YEREVAN. – Owing to the efforts by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, around 25 yet-unseen photographs have been discovered depicting the evacuation—aboard French warships—of the participants in the heroic battle of Musa Dagh.
Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Director Hayk Demoyan informed about the aforementioned on his Facebook page, and he called it a special discovery.
These original photos were taken in September 1915 by a French Navy officer.
The photographs show the moving of the peaceful Armenian population to the French warships on boats, their accommodation in the decks of these warships, and some other scenes.
Demoyan stressed that these newly discovered photos will be presented to the public in April of the coming year.
The heroic battle of the Armenian people of Musa Dagh—a mountain in today’s Hatay Province of Turkey—had taken place in 1915, when the residents of several Armenian villages around Musa Dagh had refused to obey the Ottoman Empire’s decision to deport them. As a result, these Armenians defended themselves against the Ottoman troops for 53 days, and without any outside help. Ultimately, however, French warships came to the rescue of the Musa Dagh Armenians, and they were taken to Egypt.
