Dubai: Commemorating the centennial of the Armenian genocide, which saw 1.5 million killed under Ottoman rule, local Armenian expats gathered in unprecedented numbers at the St Grigor the Illuminator Church in Sharjah on Friday.
The church’s open area was adorned with purple flowers, a symbolic motif used in commemoration around the world, while a sand mound depicting Ararat Mountain, iconic for its annexation by Turkey from what was once Western Armenia, was illuminated with candlelight — gestures of respect to the dead.
Kegham Gharibjanyan, Armenian Ambassador to the UAE, as well as delegates of other local churches attended the event.
“In the early hours of April 24, 1915, Ottoman soldiers dragged Armenian intellectuals from their homes, massed them on ships and drowned them in the Black Sea,” Moushegh Bedirian, Chairman of the Armenian Community in Dubai and the northern emirates, said.
“By killing the Armenian luminaries, the Ottoman Empire faced little resistance as they proceeded in their attempts at eradicating our nation from the planet,” he said. “Over a million Armenians lost their lives through a series of executions and death marches. Survivors of the genocide went on to spread across the globe and preserve the traditions, customs and creeds that identify us as Armenians.”
Friday’s commemoration commenced with a sermon by Hair Mesrob Sarkissian, Head of the Armenian Church in the UAE and Qatar. A monument dedicated to the centennial, adorned with the purple flower Anmorug (forget me not), was then unveiled.
“Armenians all across the world have gathered at this precise moment to remember all those who lost their lives during the genocide,” Sarkissian said. “The genocide rendered us a scattered, displaced nation. In the course of these 100 years, Turkey has done whatever is in its power to try and sweep its atrocious acts out of visibility. Yet, as scattered as we are, there is a cultural solidarity that strongly binds us together. As you can see, attempts at defacing the events of 1915 from history have shown to be fruitless. The purple Anmorug is a symbolic promise that we will never forget.”
