and many others.
Another Cypriot Armenians, who made world-wide names are the following personalities: Music teacher Vahan Bedelian’s students Manuk Parikian, Levon Chilingirian and Hartun Bedelian, piano teacher Sirvart Chilingirian, cardiologist Dr.Vatche Kalbian, author Ohannes Shoehmelian, high-ranking officer of the UN Secretary-General Benon Vahe Sevan, famous shirt-maker from Larnaca Stephan Harutunian, painter Vartan Tashchian; the author of the book “Everybody’s Guide to Romantic Cyprus”, which made its first print in 1946 and in 1993, I got the signed 17th Edition from him, Mr.Kevork K.Keshishian, the founder of the Muflon Bookshop; car-racer Vahe Terzian, the journalist-writers of the Cyprus Weekly, Georges and Lana der Partogh and their son my friend Masis, editor of the weekly “Financial Mirror”. Another Armenian friend of mine from Istanbul, Masis Kurkdjugil, helped me to publish my two books in Turkey, to whom I am very thankful.[37]
One of the famous Cypriot Armenians, who had good relations with the Turkish Cypriot and who is most remembered, was the music teacher of the musical band of the Nicosia Turkish Lycee, Bedelian Efendi. Mr. H. Bedelian wrote the following in the annual magazine of the school in 1933, under the title “The Band”:
“I was invited to be a teacher of the band of the Cyprus Turkish Lycee in the beginning of January 1927. The band was started in 1921 and there was only one person from that time and I had to reorganize it all over.
It was not difficult to start, because the pupils, who were in the band were exempted from paying the school fees. We started with do-re-mi and day by day we had progress in our studies. (…) In the school year 1930-31, during the period of Mr.Grand, we formed also an orchestra. We visited Famagusta with a special train on 10th May. In the daytime the pupils of the Lycee played football and in the evening there was an entertainment programme for the benefit of the poor pupils of the Lycee, where our band played many pieces.
In 1931-32, during the period of Canon Newham, our band was making progress. In that year we made our annual visit to Kyrenia and the band was together with us. Near the seaside we played many songs in front of the public.
In 1932-33, when the headmaster I.Hikmet Bey came, almost all of our band members were new pupils and in one year they made a big progress. Together with the headmaster we tried to form an orchestra and for the last entertainment evening of our Lycee, we performed with an orchestra of 35 members, unseen in the history of Lycee. The taste for music was developing.
In 1933-34, our band had only 12 members. Since the pupils were graduated and left for Turkey for further studies, we started once again with the new members. This year our school visited Larnaka and there at the seaside our band played beautiful pieces and the people of Larnaka enjoyed a very good day.
The pieces played by our band had a very good impression on the public this year in our annual evening entertainment and also we received a letter from the previous headmaster of the school Mr.Canon Newham who wrote that our band had made an appreciable progress and I find it not necessary to mention that he congratulated the pupils.(…)
There is a competition for playing violin and piano, also there will be a band competition starting from next year. Those who want to win in this competition, have to practice one hour a day.”[38]
Mr.Bedelian directed the musical band of the Nicosia Turkish Lycee more than 20 years. When he was taken away from this post, columnist Hakki Suha protested this in an article published in the Halkin Sesi newspaper on 6th May 1949. Mr.Bedelian continued his contacts with the Turkish Cypriot community by giving private violin lessons to youngsters many of whom are still remember him with good memories.
Another Armenian Cypriot, Mr.Keyam Djelalian, used to participate with his “kanun” in groups performing classical Turkish music until the intercommunal clashes of December 1963. He played in the groups of Mr.Zeki Taner and Mr.Mustafa Kenan during their programmes recorded for the radio and the TV of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.
