Dr. Gayane Ayvazyan will be holding a public talk about her research focusing on the historiographical heritage of Eremia Chelebi Komurjian (Arm: Eremia Chēlēpi Kʻēōmiwrčean, Tur: Eremya Çelebi Kömürcüyan), textual research and publication. Ayvazyan, has been a fellow for the Turkey-Armenia Fellowship Scheme as a researcher at Istanbul Şehir University – Center for Modern Turkish Studies since December 2016. 

The talk will take place at Havak Hall, on 3rd of May, Wednesday, 2017 at 18:30 (GMT+03).

Eremia Komurjian (1637-1695) was a prominent figure of the Armenian historiography. He lived and worked in the Ottoman Empire and was one of key personalities of the Istanbul's Armenian community of the time. He assumed various responsibilities of the Armenian community life quite early, served as secretary of Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. Komurjian has also made an unsuccessful attempt to open an Armenian school and was the participant in the initiative for establishing the second Armenian printing house in Istanbul. He has left behind a great literary heritage which consists of various works of historical-geographical, topographical, dogmatic-polemical genre, as well as letters, lamentations, canticle, odes and verses. The author's merit is especially important for the Armenian historiography regarding his works on the history of the Ottoman Empire, of Istanbul, and also for serving as unrivalled source for the study of Istanbul's Armenian community's history. The meeting will provide a general outline about Istanbul's Armenian community and its situation in the 17th century

Dr. Gayane Ayvazyan is a senior researcher at the Matenadaran (The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts). She holds a Ph. D. degree in history from Yerevan State University and has authored a thesis (2013), a series of articles and reports devoted to Eremia Komurjian. Currently, she is one of the fellows of the Turkey-Armenia Fellowship Scheme launched by the Hrant Dink Foundation and doing her fellowship at Istanbul Şehir University – Center for Modern Turkish Studies.

The event will be held in English only and a format of an interactive conversation so everybody is more than welcome to bring their questions for the Q/A session.

The Hrant Dink Foundation has established the Turkey-Armenia Fellowship Scheme in 2014 with a view to promote cross-border affiliation and cooperation in areas where further exchange of expertise and lasting cooperation is much needed, such as academia, civil society, media, culture and arts, language-learning and law. 15 fellows from Armenia and Turkey are now living and following a special program at a host organisation in the neighbouring country. 

In addition to their activities at their host organisations, fellows also attend various meetings and seminar, having the chance to meet people and institutions working in their areas of interest.

This activity takes place within the framework of the programme
Support to the Armenia-Turkey Normalisation Process: Stage II
funded by the European Union.