[AMERICAN SCHOOLS IN HARPUT] Historical autograph document on the inventory of post-war American schools and buildings and the non-Muslim population in the Harput Region.

Original manuscript autographed historical document. 33x21 cm. In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 21 lines on 1 page. A legible Riq'a script. Occasionally foxing on the paper, slightly chipped extremities, folded, a small transparent tape to the lower folded end. Overall a good document. A rare manuscript document prepared by Major Hayreddin, who was on duty at the Harput war scene, upon the request of the Elazig Military Service, and containing the inventory of American missionary schools and buildings in the region in the post-war period, and information with the statistics on the non-Muslim population in 1923. This signed historical document includes the detailed information about the populations of Turkish, Armenian, Assyrian under the classification of Catholic, Protestant and Latin. The document gives the numbers of the churches, schools, mosques, masjids, and fortresses, etc. with their historical information such as their architects and building dates. The information about schools has been given by making distinctions between boys - girls and formal education - night education. The statistics with the missionary schools and buildings left by the Americans are remarkable. In 1852 the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions established a theological seminary in Harput to educate clergymen for the Armenian Evangelical Church, and expanded it 1859 to "American Harput Missionary College". To meet the growing demand for general education in English language, the school's program was extended in 1878, and it was renamed "Armenia College". However, after 10 years, the Ottoman authorities urged to change the school's name, which became finally "Euphrates College". For the building of the college, $140,000 funds were raised from the US Government and $40,000 from the local people in 1875. The facilities at the college consisted of a hospital and an orphanage in addition to a theological seminary and high schools for boys and girls. In 1891, the school shortly released a handwritten newspaper called Asbarez, which was soon forbidden by the Ottoman authorities. In 1895, Kurds looted and burned the Armenian villages on the Harput plain, and in the same month the town was attacked and eight of the twelve buildings on the campus were burned down. Following a change in the approach towards the Armenian population during the Second Constitutional Era of the Ottoman Empire, the Armenians received much more rights. In 1909, the college began to publish a newspaper called Yeprad (Euphrates in Armenian). A printing press was installed within the college and following several bulletins, but also religious and school books were printed in Armenian script. The college was an influential institution for the cultivation of the Armenian language during the Ottoman Empire and in 1913 the 1500th anniversary of the Armenian alphabet was celebrated with a large procession. With the support of German missionaries, in the College was inaugurated a Bible school on the 1 October 1913. In 1915 several of the leading Armenian members of the faculty were arrested, tortured, and executed on trumped-up charges. The college buildings were then occupied by the Ottoman Military and initially used as training camp, and later as a military hospital. Euphrates College was officially closed shortly after the founding of the Republic of Turkey and nothing now remains of its buildings. (Wikipedia). The Turkish transcription of the document: Elazîz Ahz-i Asker Hey'et-i Riyâseti Cânib-i Âlîsine 1- Harb-i Umûmîden evvel Harput ve mülhakâtinda nüfusu kaydina nazaran: Islâm Zükûr-Inâs 11426-10622 Ermeni Z-I 3990-3427 Protestan Z-I 840-710 Süryani Z-I 311-302 Katolik Z-I 67-56 Latin Z-I 76-90 nüfus bulundugu 2- Elyevm gayrimüslim milletlerden: Ermeni zükûr mea' inâs Süryani zükûr mea' inâs 270 490 nüfusu mevcuddur. 3-Milel-i gayrimüslimeyle müessesâti ber-vech-i âtîdir

Lingue: Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928)