In fact the musical cooperation of the two communities has a long history. For example the Turkish newspaper Soz wrote in 1938 the following news item:
“In the last concert of the Cyprus Philharmonic Institution, Cypriot folk songs were played and sung in Armenian, Greek and Turkish languages. The Turkish musicians were very successful and they showed that they had the same capabilities like the Armenians and Greek Cypriots.”[39]
On 24 March 1953, Hursoz wrote the following:
“The Darulelhan, the Turkish Cypriot Classical Turkish Music Group, will give a concert on 14 April in Nicosia under the directorship of Mr.Mustafa Kenan. Among the musicians will be Miss K.Guebenlian, who is one of the Cypriot pianists of high standard, Dr.Costas Petridis, an amateur chello player from Famagusta and some valuable musicians of the Police Band.”
After the concert took place, Hursoz reported on 16 April 1953 that the concert was excellent: “20 musicians were very successful and we enjoyed the three hours of western classical music.”[40]
We read in June 1937 in the Soz newspaper that an article was published in the English language newspaper “Embros” of June 23, under the title “The Cypriot national soul”. The article was written by Baron R.Takvorian and after telling the social and commercial position of the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, the writer refers to the so-called “national soul” which was observed from time to time in the horizons of Cyprus and he tells that there are Armenians and the British on the island, not only the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots. Therefore the autonomy will be a catastrophic period for the island.[41]
The advocate, poet and historian, Nubar Maksudian LL.B, published various articles in the Turkish Cypriot literary journal “Dunya”. His first article was published in March 1946 (No.7) as the Turkish translation of his article “A glance at ancient Cyprus”, originally printed in the British journal “Great Britain and the East”. Mr.Huseyin Cahit, editor of the “Dunya”,writes that Mr. Maksudian had asked him to publish his article and when he did so Mr.Maksudian took all the writers of the journal to an Armenian bar, which belonged to Gamaor and they had a very nice evening together. Ahmet Muzaffer Gurkan and Nazif Suleyman used to translate his articles from English into Turkish.[42]
In 1954, we see again some articles written by Mr.Nubar Maksudian again on historical subjects in the two newspapers, which were read widely by the Turkish Cypriots. A list of his articles is included in the footnote below.[43]
In the same year, 1954, I found an interesting news item that an Armenian Cypriot, Miss Nazik Garabashian from the Belig Pasha Street won a free drivers course, because she found in a competition a new name,“OKAY”, for a Turkish Cypriot Drivers’ School, belonging to Messrs. Kufi H.Okay and Niyazi Reshat.[44]
It is interesting to note that from 4th to 9thMay 1954, when the Cyprus mixed team visited Israel, there were in the Cypriot football team 10 Greek Cypriots, 5 Turkish Cypriots (Erol, Erdogan and Defterali from Chetinkaya and Kamuran, Sevim from AEL and 1 Armenian (Sarkis der Avedissian from AYMA). The scores of the first match was 2-2 and in the second match, Israel defeated Cyprus with a score 2-1.
On 27 February 1955, when Chetinkaya played once again with AYMA, Chetinkaya won with a score 4-3. This was the last match between the two football clubs. On 3 April 1955 Chetinkaya went to the GSP Stadium for the football match with Pezoporikos, but they were not allowed to play. According to Ozcan Ozcanhan, the reason was given as follows: “The stadium belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church and we got orders not to take you in. You torpedoed the struggle of EOKA by siding with the British.”[45]
Chetinkaya protested this with a letter to the KOP, which later decided that there would be no matches anymore with the Turkish Cypriots. In October 1955, the Turkish Cypriot football clubs formed their own football organization and the intercommunal cooperation in sports came to an end since then.
The majority of the Cypriot Armenians had a good standard of living and before 1963 they used to give more taxes than the Turkish Cypriot community. When the Turkish Cypriots established a separate municipality in the Turkish Cypriot quarters of Nicosia in 1958, the Armenian Cypriot tradesmen preferred to pay their professional taxes to this authority.[46]
Since the intercommunal clashes of 1963, the Armenian Cypriots opted to live in the Greek Cypriot quarters of Nicosia. The remaining Armenians were either accused of being agents of the Greek Cypriots or threatened by the Turkish Cypriot underground organization TMT to leave the Turkish Cypriot quarters.
