Access Conditions The copyright and related rights status of this Item has been reviewed by USC Libraries, but we are unable to make a conclusive determination as to the copyright status of the Item. Please refer to USC Special Collections for more information. USC does not own or control any copyright rights with respect to this item. However, responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Identifier dadrian-eskijian-018-lg-008.jpg (filename)

IIIF ID [Document.IIIFV3ID]

Unique identifier UC113372649

Legacy Identifier dadrian-eskijian-018-lg-008

Type Image

Internet Media Type image/jpeg

Resolution 17.0 in × 21.7 in at 300dpi
43.4 cm × 55.2 cm at 300dpi

Transcript (If available)

Content Three times during the 9 hour odjessy I sat by the wayside,
unable to take another step. Ky feet were bleeding, my heart was
pounding, threatening to stop any minute. "You go ahead," I said to
my mother, but she sat by my side and without a word closed her eyes.
I knew I couldn't talk her into leaving me, so for her sake I got up
and walked some more. They say that there is a kind of “point of no
return" where pain is concerned. It hurts so much that it hurts no
more. The brain is unable to cope with it. Time stops having any
meaning. Time only means tortured days and fear filled nights,
drenching rains, scorching sun, eerie sourids and eerier spectors.
Like in a trance, I remember ‘that we saw some lights in the distance
and I heard voices whisper, “we have arrived! There is Aleppo."
Ineredible, a city, after 40 days of wild forests, arid deserts, muddy
streams, a city with lights. I promised heaven and my imortal soul
that I would enter that city of fables and fantasies. I would live
under a roof again, I would wash my body with soap and water again,

I would sleep on a pillow again. But alas, the city was miles away
and we had arrived at yet another camp; bigger, dirtier, deadlier.
This one was strewn along an old train track, a track that led to
Der-El-Zor, the final slaughter house. Der- El-Zor from where no one
ever returned.

For the next three days I was more dead than alive. I must
have been delirious. 1 woke up feeling something wet on my lips.
Water, I couldn't believe my senses, ly mother was wetting my lips
with a damp cloth. my dreams, my promise to heaven and myself

returned immediately after sipping some of the wormy, slimy water.

I noticed that there was a foot path running from the camp towards

Inherited Values

Title Naomi Ouzounian's struggles in Syria and Turkey during World War I, p. 1

Alternative Title Armenian orphans (supplied title)

Description An account of Naomi Ouzounian's struggles in Syria and Turkey during World War I and Hovhaness Eskijian's aid to her and her family. Typewritten (12 pages) in English. "There was a time in my life when I did not hope to live to become eighteen." -- first line.

Subject Eskijian, Hovhannes, 1882-1916 (personal name), Ouzounian, Naomi (personal name)

Coverage Spatial 44 North Greenwood (roadways), 76 Mountain Shadows West (roadways), Aleppo (cities), Arizona (states), Asia (continents), Der-El-Zor (cities), Illinois (states), North America (continents), Palatine (cities), Scottsdale (cities), Syria (countries), Turkey (countries), USA (countries)

Coverage Temporal 1913/1916

Inherited Subject Eskijian, Hovhannes, 1882-1916 (personal name), Ouzounian, Naomi (personal name)

Repository Email specol@lib.usc.edu (digital); eskijian@ararat-eskijian-museum.com (original)

Repository Name USC Libraries Special Collections (digital); Ararat-Eskijian Museum (physical)

Repository Location Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 (digital); 15105 Mission Hills Road, Mission Hills, CA 91345 (physical)

Rights Mehagian, Mary; Ouzounian, Naomi

Date Created 1977-02-11, 1982-04-24

Creator Mehagian, Mary (writer), Ouzounian, Naomi (writer)

Contributor Ararat-Eskijian Museum (donor), Eskijian, Luther, 1913-2007 (recipient), Eskijian, Luther, 1913-2007 (marginalia)

Publisher University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Type texts

Format 1 page (extent)

Internet Media Type image/jpeg

Language English

Linked assets

Naomi Ouzounian's struggles in Syria and Turkey during World War I, p. 1

Early life story of Naomi Ouzounian, 1982

Conceptually similar

Similar tones