The present-day inhabitants of Vakifli, the only remaining Armenian village in Turkey, are the descendants of those who resisted the forced deportations in 1915. Living on the slopes of Musa Dagh, the Armenians of the six local villages have for 53 days repelled the attacks of the Turkish army until being evacuated by French warships.
These events served as the basis of the novel “Forty days of Musa Dagh” by Franz Werfel.
After the end of World War I, the Hatay Province where the six villages were located became a part of French Syria. The absence of the Turks allowed the Armenians who used to live on the slopes of Musa Dagh to return to their villages.
However, a 1939 referendum resulted in the passage of Hatay to Turkey. The majority of the 5000 Armenians living in the province left their villages and moved to Lebanon. Currently, there are only about 130 Armenians living in the province.
VAKIFLI’DA KIRK GÜN
