Occupation of Erzincan, July 25, 1916

On July 25, 2013, I wrote "With my right wrist in plaster, relying on my left hand for typing, I commemorate occupation of Erzincan giving links to some  sources" and had to suffice giving few URLs. This was not fair on my husband's home town with its rich history, which goes back to Urartians and because of very heavy sufferings and losses Erzincan people faced during occupation. Britannica Academic Edition notes that the city "lies on the northern bank of the Kara River [Karasu], a major tributary of the Euphrates" and summarizes the city's past as follows: "It was taken by the Seljuq Turks from Byzantium in 1071, fell to the Mongols in 1243, and, after the collapse of the Mongol empire, was ruled by various local Turkmen dynasties until its final incorporation into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. At the end of the 19th century, with its woolen-textile and leather industries, Erzincan was an important centre of eastern Anatolia, but its industries and population suffered from Armenian riots and occupation by Russian forces during World War I."

 In his book titled Russian Origins of the First World War, Sean McMeekin mentions Erzincan as below:

"A. A. Adamov, the Russian consul at Erzurum (where, significantly, the headquarters of the Ottoman Third Army was located), wrote a long analysis of the Armenian situation as he left Turkey following the onset of hostilities. ... “It is not only the Armenian population of Erzurum,” Adamov informed Russia’s generals [on 1 November 1914], “but also in all cities surrounding it, including Erzincan, Sivas, Mana Hatun [ei Mama Hatun] and Kayseri, not to mention in the villages and rural areas, who are awaiting with impatience the arrival of ­ Russian troops who will free them from the Turkish yoke.” Even the Dashnaks of Erzurum, he reported, who had always been wary of Russia and had cultivated strong ties with the German consul, had, following the Armenian reform agreement saga, “fi­nally given up all opposition and turned fully Russophile.” Not being suicidal, the Erzurum Dashnaks and other Armenian partisans in the region, Adamov promised, “will not likely risk launching the uprising until the Russians are right on their doorstep” .... Although the rebels had carefully “hidden their weapons in secret storage caches,” they “would not dare to take them up” in a country under martial law, fearing im­mediate reprisals.”

Ottoman government tried to take measures against these plans by the decision of relocation and resettlement in May 1915 but still could not avoid a very high rate of losses, devastation in cities and annihilation  of thousands of villages. McCarthy gives four reasons for this destruction which took place from 1914 -1920: Weakness of the Ottomans, Russian imperialism, intervention of Europe and revolutionary Armenian nationalism.

Russian General Nikolai Yudenich took Erzincan in two days. The city suffered most heavily when Armenians left behind took the control, after withdrawal of Russian Army because of October Revolution in 1917. On December 5, 1917, the armistice of Erzincan was signed between the Russians and Ottomans, ending armed conflicts between the two states. Shortly after the Armistice the province was retaken by General Kazim Karabekir  on  February 13, 1918 and liberated.

In an article titled  "Erzincan Ermenileri [Erzincan Armenians] posted to the Armenian on Web discussion forum by someone with nickname Palutzi, 41 villages and small villages (gom/kom) are mentioned. Among the villages listed, Varduk is I think the one called Vartik by Turks and it is the village of my mother in law as well because some of these villages had mixed population.

Abdülkadir Gül from Erzincan University reports that there were 87 villages in total in Erzincan in 1835. 72 of them were Muslim and  31 non-Muslim, while 16 had mixed population.

My husband looked for Shebghe (Şebge) on Palutzi's list but could not find it since 26 villages/goms out of 41 listed are named. Shebge --nowadays called Yeşilyaka-- is an Allevite village, which had mixed population at the time. I have narrated how Auntie Fidan saved some Armenians under custody in my post titled Our Armenians.

Here are some photos from historical sites of the province, which today attracts lovers of trekking, rafting, waterskiing, paragliding and some other sports, besides those interested in history and natural beauty:

Abrenk Church is located at the vicinity of the Üçpınar village in Tercan district. The date of 1854 is inscribed on the entrance gate. There is a chapel and two obelisks besides the church. Some stones attract attention as they carry insctiptions from the last half of the 12th century during the reign of the Seljuk Prince Nasurettin.

Mama Hatun Külliyesi (Complex) is also in Tercan district. It is one of the most interesting and significant examples of the Turkish architecture. It was constructed by Mama Hatun who was the daughter of the Saltukogullari Monarch Izzettin II. The complex comprises a caravansary, a bathhouse, a mosque and Mama Hatun’s own mausoleum.

Altıntepe (Golden hill) is an ancient Urartian site located at the 12th kilometre on the Erzincan to Erzurum highway. The remains are sited on a 60 metre high volcanic hill. In this area, a temple (or palace), the great hall, warehouse, city wall, rooms, three subterranean rooms sides on south of the hill and an open-air temple were found and excavated. The Altıntepe ruins have yielded a vast number of ivory, ceramic, bronze and metal objects, helmets and shields which are exhibited at The Anatolian Civilizations Museum in Ankara. All these findings point to an Urartu civilization where art and crafts reached its peak (Barnett & Gökce).



Here is a traditional song from Erzincan, Tanrıdan diledim bir dilek (A wish from God) played by violin beautifully.

Sources

Barnett, R. D., Gökce, N. "The Find of Urartian Bronzes at Altin Tepe, Near Erzincan". Anatolian Studies , Vol. 3, (1953), pp. 121- 129. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3642389

"Erzincan." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 04 Oct. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/192181/Erzincan>.

Gül, Abdulkadir. "XIX. Yüzyılın ilk yarısında Erzincan ve köylerinin demografik ve iskan yapısı (1835 tarihli nüfus defterine göre) / The demographic structure of Erzincan and its villages in the first half of 19th century (According to the Census Registers in 1835)",  Erzincan Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi Cilt-Sayı: 11-2 Yıl: 2009. pp. 163-179. http://eefdergi.erzincan.edu.tr/index.php/EFDERGI/article/viewFile/644/529

McCarthy, Justin. Ölüm ve Sürgün [Death and Exile transl. into Turkish] Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu, 2012. p. 189

McMeekin, Sean. Russian Origins of the First World War. Cambridge, MA, USA: Harvard University Press, 2011. p 164.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/tobb/Doc?id=10518223&ppg=185
Copyright © 2011. Harvard University Press. All rights reserved.

Palutzi (nickname). Erzincan Ermenileri. Armenian on Web. http://team-aow.discuforum.info/t12083-Ermenileri-Erzincan-a-bagl-ilce.htm

Some other sources:

Allen, William Edward David , Muratoff, Paul. Caucasian Battlefields: A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian Border 1828-1921. Cambridge University Press.

Chapter 35 titled "Battles of Bayburt and Dumanli-dağ, Fall of Erzincan, July 1916" in the 4th volume of this authoritative book covers occupation of Erzincan.

Erzincan. Turkey for You. TUrkey Travel Guide. http://www.turkeyforyou.com/travel_turkey_erzincan

Erzincan belgeliği.
http://mimoza.marmara.edu.tr/~avni/ERZiNCAN/tdunyasavasivesonrasi.htm (Tr)

Sofuoğlu, Adnan. Genel Hatlarıyla I. Dünya Savaşında Erzincan'ın İşgali ve Ermeni Mezalimi. http://www.ait.hacettepe.edu.tr/akademik/arsiv/adnan1.htm (Tr)

Konukçu, Enver. Massacres of the Turks and mass graves.
http://web.itu.edu.tr/~altilar/tobi/e-library/TheArmenians/MassacresOfTheTurks.pdf

Page revised and corrected on October 4, 2013.