Dubai: When faced between extinction and war against an empire that stretched across three continents, only a certain variety of madness can secure survival. ‘When nothing remains, no path nor means, only the mad can build a way’. This is a crude translation of an Armenian anthem sung every year on this day, May 28.
Three years after Armenians lost half their population to the systematic atrocities of the Ottoman Empire, the small ethnic group, which traces back to the Bronze Age, managed to reorganise themselves from the wreckage of the 1915 massacre to fight one of the most ruthless forces the world had ever seen. They would succeed and, on May 28,1918, Armenians would celebrate their first independent state in 600 years.
As Armenians across the world commemorated the centennial of the genocide just over a month ago, expats in the UAE say celebrations for the Armenian Independence Day come with a deeper sense of nostalgia and pride.
Gegham Gharibjanian, Armenian Ambassador to the UAE, said: “After more than 600 years of waiting, the Armenian people finally enjoyed its first Republic in the beginning of the 20th century.”
Gharibjanian said Armenians can mark the 1918 independence “as the day which preserved our people”.
Hrayr Soghomonian, an owner of a Dubai-based contracting company, said though the 1918 independence was short-lived (as Armenia would become a portion of the Soviet Union in 1921), it is still a pivotal reason why Armenians have a land to call their own today.
“Though we enjoyed our independence for only three short years at the time, it served as a pretext for Armenia to join the Soviet Union as one of the 15 republics,” Soghomonian said. “If we had not attained autonomy then, we would have been another ethnic group living in Russian territories today.” As Ottoman forces moved in to annex Yerevan, now the capital of Armenia, Armenians saw they had two choices: to face extermination or to stand up and fight.
“After the 1915 massacres, which saw over 1.5 million Armenians slaughtered at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, the remaining Armenian population was left scattered either under the refuge of Arab villages or the Eastern part of Armenia, which was under Russian control,” he said.
“When the Russian army withdrew from those borders in 1918, Armenians found themselves alone. The Ottoman Empire took advantage of the situation and attacked Yerevan.”
Soghomonian said Yerevan was the last haven for Armenians living in the Eastern portion.
“Armenians knew the oncoming forces threatened their existence,” he said, “They rallied, inspired by Aram Manougian’s famous speech, who emphasised the only two options were left to our nation: annihilation or war.”
According to Soghomonian, Armenians of all ages joined the ranks and were led by Armenian soldier of the Russian army, who had remained when the Russians pulled back.
“The veterans organised the defence of Yerevan,” he said. “They were appallingly outnumbered yet they found the courage to stand up against the Ottoman forces. If we had lost, we would have been a nation whose name exists only in antiquity.”
“It is roughly translated to ‘When nothing remains, no path nor means, only madmen build a way’,” he said, “I suppose facing extermination does drive even the most composed to a particular strain of madness.”
One of the key battlegrounds which secured Armenia’s independence, Sardarabad, is today a site featuring a monument, which was built in 1965, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
“After Armenia regained its independence in 1991, the same tricoloured flag, national emblem and anthem were used as the ones in 1918,” Soghomonian said. “Like Armenians all across the world, we celebrate Independence Day every year. However, as we just commemorated the centennial, our independence comes with a special meaning: that even though we are a small nation, who has faced displacement, strife, struggle and atrocities, we will always endure.”
Sevan Manjikian, an interior designer based in Dubai, said: “This year’s independence day is especially significant as we just commemorated the centennial of the massacre last month. It is a reminder of what our ancestors went through in that period of time from being massacred to fighting to preserve our land and culture, finally securing independence on May 28, 1918.”
Manjikian said the day provides a sense of hope that even after a century since “those dark times we are still here and have a land to call our own.
“In the last few years I’ve been visiting Armenia a lot more often,” she said, “I’ve noticed a lot of others from the younger generation have as well. No matter what happens around the world [such as the Syrian war], the diaspora always has an Armenia to call home and that sense of attachment will never fade.”
Ani Bazdekian, who works for a Dubai-based PR company, said even though she’s never actually lived in Armenia, she has a sense of belonging to the country.
“Armenia as an independent state is a very young country,” she said. “Yet we can trace our lineage to the times of antiquity. May 28 marks the day when we stood up and guaranteed our place in the world. We ensured the preservation of our customs, creeds and culture. Every time I visit Armenia and see how it is growing economically, there’s a certain surge of pride I feel and it overwhelms me. None of that would be possible if our ancestors did not stand up and fight.”
