Sarikamish (Sarıkamış) is a town, a district of Kars Province. Kars was one of the three provinces ceded to Russia after Treaty of Berlin in 1878. The other two cities were Ardahan and Batumi. The town is most known because of the Sarikamish Battle, 1914 - 1915 which ended by tragic death of 60.000 - 90.000 Turkish soldiers and victory of Russia. Russia later expressed their gratitude to Armenians for the role they played in this victory.
Following Russian Revolution in October 1917, Russia retreated from Eastern Anatolia leaving a small number of Russian officers and Armenian troops behind. Armenian population of Kars province left the city moving to South Caucasia and Muslim population came back. Upon collapse of the Ottoman Empire and signing of Moudros Armistice on October 30, 1918, Muslim population of Kars founded National Islamic Council on November 5, 1918. According to the book titled Russian Annual Statistics pertaining to 1915 the ratio of Armenians in province of Kars was %25.3, Turko-Tatars 35.9 and Kurds % 14.8. When British forces invaded the province on 19 April 1919, they handed over the administration to Armenians and gave arms and ammunition they collected from the Ottoman Army to them, thinking that Kars would be a part of Armenian state to be established; despite the fact that Muslim population was twice as much Armenians. Opinion of Muslim people was not taken when these plans were made. It was also against Wilson Principles which envisaged majority to rule. Atrocities perpetrated upon Muslims by Armenians started before British forces left. It is hard to name all devastated Muslim villages because they count up to thousand, not hundred in Eastern Anatolia and Caucasus. The number of villages devastated and looted were 46 only in Sarıkamış. Typically, savings and jewelery kept at home, flocks and property were seized, women were raped, and many people were tortured and killed. Rawlinson said "We, the British should be ethically held responsible for this ferocity since we left Kars to Armenians" (McCarthy).
Young men from the region who had been conscripted to serve at Gallipoli Battle and were able to come back at the end of the campaign saw that they no longer had a family and a home.
Actually Russia had returned Kars, Batum and Ardahan back to Turks by Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on March 3, 1918. Turkish forces lead by Kazim Karabekir Pasha advanced to liberate these provinces which were under occupation of Armenians.
On September 29, 1920 Sarikamish was liberated, 93 years ago.(Ekinci) Thus 40 years' occupation which is called dark years by the local people was ended.
In an article titled Turkish–Armenian War in Wikipedia it reads "The Turkish–Armenian War refers to a conflict in the autumn of 1920 between the First Republic of Armenia and the Turkish nationalists, following the signing of the Treaty of Sevres. The Turkish Army under Kâzım Karabekir defeated Armenia, and took back land which Turkey had initially lost to Armenia after World War I and from the Russian Empire in 1878" referring to Dr. Andrew Andersen, Ph.D., Atlas of Conflicts: Turkish-Armenian War. It is bewildering that someone with title of Dr. writes about signing of a treaty which was annulled and was actually never signed. As explained above Kars was handed over to Armenians without any legal base by Britain after Armistice of Moudros. It remained in Armenian hands for a very short while and was righteously retaken*.
Today it is our solemn duty to remember those who fell during the battles and also civil population who were ferociously killed in those war years. Taking Gallipoli Remembrance as an examplary I would like to remember losses of both sides. I believe both Turks and Armenians acted patriotically and were victims of power games among great powers and then rising nationalism. Who wouldn't wish that friendly co-living could have been sustained with Eastern Anatolian Armenians as well, similar to most of Protestant and Catholic Armenians who were not affected in Western part of the country, and some of whom fought against enemies shoulder to shoulder with Turks. In this post as usual "Armenians" means only Armenians who cooperated with the enemy and whose grandchildren allege that relocation which aimed to secure rear of fronts was a genocide, but not those who are aware that atrocities were reciprocal, and do not cherish hatred between two peoples.
Sources
Ekinci, Oktay. "Sarıkamış'ın kurtuluşu ve Kazım Karabekir Paşa [Liberation of Sarıkamış and Kazım Karabekir Paşa]". Cumhuriyet. 29 Eylül 2013. http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/?hn=444258&kn=68&ka=4&kb=5&kc=68
McCarthy, J. Ölüm ve Sürgün [Translation of Death and Exile into Turkish by Fatma Sarıkaya]. Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu, 2012.
Wikipedia articles on the topic.
* Visitors to "Turkish–Armenian War" article in Wikipedia in future may not find the quotation above since I intend to edit the article giving more reliable sources at a suitable time.
NB. In recent years Sarıkamış has developed as a winter skiing resort, with one of the world's longest pistes. Here are a few suggestions for further reading and viewing on Sarıkamış:
Virtual tour 360 degree. http://www.360tr.com/sarikamis/
"Sarıkamış". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sar%C4%B1kam%C4%B1%C5%9F
"Sarıkamış". Skylife. November 2008. http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-in/skylife/makaleler/2008/november/sarikamis
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