The repatriation was organized by the French and British, working hand-in-hand with the local ANU. By early 1919, Beirut had become a major transit center for thousands of Armenians coming from Damascus, Jerusalem, the Hawran, Tripoli, Homs, and Hama. Big camps were set up in the city by the Allies in cooperation with the Beirut ANU in order to provide the deportees a few days’ rest before they were sent on to the towns and villages to which they were being repatriated.57 Allied policy at the time was to repatriate the genocide survivors as rapidly as possible, especially if they were bound for Cilicia. Thus there were no more than 1,500 refugees left in Damascus by July 1919.58 This meant that the AGBU could lose ... Read all
Damascus: Assembling and Repatriating the Deportees
The rescue group led by Levon Yotneghperian (seated). Left to right: Hovhannes Kavafian, Garabed Kavafian, Yesayi Kereshekian. Damascus, 1 July 1919 (Coll. Bibl. Nubar/Paris).
Operating room in the AGBU hospital and clinic in Damascus in 1919. Left to right: Dr. Kapamajian, Dr. Kurkjian, two nurses, and Hmayag Papazian (Coll. Bibl. Nubar/Paris).
The supervisory committee of the refugee home founded by the AGBU in Damascus in 1919. Seated, from left to right: L. Papazian, H. Papazian, Verkin Ughurlian, Mrs. Couss, Mrs. Genjian, Miss Araktinji, Prapion Navabedian; standing, front row, left to right: Dr. Araktinji, Lieutenant-Colonel Couss, Bishop Saraj-ian, a British officer, Antranig Genjian; standing, back row, left to right: Hmayag Papazian, Dr. Kapamajian, Hmayag Ughurlian, Dr. Karnig Kurkjian, Levon Papazian (Coll. Bibl. Nubar/Paris).