For centuries Armenians in Western Armenia cultivated silk. With it, they wove fine carpets and flowing scarves.
They were sold on the Silk Road from China to Europe. That was until the 1915 Genocide of Armenians. In 2006 the mayor of Agacli decided to revive the silk trade.
He was inspired by his Armenian wife whose parents had been rescued by Kurds during the genocide. But only a pair of gnarled mulberry was left as a testimony to the historic Armenian presence and Armenian silk production before the genocide of Armenians.
Through assistance from the European Union, the silk industry was revived. The mayor says everything—scarves and carpets are made by hand just like the Armenians did.
By Jirair Tutunjian, Toronto keghart.org
