Keghi Khoups: Its Heroic Last Stand

Khoups in 1895 and 1915

Translated and abridged by Vahe H. Apelian

Condensed from articles by Vahan Hayrabedian (Վահան Հայրապէտեան) and Levon Baronian (Լեւոն Պարոնեան) in  “Keghi, Khoups Memorial Album” (Յուշամատեան  Քղի, Խուփս), Fresno (1968).

The year 1895 is the “Year of Plunder” for Keghi, while for the rest of the Armenian inhabited regions it was the “Year of Massacre”. The Turkish Kaymakam (sub-Governor) of greater Keghi had refused to obey Sultan Abdu Hamid’s order. Instead he had demanded that the local Turks and Kurds safeguard the Armenians of Keghi.

The village Khoups was considerably far from the city of Keghi and was closer to the semi-independent Dersim region. Consequently the Kaymakam could not exercise the same influence over the Kurds and the Turks who lived closer to Khoups. That’s why he sent a dozen or so soldiers to protect Khoups. Khoupsetsis, however, could not depend solely on them for the protection of their village and thus had no choice but to rely on themselves defending the village in case of attack. They possessed few rifles contrary to the reputation Khoups had built over the passing decades as a well-fortified city the Turks addressed as “Rebel City”. The reason for attaining such a distinction was the fact that Khoupsetsis had often times in the past successfully defended the village against Kurdish brigands and even against the intrusion of unauthorized Turkish soldiers.

Kurds surrounded Khoups from September 20 to 22, 1895 and started attacking it. The Khoupsetis put a fierce resistance until October 9 resulting one casualty from Khoups and several from the attackers.

Khoups experienced a larger onslaught the next day, on October 10, headed by one of the Dersim area fierce Kurdish chieftain who along with his tribe had also assumed the command of the other Kurdish tribes that had already encircled the village. He led the attack on the village brandishing his sword. From the southern end of the village the Khoupsetsis responded with a salvo of gunfire. Many of the attackers fell, including the chieftain himself. His killing caused confusion among the Kurds who started retreating. Few attempted to retrieve his body but facing fire also fled. The Khoupsetis managed to tie a robe around his feet and drag his body into the village.

During the fighting it became apparent that the government forces sent by the Kaymakan were aiming their rifles towards the attackers but were firing over them instead of at them. The Khoupsetsis demanded that they leave the village fearing that at an opportune time they might join force with the attackers against them.

On October 14 the Kurds resumed their attack on Khoups but hastily retreated facing the barrage of gunfire. During this time the noted Kurdish chieftain Haydar Beg, who was friendly to the Armenians, sent word to the Khoupsetsis letting them know that the Governor has assembled a large expeditionary force in Garin that was on its way to attack Khoups and advised the leadership to evacuate Khoups as soon as possible. Being repelled, the Turks had bypassed the Kaymakam and had sent a secret massage to the Governor of the province sitting in Garin (Erzurum) asking him to send force on the pretext of safeguarding the Turks in greater Keghi.

Upon becoming privy of the information, the leadership decided to evacuate the villagers early next morning and had them assembled in some homes at the far end of the village. When the Kurds realized that the Khousptesis have gathered together readying to evacuate the village, they attacked it again and succeeded entering the village but they remained preoccupied in plundering it instead of pursuing the retreating Khoupsetsis who managed to flee. Most of the villagers fled to city of Keghi with some fleeing to the Kurdish village Hoghaz that was ruled by the son of the former Khoups Kurdish Chieftain. The Khoupsetsis remained there, away from Khoups, until the spring.

The almost month long fight cost the lives of 8 khoupsetsis and 5 were wounded. But the well to do Khoups was sacked completely and left in total ruin. It would take almost two decades for the Khouptsesis to recover and rebuild their lives anew thanks to the selfless efforts of their compatriots living in the United States who saved every penny they could of their hard earned money and sent them to their parents and brethren in Khoups. But by then, another calamity awaited them.

