There are times when during business travel you get to listen to stories that are difficult not to share with the readers. This is what happened to the journalists of Armenian News-NEWS.am during their visit to Agarak village in Aragatsotn region of Armenia.

Ruben Karapetyan, who was born in 1942 in Agarak, told the story of his grandparents from Van. Ruben’s father Karapet was born in Van in 1914. He was the one to tell this story to his family, which he heard from his mother, Ruben’s grandmother.

During the tragic events of 1915, Karapet’s parents were forced to leave their birthplace to escape from Turkish slaughter. First of all they were thinking about their younger kids – 10-year-old Gyulizar and little Karapet. The older son Hambardzum was far away from home with General Andranik.

On the photo: Refugees from Van

Ruben’s grandfather, being sure that they were going to come back, left to one of the islands of Van lake to hide their gold, arranging their meeting on the way with his wife.

However, Ruben’s grandmother was forced to stay in Van for some time, in order to avoid the assaulters who were particularly cruel on their way. The grandfather, thinking that his wife was already on her way with the children, continues his way to East with his second son and a group of people from Van. But in the end, they were not able to cross the Araks River…

On the river bank they noticed military tents, and assuming they were Russians, they came closer but instead of Russians, there were Turks and only one person survived among all, getting buried under all the bodies. He was the one to tell the story to Karapet…

At that time, Ruben’s grandmother started her journey to freedom. The road was severe and losing all the strength, Gyulizar asked her mother to leave the child, as many families did, being unable to withstand the difficulties…

Listening to her daughter’s pray, the mother left the baby, and moved forward. But after some time her heart was not able to take it and she returned to take the baby…

… Moving forward with the children, Ruben’s grandmother found themselves among Kurds where they had to live for some time, helping other families to find any food for the children. This was also forced situation, as the Kurds were not willing to give the 10-year-old Gyulizar back. In the end, accepting that getting Gyulizar back was impossible, Ruben’s grandmother took her youngest son and came to Armenia…

Years later a miracle happens. In 1972, Gyulizar was found in Middle East. As to how she got there, it is another story. Karapet travelled there and returned to Agarak with his sister.

Ruben remembers with a smile, how his grandmother, who had found her daughter, was hugging and touching her. Gyulizar, while laughing, was telling her, that her birthmark was on its place. Gyulizar had had a big birthmark on her back, and her mother wanted to find it, to make sure that she was actually hugging her daughter.

Gyulizar told them, that she used to talk Armenian to herself, not to forget her native language.

… Many of our compatriots can tell such stories, alas, most of them will have a sad ending though…

Written down by Albert Khachatryan