The Battle Of Ag-Dag, 1915-1918 – Defensive Battles In Sebastia

Before the Armenian Genocide, 25 thousand Armenians lived in the Khnus region. In 1915, self-defense against thugs and murderers in the region was organized in the villages of Govanduk, Salur, Khrmkhaya, Gharachoban, Gopal, and many others. These battles now belong to the heroic pages of the Armenian liberation struggle.

The heroic battle on Mount Ag-Dag on the administrative border of Sebastia and Ankara regions is one of the most remarkable examples of Armenian self-defense. But unfortunately, Mount Ag-Dag is now a forgotten self-defense center of Western Armenians.

On the slopes of the mountain, the inhabitants of the nearby village of Chat found refuge. Along with them were residents of some other villages who had escaped from massacres. The Armenians on the mountain organized resistance to the Turkish barbarians and emerged victorious from this struggle.

The self-defense lasted three and a half years (from 1915 to 1918), and the banner of Armenian resistance on the invincible mountain would flutter until the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I.

After that, an Armenian unit headed by commander Samvel moved to Cilicia and became part of the Armenian Legion.

Arshaluis Zurabyan