According to Dr.R.Takvorian, when he wrote his article“The Armenian Community” in 1947, the Cypriot Armenians were numbering over 4,000.[47]But some families emigrated to England or America after the EOKA struggle started, as Mr.Vartan Malian also stressed in an interview.[48]When the Republic of Cyprus was proclaimed in 1960, there were 3,628 Armenians living on the island. 2,500 were living in Nicosia, 800 in Larnaca, 250 in Famagusta and the remaining small minority was living in the rural villages.
Some other Armenian families came from Lebanon and Iran in the 1970’s and later from the dissolving Soviet Armenia. Many of those, who emigrated after the intercommunal clashes started in 1963 to Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, came back in 1994 to settle again in Cyprus.[49]
Under the provisions of the 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, the Armenian Cypriots chose to be considered as members of the Greek Cypriot community. But they have a representative in the House of Representatives, albeit without a vote and they can speak their opinion in the parliament.
Recently, when Chetinkaya organized an evening for the football veterans, 2 Armenian Cypriots (Sarkis Bedikian and Rober Kostanian) were given placates of remembrance, together with 4 Greek Cypriots and 19 Turkish Cypriots.[50]
In the last general elections of 22 May 2005, the number of Armenian voters was 1,699. Over one thousand of them were living in Nicosia and the rest in Larnaca and Limassol. Mr.Varkes Mahtessian could get 52.6% of the Armenian votes and was elected as their representative in the House of Representatives.[51]
At the moment the Armenian Cypriots number about 2,500 people and with the words of Miss Susan Pattie, “they try hard to retain their identity in the face of insecurity brought about not only by violent events such as those of 1963 and 1974, but fears of assimilation, the new mobility brought about by job opportunities and education abroad and intermarriage.”[52]
(This paper was presented at the conference on “The Minorities of Cyprus: Past, Present and Future”organised by the European University Cyprus in Nicosia, 24 and 25 November 2007. It is later published in the following book: "The Minorities of Cyprus: Development, patterns and the identity of internal-exclusion, edited by Andrekos Varnava, Nicholas Coureas and Marina Elia, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009, pp.287-298)
[1] Ahmet An, Articles on Turkish Cypriot Culture, Nicosia 1999, p.14-15 (Turkish)
[2] Sir George Hill, A History of Cyprus, Cambridge 1972, Vol:1, p.281
[3] Rupert Gunnis, Historic Cyprus, London 1947, p.175
[4] Cyprus Mail, 5 November 1985
[5] Sir George Hill, ibid, Vol:2, p.2
[6] Rupert Gunnis, ibid, p.101
[7] quoted from Papken I.,Hai Kibros, p.27,87 by Sir George Hill, A History of Cyprus, Cambridge 1972, Cilt:2, s.3
[8] quoted from Papouran, Kipros Gueghzi, 1903, p.63,68 by Sir George Hill, ibid, p.3
[9] Ruth Keshishian, Armenian Community of Cyprus: 6th Century AD to the Present Day, Cyprus Today, January- April 2002, p.32
[10] ibid, p.28
[11] C.D.Cobham, Excerpta Cypria. Materials for a History of Cyprus, Cambridge, 1908, p.260 and 269
[12] Dr.R.Takvorian’s article under the title “The Armenian Community”(pp.19-21) in The Island of Cyprus-An Illustrated Guide and Handbook, compiled and edited by L.&H.Mangoian, Bristol 1947
[13] Ahmet C.Gazioglu, The Turks in Cyprus, London 1990, p.264
[14] Lefkosia: The capital of Cyprus, New edition, London 1983, p.18
[15] Annual Report on the Social and Economic Progress of the People of Cyprus, London 1931, p.5-6
[16] Ruth Keshishian, ibid, p.30
[17] Dr.R.Takvorian, ibid
[18] Soz, 12 June 1937 (No.:1052)
[19] Soz, 27 January 1946 (No.:2754)
[20] Söz 3 February 1946 (No.:2760)
[21] Kipris Erkek Lisesi Mecmuasi 1933-1934 Yilligi, pp.79-80
[22] Cyprus State Archive, SA/1/630/1931
[23] Halkin Sesi, 6 July 1989
[24] * 7 March 1948- Nicosia Turkish Sports Club (LTSK) and AYMA played in Nicosia, Result: 0-0
* May 1948- Paok league match in Nicosia, LTSK “B” defeated AYMA with a score 7-5.
