Despite being the only Armenian left in Kayseri’s Talas distrcit, Sarkis Karnikoglu is determined not to leave. Coming from a well-known family, he says he will breathe his last breath here, Turkish Hurriyet daily reports.

“Sarkis Karnikoglu’s love for Kayseri has gained him a claim to fame: According to local legend, he is the last Armenian in the city’s Talas district. Karnikoglu, 50, attends the Sunday ceremony at the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator and helps tend to the church daily. Sarkis lives a few kilometers from the city center in the Talas district,” the daily reads.

“My family is one of the oldest and well-known families in this city,” Karnikoglu told Hurriyet Daily. “I have never had any intention of leaving this place. I will breathe my last breath here. I would feel like a fish out of water if I were somewhere other than Kayseri,” Karnikoglu said.

According to Karnikoglu, Kayseri used to be home to numerous Armenian families until the end of the 1960s. “Most of them migrated, mostly to the United States and Europe, until the late 1980s,” Karnikoglu said, adding that Kayseri has been home to many well-known Armenians. Karnikoglu shared some of the names, born in Kayseri and famous around Turkey and the world. Known for his studies on the Turkish language, secretary-general of the Turkish Language Foundation Hagop Martayan is one of them. After the surname law was established, the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, honored Martayan by giving him the surname “Dilacar,” which is related to language, the daily informs.

“Other prominent families of Kayseri are the Balyan and Gulbenkyan. The Balyans were Ottoman architects. Many of the palaces, mosques, churches and villas in Istanbul carry the Balyan signature. The Gulbenkyans, who were mostly traders, have a huge art collection exhibited in Portugal’s Lisbon at the Kalust Gulbenkyan Foundation and Museum. The family played a big role in international oil trade,” the daily says.