Jacques or Jack Sayabalian (Paylag) (; June 1880 – 1915) was an Armenian writer and poet who was also an interpreter for the British Consul in

Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

between 1904 and 1909, then vice-consul for a year and a half. He was also a member of the

Armenian National Assembly The Armenian National Assembly was the governing body of the Armenian millet in the Ottoman Empire, established by the Armenian National Constitution of 1863. Elections Tax paying members of the Armenian Gregorian church were given suffrage ...

representing his birthplace of Konya. After 1909, he became a journalist in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. 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 ...

, Sayabalian was deported to Ankara and then killed.

Life

Jacques Sayabalian was born in

in the

Konya Vilayet The Vilayet of Konya () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire in Asia Minor which included the whole, or parts of, the ancient regions of Pamphylia, Pisidia, Phrygia, Lycaonia, Cilicia and Cappadocia. Demograph ...

of the

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 ...

in June 1880. His father was the governor of the province of Konya. Sayabalian received his early education at a local school in Konya. In 1896, he went to Constantinople where he attended the prestigious Reteos Berberian Armenian school. Sayabalian continued his education at the American College located in

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

for two years. A fluent speaker of English, after finishing his studies from the American College in 1904, Sayabalian returned to Konya where he became an interpreter for the British Consul. After working as an interpreter for 5 years, Sayabalian returned to Constantinople where he began writing for various local Armenian newspapers and journals. He became a member of the

representing Konya. He also contributed to local Armenian newspapers such as the ''Surhantag'' and ''Massis''. When Sayabalian contributed to the Massis newspaper, he signed his poems and stories with the pen-name "V".

Death

Jacques Sayabalian was one of the Armenian leaders deported during the

. On 24 April 1915, Sayabalian was arrested and sent via train to

Çankırı Çankırı, historically known as Gangra (Greek language, Greek: Γάγγρα), is a city in Turkey, about northeast of Ankara. It is situated about 800 m (2500 ft) above sea level. It is the seat of Çankırı Province and of Çankır ...

, a village located in the interior provinces of the Ottoman Empire. He was then deported to

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

where he was murdered. His remains are yet to be found.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayabalian, Jak 1880 births 1915 deaths People from Konya People from Konya vilayet Armenians from the Ottoman Empire Armenian-language writers People who died in the Armenian genocide 20th-century writers from the Ottoman Empire Berberian School alumni

Life

Death

See also

References