Talas’ last Armenian firm on staying

Sarkis Karnikoğlu’s love for Kayseri has gained him a claim to fame: According to local legend, he is the last Armenian in the city’s Talas district.

Karnikoğlu, 50, attends the Sunday ceremony at the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator and helps tend to the church daily. Sarkis lives a few kilometers from the city center in the Talas district.

“My family is one of the oldest and well-known families in this city,” Karnikoğlu told Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “I have never had any intention of leaving this place. I will breathe my last breath here.”

A favorite in Talas

Sporting sharp, dark suits and a moustache, Karnikoğlu is one of the most colorful personalities in the district. Everyone knows him in Talas and around the historical church; all the locals have his phone number and address. When he is near the church, people greet him and ask how he is doing. He even draws attention from the children, who surround him when he enters town.

Karnikoğlu enjoys the attention and is happy to be recognized by the locals.

“I would feel like a fish out of water if I were somewhere other than Kayseri,” Karnikoğlu said. “I wouldn’t be able to breathe. I am the last member of my family.”

Loyalty of friends

The members of Karnikoğlu’s family were baptized and married at the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, as were their funerals. He spent his childhood playing in the church garden.

“All my memories are here,” Karnikoğlu said. He had close friends, the children of neighbors, when he was a kid and still has close ties with those who are still alive.

“Everyone thinks I live here alone, but I am not alone because my childhood friends see me as their brother,” he said. “I never feel alone. I have a big family.”

Migration to US, Europe

According to Karnikoğlu, Kayseri used to be home to numerous Armenian families until the end of the 1960s. “Most of them migrated, mostly to the United States and Europe, until the late 1980s,” Karnikoğlu said, gazing at the church during a ceremony. “This garden used to be packed during Sunday ceremonies 45 years ago.”

Dilaçar surname from Atatürk

Kayseri has been home to many well-known Armenians. Karnikoğlu shared some of the names, born in Kayseri and famous around Turkey and the world. Known for his studies on the Turkish language, secretary-general of the Turkish Language Foundation Hagop Martayan is one of them.

After the surname law was established, the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, honored Martayan by giving him the surname “Dilaçar,” which is related to language.

Other prominent families of Kayseri are the Balyan and Gülbenkyan families.

The Balyans were Ottoman architects. Many of the palaces, mosques, churches and villas in Istanbul carry the Balyan signature. The Gülbenkyans, who were mostly traders, have a huge art collection exhibited in Portugal’s Lisbon at the Kalust Gülbenkyan Foundation and Museum. The family played a big role in international oil trade.