Mardin’s Derik district was home to a significant Armenian population in the past, but with the genocide that started in 1915 and continues to this day with various methods, not only did the Armenian population diminish but no trace of them has been left standing, including their cemeteries and places of worship.

Eyyüp Güven is a researcher and a writer from Mardin. Güven talked about the experience of the Armenians in Derik, Mardin.

ONLY ONE FAMILY LEFT

Güven stated that Armenians had a very long history inside the district’s borders and they have been in the district center for at least 400 years. Güven added: “Today, there is only one family living here, they make their living with iron working. Before 1915, the population here was at thousands, and it was reduced to just one family in the 1970’s. The reason the population plummeted so fast is that the Armenians were subjected to horrendous levels of religious and administrative pressure, they were damaged individually or en masse in the economic area, and their lives and property were constantly viewed as spoils of war.

10 DECARES OF CEMETERY

The Armenian cemetery in Derik was built on a 10 decare area. The Armenians who returned to the district after 1915 surrounded a 10 decare area with fences to mark the area they designated as a cemetery. The dead were buried in the church yard before, and after 1930 the congregation started to use this cemetery.

There were four large Armenian cemeteries in Derik. The Dêra Sor Cemetery (Mezelê Dêra Sor), the Newalê Church Cemetery (Mezelê Dêr a Newalê), the Aşikê Remê Cemetery (Water Mill Cemetery), the Korta Vinyards Cemetery (Mezelê Korta) have all been destroyed and there are only 50 graves left. All were usurped and buildings were erected on the plots. By 1980, the borders of the Armenian cemetery were changed, in occupations and unidentified sales, the cemetery was reduced to a one decare area.

ALL MARKS “CAUTIOUSLY” REMOVED

The Armenian cemeteries were turned to ruin and nothing was done to preserve or protect them. They were not protected deliberately, and the remaining marks of an Armenian population were cautiously removed.