HISTORY

Kharberd (in Greek Kharpote, in Assyrian Qordberd, in Turkish Kharboot) is a city in Western Armenia. It is currently located in the Elyazg Vilayet of Turkey. The name Kharberd originates from the village Khar that existed in 20th Century B.C. to which later was added "berd" meaning "castle." From the very early times the main route connecting East and West would pass through the Kharberd area. At the time of King Darius I of Persia (522-484 B.C.) the main road connecting the Persian capital city of Souza to the Mediterranean--the King's Highway-- passed through Kharberd. This attribute continues to current times. The castle was built in the 9th-8th Centuries B.C. In 1236 it was conquered by Mongols. In 1507 the Persian Shah Ismail conquered Kharberd and after pillaging the city, it was destroyed. In 1515 the rebuilt city was concurred by Osman Sultan Salim, I. By the end of the 16th Century, living conditions were at their worst. In 1617 Choban Oghli Beg massacred the entire population of Kharberd and destroyed the city. From the 18th Century the area of Kharberd was included into the Sebastia Vilayet. Kharberd again became a well-populated city. In 1834 Kharberd was included in Diarbekir Vilayet, and in 1878 the Kharberd Vilayet was formed. Its population were traders, craftsmen and farmers. In the 19th Century they were in trade contacts with various regions of Western Armenia, and with foreign countries such as Persia, France, England, and the U.S. Kharberd became a large industrial center of Western Armenia. It was also a cultural center with a well-developed educational system, daily papers, and community centers. In 1880, under Turkish political pressure a large number of Armenians were deported from Kharberd. In 1895-96 Sultan Hamid and the Young Turk party under Tal'at Pasha, with a demonic program for Turkification of Asia Minor began systematic, brutal massacre of the entire million and a half Armenian population of Turkey. By 1914 there were still 10 thousand Armenians in Kharberd. They, too, were annihilated and the city was totally destroyed in 1915. The only survivors were children from a missionary orphanage. Tal'at was assassinated in Berlin by an Armenian patriot.

St. Gevorg Monastery, located in Khule, near Kharberd.

From 35 to 43 A.D. the Apostle Thaddeus preached in Southern Armenia. Later, from 44 to 60 A.D. the Apostle Bartholomew preached in the North. A large number of Armenians became converts to Christianity. Both apostles would be persecuted and martyred. A tradition holds that St. Thaddeus the Apostle was the founder of St. Gevorg Monastery located in Khule, near Kharberd.