In October 1914 the Turkish and the Russian governments declared war on each other. Turkey armed Turks and Kurds in the Armenian populated regions, who started threatening the very existence of the Armenians.

Khoupsetsis realizing the impending danger undertook preparations to defend themselves under the leadership of Aram Toros Arvanigian who had returned to the village in 1911 after a few years stay in the United States. A military council was formed under the command Aram Arvanigian, consisting of Mikael Nalbandian, a teacher; Ghougas Baronian, an ironsmith; Zakar Posdoyan, a merchant; and Dikran Delberian, a photographer.

The military council organized a census of the able-bodied villagers and organized them into groups and assigned a leader for each. Different positions were fortified around the village and were manned day and night. The council had 226 bullet-firing rifles under its disposition. There were also a few pistols and other muzzle guns that the elderly preferred to use.

On May 9, 1915 four representatives form the government arrived and ordered the villagers to prepare leaving Khoups in a week so that soldiers could escort them to Kharpert. Meanwhile thousands of armed Turks and Kurds were encircling the village and threatening the villagers.

The Khoupsetsi held a meeting in the court yard shared by the church and the school. All the villagers attended the meeting during which Nalbandian and Arvanigian spoke. The latter presented the grave situation they were facing and asked the villagers whether they are willing to fight and die honorably or abide by the government’s order and the leave the village to face an uncertain future. The villagers unanimously declared they'd rather stay and die defending themselves in their village.   

Sarkis Jamgochian, a noted community activist from the Keghi attended the meeting. He conveyed the decision of the Khoups village to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and the Social Democratic Hnchag party leaders in the city of Keghi who called for a representative meeting from all the Armenian inhabited villages of greater Keghi. The government had forbidden communication among villages and monitored the roads. Consequently only representatives from 11 villages were able to attend. The other villages also had decided not to abide by the order of government and instead defend themselves. Later on they reneged on their promise.

On May 18, 1915 some 8,000 to 10,000 Turkish soldiers accompanied by armed civilians, under the leadership of the regional Turkish kaymakam, attacked Khoups. Under siege, isolated and with no help from outside, the Khoupsetsis put a fierce defense for the next seven days, until May 25 repelling the repeated attacks. Approximately 50 Khoupsetsis were killed defending the village.

Early May 25, the attack resumed. Khoupsetsis continued on putting a fierce resistance repelling the attackers who retreated leaving behind a number of dead whose bodies they did attempt to retrieve. A lull prevailed and the Turkish forces appeared retreating. The Military Council called for another meeting where the Military Council member Mikael Nalbandian and the leader Aram Arvanigian presented to the villagers the bare facts of their situation. Their stock of bullets had considerably diminished. Should the attacks resume they would not be able to defend themselves for an appreciable period of time. They decided instead to find a way through the mountain passes nearby and reach Dersim for their safety. Few young men took the responsibility surveying the mountain passageways and brought word that the passageways appeared safe for crossing.

In the evening of May 25, the Khoupsetsis started leaving the village on their way to Dersim through a neighboring friendly village whose Kurdish tribe spoke the local Dersim dialect and had refused to accept arms from the government against the Armenians. It would have taken them three hours to reach to their safe destination.

The retreat of the Turkish and Kurdish attackers proved to be a ploy. Barely twenty-five minutes after leaving the village, the attack resumed. A fierce fight erupted. Men, women, young and old Khoupsetsis put a fierce resistance that lasted all night long. By the morning of May 26 an eerie calm prevailed over the battleground. Of the 2151 brave Khoupsetsis barely 200 women and children had remained alive some of whom managed to reach Dersim for their safety.

The members of the Military Council along with their much beloved leader Aram Arvanigian, known more by his endearing moniker Vartabed, were killed fighting with the rest of the fallen Khoupsetsis.  Their remains remained unburied between Khoups and the Armenian village Sakatsor, but their memories linger among the surviving Khoupsetsis and the rest of the Armenians.