Hamidian Massacres 1895 - 1897

The Events of Hamidian Massacres

1895 - 1897

The massacres occurring between 1894 and 1897 during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II represent a significant phase of systematic violence directed against the Christian populations of the Ottoman Empire. While contemporary international attention and later historical studies often focused on the Armenian experience, the Syriac Orthodox community, historically referred to as Jacobites or Suryani Kadim (old Syriac), was an integral target of this lethal aggression. The broader context of these events involved a transition from a period of reforms to a policy of aggressive Islamization under the Sultan, who asserted that the empire would remain an Islamic state. Geopolitical instability, particularly the friction between the Ottoman and Russian empires, and the internal rise of Kurdish tribal power following the dissolution of the emirates in the mid-nineteenth century, created an environment prone to extreme religious and ethnic violence. In rural areas, Syriac Christians often lived as semi-feudal peasants under Kurdish aghas, and the growth of the Christian population in fertile regions east of Nisibin sparked economic rivalry and jealousy among local Muslim groups.

The violence generally began in the autumn of 1895, following a pattern where news of riots in the capital, Istanbul, served as a catalyst for widespread plundering and killing throughout Anatolia. In many instances, the massacres started at a predetermined hour and followed specific signals, such as the sounding of mosque bells or calls to prayer, suggesting a degree of local administrative organization. The official Ottoman narrative frequently claimed that the violence was a response to Armenian provocations or revolts, but evidence indicates that Syriac Orthodox communities, who possessed no political movement and had not demanded autonomy, were targeted indiscriminately alongside their Armenian neighbors.

In the city of Diyarbekir, the violence erupted on November 1, 1895, and lasted for three days. Mobs primarily targeted the large Armenian community, but the destruction extended to other Christian denominations. Documented casualties in the city included 167 Syriacs, and approximately 308 Syriac-owned shops were looted and burned. The French vice-consul Gustave Meyrier reported that among the Syriac Orthodox, there were 150 deaths and 25 plundered houses. The local Muslim elite and urban notables were identified as the primary organizers of the city proper's violence. Specifically, Mayor Arif Pirinççizâde was identified as a key instigator who motivated the populace toward extermination. While Ottoman troops in some areas protected Christian property, in Diyarbakir, officials, police, and military personnel were noted to have participated in the riots.

The rural districts surrounding Diyarbakir experienced even more integral destruction. Approximately 119 assaults on villages were calculated by diplomatic observers. In the administrative districts of Silvan, Palu, and Siverek, thousands of Christians were reduced to destitution. In Silvan alone, as many as 4,000 individuals disappeared, being reported as killed, having died from exposure, or having fled. Syriac villages such as Qatrabal, Qarabash, and Sa'diye were subjected to systematic slaughter and plundering. In Qarabash, the pogrom began on October 1, 1895, and lasted two days, affecting a population of over 1,000. In Sa'diya, many Christians perished when the local church was set on fire while they were inside seeking sanctuary. Forced conversions were a widespread phenomenon during this period as a means of survival. Statistics for the Diyarbakir province indicate that approximately 25,000 Armenians and Syriacs were compelled to convert to Islam to avoid being massacred.

In the town of Urfa, also known as Edessa, the massacres were particularly savage. Reports indicate that up to 8,000 Christians perished there. A significant event during the Urfa massacre involved the burning of a cathedral where thousands had sought refuge; Ottoman crowds reportedly proclaimed that no Christians were to be left in the country. The violence in Urfa was fueled by the mobilization of religious students, known as softas, who viewed the Christian presence as a danger to Islamic authority.

The region of Mardin and its surrounding villages also saw significant violence, often perpetrated by local tribes. On November 10, 1895, about 4,000 Kurds and members of the Dashiye tribe gathered to invade the Syriac village of Mansouriya. The residents attempted to defend themselves and sought help from their neighbors, who eventually demanded a sum of 20,000 gersh to cease the attack. In Benebil, a Syriac Orthodox village east of Mardin, a pogrom occurred on November 9, 1895. In Al-Qusur (Goliye), a predominantly Christian village south of Mardin, the population was subjected to a pogrom in the same month. While the Ottoman government sometimes used regular troops to prevent the plundering of towns like Derike, the general lack of central intervention allowed local militias and tribes to act with relative impunity.

In Kharput, the massacres were characterized by the invasion of villages by Kurdish tribesmen from the Dersim region. Local authorities initially attempted to protect the city but eventually permitted the destruction to proceed. Mobs destroyed Christian homes and shops, resulting in over 1,000 deaths in the city and the destruction of approximately 85 Syriac villages in the vicinity. Syriac residents who had no political movement were sucked into these events haphazardly.

The perpetrators of these massacres included a variety of actors. The Hamidiye regiments (also known as the “fifys,” irregular Kurdish cavalry commissioned by the Sultan, were central figures in the violence across eastern Anatolia, though their involvement varied by locale. In some instances, such as in Diyarbekir, the urban Muslim elite and landowners organized the killings, while semi-nomadic tribes were responsible for the carnage in the countryside . The Milli tribe under Ibrahim Pasha was noted for providing protection to some Christians in 1895, despite their later participation in the 1915 genocide.

The number of total victims among the Syriac communities during the 1895-1896 period is estimated at 55,000 individuals. This death toll included the loss of influential church leaders and moneyed men, though individual names are frequently omitted from the general registers. The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch at the time, Ignatius Abdulmasih II, was a direct witness to the atrocities in Diyarbakir. He reportedly saw the corpses of the fallen Christians early in his patriarchate, an experience that left him mentally traumatized.

The massacres were accompanied by the abduction of women and children. In the Diyarbakir and Silvan areas, more than 500 Armenian and Syriac girls and children were kidnapped by Kurdish groups. Plundered goods and Christian property were often found in distant sub-provinces, highlighting the scale of the looting. Hundreds of churches and monasteries were desecrated, destroyed, or converted into mosques.

The events finally subsided following international pressure and a reassertion of Ottoman central power, though the region never fully recovered economically or socially. Foreign diplomatic missions and philanthropic organizations began establishing orphanages and hospitals to care for the tens of thousands of children left without families. Investigative teams sent by the Ottoman government, such as the commission that arrived in Diyarbakir in December 1895, often attempted to shift the blame onto the victims or foreign powers like England, claiming that the state only desired calm for its subjects. Despite these official denials, the Hamidian massacres established a culture of violence and a structural precedent for the even more extensive genocide that would occur during the First World War.