The Cilician Massacres of 1909 were a major turning point in the history of Ottoman Armenians. Within a matter of two weeks, over 20,000 Armenians were killed in mob violence. The Armenian quarters of Adana city, as well as other villages, were razed to the ground. The violence was supported by Ottoman authorities and Muslim mobs. These killings took place only a year after the 1908 revolution -- which had proclaimed liberty, equality and fraternity for all -- and six years before the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
   The 1909 massacres were followed by the efforts of Ottoman authorities to dismiss Armenian losses, blame Armenians for the violence, and to whitewash the criminal activities of the authorities. However, Armenians were not intimidated and sought justice. They sent delegations to the scene of crimes, took care of survivors, and bore witness to what had happened. They published survivor accounts, formal investigative reports, newspaper commentaries, and literary works. The Ottoman authorities in Constantinople had to backtrack and make some concessions, though they did not relent in their efforts to protect the murderers.
  The recent English translation of Hratchig Simonyan's "The Destruction of Armenians in Cilicia, April 1909," is an authoritative account of the events of 1909. It presents a wide range of Armenian archival and published sources, as it recounts the background to massacres, the killings that took place, and the aftermath to the carnage. It is a monumental work that promises to lead to much discussion amongst scholars, political activists and intellectuals about the terrible events of 1909.

• TABLE OF CONTENTS

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• FOREWORD 4

• A Brief Overview of the Main Literature and
  Other Sources on the Cilician Massacres 6

• HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 13

• A Brief Overview of the National Composition,

• Size, and Religious Beliefs of the Population of Cilicia 18

• The Administrative Division of Cilicia 21

• The Causes of the Massacre of Armenians in Cilicia 25

• A Pretext for the Carnage: Diabolical Acts of Provocation 32

• MASSACRES IN THE CITY OF ADANA 39

• The First Massacre in the City of Adana 40

• The Horrific ‘Peace’ 51

• The Second Massacre in the City of Adana 58

• MASSACRES IN THE VILAYET OF ADANA 63

• The Sandjak of Adana 72

• The Sandjak of Djebel-i Bereket 88

• The District of Erzin 88

• The District of Deortyol (Chork-Marzban) 98

• The District of Bahche (Bulanik) 104

• The District of Islahiye 110

• The District of Kozan 111

• The District of Hadjin 114

• The District of Feke 118

• MASSACRES IN THE VILAYET OF ALEPPO 119

• The Sandjak of Marash 119

• The Sandjak of Aleppo 128

• THE MONTHS FOLLOWING THE CALAMITY 137

• First Aid to the Sufferers 138

• The Initiatives of the Armenian National Authorities
  in Constantinople 144

• The Number of Fatalities 152

• Material Losses 156

• New Exodus 157

• Who Organized the Massacres? 163

• What were the main pieces of evidence? 165

• Reactions to the Massacres 169

• the Cilician Calamity Discussed by the Ottoman Parliament 181

• The April 28, 1909 Session of the Chamber 187

• The April 30, 1909 Session of the Chamber 188

• The May 10, 1909 Session of the Chamber 188

• The May 11, 1909 Session of the Chamber 189

• Audience with Sultan Muhammad V 189

• Turkish Justice in Practice 192

• Punishing the ‘Criminal’ Armenians 210

• Hagop Babigian’s Report 217

• Philanthropy versus Misanthropy 230

• Widows and Orphans 236

• The Forced Islamization of Abducted Armenian Women 249

• Songs of Mourning 253

• BIBLIOGRAPHY 263

• INDEX 267

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• ILLUSTRATIONS

• Justinian Bridge, Adana cir. 1909 12

• Map — Administrative Map Showing Main Theatres of Massacres 21

• Map — Adana City, April 1909 65

• A general view of Armenian quarter in Adana after the massacres, 1909. 63

• Putrid remains of massacre victims, April 1909 67

• Armenian agricultural worker in Adana province 70

• Armenian refugee camp in outskirts of Adana 145