By Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Coordinator Armenian Studies Program
Kazan Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies Dr. Ümit Kurt will give his third public lecture on “The Curious Case of Ahmed Necmeddin Bey: A Look into the Sociopolitical Climate in Aintab on the Eve of 1915” at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6 in the University Business Center, Alice Peters Auditorium, Room 191 on the Fresno State campus.
Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Armenians, Greeks, and Jews of Aintab greeted the Committee of Union and Progress’ (CUP) declaration of the Second Constitutional Era and the restoration of the Constitution and the Parliament on July 24, 1908, with excitement and much hope. Ahmed Necmeddin Bey, however, was among the few who did not share the mood and fervor of the crowds. Ahmed Necmeddin Bey was the kaimakam (district governor) of Aintab in late July 1908. One day, however, he was beaten by a group of Turks and Armenians in Aintab; his clothes torn, he was dismissed from his post and finally expelled from the city. But what was the reason for this incident? Dr. Kurt will discuss this enigmatic figure, who played a key role in the massacre of Aintab’s Armenians.
Dr. Ümit Kurt received his Ph.D. from the Department of History at Clark University in 2016 and is currently a Polonsky Fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute.
Dr. Kurt is the author of several monographs and numerous scholarly articles.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Parking is available in Fresno State Lots P6 and P5, near the University Business Center, Fresno State. A free parking code can be obtained by contacting the Armenian Studies Program.
For more information about the lecture, please contact the Armenian Studies Program at 278-2669, visit our website at www.fresnostate.edu/armenianstudies or visit our Facebook page at @ArmenianStudiesFresnoState.
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 