Armenians have always belonged to those peoples who fought for their liberty with weapons in their hands. Unfortunately, during the decades of Soviet power, we developed a complex of an “eternal victim”, which was finally overcome in the early 1990s thanks to the victory in the Artsakh war.

The photo above shows one of the symbols of the Armenian national liberation struggle of the late 19th-early 20th centuries Heghine Chaush, the wife and faithful companion of the hero and leader of the Armenian fedayis Gevorg Chaush.

This photo from 1910 was found a century later in Ayntap in Cilician Armenia (today Gaziantep, Turkey, previously inhabited by Armenians) during repair works in a house belonging to Armenians. In the right hand of the brave woman with cartridge belts on the chest is a Mauser pistol and in the left hand is a rifle.

Gevorg Chaush’s order to his wife is well known: “Yeghso, the gun presented by my friends is the most expensive gift. The hajduk weapon loves a bold soul. With this holy weapon, kill the enemy anywhere. And if a situation arises when you may fall into the hands of the enemy, do not hesitate to bring the barrel close to your temple.”

Ruben Shukhyan