The Armenian Church and cemetery located in the Ardamed region of Van continue to be pillaged, reports HyeTert, citing evrensel.net.

The cemetery, which is located near the practically destroyed Armenian Church and was the cemetery of the residents of the Armenian-populated district until 1915 continues to be pillaged. In search of gold and other precious items, the treasure hunters have dug deep into the tombs and have removed the bodies of the buried and have thrown the bones here and there, and dogs have taken the bones to the residential areas.

Photo of Armenian cemetery taken years before pillage

One of the residents of the region, Eusuf Cicek mentions that the representatives of Van’s Department for Protection of Cultural Assets avoid talking about the pillage.

Currently, the ancient Armenian Ardamed residence called Edremit is located 12 km away from Van and is known for its sweet apples. The city was founded by King Artashes I as a villa for his wife, Queen Satenik.

In 1877, Ardamed was a large Armenian residence with 400 homes. Turks also lived in the region. The Muslims of Ardamed lived near the lakeside, and the Armenians lived at the peak. The number of the population decreased due to the  barbarous acts of the Turks over the years.

In 1909, there were 500 families in Ardamed, of which only 150 were Armenian. Prior to 1915, the St. Mary Church was standing.

The Armenians also had a daily school. In 1915, the Armenians of Ardamed participated in the self-defense battles in Van and settled in Eastern Armenia along with the retreating Russian forces.

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