Melkon Giurdjian

Melkon Hrand Gürdjian or Giurdjian (Armenian Մելքոն ( Հրանդ ) Կիւրճեան; * 1859 in Palu near Harput, † 1915 in Ankara, Ottoman Empire ) was an Armenian writer, professor and civil rights activist.

Biography

Melkon Gürdjian was born in the village Havav in the region of Palu. Gürdjian visited the local Armenian school. At age eleven, he moved to Istanbul, where he visited the Armenian Jemaran School of Üsküdar. After he had finished the Jemaran School and the Surp Hac Tbrevank, he was from 1878 to 1896 teachers. He taught Armenian history, language and culture in numerous Armenian schools, such as the Getronagan Ermeni Lisesi.

In 1893 he was imprisoned for a political activity. Due to political instability, he moved to Varna in Bulgaria. In Varna, he founded the Armenian school Artzrunian, which served as a refuge for Armenian refugees. During his absence in Istanbul his home was raided by the local police and burned many of his manuscripts and journals. He returned in 1898 and was arrested immediately after his return. After spending six months in prison, Gürdjian fled to Kastamonu, where he remained for ten years. During his stay in Kastamonu he was secretly teaching the Armenian literature and history. 1906 his literary works were destroyed again due to the reports of secret agents. In 1908, the Young Turkish revolution took place, Gürdjian returned to Istanbul and started back to the civil and literary activities participate.

Death

On April 24, 1915 Melkon Gürdjian was deported together with other prominent intellectuals and personalities of the Armenians in Istanbul only to unknown destinations within the Ottoman Turkey and eventually killed during the genocide of the Armenians in the outskirts of Ankara by Turkish gendarmes.