This small village is the Dugor village, the residents of which have left their homes due to the situation in Syria. Dugor is one of the Yezdi-populated villages of the Hasake district. The residents of this village saved many Armenian families during the years of the Armenian Genocide.

An old Yezdi woman shared the story of how the Yazidis would hide Armenian families from Turkish soldiers. According to her, they would dig holes in their homes to hide the Armenians. The Yazidis would cover the hole and live their lives so that the Turks wouldn’t think they were keeping Armenians in their homes. The old woman shared this story with Jamil Karapet Kefo, a descendant of one of the Armenian families that were saved.

The parents of 55-year-old Jamil Kefo were saved by the Yazidis of Dugor. He tours the village and greets fellow villagers. His family is the only family that has remained in Dugor. Jamil Kefo and his wife are teachers in Hasake. “We have close ties with the Yazidis. They are at our house and stand by our side on good and bad occasions. During the years of the Armenian Genocide, the Yazidis hosted us in their homes and saved us,” Jamil Kefo says.

Many Armenians in Turkey, Syria and Lebanon were compelled to convert and become Muslims so that they could save their lives, but this wasn’t the case in Dugor. Everything was done to make sure the Armenians preserved their religion.

A female Yezdi resident of Dugor says she and her family were very close with the families of Jamil Kefo and his brother, Ibrahim Kefo. She named her two children after Ibrahim Kefo’s children, Arsen and Armen.

Ibrahim Kefo has moved to Germany and works as a musician. The Yazidis saved his parents, and Ibrahim expresses his gratitude in a special way, that is, he presents Yezdi folklore to the whole world. Ibrahim sings songs about the religion, culture and traditions of the Yazidis.

Source: dengeezdia.com