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Mary Ann Campbell | all galleries >> Travel photos: India, Turkey, Alaska, and Europe >> Turkey: Fall 2004 >> SE Turkey: Urfa, Harran, Adiyaman > Old city in Urfa; our guide didn't want me to take photo
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Old city in Urfa; our guide didn't want me to take photo


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Sehmus 24-Dec-2010 13:01
This the picture in Diyarbakir of ulucami . It is not Urfa!!!!!!!
Atam izindeyiz 16-Feb-2007 10:22
Hi,
Simon's explanations are untrue. He deflects reality. Everyone can take picture every structure and everything freely. These are fakes. Turkey is a free country. How could Simon use a word such as genocide? There is not a court decision in that subject. They can't judge Turkey. Parliamentary decisions about history aren't suitable? Cause they reflect civil polytic idea. For instance, in France there are an important Armenian elector society. 300.000 voter. French politicians are as clever as everyone. They always distort history.
Akdamar Boy 23-Feb-2006 21:28
I don't know why some Armenians simply write here some fake stories and forget what they did to those Azerbeijan people in Karabagh only a little while ago.They killed our relatives like Serbs did in Bosnia and Greeks in Western Turkey.
Simon of Urfa 22-May-2005 23:01
Benjamin, during 1915 - 1923 Armenian population of what is now eastern Turkey was massacred and deported from her homeland. Turkey denies the Armenian Genocide.... Urfa had more than 5 Armenian churches and no Armenia lives there now. It is not easy to take picture of former Armenian monuments in Turkey today because Turks destroy those and claim that Armenians did not live there.
Simon of Urfa 13-Feb-2005 07:28
Dear Mary,

Thank you for your response.

I remember that in 1987 a Turkish guide was arrested in Urfa for telling the travellers about the Armenian trace of Urfa. Thus your guide would face troubles if the local government found out that he had let you take pictures in the old Armenian quarter of Urfa.

I have a very big favor to ask you for. If you really are going to go to there, I would like you take pictures of my grandparents' home, located in the north-eastern part of the main St. Mary Church which is a mosque now.

There have been at least 5 Armenian churches in Urfa before 1923. These are: St. Sarkis (Sargis), St. Kevork (Gevorg - George), St. Mary (St. Asdvadzadzin) and others.

Most of them are mosques now. I am sure natives will show you the Armenian churches, if you pay them off some money...

Please take pictures of my parents' destroyed street of Maghak Oghlonts....

:(

If you need more info, please feel free to e-mail me at about_armenia@yahoo.com.

Thanks in advance

Simon of [destroyed] Urfa
Mary Ann Campbell10-Feb-2005 04:45
To Simon of Urfa,

Thanks very much for your message and your interesting history. I wish I knew more; as my caption says, our guide was nervous with us in the old city and he rushed us through. He was very impatient while I took this photo, which is why it is crooked and not very good! Urfa is one of the places I would like to go back and revisit leisurely someday.

Thank you for your interest.

Mary Ann
Simon of Urfa 06-Feb-2005 04:08
This is apparently the Armenian Quarter of Urfa, which was wiped of its Armenian population during the Armenian Genocide in Turkey, by 1923.

My grandparents are from Urfa, Edessia. Our home was located in the street Maghak Oghlonts, on the north-eastern corner of the Armenian Cathedral St.Mary (Սուրբ Աստվածածին): St.Mary has been converted to a Mosque. I think the structure in the background is the western part of that church.

Can the author of the picture give more information?

Thank you

Regards,

Simon of Urfa

p.s. I was born in Yerevan, because my grandparents, survivors of the Armenian Genocide fled to Syria from Urfa and then came to Soviet Armenia.
Benjamin Orion 22-Nov-2004 16:23
Why not take a photo?
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