Bitlis town council has approved the renaming of five streets in this historic town in south-eastern Turkey. Among the names is “William Saroyan Street,” after the great American-Armenian writer whose ancestors came from Bitlis before 1915. Saroyan was born in Fresno but felt strong ties to his ancestral home. He visited Bitlis in 1964 and 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of that visit.

One of the champions of renaming William Saroyan Street is Barzan Serefhanoglu, whose grandfather, Adil Serefhanoglu, was the mayor of Bitlis when Saroyan visited the city. Adil Serefhanoglu showed great respect to Saroyan and paid a high price for it. After Saroyan’s departure, he was harassed by the authorities who wanted to punish him.

William Saroyan Street will now be the main street of the Sapkor district of the city, where the Saroyan family home was located. This district looks over the citadel in the city below. Many of the houses in this district still bear the dates of their construction in Armenian, Ottoman and Western numerals.

Bitlis-Co-Mayors-with-GI-Letter-and-flowers-2The Gomidas Institute congratulated the co-mayors of Bitlis, Nevin Dasdemir Dagkiran and Hüseyin Olan, as well as all members of Bitlis town council who approved the name changes unanimously.

“This was a sensitive decision,” said Ara Sarafian of the Gomidas Institute. “The people of Bitlis have expressed their pride in one of their own Armenian sons. Such sentiments could not have been expressed even a few years ago, when all positive sentiments regarding Armenians and Kurds were proscribed by the Turkish state. We have come a long way in Turkey, but there is still a long way to go.”

The other names adopted by Bitlis town council celebrate Bediüzzaman Said-i Kürdi, Kemal Fevzi, Serefhan, and Ferhat Tepe.

The renaming of William Saroyan Street is partly the result of a bridge-building operation the Gomidas Institute initiated in 2013 – before the current co-mayors and town council were even elected. The Institute’s efforts resulted in increased contacts, a public exhibition dedicated to the Armenians of Bitlis before 1915 – an exhibition which was shown in Bitlis and Fresno, California – as well as other projects still underway.

The Gomidas Institute’s work in Bitlis has been possible with the help of the Turkish Human Rights’ Association (IHD), the Bitlis Bar Association, the Armenian Studies Program at California State University (Fresno), as well as private individuals. For more information contact [email protected]

Top. Ara Sarafian (Gomidas Institute) and Hüseyin Olan (Bitlis co-Mayor) in Sapkor district of Bitlis.
Below Bitlis co-mayors Nevin Dasdemir Dagkiran and Hüseyin Olan.
Photo Credits : Gomidas Institute, 2014.

2 comments
  1. Thank you Masis Post for posting this item. I think you are the first Armenia paper to cover the issue.

    The renaming of William Saroyan Street is very important for both Kurds and Armenians and reflects the changes that are taking place in Turkey today.

    Gomidas Institute has been active in Bitlis for several years and we expect much more in the months ahead. We hope other Armenians will also show real interest and engage the opportunities ahead.

    Our website has more information.

  2. Very impressed with the above article. Thank you.
    Could I get the electronic MASSIS through my e-mail?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Get notified of the latest updates from MassisPost.

You May Also Like

Armenian Innovators: Two Immigrants, Their Drone and American Agribusiness

CHICAGO (chicagobusiness.com) — Naira Hovakimyan didn’t know anything about flight before she…

PM Pashinyan Meets with Top Ranking Military Officials

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a consultation with the top…

Euronest Parliamentary Assembly Adopts Resolution on Armenian Genocide Recognition

YEREVAN — The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, representing the European Union’s member and…

Armenian Genocide Book Presented in Moscow

MOSCOW — The Russian version of the book titled “Armenian Genocide in…