* 9 January 1949- LTSK and AYMA played in Nicosia, Result: 2-2. The B team of LTSK was defeated by AYMA 5-1. In October 1949, the LTSK merged with Chetinkaya under the name Chetinkaya Turkish Sports Club (CTSK) and continued its membership in the KOP, now with better results.
* 23 October 1949- CTSK defeated the mixed team of Olimpiakos and AYMA with a score 2-1.
* 3 December 1949- CTSK won over AYMA 3-1 in its fifth match in the Cyprus league.
* 2 April 1950- CTSK “B” defeated AYMA “B” with a score 3-0.
* 5 May 1950- Chetinkaya ping-pong team defeated AYMA 16-9 and H.Tashchian became the champion of the champions and Muammer Mutlu, the captain of Chetinkaya won the cup, put by the Cholakoglou Company.
* 15 October 1950- In a match played for the benefit of the Cyprus Football Association (KOP), Chetinkaya- Olimpiakos mixed team defeated the Apoel-AYMA mixed team with a score 3-2.
* 4 February 1951- Chetinkaya “B” team defeated AYMA “B” team with a score 5-2. In another match played on the same day for the benefit of the AYMA, AYMA “A” team defeated Chetinkaya “A” team with a score 2-1.
* 25 February 1951- Chetinkaya was defeated by AYMA with a score 1-2.
* 29 April 1951- Chetinkaya won over AYMA 3-0 in Nicosia.
* 17 February 1951-In the Second League of Cyprus, Chetinkaya “B” defeated AYMA “B” with a score 3-1.
* 24 February 1951- Chetinkaya defeated AYMA with a score 1-0 in its 7thmatch and ended the first round as the leader.
* 21 June 1951-Chetinkaya was defeated by AYMA with a score 2-6.
* 14 December 1952- Chetinkaya defeated AYMA with a score 7-0.
* 8 February 1953- Chetinkaya defeated AYMA with a score 3-1 in the second round and reached the semi-finals.
* 8 June 1953- Chetinkaya defeated AYMA with a score 4-2.
* 7 November 1953- Chetinkaya defeated AYMA with a score 3-1.
* 4-9 May 1954-The Cyprus mixed team visited Israel and in the Cypriot football team there were 10 Greek Cypriots, 5 Turkish Cypriots (Erol, Erdogan and Defterali, from Chetinkaya and Kamuran, Sevim from AEL and 1 Armenian (Sarkis from AYMA). The scores of the first match was 2-2 and in the second match, Israel won over Cyprus 2-1.
* 27 February 1955- Chetinkaya defeated AYMA with a score 4-3.
