Songs and Dances from Sasun - Traditional Armenian Music

Picture is of a brave warrior from the Artsakh war of independence, where Armenian liberators, freed their historical territory from Azerbaijan after the collapse of the soviet union. The warriors name is Pavlik Manukyan.

Sasun was an Ancient region of Armenia part of the Vasbouragan province of Armenia. Today it is occupied by the turkish republic. Sasun played an important role in Armenian history, some of Armenia's fiercest warriors hailed from the Sasun region of Armenia, the Daredevils of Sasun being the Armenian rebels who destroyed Arab incursions into Armenia during the middle ages. The region was ruled by the Armenian Mamikonian dynasty from around 772 until 1189/1190.

the Sasuntsis were able to maintain an autonomy free of Turkish rule until the end of the 19th century when the Kurds themselves were finally brought under government control. Proud warriors, the Sasuntsis made all their weapons and relied on nothing from the outside world.

In 1893, some three to four thousand nomadic Kurds from the Diyarbakır plains entered Sason region, intent on pillage. The Kurds were responsible for bringing economic ruin to the agrarian community of the Armenian villagers: they would steal livestock and demand the Armenians to pay a second tax (that is, a separate tax in addition to the one Armenians paid to the Ottoman government). When Armenians decided to challenge Kurdish extortion, a fight ensued and a Kurd was killed. Using the Kurd's death as a pretext by describing that a revolt had taken place, Turkish officials endorsed a Kurdish attack against the Armenians of Sason.

The Kurds, however, were successfully driven off by the armed Armenian villagers, but that success was now seen as a possible threat by the Ottoman authorities. In 1894 the villagers refused to pay taxes unless the Ottoman authorities adequately protected them against renewed Kurdish attacks and extortions. Instead, the government sent a force of about 3,000 soldiers and Kurdish irregulars to disarm the villagers, an event which ended in a general massacre of between 900 to 3,000 men, women and children. The "Sasun affair" was widely publicised and was investigated by representatives from the European Powers, resulting in demands that Ottoman Turkey initiate reforms in the six "Armenian vilayets". Abdul Hamid II's response to those demands culminated in the anti-Armenian pogroms of 1895 and 1896.

1894 Sasun rebellion

1904 Sasun uprising

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