On June 26, the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian General Benevolent Union in Armenia hosted the presentation of the multilingual album of photos compiled by Director of the AGBU Aleppo M. Sarian Academy Hrazdan Tokmajian and entitled “The Sad Melody of the Desert: Bedouin Armenians in the Photos of Nourhan Balian”.

In 1936-58, famous Syrian-Armenia photographer Nourhan Balian lived in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor where he took photos of the Armenians who were saved during the Genocide and lived with the Bedouins of the desert. Based on the photos of Nourhan Balian, the album presents facts about the tortures of the Armenian people, alienation and the loss of national identity and the great pan-national suffering, as well as memoirs that serve as sources. The series of photos devoted to Deir ez-Zor are being presented in their entirety for the first time ever. The photos were compiled and prepared for publication by Hrazdan Tokmajian.

Deputy Minister Serzh Srapionyan transmitted the congratulatory remarks of Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan that particularly read as follows: “ “The Sad Melody of the Desert”…the title of series of photos is a serious message. It serves as a unique handbook for popularizing the Armenian Genocide to prove to the whole world that, besides being massacred, many Armenians were also alienated and cut off from their roots. I am certain that foreign readers will understand the horrible calamity that the Turkish authorities caused-a calamity that is talked about to this day through the publication of new materials.”

Hrazdan Tokmajian expressed gratitude for the presentation of the album and stated the following: “Nourhan Balian’s photos show that the Arabs are hospitable and generous towards the Armenian people, and thanks to that, even though many Armenians became assimilated, they maintained their existence.”

Hrazdan Tokmajian presented the life and career of the photographer and underlined the following: “Nourhan’s aspiration to seek unique and beautiful images is not the only thing that is appreciable. The photographer is a vigorous documenter and a person who carefully seeks typical and beautiful moments in simple life.”

Tokmajian added that the photos are presented as a whole and that, when he was compiling the photos, he was guided by the conviction that they would spark the interest of Arabs, Armenians and fans of photography alike.