Armenian-American professor’s book tells family story in Ottoman TurkeyJanuary 18, 2016 - 15:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A photography book by Armen T. Marsoobian, an Armenian-American professor has hit the shelves with a ceremony attended by booklovers in Istanbul on Tuesday, January 12, Today's Zaman reports. Some four years in the making, the bilingual Turkish-English photography book, produced by the initiative of the Birzamanlar Publishing House, is now ready to enter the libraries of Turkish bookworms. “This book is just one moment in a long labor of love that I started many years ago,” Marsoobian said in a speech he delivered at the celebration of the book's launching. “It first began as a private journey in the 1980s. My uncle gave me the collection of photographs, the family archive. And for many years I only shared these photos with family members at family reunions and gatherings. I realized that the family had made great efforts to document and record their lives in Ottoman Turkey. And in one way they were trying to keep the memory of the Armenian community alive and therefore would have been very pleased to make this public.” Marsoobian's book features the story of his forebears, the Dildilian family, who documented their lives in Sivas, Merzifon and Samsun and the surrounding areas from the second half of the 19th century, a period that was full of suffering for Armenians. In the book, from his family archives, the professor presents drawings, maps and photographs that go back as early as 1888. The historic photos in the book contribute to our imagination of Armenian daily life at that time, the old and rare photographs of places, people and situations (e.g. camel caravans, college workshops, weddings, etc.) concretize a past that is long over and visually under-documented, Today’s Zaman says. Top stories David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Partner news | Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |