102-year-old Genocide survivor still hopes to see motherland
102-year-old Genocide survivor still hopes to see motherland –
Ankalich, Armenia – The Armenian Genocide, initiated by the Ottoman Empire during WWI, is one of the biggest crimes against humanity. A new project introduced by the Armenpress news agency, in light of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, is to relay the stories and eyewitness accounts of survivors of the calamity in order to prove to the world one more time that our demands for recognition are fair and justified.
This time, the project is dedicated to the story of Arshaluys Muradyan, a resident of Aknalich village, located in the Etchmiadzin region’s Ararat Marz. She was born in 1912.
“Do you think we came here willingly? The Turks attacked and massacred and we came here. Thank God we survived!” said the 102-year-old woman who started her story with these words.
To save Arshaluys, her parents put her in a cart and covered her with grass.
She remembers that many people used this “creative” method to hide their children and save them from captivity. Her family reached Eastern Armenia without losses. At first, they settled in the Alagyaz village and then they moved to Aknalich.
“The Turks threw forty youths in the barn and lit it up. Armenians have seen quite cuel days from the Turks,” said Arshaluys.
In 1933, the hero of our story married fellow countryman Sahak and they had 10 children. Notwithstanding the numerous difficulties in her life, the old woman considers herself lucky. She helped bring to this world more than 100 children.
The Muradyans have surrounded the oldest member of the family with care. With big smiles on their faces, they recount how much their grandmother loves Armenian soap operas. Three years ago, they celebrated her 100th birthday with the entire family, during which she even sang and danced. Our eyewitness hopes for kindness and peace to reign the world and for the youth to be happy and healthy.