Հայոց Ցեղասպանութեան Հետեւանքով Կորսուած Հարազատներու Փնտռտուքի Աշխատանքը Սուրիոյ Տարածքին

Abstract
A search operation started as soon as the survivors of the Armenian Genocide had arrived at their new stations. They started to ask questions and inquire about their family members, relatives, and co-villagers. Diverse means were used in this search operation: announcements with the heading "looking for" were printed in newspapers, letters were sent to different addresses, survivors were interrogated, some even returned to Aleppo and the Syrian deserts to conduct searches for their lost ones. Aleppo, as the main center of refugee settlement and as the first station on the road to the Syrian deserts, was the point of convergence for all the attention of those looking for surviving relatives. From all over the world Armenians sent inquiries to the Aleppo Prelacy, diverse compatriotic unions and individuals, always expecting "good news" for recovery of kin. The immense number of inquiries induced the Prelacy to adopt a special search system. Every inquiry was processed by designated personnel; the content of the letter was summarized and immediately communicated to assigned individuals. Alongside query letters addressed to the Prelacy, announcements were often made from the altar of the church by clerics and posted on the walls of the church and other public places. The information gathered was combined and sent to the inquirer. Notwithstanding this extensive and systematic effort, very few were able to find their relatives as most had perished and details of their deaths were unknown.
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Citation
Minassian, M., The Soul Searching Process throughout Syria for Those Lost During the Armenian Genocide, Armenians in Syria, Conference Proceedings (24-27 May 2015), HU Press, Beirut, 2018, pp. 179-198
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