3 November 2011
An Armenian village in Kessab, Syria, taken in 1997. (photo: Armineh Johannes)
Photographer Armineh Johannes has documented life for Armenians living throughout the Middle East for years. This photo from the Armenian village Kessab is a snapshot of a people who have maintained their traditions and culture outside of their home country. The story Little Armenia profiles Armenians now living in Lebanon:
After the near annihilation of the Armenian community by the Turks between 1895 and 1915 (an estimated 1.5 million Armenians perished), survivors found refuge in French-protected Lebanon and Syria. Most of these refugees settled in Beirut, particularly in the suburb of Bourj Hammoud. Those who settled in rural Lebanon, notably in the village of Anjar in the Bekaa valley, arrived more than two decades later.
Determined to preserve their cultural identity, religion, language and traditions, these Armenian refugees established clubs, schools, churches, hospitals and dispensaries. Today they attend Armenian churches and schools, eat Armenian food, speak Armenian and read Armenian periodicals. Whether members of the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic or Evangelical churches, Lebanon’s Armenians live in harmony. Although tight-knit, they too are affected by the specters of unemployment, emigration and cultural disintegration haunting all Lebanese.
For more from this story, see Little Armenia in the July 2002 issue of the magazine.
Tags: Syria Middle East Armenia