Houshamadyan association reconstructs western Armenia online

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Houshamadyan website, whose aim is to reconstruct and preserve the memory, daily life and social environment of the Ottoman Armenians through research, has now been operating for several months.

The owner and operator of the website is the Houshamadyan Association, founded and officially registered in Berlin, Germany, in 2010.

The association's research encompasses all aspects of the history of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, including social history, the history of daily life, local microhistory, dialects, music, literature, material culture and so on, according to The Armenian Reporter

For this, the following are of special importance: the collection and preservation of culturally valuable artefacts of all kinds produced by the Ottoman Armenians such as musical recordings of historical value, old photographs, pictures, old film footage and so on. Similarly important are documents bearing on Ottoman Armenian history such as printed books, periodical publications and archival material, or papers in individual collections such as correspondence, unpublished notes, official documents, autobiographical details etc. The project is also documenting oral history by recording interviews and related materials.

The association is convinced that the internet is the most practical, influential and immediate means of carrying out the wide scope of work required to reconstruct the Ottoman Armenian memory.

The first place chosen by Houshamadyan was the district of Palu, with its town and surrounding villages. Various articles may be seen on the website about Palu's local history, interethnic relations, geography, agricultural activities, social structure, local songs and dances and so forth.

The pages of the website are in the process of being gradually enriched. In the next few weeks articles about other Armenian-populated places in the Ottoman Empire will be put in the public domain.