Serob Pasa
Encyclopedia
Serob Vartanian, more prominently known by his nom de guerre Aghbiur Serob or Serob Pasha (Սերոբ Փաշա, 1864, Sokhord, Khlat
, Bitlis Province - Gelieguzan, Sasun, November 1, 1899) born Serob Vardanian (Սերոբ Վարդանյան) was a famed Armenian military commander who organized a guerrilla network that fought against the Ottoman Empire
during the latter 19th century.
and ended up killing one of them. The murder forced him to flee to Constantinople
. In 1892, he travelled to Romania
and opened a coffee shop there with the intention to use it as a place to meet young revolutionaries. He eventually joined the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
, and returned to Ottoman Armenia, in the province of Bagesh, where he took up arms to defend the local Armenian population from Ottoman
and Kurdish
attackers. In 1888, in the village of Babshen in Bitlis, a Kurdish expedition was sent by the Ottomans to capture and kill Serop. The Kurds began their offensive at 3:00 a.m., surrounding Serop and his feedayes. The battle continued until sunrise when Serop and his feedayes managed to escape. After the Battle of Babshen, Serop was given the title of "Pasha".
Aghpur, given to him by the Armenian population because he had the "heart of a lion" and was very courteous. The local Armenian population would often say "Veruh Asdvadz, Vahruh Serop" (literally "God
is up there, Serop is down here") which figuratively means "If God is protecting us from the sky, Serop is protecting us from the ground." During his life as a general, Serop commanded famous fedayees such as Andranik Ozanian, Kevork Chavoush, Balabekh Garabed and others.
brigands. The Kurdish brigands, led by Khalil, surrounded the house with hundreds of fighters. A gunfight erupted between the Kurds and the Armenians, the latter having in its ranks twelve of Serob's personal guard, his wife Sose Mayrig
and Serob's son Hagop. The Kurds managed to defeat the outnumbered Armenians, killing in the process Serob, his son, and twelve of his men including the town priest. Sose Mayrig who was wounded, was taken prisoner. Khalil severed Serob's head and placed it on a pike as a warning to all other Armenian freedom fighters.
A mission led by fellow Armenian guerrilla, Zoravor Andranik Ozanian, tracked down the Kurds to the Armenian's house. They killed both the organizers and most notably the traitor Armenian's family, stating that betrayal should be cut down at its roots.
Ahlat
Ahlat is a historic town and a district in Turkey's Bitlis Province in Eastern Anatolia Region. The center town of Ahlat is situated on the northwestern coast of the Lake Van. She was the district in Van Province between 1929-1936...
, Bitlis Province - Gelieguzan, Sasun, November 1, 1899) born Serob Vardanian (Սերոբ Վարդանյան) was a famed Armenian military commander who organized a guerrilla network that fought against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
during the latter 19th century.
Life as a revolutionary
Around the age of twenty, he got into a fight with two TurksTurkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
and ended up killing one of them. The murder forced him to flee to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. In 1892, he travelled to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and opened a coffee shop there with the intention to use it as a place to meet young revolutionaries. He eventually joined the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
, and returned to Ottoman Armenia, in the province of Bagesh, where he took up arms to defend the local Armenian population from Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and Kurdish
Kurdish-Armenian relations
Kurdish-Armenian relations covers the historical relations between the Kurds and the Armenians.-Ancient Armenia and Corduene:Ancient Corduene, identified as Kurdistan in some sources was twice incorporated into the Kingdom of Armenia. The first period was in the first century BCE from 90 to 66 BCE...
attackers. In 1888, in the village of Babshen in Bitlis, a Kurdish expedition was sent by the Ottomans to capture and kill Serop. The Kurds began their offensive at 3:00 a.m., surrounding Serop and his feedayes. The battle continued until sunrise when Serop and his feedayes managed to escape. After the Battle of Babshen, Serop was given the title of "Pasha".
Aghpyur
It is also around this time he gained his pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Aghpur, given to him by the Armenian population because he had the "heart of a lion" and was very courteous. The local Armenian population would often say "Veruh Asdvadz, Vahruh Serop" (literally "God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
is up there, Serop is down here") which figuratively means "If God is protecting us from the sky, Serop is protecting us from the ground." During his life as a general, Serop commanded famous fedayees such as Andranik Ozanian, Kevork Chavoush, Balabekh Garabed and others.
Death and vengeance
In 1899, while meeting with several other compatriots, Serob Vardanian had his pipe poisoned by a fellow Armenian who had been bribed by KurdishKurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
brigands. The Kurdish brigands, led by Khalil, surrounded the house with hundreds of fighters. A gunfight erupted between the Kurds and the Armenians, the latter having in its ranks twelve of Serob's personal guard, his wife Sose Mayrig
Sose Mayrig
Sose Mayrig , real name - Sose Vardanian was an Armenian female hajduk , the wife of famous hajduk leader Serob Aghpur. She was surnamed "mayrig" by Serob's hajduks for her bravery and maternal concern for Armenian youth.She participated in the many fedayee fightings...
and Serob's son Hagop. The Kurds managed to defeat the outnumbered Armenians, killing in the process Serob, his son, and twelve of his men including the town priest. Sose Mayrig who was wounded, was taken prisoner. Khalil severed Serob's head and placed it on a pike as a warning to all other Armenian freedom fighters.
A mission led by fellow Armenian guerrilla, Zoravor Andranik Ozanian, tracked down the Kurds to the Armenian's house. They killed both the organizers and most notably the traitor Armenian's family, stating that betrayal should be cut down at its roots.
See also
- Armenian militia
- Armenian national movementArmenian national movementArmenian national movement, also known as the "Armenian revolutionary movement" and Armenian national liberation movement was the Armenian national effort to re-establish an Armenian state in the historic Armenian homelands of eastern Asia Minor and the Transcaucasus...
- List of Armenian national heroes
Trivia
- Two Armenian Revolutionary songsArmenian Revolutionary SongsArmenian Revolutionary Songs are songs that promote Armenian patriotism. The origins of these songs lay largely in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Armenian political parties were established to struggle for the political and civil rights of Armenians living in the Ottoman...
called "Serop Pashayi Yerkuh" and "Seropin Yev Soseyin Yerkuh" detail about Serop's and his wife Sose's life.