[25] Neighbourhood and Memories from Old Nicosia, Istanbul 1996, pp.182-187
[26] ibid, p.178
[27] 30 June 1957
[28] Andreas Cl.Sophocleous and Panayiotis Papademetris, Mass Media in Cyprus, Nicosia 1991, p.21. “The first Turkish Cypriot paper that had a Turkish owner was published in Nicosia on July 11, 1889. It was titled Sadet (Issue), was a weekly and was published by Kasabali Mehmet Emin Efendi. It was small in size (30x7 inches) and it had short life. It suspended its publication on November 14, 1889, after only 16 issues.” (ibid)
[29] Hursoz, 27 January 1957, quoted from Ahmet An, The Values Cyprus Cultivated, Vol:1 (1782-1899) by Ahmet An, Ankara 2002, pp.138-139)
[30] Hursoz, 13 January 1957
[31] Hursoz, 3 February 1957, quoted from Ahmet An, The Values Cyprus Cultivated, Vol:1 (1782-1899) by Ahmet An, Ankara 2002, pp.494-495
[32] Rasih Isikman, Theatre in Cyprus, No.2, Bozkurt, 13 February 1961
[33] Neriman Cahit, Ikinci Hamur, Nicosia, February 2006, p.320
[34] Halkin Sesi, 17 June 2001
[35] ibid
[36] Yeni Duzen, 8 November 2005
[37] Kibris Nereye Gidiyor? (Quo Vadis Cyprus?), Istanbul June 2002, Second Print April 2003 and Kibris: Dun ve Bugun (Cyprus: Yesterday and Today) Editor:Masis Kurkcugil, Istanbul 2003.
[38] Kipris Erkek Lisesi Mecmuasi 1933-1934 Yilligi, pp.92-95
[39] Soz, 9 April 1938 (No.:1151)
[40] Hursoz, 24 March 1953 and 18 March 1953
[41] Soz, 26 June 1937 (No.:1056)
[42] Hasmet M.Gurkan, Yeni Kibris, January 1985, p.35. The other articles by Mr.Maksudian, published in Dunya are as follows:
* July 1946, No.9- The massacre of the Bulgarians in Cyprus and the Quenn’s window in St.Hilarion
* August 1946, No.10- The two historical worship places in Cyprus (Two St.Sophias)
* September 1946, No.11- The Middle Age Kingdom of Cyprus and the neighbouring states-Part:1
* October 1946, No.12- Part:2 (Translated by A.Muzaffer Gurkan)
[43] * Hursoz, 3 December 1949- Population of Cyprus in History (ancient times)
* Halkin Sesi, 5 February 1954- The two historical worship places of Cyprus: Two St.Sophia Mosques
* Hursoz, 6 February 1954, A page from the history of Near East: The Middle Age Kingdom of Cyprus and the Neighbouring States, two articles
* Hursoz, 23 February 1954- The Strange Story of the Yezidis
* Hursoz, 27 February 1954- A view at Ancient Cyprus, two articles
* Halkin Sesi, 2 March 1954- Historical Researches – The population of ancient Cyprus
* Halkin Sesi, 13 March 1954- The Armenian Monastry in Cyprus
* Hursoz, 27 March 1954- Several historical names of Cyprus (17 names in 2 articles)
* Halkin Sesi, 13 April 1954- Historical Ayios Chrisostom Monastry of Cyprus: The Queenn of the Castle of “101 Houses”
* Hursoz- 10 June 1954, The grief of a big king (A mythical story)
[44] Halkin Sesi, 9 June 1954
[45] Yeni Duzen, 28 March 2005 and 16 July 2006
[46]Bozkurt, 25 January 1959, The list of Armenian tradesman: Agop Nalchadjian (businessman), Mikirdich
Mikirdichian (businessman), Rupen Chilingirian (bicycle-seller), Parsek Zartarian ve his son (commissioner), Keyam Celalian (confectionary), Hadjik Kasparian (businessman), Michel Bohchalian (businessman) etc.
[47] Dr.R.Takvorian, ibid
[48] Yeni Duzen, 8 November 2005
[49] Simerini, 13.10.1995
[50] Kibris, 24 June 2003
[51] Quoted from Fileleftheros, 22 May 2005 by Turkish News Agency Cyprus-TAK, Greek Cypriot Press Summary, 23 May 2005
[52] Cyprus Weekly, 23 May 1997, quoted from Susan Pattie, Faith in History: Armenians Rebuilding Community, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997
interesting synopsis! there's more...much more still to be told...for instance, my Armenian grandfather taught Turkish at the American Academy in Larnaca...
ReplyDeleteThanks for your interest. What I have included in that article was only a small part of our common history. That could be motivating for the younger generations to compile the untold stories and record them...
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