‘Aleppo Records’ comprises 2,500 Armenian scripts

A Syrian-Armenian researcher from the Center of Armenian Architecture Study has recently published the book, “Aleppo Records”, which comprises 2,500 Armenian scripts.

At a news conference on Friday, Raffi Kortoshyan introduced his work, saying that he had come up with the idea back in 2004 when he was still in Aleppo.

The Armenian records are available in the form of photos and written information.

“What struck me when I visited the cemetery were the family names and birthplaces of the deceased, dating back to Western Armenia. The book comprises records [of Armenians] who emigrated to Aleppo from different corners of Western Armenia: Kharberd, Van, Erzurum, Cilicia,” said the author.

Kortoshyan said he started writing the book in 2006 when he settled in Armenia and joined the foundation whose president, Samvel Karapetyan, assisted him in collecting the records.

“I took a month’s trip to Aleppo every year to begin my work. The records on the Aleppo graves belong to different Armenian communities; they are brought by Genocide survivors from different villages and provinces of Western Armenia. I received a great assistance from Bishop Shahan Sargsyan who, despite the difficulties, did everything possible not to leave a single record incomplete,” he added.

The author said with regret that the war in Syria prevented his further research.

“There are ruined churches where we had valuable items. It is difficult to know at the moment in what condition they are or who controls them. The important thing for each of us now is the Armenian’s life,” Kortoshyan noted.

Apart from scripts, ‘Aleppo Script’ comprises also brief historical records, estimates of Western Armenia’s population and information about churches.