Brief History of Nirze Village of Gesaria, A

Description

Nirze (modern Giizelkoy) was one of a cluster of Armenian inhabited villages in the Gesaria (Kayseri) region of Ottoman Turkey. It was a relatively prosperous village where Armenians lived peacefully alongside Muslims. However, this Armenian presence was brought to an end during the Armenian Genocide of 1915. The killings were systematic and brutal. A Brief History of Nirze Village of Gesaria was written in 1917 and printed in 1918, while the genocide was still in progress. It was published to memorialize the village and maintain the hope of return and rebuilding at the end of the war. The book was printed in the United States, most probably in the Boston area, where there was a large community of Armenians from Nirze at that time. They were never able to return to their ancestral village. A Brief History of Nirze Village in Gesaria (Յամառօտ պատմութիւն Կեսարիոյ Նիրզէ գիւղի) was translated from the original Armenian with a critical introduction and annotations by Gerard J. Libaridian.