The last Armenian village in Türkiye is struggling to stay after the earthquake

It is located in the hills 45 minutes by car from the old city of Antiia in Türkiye, the Vafefle Village greeting visitors with a gentle breeze and landscapes consisting of shades of green.

Orange trees extend towards the sky, while small gardens and greenhouse houses spread to the terrain. Even in the heart of February, the aspects of the roads are alive with flowers, a testimony on the magic of the village.

Vakifli feels worlds far from Antakya, the capital of Hatay province, which still feels destroyed from the earthquakes that were struck on February 6, 2023.

Twin tremors killed more than 48,000 people throughout Southern Türkiye, with 24,000 deaths in Hatay alone.

Today, Antakya is starring in dust, old churches, mosques, bazaars, and historical buildings that have been reduced to the rubble.

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The constant construction of the new housing has left the chaotic and unintended city, a reminder of the destruction that is revealed.

Vakifli stands as a calm grain. It is known as the last Armenian village in Türkiye, and it is located on the slopes of Musa Daj, or Jabal Musa, a place that the locals keep.

With only 130 residents there are 35 houses, the village feels small and accumulated.

Even here the earthquakes left their mark, destroyed 15 traditional stone homes and damaged five others. Some villagers now live in temporary container housing, which is a continuous legacy of disaster.

Air image by Vakifli and Musa Dag (Mountain), which was taken on February 4, 2025 (Fikret Can Kusadali/Mee)

Capar, head of the Armenian community in the village, says two families moved away after losing their homes in the disaster. Like other Hatay regions, the village is still awaiting the government to rebuild 15 devastating homes.

“But they will not be traditional stone houses,” said Kabar. “They have gone.”

The village is also home to the Church of God's holy mother, rebuilt in 1997.

Her restoration drew great attention to the media, as it was the first time that a Christian worship has been restored in Türkiye since the foundation of the Republic.

The Church was partially damaged during the earthquake, but the local community was able to restore it using general donations, which amounted to thousands of dollars. However, there is still a separate building next to the church severely affected.

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The local ruler pledged to reform it, although a schedule was not submitted.

Recently, a possible threat to the village has pushed the national lights.

The government had planned appropriate parts of the village lands to build housing for the survivors of the earthquake from nearby areas.

Berc Kartun, the village representative – known as Muhtar – Ain Al -Sharq Al -Awsat was told that the case was resolved after he met officials in the office of Hatay Governor.

The ruler assured him that the lands of the village will remain protected.

“We accompanied the province's governor to determine the borders of the village,” Cartoon said.

“They will only reinforce public lands. We trust the ruler's promise.”

When asked if he had received a written guarantee, Cartoon said it was not – details left a feeling of uncertainty.

History of the tragedy

The earthquakes in 2023 were not the first time that Vaquelle has faced a disaster and its history is characterized by negation, loss and survival.

In 1915, when the Ottoman Empire ordered the forced deportation of Armenian from Anatolia to Syria and abroad, more than 4000 Armenians fled from Vakvli to the mountains. Tens of thousands died during this period – modern Turkey admits a loss of lives “under the circumstances of World War I”, but it refuses to put signs as genocide.

Historians believe that about 2000 Armenians in Vakvli followed the deportation orders at that time. Events remain a very sensitive topic in Türkiye today.

Those who resisted survived the mountains for two months three months ago, they monitored them and transferred them to the Egyptian port of Port.

The Mother's Church of Jerusalem of God is considered on February 4, 2025 in Vakvli, Fikret Can Kusadali/Mee

There, they created 19 “alive” in the refugee camp of 4,200 people.

Society remained in the camp for four years before returning to Musa Daj in November 1919, and then under control of the French mandate, according to local historians.

However, thousands left again in 1939, when Hatay's boycott was included by Türkiye after a referendum. For fear of previous experiences under the Ottoman rule, many Armenians chose to move.

Those who have been on their traditions, and maintain themselves through agriculture and citrus cultivation.

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This date is preserved in the village museum, which once welcomed 50,000 visitors a year before the earthquake. Now, he only receives a handful of visitors every week.

“We cannot push the person who takes care of the museum's daily needs,” says Kabar.

“It is the only open museum in Hatay County, and the local authorities have asked us to preserve it as a source of pride in the region.”

The old hospitality house, a recorded historical building, awaits the reconstruction, but the feeling of despair in the village.

Recently, 20 young villagers have moved to other cities for work or education, leaving the village quieter and less vibrant than before.

“I used to get great hopes in the village – we have built a community center and a museum.” “But first, we hit the epidemic, then this terrible earthquake. Now, we all wonder why we stay in Hatay.”

Kabar, a veterinarian, also lost his clinic in the disaster. He explains that the transplantation of citrus fruits alone is no longer able to preserve society, so women in the village began to cooperate to sell jam and other local products to help meet their needs.

Although he does not seem excessively optimistic, Capar's face shines when he sees his neighbors and greets them with a warm smile.

He said, “We will find a way to survive,” just as his people did for more than a century.

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