Aram Karamanoukian (; 1 May 1910 – 23 December 1996) was a
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
n-
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
of the Syrian Army. He was also a member of the Syrian Parliament. He is the author of several books. For his work as a scholar and military serviceman, Karamanoukian received medals from Egypt, Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, and France.
Life and career
Aram Karamanoukian was born in May 1910 in Aintab (today
Gaziantep
Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medi ...
),
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
to his father, Hagop (Effendi) Karamanoukian, a lawyer by profession, and his mother Mariam Leylekian. During the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...
, the Armenians of Aintab were deported and Karamanoukian, along with his family, were driven into the
Syrian Desert
The Syrian Desert ( ''Bādiyat Ash-Shām''), also known as the North Arabian Desert, the Jordanian steppe, or the Badiya, is a region of desert, semi-desert, and steppe, covering about of West Asia, including parts of northern Saudi Arabia, ea ...
where they arrived in
Hama
Hama ( ', ) is a city on the banks of the Orontes River in west-central Syria. It is located north of Damascus and north of Homs. It is the provincial capital of the Hama Governorate. With a population of 996,000 (2023 census), Hama is one o ...
and ultimately settled in
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
,
Ottoman Syria
Ottoman Syria () is a historiographical term used to describe the group of divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of the Levant, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Ara ...
. He received his early education at Atenagan and the Haigazian Lyceum in Aleppo, graduating from there in 1923. Setting aside his education for a few years, he briefly became a dentist in 1924. Thereafter, he resumed his education at the
Marist Brothers
The Marist Brothers of the Schools, commonly known as simply the Marist Brothers, is an international community of Catholic Church, Catholic religious institute of Religious brother, brothers. In 1817, Marcellin Champagnat, a Marist priest from Fr ...
College in Aleppo.
Thereafter, in 1932, Karamanoukian entered the Syrian Military Academy in
Damascus
Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
and specialized in artillery. After graduating from the academy in 1934, he was then transferred to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
to the School of Applied Artillery where he received additional training from 1938 to 1939. He furthered his education at the
École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (, , abbr. ESM) is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto is ''Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre'', litera ...
, graduating from there in 1945 with the rank of officer.
Returning to Syria, Karamanoukian was admitted into the newly formed Syrian Army and was responsible for various positions. He participated in the First Arab-Israeli war at the Quneitra front as the leader of the Syrian artillery regiment. From 1949 to 1957, he became the commander in chief of the Syrian Army's artillery. While serving this post, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in 1956. He was transferred to Washington D.C. where he served as a military attache to the Syrian embassy. After spending a year abroad, he retired from the military in 1958 and went into public service. In the same year, he married Hasmig Meghrigian, an Armenian American from
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
He became a member of parliament in 1961 as an independent representing Aleppo. During his brief political career, he was elected as a member of the National Defense Commission. However, due to growing instability in the country, he retired from the political sphere in 1964 to further his education.
In 1964, Karamanoukian returned to scholarly activity. He attended courses on law at
Saint Joseph University
Saint Joseph University of Beirut (; French: ''Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth'', commonly known as USJ) is a private Catholic research university in Beirut, Lebanon, founded in 1875 by French Jesuit missionaries and subsidized by the Go ...
in
Beirut
Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
and graduated with a law degree. He was then accepted into the
Sorbonne University
Sorbonne University () is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to the Middle Ages in 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon as a constituent college of the Unive ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. He continued his PhD studies there and eventually graduated with a LLD degree in 1972. His thesis was on military service and foreigners with a special emphasis on the French Armenian Legion.
He became a United States citizen in 1990. He was then awarded by the New Jersey Association for Lifetime Learning as an ''Outstanding Adult Learner'' from
Bergen County
Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Nagorno-Karabakh war, he visited various battlefronts. He was particularly elated about the Armenian victory at the Battle of Kalbajar. In the last months of his life, Karamanoukian toured around the world and visited friends and family in Syria, Armenia, France, and Lebanon. After returning to the United States, he fell gravely ill, and died in
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a Borough (New Jersey), borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop The Palisades (Hudson River), The Palisades.
As of the 2020 Uni ...
on 23 December 1996. In accordance with his will, his remains were transferred to
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
and
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
. In Armenia, part of his remains were buried next to his brother Levon in
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...
. In Aleppo, the rest of his remains were buried at a local Armenian church. His funeral was attended by many senior officials and dignitaries.
Decorations
Aram Karamanoukian received medals from Egypt, Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, and France. Some of Karamanoukian's awards and decorations include:
* Knights of Cilicia medal (Armenian)
* Nerses Shnorali medal (Armenian)
*
Croix de Guerre
The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...
(Lebanese)
* Palestinian War Medal (Syrian)
* Order of Civil Merit (Syrian)
* Order of Military Merit (Syrian)
Scholarly works
* ''La double nationalité et le service militaire'' (1974)
* ''Les étrangers et le service militaire'' (1978)
Books about Karamanoukian
* ''Zōravar Garamanukeani keankʻn u gortsĕ'' by Hasmik Garamanukean (in Armenian)